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"content": "\u003cp>Today, Bay Curious is releasing a special Halloween episode — and it delves deep into a few of the Bay Area’s local legends and supernatural stories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can listen to our Bay Area Ghost Stories episode by hitting the play button above, or wherever you get your podcasts. The episode features stories from Wes Leslie of \u003ca href=\"https://thehauntghosttours.com/\">The Haunt Ghost Tours\u003c/a>, Tommy Netzband of the \u003ca href=\"https://hauntedhaight.com/\">Haunted Haight Walking Tour\u003c/a> and Bay Area storyteller \u003ca href=\"https://jpfrary.com/\">JP Frary\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this audio special has got you in the mood for more macabre tales, read on for our seven suggestions on how to get into the Halloween spirit this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Livestream our Chilling Histories of California storytelling night\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11893728\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_165895179_367916542203_1_original.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_165895179_367916542203_1_original.jpg 1000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_165895179_367916542203_1_original-800x400.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_165895179_367916542203_1_original-160x80.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Thursday, October 28, KQED is holding \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/events/167829457425\">a live storytelling night of haunting and curious California tales\u003c/a>, with a lineup that includes Glynn Washington (Spooked, Snap Judgment), Ying Liu (The Haunted Bay) and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Kevin Fagan, as well as several KQED storytellers. Bay Curious’s Olivia Allen-Price will also be making an appearance. (Proof of vaccination and masking will be requested from all attendees.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if you can’t make the event in person, or aren’t ready to attend an event like this right now during the pandemic, you can \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/events/167829457425\">livestream the night for free\u003c/a>. Just make sure to turn your lights down \u003cem>low\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/events/167829457425\">Get tickets or a livestream link for Chilling Histories of California.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>Test your trivia knowledge of the Bay Area’s haunted history\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11893767\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1020px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11893767\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/eric-carlson-xVvj8yvkWvo-unsplash_hauntedquiz-1020x574-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1020\" height=\"574\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/eric-carlson-xVvj8yvkWvo-unsplash_hauntedquiz-1020x574-1.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/eric-carlson-xVvj8yvkWvo-unsplash_hauntedquiz-1020x574-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/eric-carlson-xVvj8yvkWvo-unsplash_hauntedquiz-1020x574-1-160x90.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fog hovers over the Golden Gate Bridge at twilight. \u003ccite>(Eric Carlson/Unsplash)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>From the San Francisco mansion that inspired horror writer Shirley Jackson to the secret buried under the Legion of Honor, the Bay Area has no shortage of macabre legends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Test your knowledge of the darker side of local history with this trivia set compiled by our friends at KQED Arts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13888121/quiz-how-well-do-you-know-the-bay-areas-haunted-history\">Try the Bay Area Haunted History quiz for yourself.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>Learn why your mind plays tricks on you deep in the Santa Cruz redwoods\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889342\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889342\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Mystery-Spot-Entrance-Sign.jpg\" alt='A large yellow-and-black sign reads \"Welcome to Mystery Spot, Santa Cruz, California U.S.A.\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"1441\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Mystery-Spot-Entrance-Sign.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Mystery-Spot-Entrance-Sign-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Mystery-Spot-Entrance-Sign-1020x766.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Mystery-Spot-Entrance-Sign-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Mystery-Spot-Entrance-Sign-1536x1153.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The iconic yellow-and-black sign welcomes visitors to the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, California. \u003ccite>(Amanda Font/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nestled under the trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains lies one of the greater Bay Area’s most beloved attractions: the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot. And if you haven’t visited yet, you’ve almost certainly seen those ubiquitous bumper stickers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this place, your eyes and brain will play tricks on you, and make games of your powers of perception. But why does this happen? We dived into (some of) the possible answers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://tools.applemediaservices.com/podcast-episode/1000539271730?country=us\">Listen to the episode\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11889331/whats-behind-one-of-californias-most-ubiquitous-bumper-stickers\">read more about the Mystery Spot.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>From rumrunning to ghosts and speakeasies, uncover the many lives of Pacifica’s castle\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889778\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889778\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-azzaro.jpg\" alt=\"A blue sky and ocean behind a castle like building.\" width=\"800\" height=\"537\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-azzaro.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-azzaro-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Sam Mazza Castle sits high on a hill in Pacifica’s Sharp Pointe neighborhood. It has been here since 1908 and has had many lives. \u003ccite>(Robert Azzaro/Courtesy Sam Mazza Foundation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ever driven Highway 1 through the city of Pacifica and wondered what that great stone castle is? You’re not alone: Many Bay Curious listeners wanted to know, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the tale of how that castle first came to have a reputation, how foggy Pacifica became a smuggler’s paradise, and why the castle’s historian is convinced these stones are haunted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11889508/rumrunning-ghosts-and-speakeasies-the-many-lives-of-pacificas-castle\">Hear or read about the mysterious castle of Pacifica.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>Uncover the famous dead of Colma\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10795849\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 5760px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10795849\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"5760\" height=\"3840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321.jpg 5760w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 5760px) 100vw, 5760px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In many parts of Colma, neat rows of gravestones are visible as far as the eye can see. \u003ccite>(Olivia Allen-Price/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the early 1920s the land in the city of Colma, just south of San Francisco, was set aside specifically for cemeteries. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10779164/why-are-so-many-dead-people-in-colma-and-so-few-in-san-francisco\">Over 100,000 bodies were exhumed and moved there\u003c/a> after SF evicted their dead to make room for more housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But who, exactly, is buried in Colma? It turns out there are more household names there than you might first think.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11891074/some-of-the-most-famous-people-buried-in-colma-with-map\">\u003cstrong>Read about the graves of Colma, and see the map.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>Descend into the dark tunnels below San Francisco\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11782625\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11782625\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/RS39796_Tunnel_02-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/RS39796_Tunnel_02-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/RS39796_Tunnel_02-qut-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/RS39796_Tunnel_02-qut-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/RS39796_Tunnel_02-qut-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/RS39796_Tunnel_02-qut-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Megan Abadie in the San Francisco sewers. \u003ccite>(Sruti Mamidanna/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The myth of the underground — a silent world hidden under our feet — continues to fascinate people, not least because there are very real labyrinths under major world cities — like the infamous catacombs of Paris, lined with the bones of the city’s dead, or the terrifying catacombs under Odessa, in Ukraine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious listeners told us they’d heard stories of secret passageways running under San Francisco, so we investigated — and what we found led us into the darkest stretches of the subterranean sewer network. Come with us if you dare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11782405/tunnels-under-san-francisco-inside-the-dark-dangerous-world-of-the-sewers\">See the story of the sewers with underground photos\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=726sQLKGAjk\">watch the video.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>Discover a ‘haunted’ lighthouse on the Big Sur coast\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11701904\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11701904\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse.jpg\" alt=\"The Point Sur Lighthouse has been operating since 1889. It's one of California's oldest and most remote light stations.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Point Sur Lighthouse has been operating since 1889. It’s one of California’s oldest and most remote light stations. \u003ccite>(Sasha Khokha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Perched on the rocky coastline between Carmel and Big Sur, Point Sur Lighthouse has been guiding ships into the Pacific Coast since 1889. But the treacherous landscape and rough weather have meant the lighthouse also has seen many shipwrecks — and up to 11 ships have been lost near its coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People claim the lighthouse is haunted by the ghosts of people who died in those shipwrecks, as well as the ghosts of the former lighthouse keepers who lived and worked on the isolated station. KQED’s California Report Magazine went to investigate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11701114/a-lighthouse-so-beautiful-ghosts-come-back-to-haunt-it\">Read or hear about the place that’s been called “one of the most haunted lighthouses in the United States.”\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Get into the spirit of Halloween this week with our supernatural-themed story recommendations.",
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"title": "Ghost Stories and Macabre Tales to Binge This Halloween | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Today, Bay Curious is releasing a special Halloween episode — and it delves deep into a few of the Bay Area’s local legends and supernatural stories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can listen to our Bay Area Ghost Stories episode by hitting the play button above, or wherever you get your podcasts. The episode features stories from Wes Leslie of \u003ca href=\"https://thehauntghosttours.com/\">The Haunt Ghost Tours\u003c/a>, Tommy Netzband of the \u003ca href=\"https://hauntedhaight.com/\">Haunted Haight Walking Tour\u003c/a> and Bay Area storyteller \u003ca href=\"https://jpfrary.com/\">JP Frary\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this audio special has got you in the mood for more macabre tales, read on for our seven suggestions on how to get into the Halloween spirit this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Livestream our Chilling Histories of California storytelling night\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11893728\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_165895179_367916542203_1_original.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_165895179_367916542203_1_original.jpg 1000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_165895179_367916542203_1_original-800x400.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_165895179_367916542203_1_original-160x80.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Thursday, October 28, KQED is holding \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/events/167829457425\">a live storytelling night of haunting and curious California tales\u003c/a>, with a lineup that includes Glynn Washington (Spooked, Snap Judgment), Ying Liu (The Haunted Bay) and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Kevin Fagan, as well as several KQED storytellers. Bay Curious’s Olivia Allen-Price will also be making an appearance. (Proof of vaccination and masking will be requested from all attendees.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if you can’t make the event in person, or aren’t ready to attend an event like this right now during the pandemic, you can \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/events/167829457425\">livestream the night for free\u003c/a>. Just make sure to turn your lights down \u003cem>low\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/events/167829457425\">Get tickets or a livestream link for Chilling Histories of California.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>Test your trivia knowledge of the Bay Area’s haunted history\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11893767\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1020px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11893767\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/eric-carlson-xVvj8yvkWvo-unsplash_hauntedquiz-1020x574-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1020\" height=\"574\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/eric-carlson-xVvj8yvkWvo-unsplash_hauntedquiz-1020x574-1.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/eric-carlson-xVvj8yvkWvo-unsplash_hauntedquiz-1020x574-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/eric-carlson-xVvj8yvkWvo-unsplash_hauntedquiz-1020x574-1-160x90.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fog hovers over the Golden Gate Bridge at twilight. \u003ccite>(Eric Carlson/Unsplash)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>From the San Francisco mansion that inspired horror writer Shirley Jackson to the secret buried under the Legion of Honor, the Bay Area has no shortage of macabre legends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Test your knowledge of the darker side of local history with this trivia set compiled by our friends at KQED Arts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13888121/quiz-how-well-do-you-know-the-bay-areas-haunted-history\">Try the Bay Area Haunted History quiz for yourself.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>Learn why your mind plays tricks on you deep in the Santa Cruz redwoods\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889342\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889342\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Mystery-Spot-Entrance-Sign.jpg\" alt='A large yellow-and-black sign reads \"Welcome to Mystery Spot, Santa Cruz, California U.S.A.\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"1441\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Mystery-Spot-Entrance-Sign.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Mystery-Spot-Entrance-Sign-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Mystery-Spot-Entrance-Sign-1020x766.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Mystery-Spot-Entrance-Sign-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Mystery-Spot-Entrance-Sign-1536x1153.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The iconic yellow-and-black sign welcomes visitors to the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, California. \u003ccite>(Amanda Font/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nestled under the trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains lies one of the greater Bay Area’s most beloved attractions: the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot. And if you haven’t visited yet, you’ve almost certainly seen those ubiquitous bumper stickers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this place, your eyes and brain will play tricks on you, and make games of your powers of perception. But why does this happen? We dived into (some of) the possible answers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://tools.applemediaservices.com/podcast-episode/1000539271730?country=us\">Listen to the episode\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11889331/whats-behind-one-of-californias-most-ubiquitous-bumper-stickers\">read more about the Mystery Spot.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>From rumrunning to ghosts and speakeasies, uncover the many lives of Pacifica’s castle\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889778\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889778\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-azzaro.jpg\" alt=\"A blue sky and ocean behind a castle like building.\" width=\"800\" height=\"537\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-azzaro.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-azzaro-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Sam Mazza Castle sits high on a hill in Pacifica’s Sharp Pointe neighborhood. It has been here since 1908 and has had many lives. \u003ccite>(Robert Azzaro/Courtesy Sam Mazza Foundation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ever driven Highway 1 through the city of Pacifica and wondered what that great stone castle is? You’re not alone: Many Bay Curious listeners wanted to know, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the tale of how that castle first came to have a reputation, how foggy Pacifica became a smuggler’s paradise, and why the castle’s historian is convinced these stones are haunted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11889508/rumrunning-ghosts-and-speakeasies-the-many-lives-of-pacificas-castle\">Hear or read about the mysterious castle of Pacifica.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>Uncover the famous dead of Colma\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10795849\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 5760px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10795849\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"5760\" height=\"3840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321.jpg 5760w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 5760px) 100vw, 5760px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In many parts of Colma, neat rows of gravestones are visible as far as the eye can see. \u003ccite>(Olivia Allen-Price/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the early 1920s the land in the city of Colma, just south of San Francisco, was set aside specifically for cemeteries. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10779164/why-are-so-many-dead-people-in-colma-and-so-few-in-san-francisco\">Over 100,000 bodies were exhumed and moved there\u003c/a> after SF evicted their dead to make room for more housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But who, exactly, is buried in Colma? It turns out there are more household names there than you might first think.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11891074/some-of-the-most-famous-people-buried-in-colma-with-map\">\u003cstrong>Read about the graves of Colma, and see the map.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>Descend into the dark tunnels below San Francisco\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11782625\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11782625\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/RS39796_Tunnel_02-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/RS39796_Tunnel_02-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/RS39796_Tunnel_02-qut-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/RS39796_Tunnel_02-qut-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/RS39796_Tunnel_02-qut-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/RS39796_Tunnel_02-qut-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Megan Abadie in the San Francisco sewers. \u003ccite>(Sruti Mamidanna/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The myth of the underground — a silent world hidden under our feet — continues to fascinate people, not least because there are very real labyrinths under major world cities — like the infamous catacombs of Paris, lined with the bones of the city’s dead, or the terrifying catacombs under Odessa, in Ukraine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious listeners told us they’d heard stories of secret passageways running under San Francisco, so we investigated — and what we found led us into the darkest stretches of the subterranean sewer network. Come with us if you dare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11782405/tunnels-under-san-francisco-inside-the-dark-dangerous-world-of-the-sewers\">See the story of the sewers with underground photos\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=726sQLKGAjk\">watch the video.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch3>Discover a ‘haunted’ lighthouse on the Big Sur coast\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11701904\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11701904\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse.jpg\" alt=\"The Point Sur Lighthouse has been operating since 1889. It's one of California's oldest and most remote light stations.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/Lighthouse-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Point Sur Lighthouse has been operating since 1889. It’s one of California’s oldest and most remote light stations. \u003ccite>(Sasha Khokha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Perched on the rocky coastline between Carmel and Big Sur, Point Sur Lighthouse has been guiding ships into the Pacific Coast since 1889. But the treacherous landscape and rough weather have meant the lighthouse also has seen many shipwrecks — and up to 11 ships have been lost near its coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People claim the lighthouse is haunted by the ghosts of people who died in those shipwrecks, as well as the ghosts of the former lighthouse keepers who lived and worked on the isolated station. KQED’s California Report Magazine went to investigate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11701114/a-lighthouse-so-beautiful-ghosts-come-back-to-haunt-it\">Read or hear about the place that’s been called “one of the most haunted lighthouses in the United States.”\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Hiding In Plain Sight: The Dragon Sitting on Top of SF’s Broadway Tunnel",
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"content": "\u003cp>Stretching 56 feet across the Chinatown side of the Broadway Tunnel is a bronze and brass sculpture of a dragon, silently towering over the cars rumbling below. It’s been poised there — a stoic sort of guardian — since 1970. Bay Curious listener Sandi Sewell asked us to find out more about how it got there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dragon was designed by San Francisco-born artist Patti Bowler, and lovingly constructed by Santa Rosa metal worker Wade Lux. Sandi, our question asker, grew up with the Lux family and recently found out about the commission from some old photos. She was charmed to learn her old friend had a hand in making such a prestigious piece of art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Arts Commission says the imposing piece was one of the first public artworks to result from the city’s Art Enrichment Ordinance. The 1969 ordinance required every civic construction project in the city to dedicate two per cent of its budget to a piece of public art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the city approved the Chinatown Public Health Center to sit above the Broadway tunnel, architect Clarence Mayhew nominated Bowler to design the accompanying $27,500 artwork. (Mayhew’s judgment in such matters was trusted, thanks in part to his seat on the board of the SFMOMA.) The piece would be titled simply, “Dragon Relief.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11891330\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1454px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11891330\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/BroadwayDragon2-JohnnyDismal.jpg\" alt=\"The sun shines out from behind a large building with a dragon relief on it.\" width=\"1454\" height=\"1938\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/BroadwayDragon2-JohnnyDismal.jpg 1454w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/BroadwayDragon2-JohnnyDismal-800x1066.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/BroadwayDragon2-JohnnyDismal-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/BroadwayDragon2-JohnnyDismal-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/BroadwayDragon2-JohnnyDismal-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1454px) 100vw, 1454px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dragon relief guards the Broadway tunnel and Chinatown Public Health Center that sits above. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Johnny Dismal)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At that time, Bowler was a fashionable and forward-thinking mixed media artist and designer, whose most talked about pieces were created using a new kind of paint she had invented. Bowler manipulated her special combination of polyester resin and dry pigments using brushes and bamboo. The end results were three-dimensional, multi-colored and abstract works that were on regular display in galleries around the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[emailsignup newslettername=\"baycurious\" align=\"right\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1961, the San Francisco Examiner wrote that Bowler’s “striking designs” were “unusually dynamic, lucid and handsome.” Pennsylvania’s Republican and Herald newspaper once described Bowler as an “exceptionally talented artist … that seems to thrive on hard work.” Bowler had experience working on large-scale murals and construction projects too, so the size of the dragon wasn’t a source of intimidation. After she had finalized the design, it was up to Lux — a self-described “tin-bender” — to build something that would last, scales and all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is, however, a small twist in this tale—Bowler’s design might never have graced the tunnel if not for a dash of nepotism. It turns out that Clarence Mayhew — the architect who chose Bowler to helm the project — was both a friend and former employer of Bowler’s architect husband, J. Carson Bowler. Mayhew gave Mr. Bowler his first major architecture job, just two years after the Bowlers were married. By awarding the “Dragon Relief” commission to Patti Bowler, he offered his protégé’s wife a hand into the big leagues as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless of how it ended up there, Bowler and Lux’s dragon continues to guard the Robert C. Levy tunnel today, beneath the tall windows of the health center. And while their creation has outlived them both, it remains a testament to Patti Bowler’s artistic vision and Wade Lux’s impeccable metal skills. It also, rather helpfully, serves as a symbol of strength and luck for all of the patients being treated above.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Stretching 56 feet across the Chinatown side of the Broadway Tunnel is a bronze and brass sculpture of a dragon, silently towering over the cars rumbling below. It’s been poised there — a stoic sort of guardian — since 1970. Bay Curious listener Sandi Sewell asked us to find out more about how it got there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dragon was designed by San Francisco-born artist Patti Bowler, and lovingly constructed by Santa Rosa metal worker Wade Lux. Sandi, our question asker, grew up with the Lux family and recently found out about the commission from some old photos. She was charmed to learn her old friend had a hand in making such a prestigious piece of art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Arts Commission says the imposing piece was one of the first public artworks to result from the city’s Art Enrichment Ordinance. The 1969 ordinance required every civic construction project in the city to dedicate two per cent of its budget to a piece of public art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the city approved the Chinatown Public Health Center to sit above the Broadway tunnel, architect Clarence Mayhew nominated Bowler to design the accompanying $27,500 artwork. (Mayhew’s judgment in such matters was trusted, thanks in part to his seat on the board of the SFMOMA.) The piece would be titled simply, “Dragon Relief.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11891330\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1454px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11891330\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/BroadwayDragon2-JohnnyDismal.jpg\" alt=\"The sun shines out from behind a large building with a dragon relief on it.\" width=\"1454\" height=\"1938\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/BroadwayDragon2-JohnnyDismal.jpg 1454w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/BroadwayDragon2-JohnnyDismal-800x1066.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/BroadwayDragon2-JohnnyDismal-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/BroadwayDragon2-JohnnyDismal-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/BroadwayDragon2-JohnnyDismal-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1454px) 100vw, 1454px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dragon relief guards the Broadway tunnel and Chinatown Public Health Center that sits above. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Johnny Dismal)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At that time, Bowler was a fashionable and forward-thinking mixed media artist and designer, whose most talked about pieces were created using a new kind of paint she had invented. Bowler manipulated her special combination of polyester resin and dry pigments using brushes and bamboo. The end results were three-dimensional, multi-colored and abstract works that were on regular display in galleries around the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1961, the San Francisco Examiner wrote that Bowler’s “striking designs” were “unusually dynamic, lucid and handsome.” Pennsylvania’s Republican and Herald newspaper once described Bowler as an “exceptionally talented artist … that seems to thrive on hard work.” Bowler had experience working on large-scale murals and construction projects too, so the size of the dragon wasn’t a source of intimidation. After she had finalized the design, it was up to Lux — a self-described “tin-bender” — to build something that would last, scales and all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is, however, a small twist in this tale—Bowler’s design might never have graced the tunnel if not for a dash of nepotism. It turns out that Clarence Mayhew — the architect who chose Bowler to helm the project — was both a friend and former employer of Bowler’s architect husband, J. Carson Bowler. Mayhew gave Mr. Bowler his first major architecture job, just two years after the Bowlers were married. By awarding the “Dragon Relief” commission to Patti Bowler, he offered his protégé’s wife a hand into the big leagues as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless of how it ended up there, Bowler and Lux’s dragon continues to guard the Robert C. Levy tunnel today, beneath the tall windows of the health center. And while their creation has outlived them both, it remains a testament to Patti Bowler’s artistic vision and Wade Lux’s impeccable metal skills. It also, rather helpfully, serves as a symbol of strength and luck for all of the patients being treated above.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "the-tale-of-the-bay-bridge-troll",
"title": "The Tale of the Bay Bridge Troll",
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"content": "\u003cp>Every month, about 4 million trips are made across the San Francisco Bay Bridge — making it the busiest bridge in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a beautiful bridge with sweeping views, but driving across it can be harrowing. All those drivers, rushing to their busy lives. It can get a little dicey out there! So you might be relieved to hear this bridge has a secret guardian lurking under the eastern span, keeping us all safe: the Bay Bridge troll.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There have been a few trolls on the bridge over the years, but the legend of the first Bay Bridge troll begins in 1989.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Loma Prieta earthquake — a magnitude 6.9 on the Richter scale — collapsed a large section of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge, “and honestly, if the earthquake would have continued for a few more seconds, the entire Eastern span would have collapsed,” said Bart Ney of Caltrans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The repair work was done in about a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The contractors and the state were working together out there around the clock, seven days a week,” said Ney. Crews on the bridge worked to install steel pieces fabricated, in part, at a shop in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers from the Oakland shop contacted a local blacksmith and artist named Bill Roan with an idea — to build a gargoyle to protect the repaired bridge section.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roan did his research and found that gargoyles are not typically bridge guardians, so he proposed something a little more useful.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The troll is born\u003c/h2>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>“Who’s that tripping over my bridge?” roared the troll … “Now, I’m coming to gobble you up.” — from “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The connection between trolls and bridges reaches back to the Norwegian fairy tale “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” published in the 1840s. The tale finds three billy goats trying to cross a bridge under which lives a scary troll. The three goats outsmart the troll to pass. The story was translated into English in the 1850s, and since then, trolls and bridges became inextricably linked in pop culture. As for what a troll actually looks like or does, that changes from culture to culture, bridge to bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roan decided a troll was what the repaired Bay Bridge needed to ward off evil spirits — seismic or supernatural. The result, said Ney, was, “particularly special. It was crafted out of a piece of metal that was from the [collapsed] bridge. Bill said he was trying to make a particularly fierce troll.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ney said the troll has webbed feet and hands, for swimming. He’s holding “a giant wrench welded into a bolt. And, he has a really long tongue, I mean his tongue is almost as long as half of his body.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One night, under the cover of darkness, “[the troll] was placed on the bridge segment, facing the outside so no one else would really see it,” said Ney. After the retrofit was completed, the troll stayed on the bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ultimately (the troll) did a good job out there for 24 years because we had no further, bigger earthquakes that impacted the structure,” said Ney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Caltrans began construction on the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2002, the troll’s artist, Bill Roan, offered to make a new troll for the new bridge. Ney said they turned him down: “You can’t bring that sort of thing in the front door! This is where we talk about science and technology. That’s magic. The original troll came to Caltrans, we didn’t ask for him, and a new troll would need to be of the same ilk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No formal plans were made for a new troll. In fact, Caltrans’s official policy was “benign noninterference.” But when the new eastern span opened in 2013, a new, slightly taller troll was unveiled one night. Perched high atop a pier, the 2-foot troll is made of solid steel. He’s got a beard and tools in his hands.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Finding the troll\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/realchrisjbeale/status/1448421406631292928?t=Ud8Cy-cZn2nY-479Mp0V_g&s=19\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11892166\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11892166 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-800x600.jpeg\" alt=\"A view of painted white iron beams, with one metal figurine of a troll on a lower level in shadow, and a white-painted one in the light.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734.jpeg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When searching for the Bay Bridge troll, you’ll find that there are at least two on the bridge. The lower troll is considered “the” troll. \u003ccite>(Christopher Beale/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Head out onto the \u003ca href=\"https://511.org/biking/bay-bridge-trail\">Bay Bridge Trail\u003c/a>, a few miles in, \u003ca href=\"https://maps.app.goo.gl/WSghR5uRTkX3w5rn8\">where the cable connects to the bridge deck\u003c/a>, look down under the roadway, and you’ll spot the modern Bay Bridge troll in the shadows, spinning magic to this day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11892167\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11892167 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-800x600.jpeg\" alt=\"An angular dark metal figurine with legs and arms, holding tools, its feet affixed to the cement below it.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724.jpeg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The troll is always in shadow. Apparently trolls don’t like the sun. \u003ccite>(Christopher Beale/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The original troll, from the old bridge, now lives in retirement at the Caltrans office in Oakland, where Ney said the troll never allows himself to be forgotten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ll be dead and gone and people will still be talking about the troll,” Ney said. “Every time I get off the elevator and I see him there, I just have to give him a wink. I never miss him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’d like to visit the original troll, visit him at the Caltrans office at 111 Grand Ave. in Oakland, California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11892168\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11892168 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-800x600.jpeg\" alt=\"A smiling man in a black jacket and black pants poses in front of a glass case that hold a metal figurine of a fairly human-looking troll.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400.jpeg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Talking about the troll can be a bit of an annoyance for Bart Ney, the chief of public affairs at Caltrans District 4. But he admits that he gives the troll a wink every time he gets off the elevator. \u003ccite>(Christopher Beale/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n",
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"title": "The Tale of the Bay Bridge Troll | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Every month, about 4 million trips are made across the San Francisco Bay Bridge — making it the busiest bridge in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a beautiful bridge with sweeping views, but driving across it can be harrowing. All those drivers, rushing to their busy lives. It can get a little dicey out there! So you might be relieved to hear this bridge has a secret guardian lurking under the eastern span, keeping us all safe: the Bay Bridge troll.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There have been a few trolls on the bridge over the years, but the legend of the first Bay Bridge troll begins in 1989.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Loma Prieta earthquake — a magnitude 6.9 on the Richter scale — collapsed a large section of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge, “and honestly, if the earthquake would have continued for a few more seconds, the entire Eastern span would have collapsed,” said Bart Ney of Caltrans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The repair work was done in about a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The contractors and the state were working together out there around the clock, seven days a week,” said Ney. Crews on the bridge worked to install steel pieces fabricated, in part, at a shop in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers from the Oakland shop contacted a local blacksmith and artist named Bill Roan with an idea — to build a gargoyle to protect the repaired bridge section.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roan did his research and found that gargoyles are not typically bridge guardians, so he proposed something a little more useful.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The troll is born\u003c/h2>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>“Who’s that tripping over my bridge?” roared the troll … “Now, I’m coming to gobble you up.” — from “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The connection between trolls and bridges reaches back to the Norwegian fairy tale “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” published in the 1840s. The tale finds three billy goats trying to cross a bridge under which lives a scary troll. The three goats outsmart the troll to pass. The story was translated into English in the 1850s, and since then, trolls and bridges became inextricably linked in pop culture. As for what a troll actually looks like or does, that changes from culture to culture, bridge to bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roan decided a troll was what the repaired Bay Bridge needed to ward off evil spirits — seismic or supernatural. The result, said Ney, was, “particularly special. It was crafted out of a piece of metal that was from the [collapsed] bridge. Bill said he was trying to make a particularly fierce troll.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ney said the troll has webbed feet and hands, for swimming. He’s holding “a giant wrench welded into a bolt. And, he has a really long tongue, I mean his tongue is almost as long as half of his body.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One night, under the cover of darkness, “[the troll] was placed on the bridge segment, facing the outside so no one else would really see it,” said Ney. After the retrofit was completed, the troll stayed on the bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ultimately (the troll) did a good job out there for 24 years because we had no further, bigger earthquakes that impacted the structure,” said Ney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Caltrans began construction on the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2002, the troll’s artist, Bill Roan, offered to make a new troll for the new bridge. Ney said they turned him down: “You can’t bring that sort of thing in the front door! This is where we talk about science and technology. That’s magic. The original troll came to Caltrans, we didn’t ask for him, and a new troll would need to be of the same ilk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No formal plans were made for a new troll. In fact, Caltrans’s official policy was “benign noninterference.” But when the new eastern span opened in 2013, a new, slightly taller troll was unveiled one night. Perched high atop a pier, the 2-foot troll is made of solid steel. He’s got a beard and tools in his hands.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Finding the troll\u003c/h2>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11892166\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11892166 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-800x600.jpeg\" alt=\"A view of painted white iron beams, with one metal figurine of a troll on a lower level in shadow, and a white-painted one in the light.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734.jpeg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When searching for the Bay Bridge troll, you’ll find that there are at least two on the bridge. The lower troll is considered “the” troll. \u003ccite>(Christopher Beale/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Head out onto the \u003ca href=\"https://511.org/biking/bay-bridge-trail\">Bay Bridge Trail\u003c/a>, a few miles in, \u003ca href=\"https://maps.app.goo.gl/WSghR5uRTkX3w5rn8\">where the cable connects to the bridge deck\u003c/a>, look down under the roadway, and you’ll spot the modern Bay Bridge troll in the shadows, spinning magic to this day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11892167\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11892167 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-800x600.jpeg\" alt=\"An angular dark metal figurine with legs and arms, holding tools, its feet affixed to the cement below it.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724.jpeg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The troll is always in shadow. Apparently trolls don’t like the sun. \u003ccite>(Christopher Beale/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The original troll, from the old bridge, now lives in retirement at the Caltrans office in Oakland, where Ney said the troll never allows himself to be forgotten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ll be dead and gone and people will still be talking about the troll,” Ney said. “Every time I get off the elevator and I see him there, I just have to give him a wink. I never miss him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’d like to visit the original troll, visit him at the Caltrans office at 111 Grand Ave. in Oakland, California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11892168\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11892168 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-800x600.jpeg\" alt=\"A smiling man in a black jacket and black pants poses in front of a glass case that hold a metal figurine of a fairly human-looking troll.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400.jpeg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Talking about the troll can be a bit of an annoyance for Bart Ney, the chief of public affairs at Caltrans District 4. But he admits that he gives the troll a wink every time he gets off the elevator. \u003ccite>(Christopher Beale/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Cruise south of Daly City on El Camino Real and at some point you’ll notice a shift from business and apartment complexes to florists and cemeteries. You’ve entered the town of Colma, California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the early 1920s, Colma’s land was set aside specifically for cemeteries. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10779164/why-are-so-many-dead-people-in-colma-and-so-few-in-san-francisco\">Over 100,000 bodies were exhumed and moved there\u003c/a> after the city of San Francisco evicted their dead to make room for more housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, there are more than a million dead buried in Colma. It’s living population, on the other hand? \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-cities-and-towns.html#tables\">The 2020 census puts the population at 1,792 residents.\u003c/a> In July of this year, I became one of those “aboveground” residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While cutting my hair one day, my barber asked me if I knew of any famous people buried in Colma. It got me wondering, so I called up Michael Svanevik, a local historian and co-author of \u003ca href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6325025-city-of-souls\">“City of Souls: San Francisco’s Necropolis at Colma.”\u003c/a> He told me there’s two categories of famous dead folks in Colma: the household names and the people who’ve made a mark on San Francisco in particular.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Find a map of these graves at the bottom of this post.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Joshua Abraham Norton, aka Emperor Norton\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11653321\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 522px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11653321 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/03/His-Imperial-Majesty-Emperor-Norton-I-portrait-crop-e1519862812657-JJJH.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo of a man with puffy hair and a puffy beard wearing a Civil War-era cap.\" width=\"522\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/03/His-Imperial-Majesty-Emperor-Norton-I-portrait-crop-e1519862812657-JJJH.jpg 522w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/03/His-Imperial-Majesty-Emperor-Norton-I-portrait-crop-e1519862812657-JJJH-160x124.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/03/His-Imperial-Majesty-Emperor-Norton-I-portrait-crop-e1519862812657-JJJH-240x186.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/03/His-Imperial-Majesty-Emperor-Norton-I-portrait-crop-e1519862812657-JJJH-375x291.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/03/His-Imperial-Majesty-Emperor-Norton-I-portrait-crop-e1519862812657-JJJH-520x403.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 522px) 100vw, 522px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joshua Abraham Norton, better known as San Francisco’s Emperor Norton. \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Joshua Abraham Norton arrived in San Francisco just before he turned 30. He had done business in South Africa before immigrating and started investing in commodities when he arrived in San Francisco. He was quite wealthy and influential during the early years of the Gold Rush. But a bad investment and subsequent legal battles left him bankrupt at the age of 38. Norton went quiet for a time, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11652705/americas-emperor-san-franciscos-treasure-who-was-emperor-norton\">reemerged on the scene by proclaiming himself to be the first emperor of the United States\u003c/a> in San Francisco’s Daily Evening Bulletin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He issued many proclamations after that, many of them quite progressive for his time. He was a well-known character around town, so when he collapsed on the street and died of a suspected stroke, thousands of people attended his funeral. By then he was a poor man, but his old friends in the business community interceded and paid for his burial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since his death more than 140 years ago, Emperor Norton has become a beloved San Francisco icon. Respected for his panache and tolerant views, he has captured the imaginations of generations of San Franciscans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>His grave is at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Francis Joseph “Lefty” O’Doul\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11891301\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 381px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11891301\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lefty-odoul.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white photo of a man with black baseball cap looking into the distance.\" width=\"381\" height=\"559\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lefty-odoul.jpg 381w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lefty-odoul-160x235.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 381px) 100vw, 381px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo of Lefty O’Doul, a San Francisco baseball icon. \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Born in the Bayview-Hunter’s Point neighborhood of San Francisco in 1897, \u003ca href=\"https://leftyodoulsabr.com/chapter-information/about-lefty-odoul/#:~:text=He%20ended%20his%20career%20in,in%2011%20major%20league%20seasons.\">Joseph “Lefty” O’Doul was known for his pitching and hitting\u003c/a> while playing baseball for the San Francisco Seals, a Pacific Coast League team. Eventually he was drafted into the major league and moved to the East Coast. O’Doul spent time playing for the New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, Phillies and Yankees throughout the 1920s and ‘30s. In 1935, O’Doul took a job managing the San Francisco Seals, solidifying his status as a hometown hero. He was also a baseball ambassador to Japan both before and after World War II. He was inducted into both the U.S. and Japanese Halls of Fame. Look for Lefty’s name on the Oracle Park entrance near the Third Street drawbridge, which is also named after O’Doul.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>O’Doul is buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Joe DiMaggio\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Born in Martinez and raised in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, Joe DiMaggio is a celebrated baseball player known for his hitting. He started his career as a player with the San Francisco Seals. In 1935, \u003ca href=\"https://www.joedimaggio.com/the-man/childhood/\">DiMaggio became the Pacific Coast League MVP\u003c/a> after helping the Seals win the team’s ninth consecutive championship. This was the same time that “Lefty” O’Doul was managing the team. DiMaggio went on to play professionally for the New York Yankees, becoming a household name after the team’s 56-game winning streak. He’s also known for his marriage to film star Marilyn Monroe — the couple were even married at San Francisco City Hall — although the marriage lasted less than a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>DiMaggio is buried in Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The Hearst family (George, Phoebe and William Randolph)\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Many in the Hearst family have achieved fame and fortune, starting with George, a miner who made smart investments in gold, silver and copper mines. He acquired large swaths of land in California and the West, and soon became a millionaire. George bought The San Francisco Examiner in 1880 and then went on to serve as a U.S. senator. George’s wife, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, used the family’s wealth to fund local philanthropic projects. \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucberkeleyfoundation.org/history-mission/\">She put up a big portion of the money that started the University of California, Berkeley.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>George and Phoebe’s son, William Randolph, took over ownership of The San Francisco Examiner from his father. He built the paper into a successful enterprise and then expanded into the East Coast media market when he purchased The New York Daily Journal. Today, Hearst Communications owns more than 360 businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Hearst family is buried in a mausoleum in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park that looks like part of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, and is made entirely of marble.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Local people history forgot\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While there’s at least a chance you’ve heard of Joe DiMaggio or William Randolph Hearst, chances are you may not have heard of some other local legends buried in Colma. They may not be as famous nationally, but they made a mark locally.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Lincoln Beachey\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11891302\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11891302\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lincoln_Beachey_at_Grant_Park_in_1911.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white photo of a man sitting on an early model airplane.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"818\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lincoln_Beachey_at_Grant_Park_in_1911.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lincoln_Beachey_at_Grant_Park_in_1911-800x639.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lincoln_Beachey_at_Grant_Park_in_1911-1020x815.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lincoln_Beachey_at_Grant_Park_in_1911-160x128.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lincoln Beachey was a famous stunt pilot in his day. \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Born in San Francisco in 1887, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/beachey-lincoln/\">Beachey was a well-known stunt pilot\u003c/a>. He was best known for a trick called the “suicide dive,” in which he would fly as high as he could, turn off his engine and then hurtle toward the ground. Just before impact, he would switch the engine back on and pull out of the dive. The trick gave crowds a thrill. He performed it at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 in front of thousands of fans. Sadly, this would be his last attempt. When Beachy went to restart the motor after his free fall it malfunctioned and he crashed to his death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Beachy is buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park. Look for a grave with a biplane engraved on it.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The dual: U.S. Senator David C. Broderick\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When you have beef with someone, hopefully you settle it peacefully. Back in the day, you might have settled it with guns. Dueling was illegal in San Francisco in 1859, so \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Duel\">when U.S. Senator David C. Broderick and California Supreme Court Justice David S. Terry had an argument, they took it over the San Mateo County line\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local historian Svanevik says, “This duel was a personal thing.” It may have been a personal dislike, but it also was political. The two men were members of opposite political parties and regularly argued about the issue of slavery, then a hotly debated topic throughout the country. Both men had written harsh things about one another in the press, and their arguments were highly publicized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The opponents met at Lake Merced on September 13, 1859, along with a surgeon and witnesses. 3 … 2 … 1 … boom! Terry fired a fatal bullet, puncturing Broderick’s lung. The senator would die three days later and be buried in Lone Mountain Cemetery in San Francisco under a huge monument. When the city of San Francisco dug up its buried bodies, Broderick was transferred to Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma. There’s a monument marking \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/maps/place/Broderick-Terry+Duel+Site/@37.7080262,-122.4839742,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xc893cb70461ff213!8m2!3d37.7080262!4d-122.4839742\">the site of the duel near Lake Merced\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Arthur Brown\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11891304\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11891304\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/cityhall.jpg\" alt=\"Rainbow flags fly in front of an impressive white stone building with a dome.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/cityhall.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/cityhall-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/cityhall-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/cityhall-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/cityhall-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arthur Brown designed San Francisco City Hall. \u003ccite>(Deborah Svoboda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some of the Bay Area’s most iconic buildings are the work of architect, and local notable, Arthur Brown. San Francisco City Hall, the War Memorial Opera House, Berkeley City Hall and Hoover Tower at Stanford all are his designs. He also was involved with designing Coit Tower. Svanevik calls Brown “the architect that designed San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Brown is buried in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Betty Ong\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Born and raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown, \u003ca href=\"https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/remembering-911-hero-flight-attendant-betty-ong\">Betty Ong was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11\u003c/a>, the first plane to be hijacked on September 11, 2001. She became a national hero after alerting authorities about what was going on, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to close the national airspace. The information she provided also helped the FBI in their investigation of the attacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ong’s body was never found, but her family has memorialized her at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1v_xNKp8QfkRWl62v8w6EOB4UeZkoouhY\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Cruise south of Daly City on El Camino Real and at some point you’ll notice a shift from business and apartment complexes to florists and cemeteries. You’ve entered the town of Colma, California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the early 1920s, Colma’s land was set aside specifically for cemeteries. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10779164/why-are-so-many-dead-people-in-colma-and-so-few-in-san-francisco\">Over 100,000 bodies were exhumed and moved there\u003c/a> after the city of San Francisco evicted their dead to make room for more housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, there are more than a million dead buried in Colma. It’s living population, on the other hand? \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-cities-and-towns.html#tables\">The 2020 census puts the population at 1,792 residents.\u003c/a> In July of this year, I became one of those “aboveground” residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While cutting my hair one day, my barber asked me if I knew of any famous people buried in Colma. It got me wondering, so I called up Michael Svanevik, a local historian and co-author of \u003ca href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6325025-city-of-souls\">“City of Souls: San Francisco’s Necropolis at Colma.”\u003c/a> He told me there’s two categories of famous dead folks in Colma: the household names and the people who’ve made a mark on San Francisco in particular.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Find a map of these graves at the bottom of this post.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Joshua Abraham Norton, aka Emperor Norton\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11653321\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 522px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11653321 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/03/His-Imperial-Majesty-Emperor-Norton-I-portrait-crop-e1519862812657-JJJH.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo of a man with puffy hair and a puffy beard wearing a Civil War-era cap.\" width=\"522\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/03/His-Imperial-Majesty-Emperor-Norton-I-portrait-crop-e1519862812657-JJJH.jpg 522w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/03/His-Imperial-Majesty-Emperor-Norton-I-portrait-crop-e1519862812657-JJJH-160x124.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/03/His-Imperial-Majesty-Emperor-Norton-I-portrait-crop-e1519862812657-JJJH-240x186.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/03/His-Imperial-Majesty-Emperor-Norton-I-portrait-crop-e1519862812657-JJJH-375x291.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/03/His-Imperial-Majesty-Emperor-Norton-I-portrait-crop-e1519862812657-JJJH-520x403.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 522px) 100vw, 522px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joshua Abraham Norton, better known as San Francisco’s Emperor Norton. \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Joshua Abraham Norton arrived in San Francisco just before he turned 30. He had done business in South Africa before immigrating and started investing in commodities when he arrived in San Francisco. He was quite wealthy and influential during the early years of the Gold Rush. But a bad investment and subsequent legal battles left him bankrupt at the age of 38. Norton went quiet for a time, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11652705/americas-emperor-san-franciscos-treasure-who-was-emperor-norton\">reemerged on the scene by proclaiming himself to be the first emperor of the United States\u003c/a> in San Francisco’s Daily Evening Bulletin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He issued many proclamations after that, many of them quite progressive for his time. He was a well-known character around town, so when he collapsed on the street and died of a suspected stroke, thousands of people attended his funeral. By then he was a poor man, but his old friends in the business community interceded and paid for his burial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since his death more than 140 years ago, Emperor Norton has become a beloved San Francisco icon. Respected for his panache and tolerant views, he has captured the imaginations of generations of San Franciscans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>His grave is at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Francis Joseph “Lefty” O’Doul\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11891301\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 381px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11891301\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lefty-odoul.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white photo of a man with black baseball cap looking into the distance.\" width=\"381\" height=\"559\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lefty-odoul.jpg 381w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lefty-odoul-160x235.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 381px) 100vw, 381px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo of Lefty O’Doul, a San Francisco baseball icon. \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Born in the Bayview-Hunter’s Point neighborhood of San Francisco in 1897, \u003ca href=\"https://leftyodoulsabr.com/chapter-information/about-lefty-odoul/#:~:text=He%20ended%20his%20career%20in,in%2011%20major%20league%20seasons.\">Joseph “Lefty” O’Doul was known for his pitching and hitting\u003c/a> while playing baseball for the San Francisco Seals, a Pacific Coast League team. Eventually he was drafted into the major league and moved to the East Coast. O’Doul spent time playing for the New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, Phillies and Yankees throughout the 1920s and ‘30s. In 1935, O’Doul took a job managing the San Francisco Seals, solidifying his status as a hometown hero. He was also a baseball ambassador to Japan both before and after World War II. He was inducted into both the U.S. and Japanese Halls of Fame. Look for Lefty’s name on the Oracle Park entrance near the Third Street drawbridge, which is also named after O’Doul.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>O’Doul is buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Joe DiMaggio\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Born in Martinez and raised in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, Joe DiMaggio is a celebrated baseball player known for his hitting. He started his career as a player with the San Francisco Seals. In 1935, \u003ca href=\"https://www.joedimaggio.com/the-man/childhood/\">DiMaggio became the Pacific Coast League MVP\u003c/a> after helping the Seals win the team’s ninth consecutive championship. This was the same time that “Lefty” O’Doul was managing the team. DiMaggio went on to play professionally for the New York Yankees, becoming a household name after the team’s 56-game winning streak. He’s also known for his marriage to film star Marilyn Monroe — the couple were even married at San Francisco City Hall — although the marriage lasted less than a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>DiMaggio is buried in Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The Hearst family (George, Phoebe and William Randolph)\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Many in the Hearst family have achieved fame and fortune, starting with George, a miner who made smart investments in gold, silver and copper mines. He acquired large swaths of land in California and the West, and soon became a millionaire. George bought The San Francisco Examiner in 1880 and then went on to serve as a U.S. senator. George’s wife, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, used the family’s wealth to fund local philanthropic projects. \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucberkeleyfoundation.org/history-mission/\">She put up a big portion of the money that started the University of California, Berkeley.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>George and Phoebe’s son, William Randolph, took over ownership of The San Francisco Examiner from his father. He built the paper into a successful enterprise and then expanded into the East Coast media market when he purchased The New York Daily Journal. Today, Hearst Communications owns more than 360 businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Hearst family is buried in a mausoleum in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park that looks like part of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, and is made entirely of marble.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Local people history forgot\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While there’s at least a chance you’ve heard of Joe DiMaggio or William Randolph Hearst, chances are you may not have heard of some other local legends buried in Colma. They may not be as famous nationally, but they made a mark locally.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Lincoln Beachey\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11891302\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11891302\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lincoln_Beachey_at_Grant_Park_in_1911.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white photo of a man sitting on an early model airplane.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"818\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lincoln_Beachey_at_Grant_Park_in_1911.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lincoln_Beachey_at_Grant_Park_in_1911-800x639.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lincoln_Beachey_at_Grant_Park_in_1911-1020x815.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/Lincoln_Beachey_at_Grant_Park_in_1911-160x128.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lincoln Beachey was a famous stunt pilot in his day. \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Born in San Francisco in 1887, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/beachey-lincoln/\">Beachey was a well-known stunt pilot\u003c/a>. He was best known for a trick called the “suicide dive,” in which he would fly as high as he could, turn off his engine and then hurtle toward the ground. Just before impact, he would switch the engine back on and pull out of the dive. The trick gave crowds a thrill. He performed it at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 in front of thousands of fans. Sadly, this would be his last attempt. When Beachy went to restart the motor after his free fall it malfunctioned and he crashed to his death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Beachy is buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park. Look for a grave with a biplane engraved on it.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The dual: U.S. Senator David C. Broderick\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When you have beef with someone, hopefully you settle it peacefully. Back in the day, you might have settled it with guns. Dueling was illegal in San Francisco in 1859, so \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Duel\">when U.S. Senator David C. Broderick and California Supreme Court Justice David S. Terry had an argument, they took it over the San Mateo County line\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local historian Svanevik says, “This duel was a personal thing.” It may have been a personal dislike, but it also was political. The two men were members of opposite political parties and regularly argued about the issue of slavery, then a hotly debated topic throughout the country. Both men had written harsh things about one another in the press, and their arguments were highly publicized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The opponents met at Lake Merced on September 13, 1859, along with a surgeon and witnesses. 3 … 2 … 1 … boom! Terry fired a fatal bullet, puncturing Broderick’s lung. The senator would die three days later and be buried in Lone Mountain Cemetery in San Francisco under a huge monument. When the city of San Francisco dug up its buried bodies, Broderick was transferred to Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma. There’s a monument marking \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/maps/place/Broderick-Terry+Duel+Site/@37.7080262,-122.4839742,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xc893cb70461ff213!8m2!3d37.7080262!4d-122.4839742\">the site of the duel near Lake Merced\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Arthur Brown\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11891304\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11891304\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/cityhall.jpg\" alt=\"Rainbow flags fly in front of an impressive white stone building with a dome.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/cityhall.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/cityhall-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/cityhall-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/cityhall-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/cityhall-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arthur Brown designed San Francisco City Hall. \u003ccite>(Deborah Svoboda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some of the Bay Area’s most iconic buildings are the work of architect, and local notable, Arthur Brown. San Francisco City Hall, the War Memorial Opera House, Berkeley City Hall and Hoover Tower at Stanford all are his designs. He also was involved with designing Coit Tower. Svanevik calls Brown “the architect that designed San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Brown is buried in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Betty Ong\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Born and raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown, \u003ca href=\"https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/remembering-911-hero-flight-attendant-betty-ong\">Betty Ong was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11\u003c/a>, the first plane to be hijacked on September 11, 2001. She became a national hero after alerting authorities about what was going on, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to close the national airspace. The information she provided also helped the FBI in their investigation of the attacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ong’s body was never found, but her family has memorialized her at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1v_xNKp8QfkRWl62v8w6EOB4UeZkoouhY\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Why Are There So Many Graves in Colma? And So Few in San Francisco?",
"headTitle": "Why Are There So Many Graves in Colma? And So Few in San Francisco? | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was originally published Oct. 26, 2017. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you drive around the tiny town of Colma, just south of Daly City, you can’t help but notice a certain redundancy of scenery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tombstones. A florist …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More tombstones … another florist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What Las Vegas is to gambling, Colma is to death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly three-quarters of the 2.2-square-mile town is zoned for cemeteries — of which there are 17.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colma is the last place you want to be when the zombie apocalypse goes down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The town’s population is 1,431, says Pat Hatfield of the local historical association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Of the living …,” I clarify.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She nods. “Above-ground residents, we call them. Maybe a million and a half underground, so we’re a little bit outgunned.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10795849\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10795849\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10795849\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"In many parts of Colma, neat rows of gravestones are visible for as far as the eye can see.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In many parts of Colma, neat rows of gravestones are visible for as far as the eye can see. \u003ccite>(Olivia Allen-Price/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The association’s headquarters sits quietly between two cemeteries. It doubles as a museum, with binders on display for each of the town’s final resting places. Flip through and your eye catches on bold-letter names like Joe DiMaggio and William Randolph Hearst. When death got the drop on Wyatt Earp, the legendary Old West lawman was buried in Hills of Eternity Memorial Park, a Jewish cemetery. (\u003ca href=\"http://www.neatorama.com/2011/11/16/why-wyatt-earp-is-buried-in-a-jewish-cemetery/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Here’s why\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other hand, if you want to browse graves in San Francisco, your choices are limited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/sanfrancisco.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">San Francisco National Cemetery\u003c/a> in the Presidio, but that’s technically on federal land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lone cemetery in the city proper is at \u003ca href=\"http://cemeterytravel.com/2011/04/27/cemetery-of-the-week-13-mission-dolores-cemetery/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mission Dolores\u003c/a>. But the cemetery is just one-sixth its original size, says Andrew Galvan, the Mission Dolores curator. Eleven thousand dead people were buried there from 1782 to 1898.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All right. That accounts for thousands of expired locals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Where’s everybody else?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>San Francisco Graveyards of the Past\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>San Francisco was once \u003ca href=\"http://www.sanfranciscocemeteries.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">full of cemeteries\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the Gold Rush days they decided to build cemeteries in the western part of the city, where nobody would ever want to live,” says Michael Svanevik, a San Mateo County historian who’s the go-to guy on this topic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four huge cemeteries — Laurel Hill, Calvary, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Masonic Cemetery — were established on land the University of San Francisco occupies today. These cemeteries took up between 60 and 70 square blocks. Golden Gate Cemetery, out by Lands End, took up a similar swath of space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10785902\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/view/search?QuickSearchA=QuickSearchA&q=san+francisco+cemeteries&sort=pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date&search=Search\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10785902\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/Cemetery-map-highlighted_1873.jpg\" alt=\"Cemetery-map-highlighted_1873\" width=\"720\" height=\"513\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/Cemetery-map-highlighted_1873.jpg 720w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/Cemetery-map-highlighted_1873-400x285.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An 1873 map shows the ‘Big Four’ cemeteries in San Francisco. (David Rumsey Map Collection) \u003ccite>(David Rumsey Historical Map Collection)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As San Francisco’s population rapidly grew, homes were built on all sides of the cemetery complex. Streetcars had to navigate around these islands of the dead to transport residents to work and back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This now became very valuable land, and people turned against the cemeteries,” Svanevik says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just when you think the living have a hard time holding onto their place in San Francisco, imagine how the \u003cem>dead\u003c/em> fared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10787031\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/San-Francisco-Golden-Gate-Cemetery.png\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10787031\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10787031 size-large\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023-1440x879.jpg\" alt=\"Golden Gate, or City Cemetery, shown in an 1876 map by William P. Humphreys & Co.\" width=\"640\" height=\"391\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023-1440x879.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023-400x244.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023-800x489.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023-1180x721.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023-960x586.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Golden Gate, or City Cemetery, shown in an 1876 map by William P. Humphreys & Co. (David Rumsey Map Collection) \u003ccite>(David Rumsey Historical Map Collection)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Public Opinion Turns\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>By 1880, San Franciscans had grown disenchanted with its burgeoning population of dead folks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Headlines like “Cemeteries must go!” began to show up in local newspapers, and residents became concerned over hysterical claims about health hazards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Scientists warned that throat maladies constantly assume a malignant type … when the patients are exposed to a wind that blows from a crowded cemetery,” wrote Svanevik and co-author Shirley Burgett in their book “\u003ca href=\"https://books.google.com/books?id=A_AXAQAAMAAJ&q=city+of+souls+colma&dq=city+of+souls+colma&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjWhai10srJAhUBUmMKHS-cAc4Q6AEIHDAA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">City of Souls\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1901, San Francisco banned any new burials within city limits, part of what Svanevik and Burgett call a relentless assault on the city’s “belt of death.” For several decades, what to do with the cemeteries was a hot-button issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10795858\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10795858\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10795858 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-800x606.jpg\" alt=\"With no endowments to pay for upkeep, cemeteries like Laurel Hill pictured here, fell into ruin. (Colma Historical Association)\" width=\"800\" height=\"606\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-800x606.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-400x303.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-768x582.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-1440x1091.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-1920x1454.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-1180x894.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-960x727.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">With no endowments to pay for upkeep, cemeteries like Laurel Hill, pictured here, fell into ruin. (Colma Historical Association) \u003ccite>(CREDIT)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Those who coveted valuable graveyard land could rely on at least one legitimate talking point: The cemeteries had become a real mess.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After San Francisco ended new burials, there was no money to care for existing cemetery grounds, and many graveyards fell into ruin. Statues and gravestones were toppled. The valuable bronze doors on private mausoleums were stolen. People would reportedly wander in and get drunk, or have late-night sex orgies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Entire skeletons were carried away to be used as Halloween decorations,” says Svanevik.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s even met people who report playing soccer with skulls.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Colma: The Incorporation\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The first to move out of San Francisco were two Jewish cemeteries, Hills of Eternity and Home of Peace. In the 1880s, they abandoned the plots of land that now make up Dolores Park for the open farm area of Colma. A few years later, the San Francisco Archdiocese, running out of room in San Francisco, established Colma’s Holy Cross Cemetery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As space for San Francisco burials grew tighter, more of San Francisco’s cemetery associations looked south, purchasing large plots of Colma’s farmland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10787086\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/San-Francisco-Jewish-Cemeteries.png\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10787086\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10787086 size-large\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg-1440x875.jpg\" alt=\"Until the 1880s, two Jewish cemeteries stood where Dolores Park is today. (Colma Historical Association)\" width=\"640\" height=\"389\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg-1440x875.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg-400x243.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg-800x486.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg-1180x717.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg-960x583.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Until the 1880s, two Jewish cemeteries stood where Dolores Park is today. (Colma Historical Association) \u003ccite>(David Rumsey Historical Map Collection)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 1924, 14 cemetery associations incorporated the town of Lawndale (Colma’s original name). It is the only city incorporated for the sole purpose of preserving and protecting the dead, says the historical association’s Pat Hatfield.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The founders had good reason to be explicit about the new town’s purpose. After all, many of the remains that came to Colma had been moved several times. A body could have first been buried in the Gold Rush cemetery, only to be moved to Yerba Buena Cemetery, on to City Cemetery by the Legion of Honor, and finally to the cemetery complex where USF now stands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They didn’t want living people in Colma,” says Svanevik. “Every time somebody came forth and wanted to open a store, the town council voted it down, unless it was a floral shop or something associated with a cemetery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>San Francisco: And Then There Were Five\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>By the 1920s, the only San Francisco cemeteries remaining were the so-called Big Four as well as the one at Mission Dolores. In the face of public hostility, the Odd Fellows and Masonic cemeteries agreed to move to Colma, but 17 families went to federal court to block the Masonic move. Those bodies were transferred only after sale of the land was approved in a 1930 Supreme Court ruling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10795864\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10795864\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10795864 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-800x508.jpg\" alt=\"Calvary cemetery from above in the 1930s. (Colma Historical Association)\" width=\"800\" height=\"508\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-800x508.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-400x254.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-768x488.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-1440x915.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-1920x1220.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-1180x750.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-960x610.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Calvary Cemetery from above in the 1930s. (Colma Historical Association) \u003ccite>(San Francisco Public Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Catholic Church successfully made the case that the Mission Dolores cemetery should be allowed to stay for historical reasons. Andrew Galvan of Mission Dolores says just 60 bodies were moved to Colma between 1930 and 1932.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Catholic Church also balked at uprooting Calvary Cemetery. The archdiocese didn’t like the idea of giving future plot owners in other cemeteries the idea that nothing is sacred or permanent — not even the place where you are laid to rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But eventually they relented, which left one cemetery — Laurel Hill. The rectangle of graves \u003ca href=\"http://www.sanfranciscocemeteries.com/laurelmap.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bounded by California, Geary, Parker and Presidio streets\u003c/a> was the lone holdout.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignleft\">\n\u003ch2>More on Colma\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/16/is-colma-actually-shaped-like-an-angel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://u.s.kqed.net/2015/12/16/colmaoutline.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Is Colma Shaped Like an Angel? Or Daemon?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/16/growing-up-in-colma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://u.s.kqed.net/2015/12/16/smallcemetery.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What’s It Like to Grow Up in Colma?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Anti-cemetery activists made three unsuccessful attempts at ridding the city of Laurel Hill by putting the issue before voters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1937 they \u003ca href=\"http://sfpl.org/pdf/main/gic/elections/November2_1937.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tried once more\u003c/a>. \u003cspan class=\"s1\">The official argument against the measure alluded to the many notable pioneers buried in the cemetery. “Gratitude and common decency should permit these dead to rest in honored peace,” it said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">On the pro-eviction side, proponents included photos of the decrepit graveyard marred by tumbled tombstones, above captions such as “Is this ‘respect for our dead’?” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">This time, the measure to evict passed.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Removing the Bodies\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Exhumation and transportation of the bodies was a very sophisticated operation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the casket was in good shape, they moved it with the body. If the casket had deteriorated, the bones were placed in boxes. Remains were required to be brought by hearse on the same day as exhumation, says Svanevik. The Catholic Church also required a priest to witness the exhumation of any bodies from Calvary Cemetery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Condition of remains disinterred varied from ‘dust’ to almost perfectly embalmed bodies, the latter resulting from filling of cast-iron caskets with groundwater acting as a preservative,” wrote William Proctor, in a 1950 \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hcmcpr.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">San Francisco Department of City Planning report\u003c/a>. “The smell of death was often present, even though the remains had been laid to rest from thirty to seventy years previously,” the head of the disinterment told Proctor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10795860\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 3723px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10795860\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10795860 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows.jpg\" alt=\"Workers remove bodies from the Odd Fellows cemetery. (Colma Historical Association)\" width=\"3723\" height=\"1578\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows.jpg 3723w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-400x170.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-800x339.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-768x326.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-1440x610.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-1920x814.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-1180x500.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-960x407.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3723px) 100vw, 3723px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers remove bodies from the Odd Fellows Cemetery. (Colma Historical Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>About 130,000 bodies were disinterred from the “Big Four” cemeteries and moved to Colma. Most were reburied in mass graves, with a single monument to mark their presence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the 55,000 Catholic pioneers who were moved from San Francisco to Holy Cross in Colma, no marker identified them at their new resting place until 1993.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Where the Tombstones Went\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When the San Francisco cemeteries were moved, the bodies were transported for free, but survivors had to pay if they wanted to keep the tombstones. Many survivors couldn’t be found, and the majority of tombstones did not make the trip to Colma. Instead, they were sold for a few pennies each to be used in public works, says Svanevik.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some lined the gutters, which you can \u003ca href=\"http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/4840-the-gutters-in-buena-vista-park-are-made-out-of-old-headstones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">still see\u003c/a>, in San Francisco’s Buena Vista Park. Others were spread around the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Priceless crypts, tombs and private mausoleums were unceremoniously dumped in San Francisco Bay to create breakwaters at Aquatic Park and Saint Francis yacht club,” wrote Svanevik and Burgett in “City of Souls.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And discarded tombstones were used to build a seawall along the Great Highway. They still resurface from time to time, as they did \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Tombstones-from-long-ago-surfacing-on-S-F-beach-3618805.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in 2012 at Ocean Beach.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Some Left Behind\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>“They missed a lot of the bodies,” says Alan Ziajka, the University of San Francisco’s official historian, speaking of the mass transfer to Colma. “No one knew that until 1950, when we put up our first major building after the Depression.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was \u003ca href=\"https://www.usfca.edu/virtual-tour/main-campus/gleeson-library\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gleeson Library\u003c/a>, which like much of the university was built over what was once Masonic Cemetery. At least 200 bodies were found during excavations, when a backhoe churned up a whole mausoleum. Since then, every time a major excavation has occurred on campus, remains have been found.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A work crew breaking ground on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.usfca.edu/housing/residence-halls/hayes-healy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hayes-Healy residence hall\u003c/a> in 1966 “came upon so many bones and skulls that they refused to continue working until the human remains were moved from the site,” Ziajka wrote in his book, “Lighting the City, Changing the World, a History of the Sciences at the University of San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2011, when excavations began for the university’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.usfca.edu/virtual-tour/main-campus/lo-schiavo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Lo Schiavo, S.J. Center for Science and Innovation\u003c/a>, roughly 55 coffins, 29 skeletons and several skulls were unearthed.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Legion of Honor: Where Bodies are Buried\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>One of the most startling cemetery discoveries came in 1993, when the Legion of Honor was undergoing seismic renovation. As the dig began, about 750 bodies were discovered from the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hcmcit.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Golden Gate Cemetery\u003c/a>, also called City Cemetery, which was used from 1868 to 1909. About 18,000 people were buried there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1718px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hcmcitmap2.jpg\" alt=\"null\" width=\"1718\" height=\"1706\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A diagram of where human remains were found during a seismic renovation at the Legion of Honor in 1993. ( From ‘Health and Disease in 19th Century San Francisco,’ published in Historical Archaeology, 2005.)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://articles.latimes.com/1993-11-12/news/mn-56166_1_san-francisco-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">L.A. Times reported\u003c/a> that remains included “a man who had a third arm buried with him, several medical-school cadavers and two coffins containing remnants of \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/levi-strauss-and-jacob-davis-receive-patent-for-blue-jeans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">denim with rivets stamped \u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/levi-strauss-and-jacob-davis-receive-patent-for-blue-jeans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Levi\u003c/a>.”\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One person who got a close-up look at the Legion of Honor remains was photographer Richard Barnes. His \u003ca href=\"http://www.richardbarnes.net/still-rooms/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">exhibit on the discovery \u003c/a>has traveled around the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the juxtaposition with the grand temple of art is pretty interesting,” Barnes says. “The idea of preservation of the past and what that represents. Whose past is honored and secured and whose is expendable?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnes told \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/history-of-the-dead/Content?oid=2134634\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SF Weekly\u003c/a> in 1997 that the original Legion of Honor contractors, working in the early 1920s, “just plowed through burial sites, and plumbers laid pipes right through bodies and skeletons.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They threw headstones off the cliff into the ocean,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10789711\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/16/why-are-so-many-dead-people-in-colma-and-so-few-in-san-francisco/stillrooms_008\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10789711\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10789711 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/stillrooms_008.jpg\" alt='From the Richard Barnes exhibit \"Still Rooms & Excavations\" (Richard Barnes)' width=\"750\" height=\"571\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/stillrooms_008.jpg 750w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/stillrooms_008-400x305.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From the Richard Barnes exhibit ‘Still Rooms & Excavations’ (Richard Barnes)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10789712\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/16/why-are-so-many-dead-people-in-colma-and-so-few-in-san-francisco/stillrooms_009\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10789712\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10789712 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/stillrooms_009.jpg\" alt='Remains found during renovation at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, 1993. From the Richard Barnes exhibit \"Still Rooms & Excavations.\" (Colma Historical Association)' width=\"750\" height=\"591\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/stillrooms_009.jpg 750w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/stillrooms_009-400x315.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Remains found during renovation at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, 1993. From the Richard Barnes exhibit ‘Still Rooms & Excavations.’ (Colma Historical Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Lincoln Park Golf Course was also built where Golden Gate Cemetery once stood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the \u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/site/lincolnparkgolfclub/History-of-Lincoln-Park\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> course’s website\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“What is presently the eighteenth fairway of the golf course was a burial ground, primarily for the city’s Italian community. The area that now constitutes the first and thirteenth fairway was the Chinese section of the cemetery and the high terrain at the fifteen fairway and thirteenth tee was a Serbian resting place.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003ch3>Can It Happen Again?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Some find the odyssey of San Francisco’s dead prior to the 20th century unnerving. Who knew that after you die, your body could be so peripatetic?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco is a testament to the reality that your remains may \u003cem>not\u003c/em> remain … or that they may remain when they’re not \u003cem>supposed\u003c/em> to — and you’ll get a building on top of you to boot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ensuring that your final resting place is \u003cem>really\u003c/em> your final resting place was the very idea behind establishing Colma as a modern-day necropolis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet even in Colma, the sanctity of the grave is not what it used to be. The needs and whims of the living have encroached over the years. For example, \u003ca href=\"http://smcgs.blogspot.com/2013/11/sunset-view-cemetery-sanfranciscos.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sunset View Cemetery\u003c/a>, a burial ground for paupers, in 1951 became a golf course. (\u003ca href=\"http://sflib1.sfpl.org:82/search/a?searchtype=X&searcharg=%22sunset%22+view+cemetery&SORT=D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Photos of the defunct cemetery\u003c/a> at the San Francisco Public Library.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The question I get so frequently is: ‘Is Colma safe?’ “says Svanevik. “I want to say Colma is safe, but I’ve noticed since 1970 the largest auto row south of San Francisco is in Colma. They have a Home Depot. At one point a portion of Greenlawn cemetery was cut away to make a movie theater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can stand in Colma cemeteries today and hear a PA system say, ‘Your car is ready to be serviced.’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And so it goes …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was originally published Oct. 26, 2017. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you drive around the tiny town of Colma, just south of Daly City, you can’t help but notice a certain redundancy of scenery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tombstones. A florist …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More tombstones … another florist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What Las Vegas is to gambling, Colma is to death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly three-quarters of the 2.2-square-mile town is zoned for cemeteries — of which there are 17.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colma is the last place you want to be when the zombie apocalypse goes down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The town’s population is 1,431, says Pat Hatfield of the local historical association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Of the living …,” I clarify.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She nods. “Above-ground residents, we call them. Maybe a million and a half underground, so we’re a little bit outgunned.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10795849\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10795849\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10795849\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"In many parts of Colma, neat rows of gravestones are visible for as far as the eye can see.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/V0A9321-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In many parts of Colma, neat rows of gravestones are visible for as far as the eye can see. \u003ccite>(Olivia Allen-Price/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The association’s headquarters sits quietly between two cemeteries. It doubles as a museum, with binders on display for each of the town’s final resting places. Flip through and your eye catches on bold-letter names like Joe DiMaggio and William Randolph Hearst. When death got the drop on Wyatt Earp, the legendary Old West lawman was buried in Hills of Eternity Memorial Park, a Jewish cemetery. (\u003ca href=\"http://www.neatorama.com/2011/11/16/why-wyatt-earp-is-buried-in-a-jewish-cemetery/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Here’s why\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other hand, if you want to browse graves in San Francisco, your choices are limited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/sanfrancisco.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">San Francisco National Cemetery\u003c/a> in the Presidio, but that’s technically on federal land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lone cemetery in the city proper is at \u003ca href=\"http://cemeterytravel.com/2011/04/27/cemetery-of-the-week-13-mission-dolores-cemetery/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mission Dolores\u003c/a>. But the cemetery is just one-sixth its original size, says Andrew Galvan, the Mission Dolores curator. Eleven thousand dead people were buried there from 1782 to 1898.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All right. That accounts for thousands of expired locals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Where’s everybody else?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>San Francisco Graveyards of the Past\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>San Francisco was once \u003ca href=\"http://www.sanfranciscocemeteries.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">full of cemeteries\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the Gold Rush days they decided to build cemeteries in the western part of the city, where nobody would ever want to live,” says Michael Svanevik, a San Mateo County historian who’s the go-to guy on this topic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four huge cemeteries — Laurel Hill, Calvary, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Masonic Cemetery — were established on land the University of San Francisco occupies today. These cemeteries took up between 60 and 70 square blocks. Golden Gate Cemetery, out by Lands End, took up a similar swath of space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10785902\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/view/search?QuickSearchA=QuickSearchA&q=san+francisco+cemeteries&sort=pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date&search=Search\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10785902\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/Cemetery-map-highlighted_1873.jpg\" alt=\"Cemetery-map-highlighted_1873\" width=\"720\" height=\"513\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/Cemetery-map-highlighted_1873.jpg 720w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/Cemetery-map-highlighted_1873-400x285.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An 1873 map shows the ‘Big Four’ cemeteries in San Francisco. (David Rumsey Map Collection) \u003ccite>(David Rumsey Historical Map Collection)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As San Francisco’s population rapidly grew, homes were built on all sides of the cemetery complex. Streetcars had to navigate around these islands of the dead to transport residents to work and back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This now became very valuable land, and people turned against the cemeteries,” Svanevik says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just when you think the living have a hard time holding onto their place in San Francisco, imagine how the \u003cem>dead\u003c/em> fared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10787031\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/San-Francisco-Golden-Gate-Cemetery.png\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10787031\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10787031 size-large\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023-1440x879.jpg\" alt=\"Golden Gate, or City Cemetery, shown in an 1876 map by William P. Humphreys & Co.\" width=\"640\" height=\"391\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023-1440x879.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023-400x244.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023-800x489.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023-1180x721.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023-960x586.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/00944023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Golden Gate, or City Cemetery, shown in an 1876 map by William P. Humphreys & Co. (David Rumsey Map Collection) \u003ccite>(David Rumsey Historical Map Collection)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Public Opinion Turns\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>By 1880, San Franciscans had grown disenchanted with its burgeoning population of dead folks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Headlines like “Cemeteries must go!” began to show up in local newspapers, and residents became concerned over hysterical claims about health hazards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Scientists warned that throat maladies constantly assume a malignant type … when the patients are exposed to a wind that blows from a crowded cemetery,” wrote Svanevik and co-author Shirley Burgett in their book “\u003ca href=\"https://books.google.com/books?id=A_AXAQAAMAAJ&q=city+of+souls+colma&dq=city+of+souls+colma&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjWhai10srJAhUBUmMKHS-cAc4Q6AEIHDAA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">City of Souls\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1901, San Francisco banned any new burials within city limits, part of what Svanevik and Burgett call a relentless assault on the city’s “belt of death.” For several decades, what to do with the cemeteries was a hot-button issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10795858\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10795858\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10795858 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-800x606.jpg\" alt=\"With no endowments to pay for upkeep, cemeteries like Laurel Hill pictured here, fell into ruin. (Colma Historical Association)\" width=\"800\" height=\"606\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-800x606.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-400x303.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-768x582.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-1440x1091.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-1920x1454.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-1180x894.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/lonehill-960x727.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">With no endowments to pay for upkeep, cemeteries like Laurel Hill, pictured here, fell into ruin. (Colma Historical Association) \u003ccite>(CREDIT)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Those who coveted valuable graveyard land could rely on at least one legitimate talking point: The cemeteries had become a real mess.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After San Francisco ended new burials, there was no money to care for existing cemetery grounds, and many graveyards fell into ruin. Statues and gravestones were toppled. The valuable bronze doors on private mausoleums were stolen. People would reportedly wander in and get drunk, or have late-night sex orgies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Entire skeletons were carried away to be used as Halloween decorations,” says Svanevik.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s even met people who report playing soccer with skulls.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Colma: The Incorporation\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The first to move out of San Francisco were two Jewish cemeteries, Hills of Eternity and Home of Peace. In the 1880s, they abandoned the plots of land that now make up Dolores Park for the open farm area of Colma. A few years later, the San Francisco Archdiocese, running out of room in San Francisco, established Colma’s Holy Cross Cemetery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As space for San Francisco burials grew tighter, more of San Francisco’s cemetery associations looked south, purchasing large plots of Colma’s farmland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10787086\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/San-Francisco-Jewish-Cemeteries.png\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10787086\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10787086 size-large\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg-1440x875.jpg\" alt=\"Until the 1880s, two Jewish cemeteries stood where Dolores Park is today. (Colma Historical Association)\" width=\"640\" height=\"389\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg-1440x875.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg-400x243.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg-800x486.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg-1180x717.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg-960x583.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/Jewish-cemeteries-lg.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Until the 1880s, two Jewish cemeteries stood where Dolores Park is today. (Colma Historical Association) \u003ccite>(David Rumsey Historical Map Collection)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 1924, 14 cemetery associations incorporated the town of Lawndale (Colma’s original name). It is the only city incorporated for the sole purpose of preserving and protecting the dead, says the historical association’s Pat Hatfield.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The founders had good reason to be explicit about the new town’s purpose. After all, many of the remains that came to Colma had been moved several times. A body could have first been buried in the Gold Rush cemetery, only to be moved to Yerba Buena Cemetery, on to City Cemetery by the Legion of Honor, and finally to the cemetery complex where USF now stands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They didn’t want living people in Colma,” says Svanevik. “Every time somebody came forth and wanted to open a store, the town council voted it down, unless it was a floral shop or something associated with a cemetery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>San Francisco: And Then There Were Five\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>By the 1920s, the only San Francisco cemeteries remaining were the so-called Big Four as well as the one at Mission Dolores. In the face of public hostility, the Odd Fellows and Masonic cemeteries agreed to move to Colma, but 17 families went to federal court to block the Masonic move. Those bodies were transferred only after sale of the land was approved in a 1930 Supreme Court ruling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10795864\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10795864\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10795864 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-800x508.jpg\" alt=\"Calvary cemetery from above in the 1930s. (Colma Historical Association)\" width=\"800\" height=\"508\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-800x508.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-400x254.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-768x488.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-1440x915.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-1920x1220.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-1180x750.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/calvary-960x610.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Calvary Cemetery from above in the 1930s. (Colma Historical Association) \u003ccite>(San Francisco Public Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Catholic Church successfully made the case that the Mission Dolores cemetery should be allowed to stay for historical reasons. Andrew Galvan of Mission Dolores says just 60 bodies were moved to Colma between 1930 and 1932.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Catholic Church also balked at uprooting Calvary Cemetery. The archdiocese didn’t like the idea of giving future plot owners in other cemeteries the idea that nothing is sacred or permanent — not even the place where you are laid to rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But eventually they relented, which left one cemetery — Laurel Hill. The rectangle of graves \u003ca href=\"http://www.sanfranciscocemeteries.com/laurelmap.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bounded by California, Geary, Parker and Presidio streets\u003c/a> was the lone holdout.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignleft\">\n\u003ch2>More on Colma\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/16/is-colma-actually-shaped-like-an-angel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://u.s.kqed.net/2015/12/16/colmaoutline.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Is Colma Shaped Like an Angel? Or Daemon?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/16/growing-up-in-colma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://u.s.kqed.net/2015/12/16/smallcemetery.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What’s It Like to Grow Up in Colma?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Anti-cemetery activists made three unsuccessful attempts at ridding the city of Laurel Hill by putting the issue before voters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1937 they \u003ca href=\"http://sfpl.org/pdf/main/gic/elections/November2_1937.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tried once more\u003c/a>. \u003cspan class=\"s1\">The official argument against the measure alluded to the many notable pioneers buried in the cemetery. “Gratitude and common decency should permit these dead to rest in honored peace,” it said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">On the pro-eviction side, proponents included photos of the decrepit graveyard marred by tumbled tombstones, above captions such as “Is this ‘respect for our dead’?” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">This time, the measure to evict passed.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Removing the Bodies\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Exhumation and transportation of the bodies was a very sophisticated operation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the casket was in good shape, they moved it with the body. If the casket had deteriorated, the bones were placed in boxes. Remains were required to be brought by hearse on the same day as exhumation, says Svanevik. The Catholic Church also required a priest to witness the exhumation of any bodies from Calvary Cemetery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Condition of remains disinterred varied from ‘dust’ to almost perfectly embalmed bodies, the latter resulting from filling of cast-iron caskets with groundwater acting as a preservative,” wrote William Proctor, in a 1950 \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hcmcpr.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">San Francisco Department of City Planning report\u003c/a>. “The smell of death was often present, even though the remains had been laid to rest from thirty to seventy years previously,” the head of the disinterment told Proctor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10795860\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 3723px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10795860\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10795860 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows.jpg\" alt=\"Workers remove bodies from the Odd Fellows cemetery. (Colma Historical Association)\" width=\"3723\" height=\"1578\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows.jpg 3723w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-400x170.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-800x339.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-768x326.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-1440x610.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-1920x814.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-1180x500.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/oddfellows-960x407.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3723px) 100vw, 3723px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers remove bodies from the Odd Fellows Cemetery. (Colma Historical Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>About 130,000 bodies were disinterred from the “Big Four” cemeteries and moved to Colma. Most were reburied in mass graves, with a single monument to mark their presence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the 55,000 Catholic pioneers who were moved from San Francisco to Holy Cross in Colma, no marker identified them at their new resting place until 1993.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Where the Tombstones Went\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When the San Francisco cemeteries were moved, the bodies were transported for free, but survivors had to pay if they wanted to keep the tombstones. Many survivors couldn’t be found, and the majority of tombstones did not make the trip to Colma. Instead, they were sold for a few pennies each to be used in public works, says Svanevik.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some lined the gutters, which you can \u003ca href=\"http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/4840-the-gutters-in-buena-vista-park-are-made-out-of-old-headstones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">still see\u003c/a>, in San Francisco’s Buena Vista Park. Others were spread around the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Priceless crypts, tombs and private mausoleums were unceremoniously dumped in San Francisco Bay to create breakwaters at Aquatic Park and Saint Francis yacht club,” wrote Svanevik and Burgett in “City of Souls.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And discarded tombstones were used to build a seawall along the Great Highway. They still resurface from time to time, as they did \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Tombstones-from-long-ago-surfacing-on-S-F-beach-3618805.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in 2012 at Ocean Beach.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Some Left Behind\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>“They missed a lot of the bodies,” says Alan Ziajka, the University of San Francisco’s official historian, speaking of the mass transfer to Colma. “No one knew that until 1950, when we put up our first major building after the Depression.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was \u003ca href=\"https://www.usfca.edu/virtual-tour/main-campus/gleeson-library\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gleeson Library\u003c/a>, which like much of the university was built over what was once Masonic Cemetery. At least 200 bodies were found during excavations, when a backhoe churned up a whole mausoleum. Since then, every time a major excavation has occurred on campus, remains have been found.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A work crew breaking ground on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.usfca.edu/housing/residence-halls/hayes-healy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hayes-Healy residence hall\u003c/a> in 1966 “came upon so many bones and skulls that they refused to continue working until the human remains were moved from the site,” Ziajka wrote in his book, “Lighting the City, Changing the World, a History of the Sciences at the University of San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2011, when excavations began for the university’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.usfca.edu/virtual-tour/main-campus/lo-schiavo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Lo Schiavo, S.J. Center for Science and Innovation\u003c/a>, roughly 55 coffins, 29 skeletons and several skulls were unearthed.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Legion of Honor: Where Bodies are Buried\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>One of the most startling cemetery discoveries came in 1993, when the Legion of Honor was undergoing seismic renovation. As the dig began, about 750 bodies were discovered from the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hcmcit.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Golden Gate Cemetery\u003c/a>, also called City Cemetery, which was used from 1868 to 1909. About 18,000 people were buried there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1718px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hcmcitmap2.jpg\" alt=\"null\" width=\"1718\" height=\"1706\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A diagram of where human remains were found during a seismic renovation at the Legion of Honor in 1993. ( From ‘Health and Disease in 19th Century San Francisco,’ published in Historical Archaeology, 2005.)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://articles.latimes.com/1993-11-12/news/mn-56166_1_san-francisco-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">L.A. Times reported\u003c/a> that remains included “a man who had a third arm buried with him, several medical-school cadavers and two coffins containing remnants of \u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/levi-strauss-and-jacob-davis-receive-patent-for-blue-jeans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">denim with rivets stamped \u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003ca href=\"http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/levi-strauss-and-jacob-davis-receive-patent-for-blue-jeans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Levi\u003c/a>.”\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One person who got a close-up look at the Legion of Honor remains was photographer Richard Barnes. His \u003ca href=\"http://www.richardbarnes.net/still-rooms/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">exhibit on the discovery \u003c/a>has traveled around the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the juxtaposition with the grand temple of art is pretty interesting,” Barnes says. “The idea of preservation of the past and what that represents. Whose past is honored and secured and whose is expendable?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnes told \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/history-of-the-dead/Content?oid=2134634\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SF Weekly\u003c/a> in 1997 that the original Legion of Honor contractors, working in the early 1920s, “just plowed through burial sites, and plumbers laid pipes right through bodies and skeletons.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They threw headstones off the cliff into the ocean,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10789711\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/16/why-are-so-many-dead-people-in-colma-and-so-few-in-san-francisco/stillrooms_008\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10789711\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10789711 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/stillrooms_008.jpg\" alt='From the Richard Barnes exhibit \"Still Rooms & Excavations\" (Richard Barnes)' width=\"750\" height=\"571\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/stillrooms_008.jpg 750w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/stillrooms_008-400x305.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From the Richard Barnes exhibit ‘Still Rooms & Excavations’ (Richard Barnes)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10789712\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/16/why-are-so-many-dead-people-in-colma-and-so-few-in-san-francisco/stillrooms_009\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10789712\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10789712 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/stillrooms_009.jpg\" alt='Remains found during renovation at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, 1993. From the Richard Barnes exhibit \"Still Rooms & Excavations.\" (Colma Historical Association)' width=\"750\" height=\"591\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/stillrooms_009.jpg 750w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2026/12/stillrooms_009-400x315.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Remains found during renovation at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, 1993. From the Richard Barnes exhibit ‘Still Rooms & Excavations.’ (Colma Historical Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Lincoln Park Golf Course was also built where Golden Gate Cemetery once stood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the \u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/site/lincolnparkgolfclub/History-of-Lincoln-Park\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> course’s website\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“What is presently the eighteenth fairway of the golf course was a burial ground, primarily for the city’s Italian community. The area that now constitutes the first and thirteenth fairway was the Chinese section of the cemetery and the high terrain at the fifteen fairway and thirteenth tee was a Serbian resting place.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003ch3>Can It Happen Again?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Some find the odyssey of San Francisco’s dead prior to the 20th century unnerving. Who knew that after you die, your body could be so peripatetic?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco is a testament to the reality that your remains may \u003cem>not\u003c/em> remain … or that they may remain when they’re not \u003cem>supposed\u003c/em> to — and you’ll get a building on top of you to boot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ensuring that your final resting place is \u003cem>really\u003c/em> your final resting place was the very idea behind establishing Colma as a modern-day necropolis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet even in Colma, the sanctity of the grave is not what it used to be. The needs and whims of the living have encroached over the years. For example, \u003ca href=\"http://smcgs.blogspot.com/2013/11/sunset-view-cemetery-sanfranciscos.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sunset View Cemetery\u003c/a>, a burial ground for paupers, in 1951 became a golf course. (\u003ca href=\"http://sflib1.sfpl.org:82/search/a?searchtype=X&searcharg=%22sunset%22+view+cemetery&SORT=D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Photos of the defunct cemetery\u003c/a> at the San Francisco Public Library.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The question I get so frequently is: ‘Is Colma safe?’ “says Svanevik. “I want to say Colma is safe, but I’ve noticed since 1970 the largest auto row south of San Francisco is in Colma. They have a Home Depot. At one point a portion of Greenlawn cemetery was cut away to make a movie theater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can stand in Colma cemeteries today and hear a PA system say, ‘Your car is ready to be serviced.’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And so it goes …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>If you’ve spent any time at all in Redwood City, you know what we’re talking about: The sign! (Or signs, plural.) They say “Redwood City” across the top, and, in smaller font, is the city’s slogan: “Climate Best by Government Test.” Been there forever. Sounds kinda official. But is it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Does Redwood City actually have the best weather?” asks Lauren Tankeh of San Carlos, which lies just north of Redwood City. “I think it’s a little nicer in San Carlos. I think we actually have nicer weather.” There seems to be a somewhat competitive quality to Tankeh’s query. Time for a climate throw-down here in the Bay?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Michael Svanevik, historian and retired professor at the College of San Mateo, the sign’s origin dates back to 1925. At the time, Peninsula farmland had long given way to the suburbs of San Francisco, thanks to two things: the railroad that runs from San Francisco to San José (where Caltrain runs today), and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11621122/el-camino-not-so-real-the-true-story-of-the-ancient-road\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">El Camino Real\u003c/a>, then called the County Road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mood of the day was growth. Many of the city founders owned a lot of real estate they bought on the cheap, and they were keen to sell it for profit. Also, there was lots of competition among the cities on the Peninsula, all vying for new residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right after [World War I], they started a number of advertising campaigns to attract people into their different communities,” Svanevik said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11890232\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11890232 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo of an office, with high windows along one wall, file cabinets, and a few desks. A man sits at one desk, a woman at another, and a second man leans against a cabinet.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1689\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-800x528.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-1020x673.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-1536x1013.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-2048x1351.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-1920x1266.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The younger man, standing in this photo, is likely to be Wilbur Doxsee, the man who coined the phrase Redwood City is known for today. His father, Clarence, was president of the George H. Rice Abstract Company, which is pictured here. \u003ccite>(Courtesy: Redwood City Public Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>San Mateo built an amusement park, the ill-fated Pacific City, which may have been the most ambitious concept. Many cities just came up with slogans. Our question-asker Tankeh knows the one for her hometown, San Carlos: “The City of Good Living.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11705654,news_11621122,news_11747125\" label=\"Related Coverage\"]In 1925, the Redwood City Chamber of Commerce and the Real Estate Board sponsored a contest for a slogan that would sum up the charms of Redwood City. Conveniently, the guy who won the contest was heavily involved in organizing the contest, in thick with the city founders because he was one himself: Wilbur Doxsee, the president of the Redwood City Chamber of Commerce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doxsee’s winning slogan? The one that beat out 78 other entries? “By Government Test, Our Climate Is Best” — later shortened to the somewhat catchier “Climate Best by Government Test.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Svanevik said, “Immediately, somebody came forth and said, ‘Wilbur Doxsee, how do you know that’s true?’ And he said, ‘I don’t. I made it up.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doxsee made the slogan up, but Svanevik suspects he was thinking of his friend, amateur meteorologist Henry C. Finkler. “He owned all the property that is today [Edgewood Park],” said Svanevik. That’s more than 450 acres.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11890238\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11890238\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"This is believed to be the earliest known photo of Redwood City's "Climate Best by Government Test" slogan.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1687\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-800x527.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-1020x672.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-1536x1012.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-2048x1350.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-1920x1265.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is believed to be the earliest known photo of Redwood City’s “Climate Best by Government Test” slogan. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Redwood City Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Henry C. Finkler was a bicyclist. And he became, I have to say, fanatically interested in weather. And he recorded, every day he rode down the hill, what the air temperature was, what the winds were, the number of days of rain,” Svanevik said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s Finkler who first claimed there were only three parts of the world that had perfect weather: the Canary Islands off the coast of northwestern Africa, North Africa’s Mediterranean Coast, and anything within a 20-mile radius of Redwood City.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finkler was buddies with a fellow cyclist, Franklin Lane, who was secretary of the interior under Woodrow Wilson when the U.S. got involved in World War I. Lane remembered his buddy Finkler with the weather research and, on the basis of that, convinced President Wilson to establish one of the first military bases on the West Coast, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11705654/wwi-and-the-peninsulas-forgotten-contribution-to-the-war-effort\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Camp Fremont\u003c/a>, in Menlo Park. (This put Menlo Park on the map, so to speak.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another way Doxsee may have been inspired comes from a nonmilitary, German weather survey conducted before World War I by the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, a government research outfit in Berlin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In 1912, the German government asked counselor agents all over the world to send in statistics about weather in their area. Need I tell you not many people keep weather statistics. Well, Henry Finkler has it all,” Svanevik said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theory goes: Doxsee read an article in The San Francisco Chronicle about the climate survey, and this was how Finkler’s assessment of Redwood City got national, and even international, attention. Doxsee’s slogan sealed the deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel almost cheated,” said our listener upon learning how bogus the science behind the sign was. She was thinking this story would go in an entirely different direction: “You know, is this test outdated? Has climate change shifted the best weather a little bit north to San Carlos?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is, of course, a good argument to be made that “best” weather is a purely subjective title. Lots of people love rain and fog. Some people like it hot. Speaking for myself, I think the weather on the Peninsula sits in the Goldilocks Zone: not too hot, not too cold, most of the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which is to say, I think Finkler and Doxsee got it right. But then, I don’t live in San Carlos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you’ve spent any time at all in Redwood City, you know what we’re talking about: The sign! (Or signs, plural.) They say “Redwood City” across the top, and, in smaller font, is the city’s slogan: “Climate Best by Government Test.” Been there forever. Sounds kinda official. But is it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Does Redwood City actually have the best weather?” asks Lauren Tankeh of San Carlos, which lies just north of Redwood City. “I think it’s a little nicer in San Carlos. I think we actually have nicer weather.” There seems to be a somewhat competitive quality to Tankeh’s query. Time for a climate throw-down here in the Bay?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Michael Svanevik, historian and retired professor at the College of San Mateo, the sign’s origin dates back to 1925. At the time, Peninsula farmland had long given way to the suburbs of San Francisco, thanks to two things: the railroad that runs from San Francisco to San José (where Caltrain runs today), and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11621122/el-camino-not-so-real-the-true-story-of-the-ancient-road\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">El Camino Real\u003c/a>, then called the County Road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mood of the day was growth. Many of the city founders owned a lot of real estate they bought on the cheap, and they were keen to sell it for profit. Also, there was lots of competition among the cities on the Peninsula, all vying for new residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right after [World War I], they started a number of advertising campaigns to attract people into their different communities,” Svanevik said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11890232\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11890232 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo of an office, with high windows along one wall, file cabinets, and a few desks. A man sits at one desk, a woman at another, and a second man leans against a cabinet.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1689\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-800x528.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-1020x673.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-1536x1013.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-2048x1351.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Doxsee-Family-@-G.-Rice-Title-Co.-1920x1266.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The younger man, standing in this photo, is likely to be Wilbur Doxsee, the man who coined the phrase Redwood City is known for today. His father, Clarence, was president of the George H. Rice Abstract Company, which is pictured here. \u003ccite>(Courtesy: Redwood City Public Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>San Mateo built an amusement park, the ill-fated Pacific City, which may have been the most ambitious concept. Many cities just came up with slogans. Our question-asker Tankeh knows the one for her hometown, San Carlos: “The City of Good Living.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In 1925, the Redwood City Chamber of Commerce and the Real Estate Board sponsored a contest for a slogan that would sum up the charms of Redwood City. Conveniently, the guy who won the contest was heavily involved in organizing the contest, in thick with the city founders because he was one himself: Wilbur Doxsee, the president of the Redwood City Chamber of Commerce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doxsee’s winning slogan? The one that beat out 78 other entries? “By Government Test, Our Climate Is Best” — later shortened to the somewhat catchier “Climate Best by Government Test.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Svanevik said, “Immediately, somebody came forth and said, ‘Wilbur Doxsee, how do you know that’s true?’ And he said, ‘I don’t. I made it up.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doxsee made the slogan up, but Svanevik suspects he was thinking of his friend, amateur meteorologist Henry C. Finkler. “He owned all the property that is today [Edgewood Park],” said Svanevik. That’s more than 450 acres.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11890238\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11890238\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"This is believed to be the earliest known photo of Redwood City's "Climate Best by Government Test" slogan.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1687\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-800x527.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-1020x672.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-1536x1012.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-2048x1350.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Earliest-photo-of-Climate-Sign-1920x1265.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is believed to be the earliest known photo of Redwood City’s “Climate Best by Government Test” slogan. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Redwood City Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Henry C. Finkler was a bicyclist. And he became, I have to say, fanatically interested in weather. And he recorded, every day he rode down the hill, what the air temperature was, what the winds were, the number of days of rain,” Svanevik said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s Finkler who first claimed there were only three parts of the world that had perfect weather: the Canary Islands off the coast of northwestern Africa, North Africa’s Mediterranean Coast, and anything within a 20-mile radius of Redwood City.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finkler was buddies with a fellow cyclist, Franklin Lane, who was secretary of the interior under Woodrow Wilson when the U.S. got involved in World War I. Lane remembered his buddy Finkler with the weather research and, on the basis of that, convinced President Wilson to establish one of the first military bases on the West Coast, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11705654/wwi-and-the-peninsulas-forgotten-contribution-to-the-war-effort\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Camp Fremont\u003c/a>, in Menlo Park. (This put Menlo Park on the map, so to speak.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another way Doxsee may have been inspired comes from a nonmilitary, German weather survey conducted before World War I by the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, a government research outfit in Berlin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In 1912, the German government asked counselor agents all over the world to send in statistics about weather in their area. Need I tell you not many people keep weather statistics. Well, Henry Finkler has it all,” Svanevik said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theory goes: Doxsee read an article in The San Francisco Chronicle about the climate survey, and this was how Finkler’s assessment of Redwood City got national, and even international, attention. Doxsee’s slogan sealed the deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel almost cheated,” said our listener upon learning how bogus the science behind the sign was. She was thinking this story would go in an entirely different direction: “You know, is this test outdated? Has climate change shifted the best weather a little bit north to San Carlos?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is, of course, a good argument to be made that “best” weather is a purely subjective title. Lots of people love rain and fog. Some people like it hot. Speaking for myself, I think the weather on the Peninsula sits in the Goldilocks Zone: not too hot, not too cold, most of the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which is to say, I think Finkler and Doxsee got it right. But then, I don’t live in San Carlos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Rumrunning, Ghosts and Speakeasies: The Many Lives of Pacifica's Castle",
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"content": "\u003cp>When Krisi Riccardi was a girl, her father used to take her on leisurely Sunday drives from their home in South San Francisco. They’d cruise down Highway 1, enjoying the beautiful scenery until they hit Pacifica, where something odd always caught young Krisi’s attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We would look at this castle but we never knew what it was,” Krisi said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s right, a castle — in the laid-back beach town of Pacifica. It’s made of stone and has four turrets. It looks like something out of a British novel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And as I got older we would walk up to this castle and walk around it. I’ve never been inside, but I looked over the wall. I’m now 68 and I always wondered what the history was of this castle,” Krisi said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She isn’t the only one curious about this castle. Her question won a Bay Curious voting round and over the years lots of inquisitive neighbors have wanted a glimpse inside this strange structure. Indeed, for many years it was shrouded in mystery — some even claim it’s haunted.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A fire proof fortress\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The castle was built in 1908 by Henry Harrison McCloskey, a lawyer based in San Francisco. After the 1906 earthquake and fire, McCloskey was terrified by what he’d experienced, and wanted to move his family somewhere safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was a new railway going in to carry passengers from San Francisco down the coast to what was then known as Salada Beach, now Pacifica. McCloskey saw it as a chance to not only move his family out of San Francisco, but also get in on the ground floor of the hottest new beachside community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He wanted something that was solid as a rock that was never going to burn or come tumbling down,” said Bridget Oates, a historian and \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/Castle-Images-America-Bridget-Oates/dp/0738574864\">author of a book about the castle’s history\u003c/a>. When Oates moved to Pacifica she was as curious about the castle as Krisi. She started knocking on doors, asking to see people’s old photographs, and pieced together a timeline for the castle’s inhabitants. Her hard work earned her the nickname “Intrepid Castle Woman” from some locals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889530\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889530\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-BridgetOates-armour.jpg\" alt=\"A woman stands next to a large suit of armor in a room full of dark wood.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-BridgetOates-armour.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-BridgetOates-armour-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-BridgetOates-armour-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-BridgetOates-armour-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-BridgetOates-armour-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Historian and author Bridget Oates stands next to a suit of armor that looks heavy, but is actually a stage prop. \u003ccite>(Katrina Schwartz/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>McCloskey spent $100,000 — a lot of money back then — on the best building materials and craftsmanship to ensure his new home could withstand earthquakes. There were only six other buildings in town at the time. His son, Paul McCloskey would take the train to Lowell High School in San Francisco. That train was plagued with problems, often unable to run due to the sand blowing up on the tracks, and Paul would sometimes have to take a horse and buggy home from school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Henry McCloskey died in 1914 and his wife, Emily, found it difficult to pay the mortgage on the house alone. She soon sold it to a doctor, Galen R. Hickok, who said the castle would make the perfect place for his patients to convalesce by the sea. Local newspaper archives indicate the following years were mysterious ones. Hickok didn’t live at the castle, preferring to commute from his home in Berkeley. But there were many comings and goings at the castle nonetheless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN5vaWkcbCI&list=PLY7y-JfMLDd9YVO-tJsDg8iElmb94IgJO&index=8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They found out later [Hickok] was not a certified medical doctor,” Oates said, “which is very scandalous because when he moved in, the sheriff noticed car lights going up and down that horrible hill. They sent out some people to investigate and that’s when they discovered the abortion clinic that he was giving here. And he was subsequently arrested.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Abortions were illegal then. Women often trusted their lives to untrained people claiming they could help. When police arrested Hickok at his home in Berkeley, it caused a big stir in the press. There were rumors, later disproved, that Hickok had buried the bodies of dead women on the castle’s grounds. During this period, local people warned their kids to stay away from the castle, Oates said. It was a place to be feared.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Prohibition brings more illicit activity\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The next occupant of the castle was an industrialist from Montana named M.L Hewitt who bought the property just when Prohibition became the law of the land. Pacifica, with its foggy weather, was a rum runner’s paradise. Oates said a local man recently found tunnels leading from his house down to the beach that date back to this time. No such tunnels have been found at the castle, but Hewitt definitely stored liquor in the basement, and may have signaled smugglers from the castle walls using a flashing light.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889505\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889505\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-view.jpg\" alt=\"A lion statue in the foreground with view of Pacific ocean behind.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-view.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-view-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-view-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-view-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-view-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The view from the castle’s balcony is expansive. This is where Hewitt most likely stood when signaling to smugglers off shore. \u003ccite>(Katrina Schwartz/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He also took advantage of the lonely location to start a speakeasy. He called it Chateau Lafayette and it was a hit with elite San Franciscans looking to drink and party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This big old redwood door has been replaced many times,” Oates said. “And that is because Hewitt would bar it and the cops would scale the wall, bring battering rams and sledgehammers and break the door down because they knew that he was giving parties here. They would come in, confiscate the liquor, and all the San Francisco elite was here dressed to the nines. They would go running out into the night.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The raids didn’t seem to bother Hewitt because the party raged at Chateau Lafayette until Hewitt died in 1924. Ironically, at that point the castle passed to Galen Hickok’s son, who also claimed to be a doctor. And, like his father, he was also arrested for performing illegal abortions at the castle. Both father and son went to San Quentin State Prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A period of relative calm\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889502\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889502\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-coastguard.jpg\" alt=\"A small room with two chairs, spyglass and desk.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-coastguard.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-coastguard-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-coastguard-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-coastguard-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-coastguard-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeanette Cool has worked with an interior designer to theme the four turret rooms on the Castle’s roof after moments in its history. This room uses Mazza’s collection, along with curated items to give the impression of a Coast Guard soldier’s lonely perch. \u003ccite>(Katrina Schwartz/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The castle changed hands several times after these dramatic events, and had calm owners who didn’t raise a stir. The next big moment came during World War II when the Coast Guard rented the castle to house 17 enlisted men and their patrol dogs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Each man had a dog and they had to patrol the length of town on the beach looking for enemy saboteurs,” Oates said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most experienced soldiers — known as old salts — got to stay in the four turret rooms at each corner of the castle. To get to the rooms, they had to climb a steep set of stairs to the roof and cross a windy expanse before entering the roughly 8-by-8 rooms. Still, privacy was a luxury most of the men didn’t get.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The post war years\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>After the war, several families lived in the castle, including Joe O’Brien, whose parents were both artists. Oates met Joe while working on her book. He had fond memories of the castle as a magical place to be a precocious boy. While we stood in a hallway, she told me this story:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Joe O’Brien was very curious and left to his own devices because his siblings were older,” Oates said. “And so he got a stick and he ran around the castle poking, looking for secret compartments.” In the hallway where we stood, Joe poked up at a ceiling panel, which opened and then latched. It was a secret compartment. “And so he got a chair and he climbed up in there,” Oates said. He found what looked like empty poison bottles and some wanted posters displaying the faces of various women.*\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe O’Brien also had some spooky stories from living in the house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One night after he turned off the light and got into bed, the light flipped back on. He got up and turned it off again, but as soon as he was back in bed it switched back on. Joe was sure either his brother or nephew were playing a trick on him, so he opened his bedroom door to tell him off. But both his brother and nephew were in their own rooms, oblivious to what was happening. Joe thought it was strange, but once more he switched the light off and got back in bed. Once again the light turned on.**\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Then he’s scared,” Oates said. “And he’s like, ‘it scared the heck out of me. It felt like a ghost.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889524\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889524\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza-160x213.jpg\" alt=\"A framed black and white photograph of a young man sits on a mantel.\" width=\"320\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A photo of young Sam Mazza sits in the living room of the castle. \u003ccite>(Katrina Schwartz/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Oates has had her own spooky experiences in the house: Floating white orbs in dark rooms, mysterious knocks when no one is there. She’s convinced the house is haunted in a friendly way. Ghost hunters have even visited to test the house. Let’s just say, they weren’t disappointed.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Sam Mazza buys the castle for parties\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Sam Mazza, an Italian immigrant, commercial painter, real estate magnate and art collector bought the castle in 1959 for $29,000. He was a social person and thought the castle would be a fun place to host parties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His story was, ‘one day I went down to Pacifica with my girlfriend. We had a few gin fizzes and I signed on the dotted line,'” laughed Jeanette Cool, the executive director of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sammazzafoundation.org/\">the Sam Mazza Foundation\u003c/a> and a close personal friend to Mazza in his later years. She said Mazza liked to throw lavish parties for the Pacifica police and fire departments, as well as beauty queens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was during Mazza’s lifetime that much of the history about the castle began to come to light. He met local people who remembered being afraid of the castle; he would often welcome them in for a tour. Pete McCloskey, the U.S. Congressman who represented San Mateo county for 15 years and co-authored the Endangered Species Act, was a frequent visitor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Funny enough, Pete McCloskey did not know his grandfather built the castle until he was campaigning in Pacifica in 1967. His father, Paul McCloskey, pointed up at the castle and told his son he’d grown up there. When Sam Mazza found out about the connection, he offered to host McCloskey’s victory party at the castle. They remained friends afterwards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889504\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889504\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-Jeanette-Cool.jpg\" alt=\"A woman sits in a chair with the light coming in from the windo illuminating half her face.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-Jeanette-Cool.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-Jeanette-Cool-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-Jeanette-Cool-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-Jeanette-Cool-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-Jeanette-Cool-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeanette Cool is the Executive Director of the Sam Mazza Foundation. She was a close personal friend of Sam Mazza’s and has worked to redesign the castle to display his art collection. \u003ccite>(Katrina Schwartz/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When Mazza died in 2002 at the age of 96 he left all his real estate holdings, including the castle, and his art to his foundation. Cool has been working with an interior designer named Scott Cunningham to refurbish the castle using Mazza’s art collection. The result is a sumptuous villa with pieces that blur the line between art and artifice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s definitely some eclecticism going on here,” Cool said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Known by friends as the “White Elephant Collector,” Mazza had unique taste. He spent his career decorating the interiors of California movie palaces, painting the gold leafing on many of the beautiful old theaters from the 1930s and 40s. He loved artists and Hollywood. His art collection is a mix of heavy, ornate antique furniture, and kitschy stage props from the movies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walking around, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s a flimsy prop. There’s a suit of armor that looks like it should weigh a thousand pounds, but is actually light as a feather. And in what Cool calls the “Guns and Religion Room” there’s a glass case with old pistols. One of them was a real Nazi revolver, the others are stage props.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889503\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889503\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-harmonium.jpg\" alt=\"An ornately decorated room with a harmonium, a pump organ, dominating.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-harmonium.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-harmonium-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-harmonium-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-harmonium-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-harmonium-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sam Mazza wanted to buy this harmonium, a type of pump organ, but the woman selling it told him it went with the house. So, he bought the house, kept the harmonium and resold the house. \u003ccite>(Katrina Schwartz/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“He liked what he liked,” Cool said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result is nothing if not unique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sam Mazza Castle, as it’s now known, will be closed through the end of the year due to COVID-19. Check \u003ca href=\"https://www.sammazzafoundation.org/\">the foundation’s website for up to date information on reopening in 2022.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>*Joe O’Brien reached out to correct a few details of his time living in the castle. This article has been updated to reflect the fact that he did not find a gun in the secret hallway compartment.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>**It was O’Brien’s brother and nephew, not his cousin, who may have been playing a trick on him at night.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "There's a castle in Pacifica — seriously! Many people have wondered about its history over the years. Its many owners have been an interesting bunch. ",
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"title": "Rumrunning, Ghosts and Speakeasies: The Many Lives of Pacifica's Castle | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When Krisi Riccardi was a girl, her father used to take her on leisurely Sunday drives from their home in South San Francisco. They’d cruise down Highway 1, enjoying the beautiful scenery until they hit Pacifica, where something odd always caught young Krisi’s attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We would look at this castle but we never knew what it was,” Krisi said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s right, a castle — in the laid-back beach town of Pacifica. It’s made of stone and has four turrets. It looks like something out of a British novel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And as I got older we would walk up to this castle and walk around it. I’ve never been inside, but I looked over the wall. I’m now 68 and I always wondered what the history was of this castle,” Krisi said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She isn’t the only one curious about this castle. Her question won a Bay Curious voting round and over the years lots of inquisitive neighbors have wanted a glimpse inside this strange structure. Indeed, for many years it was shrouded in mystery — some even claim it’s haunted.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A fire proof fortress\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The castle was built in 1908 by Henry Harrison McCloskey, a lawyer based in San Francisco. After the 1906 earthquake and fire, McCloskey was terrified by what he’d experienced, and wanted to move his family somewhere safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was a new railway going in to carry passengers from San Francisco down the coast to what was then known as Salada Beach, now Pacifica. McCloskey saw it as a chance to not only move his family out of San Francisco, but also get in on the ground floor of the hottest new beachside community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He wanted something that was solid as a rock that was never going to burn or come tumbling down,” said Bridget Oates, a historian and \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/Castle-Images-America-Bridget-Oates/dp/0738574864\">author of a book about the castle’s history\u003c/a>. When Oates moved to Pacifica she was as curious about the castle as Krisi. She started knocking on doors, asking to see people’s old photographs, and pieced together a timeline for the castle’s inhabitants. Her hard work earned her the nickname “Intrepid Castle Woman” from some locals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889530\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889530\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-BridgetOates-armour.jpg\" alt=\"A woman stands next to a large suit of armor in a room full of dark wood.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-BridgetOates-armour.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-BridgetOates-armour-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-BridgetOates-armour-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-BridgetOates-armour-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-BridgetOates-armour-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Historian and author Bridget Oates stands next to a suit of armor that looks heavy, but is actually a stage prop. \u003ccite>(Katrina Schwartz/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>McCloskey spent $100,000 — a lot of money back then — on the best building materials and craftsmanship to ensure his new home could withstand earthquakes. There were only six other buildings in town at the time. His son, Paul McCloskey would take the train to Lowell High School in San Francisco. That train was plagued with problems, often unable to run due to the sand blowing up on the tracks, and Paul would sometimes have to take a horse and buggy home from school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Henry McCloskey died in 1914 and his wife, Emily, found it difficult to pay the mortgage on the house alone. She soon sold it to a doctor, Galen R. Hickok, who said the castle would make the perfect place for his patients to convalesce by the sea. Local newspaper archives indicate the following years were mysterious ones. Hickok didn’t live at the castle, preferring to commute from his home in Berkeley. But there were many comings and goings at the castle nonetheless.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/mN5vaWkcbCI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/mN5vaWkcbCI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“They found out later [Hickok] was not a certified medical doctor,” Oates said, “which is very scandalous because when he moved in, the sheriff noticed car lights going up and down that horrible hill. They sent out some people to investigate and that’s when they discovered the abortion clinic that he was giving here. And he was subsequently arrested.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Abortions were illegal then. Women often trusted their lives to untrained people claiming they could help. When police arrested Hickok at his home in Berkeley, it caused a big stir in the press. There were rumors, later disproved, that Hickok had buried the bodies of dead women on the castle’s grounds. During this period, local people warned their kids to stay away from the castle, Oates said. It was a place to be feared.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Prohibition brings more illicit activity\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The next occupant of the castle was an industrialist from Montana named M.L Hewitt who bought the property just when Prohibition became the law of the land. Pacifica, with its foggy weather, was a rum runner’s paradise. Oates said a local man recently found tunnels leading from his house down to the beach that date back to this time. No such tunnels have been found at the castle, but Hewitt definitely stored liquor in the basement, and may have signaled smugglers from the castle walls using a flashing light.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889505\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889505\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-view.jpg\" alt=\"A lion statue in the foreground with view of Pacific ocean behind.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-view.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-view-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-view-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-view-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-view-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The view from the castle’s balcony is expansive. This is where Hewitt most likely stood when signaling to smugglers off shore. \u003ccite>(Katrina Schwartz/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He also took advantage of the lonely location to start a speakeasy. He called it Chateau Lafayette and it was a hit with elite San Franciscans looking to drink and party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This big old redwood door has been replaced many times,” Oates said. “And that is because Hewitt would bar it and the cops would scale the wall, bring battering rams and sledgehammers and break the door down because they knew that he was giving parties here. They would come in, confiscate the liquor, and all the San Francisco elite was here dressed to the nines. They would go running out into the night.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The raids didn’t seem to bother Hewitt because the party raged at Chateau Lafayette until Hewitt died in 1924. Ironically, at that point the castle passed to Galen Hickok’s son, who also claimed to be a doctor. And, like his father, he was also arrested for performing illegal abortions at the castle. Both father and son went to San Quentin State Prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A period of relative calm\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889502\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889502\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-coastguard.jpg\" alt=\"A small room with two chairs, spyglass and desk.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-coastguard.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-coastguard-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-coastguard-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-coastguard-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-coastguard-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeanette Cool has worked with an interior designer to theme the four turret rooms on the Castle’s roof after moments in its history. This room uses Mazza’s collection, along with curated items to give the impression of a Coast Guard soldier’s lonely perch. \u003ccite>(Katrina Schwartz/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The castle changed hands several times after these dramatic events, and had calm owners who didn’t raise a stir. The next big moment came during World War II when the Coast Guard rented the castle to house 17 enlisted men and their patrol dogs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Each man had a dog and they had to patrol the length of town on the beach looking for enemy saboteurs,” Oates said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most experienced soldiers — known as old salts — got to stay in the four turret rooms at each corner of the castle. To get to the rooms, they had to climb a steep set of stairs to the roof and cross a windy expanse before entering the roughly 8-by-8 rooms. Still, privacy was a luxury most of the men didn’t get.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The post war years\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>After the war, several families lived in the castle, including Joe O’Brien, whose parents were both artists. Oates met Joe while working on her book. He had fond memories of the castle as a magical place to be a precocious boy. While we stood in a hallway, she told me this story:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Joe O’Brien was very curious and left to his own devices because his siblings were older,” Oates said. “And so he got a stick and he ran around the castle poking, looking for secret compartments.” In the hallway where we stood, Joe poked up at a ceiling panel, which opened and then latched. It was a secret compartment. “And so he got a chair and he climbed up in there,” Oates said. He found what looked like empty poison bottles and some wanted posters displaying the faces of various women.*\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe O’Brien also had some spooky stories from living in the house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One night after he turned off the light and got into bed, the light flipped back on. He got up and turned it off again, but as soon as he was back in bed it switched back on. Joe was sure either his brother or nephew were playing a trick on him, so he opened his bedroom door to tell him off. But both his brother and nephew were in their own rooms, oblivious to what was happening. Joe thought it was strange, but once more he switched the light off and got back in bed. Once again the light turned on.**\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Then he’s scared,” Oates said. “And he’s like, ‘it scared the heck out of me. It felt like a ghost.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889524\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11889524\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza-160x213.jpg\" alt=\"A framed black and white photograph of a young man sits on a mantel.\" width=\"320\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/pacifica-castle-mazza.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A photo of young Sam Mazza sits in the living room of the castle. \u003ccite>(Katrina Schwartz/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Oates has had her own spooky experiences in the house: Floating white orbs in dark rooms, mysterious knocks when no one is there. She’s convinced the house is haunted in a friendly way. Ghost hunters have even visited to test the house. Let’s just say, they weren’t disappointed.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Sam Mazza buys the castle for parties\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Sam Mazza, an Italian immigrant, commercial painter, real estate magnate and art collector bought the castle in 1959 for $29,000. He was a social person and thought the castle would be a fun place to host parties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His story was, ‘one day I went down to Pacifica with my girlfriend. We had a few gin fizzes and I signed on the dotted line,'” laughed Jeanette Cool, the executive director of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sammazzafoundation.org/\">the Sam Mazza Foundation\u003c/a> and a close personal friend to Mazza in his later years. She said Mazza liked to throw lavish parties for the Pacifica police and fire departments, as well as beauty queens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was during Mazza’s lifetime that much of the history about the castle began to come to light. He met local people who remembered being afraid of the castle; he would often welcome them in for a tour. Pete McCloskey, the U.S. Congressman who represented San Mateo county for 15 years and co-authored the Endangered Species Act, was a frequent visitor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Funny enough, Pete McCloskey did not know his grandfather built the castle until he was campaigning in Pacifica in 1967. His father, Paul McCloskey, pointed up at the castle and told his son he’d grown up there. When Sam Mazza found out about the connection, he offered to host McCloskey’s victory party at the castle. They remained friends afterwards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889504\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889504\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-Jeanette-Cool.jpg\" alt=\"A woman sits in a chair with the light coming in from the windo illuminating half her face.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-Jeanette-Cool.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-Jeanette-Cool-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-Jeanette-Cool-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-Jeanette-Cool-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-Jeanette-Cool-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeanette Cool is the Executive Director of the Sam Mazza Foundation. She was a close personal friend of Sam Mazza’s and has worked to redesign the castle to display his art collection. \u003ccite>(Katrina Schwartz/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When Mazza died in 2002 at the age of 96 he left all his real estate holdings, including the castle, and his art to his foundation. Cool has been working with an interior designer named Scott Cunningham to refurbish the castle using Mazza’s art collection. The result is a sumptuous villa with pieces that blur the line between art and artifice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s definitely some eclecticism going on here,” Cool said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Known by friends as the “White Elephant Collector,” Mazza had unique taste. He spent his career decorating the interiors of California movie palaces, painting the gold leafing on many of the beautiful old theaters from the 1930s and 40s. He loved artists and Hollywood. His art collection is a mix of heavy, ornate antique furniture, and kitschy stage props from the movies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walking around, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s a flimsy prop. There’s a suit of armor that looks like it should weigh a thousand pounds, but is actually light as a feather. And in what Cool calls the “Guns and Religion Room” there’s a glass case with old pistols. One of them was a real Nazi revolver, the others are stage props.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889503\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889503\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-harmonium.jpg\" alt=\"An ornately decorated room with a harmonium, a pump organ, dominating.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-harmonium.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-harmonium-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-harmonium-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-harmonium-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Pacifica-castle-harmonium-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sam Mazza wanted to buy this harmonium, a type of pump organ, but the woman selling it told him it went with the house. So, he bought the house, kept the harmonium and resold the house. \u003ccite>(Katrina Schwartz/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“He liked what he liked,” Cool said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result is nothing if not unique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sam Mazza Castle, as it’s now known, will be closed through the end of the year due to COVID-19. Check \u003ca href=\"https://www.sammazzafoundation.org/\">the foundation’s website for up to date information on reopening in 2022.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>*Joe O’Brien reached out to correct a few details of his time living in the castle. This article has been updated to reflect the fact that he did not find a gun in the secret hallway compartment.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>**It was O’Brien’s brother and nephew, not his cousin, who may have been playing a trick on him at night.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "From Floating Prison to Million-Dollar Views: How San Quentin Ended Up in Marin County",
"headTitle": "From Floating Prison to Million-Dollar Views: How San Quentin Ended Up in Marin County | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The drive west across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge offers majestic views of San Francisco’s skyline, the Bay Bridge, and the turquoise water of San Francisco Bay. Looming in the distance is Mount Tamalpais and beautiful Marin County, known for its tony real estate and great hiking. Off to the left as the bridge touches down in Marin, right on the water, is San Quentin State Prison, California’s only death row for men.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Terese O’Malley has long wondered how this famous prison came to be located in Marin County, and whether state officials have ever considered moving it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>California’s first prison\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>San Quentin was built more than 160 years ago, just four years after California became a state. It’s the oldest prison in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When miners and other fortune seekers began flooding into San Francisco during the Gold Rush, crime spiked. Soon the jail in San Francisco was overflowing, so the authorities began locking people up on prison ships.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“San Quentin began as a private prison,” said Lieutenant Samuel Robinson, communications officer at San Quentin Prison. “It was a prison ship docked at Angel Island.” The ship was called The Waban.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state Legislature approved the purchase of 20 acres at what was then called Punta de Quentin — meaning Quentin Point — in 1852. \u003ca href=\"https://teachinprison.berkeley.edu/our-work/general-resources-2/\">The site was named for a Coast Miwok chief and warrior named Quentin\u003c/a>. The “San” came from Americans’ erroneous perception that it was a Spanish name and that all Spanish names started with “San.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state paid $10,000 — about $320,000 in today’s dollars — for the land that would become San Quentin State Prison. That might seem like a steal, but back then the area was isolated. There were no bridges and overland travel was arduous. Punta de Quentin was remote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of this was here,” Robinson said. “It was just hills and marshland. It was land that really no one wanted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Waban docked near Punta de Quentin, and the inmates continued to live on board for another two years while they built the prison. They dug rocks from a quarry up the road and built the original cell block — now administrative buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11888762\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11888762 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentinFascade.jpg\" alt=\"The white turret-like facade and guard toward of the prison, beyond the parking lot.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentinFascade.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentinFascade-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentinFascade-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentinFascade-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentinFascade-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The castle-like facade of San Quentin State Prison was added in the 1890s. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Inmates on the boat were marched off the boat every day to the hills here around San Quentin, where they literally made big rocks into little rocks and they built, essentially, what has become the facade of our facility,” Robinson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since that time the prison has grown and changed. The first prisoners living on the Waban numbered between 50 and 60. Now, San Quentin houses nearly 4,000 prisoners. The prison has changed in many other ways as well, starting with its status as a privately owned facility. That meant its owner could lease the inmates’ labor out to the highest bidder, \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=San_Quentin_Prison:_The_Origins_of_the_California_%22Corrections%22_System\">which quickly led to corruption and abuse\u003c/a>. After numerous complaints, the state took over San Quentin in 1855.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of the state’s executions take place at San Quentin. The first was back in 1893. Since then, the state has executed more than 400 people here, the last one in 2006. In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on the death penalty. Still, more than 700 men are housed on death row at San Quentin now — awaiting an uncertain future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsSw0tjBEeM\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Inside the prison\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Entering the prison is a process. Visitors pass by a guardhouse to enter the outer layer of the complex, where the administrative buildings and staff housing are located. There was once even a school here for staff children. To get to where the inmates live, visitors pass through the prison’s original gate, a portico built wide and tall enough to fit a horse and buggy, to enter the “Plaza.” On the right is a chapel, to the left the cell blocks. Straight ahead is the hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The oldest building in the complex is the dungeon, now used for storage. But the remnants of this 1850s building are thought to be the oldest public work still standing. Its history speaks of a brutal past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11888766\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 628px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11888766 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentin-constructing-spanish-blocks.jpg\" alt=\"Black-and-white photo of a dirt patch with buildings and a hill behind.\" width=\"628\" height=\"377\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentin-constructing-spanish-blocks.jpg 628w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentin-constructing-spanish-blocks-160x96.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 628px) 100vw, 628px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Construction of the Old Spanish Blocks. \u003ccite>(Courtesy San Quentin State Prison)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Each one of these wells had big solid black doors in front of it,” Robinson explained. “So no matter what perspective you were in, you’re securely locked away in the dark. The reason why there is no bed in there, because we’d lock a minimum of one up to six guys in a well together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The prisoners slept on the floor. They were given three buckets, one with water and two that were empty. The dungeon hasn’t been used since 1943 when the warden at the time, Clinton Duffy, had the huge metal doors melted down so the dungeon could never be used again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dungeon is a reminder of California’s barbarous history and is one of the oldest remaining buildings in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Marin wasn’t really here before San Quentin,” Robinson said. “So really history in California — we’re standing on site right here at San Quentin. This is history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Why is San Quentin still located in Marin?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s pretty easy to understand how San Quentin came to be in Marin: The land was cheap, there was a deep-water port for the prison ship to dock while they built the main building, there was a quarry up the road and there was bedrock for the foundation. What’s less clear is why the state never moved the prison. It sits on valuable land and operates in an expensive region. Couldn’t the state save money by moving it somewhere cheaper and selling the land?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11888764\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11888764 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentin-guard-tower.jpg\" alt=\"Four black-and-white aerial photos show the parking lot, the facade, outbuildings and the bay.\" width=\"720\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentin-guard-tower.jpg 720w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentin-guard-tower-160x128.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Four photos in a grid show different perspectives from guard tower No. 1 at San Quentin State Prison. \u003ccite>(Courtesy San Quentin State Prison)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s not so simple. The state considered a prison expansion back in 2002. Joe Nation, Marin’s state Assemblymember at the time, had some ideas for how San Quentin could be used differently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just thought there were other opportunities for it,” Nation said. “Part of it was the deep-water ferry port that I thought would make a lot of sense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A deep-water ferry port would allow the Larkspur ferry to avoid the shallow no wake zones it currently travels through. And, Nation thought the county could connect it to the SMART train, or maybe build some much needed housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought if you made it a transit hub, if you made it so that people could actually live there, work there, or commute on the ferry to the East Bay or to San Francisco, that made a lot of sense,” Nation said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But no one else in the state Legislature had much enthusiasm for his ideas and there was significant local pushback. People living nearby didn’t want the noise and congestion such a project would bring. Plus, the prison is a good neighbor. It’s tucked away, with few comings and goings. Many Marin County residents don’t think much about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, because San Quentin is located in the Bay Area, its inmates have access to more programs and services than many other prisons. And, the prison employs people in good jobs. If it moved, those jobs would leave, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s hard to change the status quo, and the prison isn’t likely to move anytime soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, there’s a whole world going on behind walls few Bay Area residents pass through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[emailsignup newslettername=\"baycurious\" align=\"right\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are people who have hope in a new day and a new future,” Robinson said. “[They have hope] that laws may change to benefit them, that they’ve worked to become better people themselves. And so it’s just not this place where people are sitting in the corners conniving to do bad things all the time. I think you see humanity within the walls, all aspects of it, good and bad.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, San Quentin has been the site of one of the deadliest outbreaks of the coronavirus in the state’s prison system. Over 2,200 people were infected — two-thirds of the prison — and 29 people died. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11865491/after-a-year-of-covid-19-outbreaks-california-prisons-reckon-with-mistakes\">The long-term effects of the outbreak are still being felt.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April, our colleagues on the podcast \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11871338/the-lasting-impact-of-covid-19-in-san-quentin-state-prison\">The Bay interviewed a man currently incarcerated at San Quentin\u003c/a> to learn more about what it was like to live through the last year on the inside. It’s an important perspective to hear alongside this history of the prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For more information about\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11875968/court-hearing-examines-whether-san-quentins-deadly-covid-19-outbreak-could-have-been-prevented\"> the COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin and its aftermath\u003c/a>, follow the ongoing reporting from our KQED News colleagues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The drive west across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge offers majestic views of San Francisco’s skyline, the Bay Bridge, and the turquoise water of San Francisco Bay. Looming in the distance is Mount Tamalpais and beautiful Marin County, known for its tony real estate and great hiking. Off to the left as the bridge touches down in Marin, right on the water, is San Quentin State Prison, California’s only death row for men.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Terese O’Malley has long wondered how this famous prison came to be located in Marin County, and whether state officials have ever considered moving it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>California’s first prison\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>San Quentin was built more than 160 years ago, just four years after California became a state. It’s the oldest prison in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When miners and other fortune seekers began flooding into San Francisco during the Gold Rush, crime spiked. Soon the jail in San Francisco was overflowing, so the authorities began locking people up on prison ships.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“San Quentin began as a private prison,” said Lieutenant Samuel Robinson, communications officer at San Quentin Prison. “It was a prison ship docked at Angel Island.” The ship was called The Waban.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state Legislature approved the purchase of 20 acres at what was then called Punta de Quentin — meaning Quentin Point — in 1852. \u003ca href=\"https://teachinprison.berkeley.edu/our-work/general-resources-2/\">The site was named for a Coast Miwok chief and warrior named Quentin\u003c/a>. The “San” came from Americans’ erroneous perception that it was a Spanish name and that all Spanish names started with “San.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state paid $10,000 — about $320,000 in today’s dollars — for the land that would become San Quentin State Prison. That might seem like a steal, but back then the area was isolated. There were no bridges and overland travel was arduous. Punta de Quentin was remote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of this was here,” Robinson said. “It was just hills and marshland. It was land that really no one wanted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Waban docked near Punta de Quentin, and the inmates continued to live on board for another two years while they built the prison. They dug rocks from a quarry up the road and built the original cell block — now administrative buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11888762\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11888762 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentinFascade.jpg\" alt=\"The white turret-like facade and guard toward of the prison, beyond the parking lot.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentinFascade.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentinFascade-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentinFascade-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentinFascade-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentinFascade-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The castle-like facade of San Quentin State Prison was added in the 1890s. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Inmates on the boat were marched off the boat every day to the hills here around San Quentin, where they literally made big rocks into little rocks and they built, essentially, what has become the facade of our facility,” Robinson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since that time the prison has grown and changed. The first prisoners living on the Waban numbered between 50 and 60. Now, San Quentin houses nearly 4,000 prisoners. The prison has changed in many other ways as well, starting with its status as a privately owned facility. That meant its owner could lease the inmates’ labor out to the highest bidder, \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=San_Quentin_Prison:_The_Origins_of_the_California_%22Corrections%22_System\">which quickly led to corruption and abuse\u003c/a>. After numerous complaints, the state took over San Quentin in 1855.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of the state’s executions take place at San Quentin. The first was back in 1893. Since then, the state has executed more than 400 people here, the last one in 2006. In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on the death penalty. Still, more than 700 men are housed on death row at San Quentin now — awaiting an uncertain future.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/JsSw0tjBEeM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/JsSw0tjBEeM'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch3>Inside the prison\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Entering the prison is a process. Visitors pass by a guardhouse to enter the outer layer of the complex, where the administrative buildings and staff housing are located. There was once even a school here for staff children. To get to where the inmates live, visitors pass through the prison’s original gate, a portico built wide and tall enough to fit a horse and buggy, to enter the “Plaza.” On the right is a chapel, to the left the cell blocks. Straight ahead is the hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The oldest building in the complex is the dungeon, now used for storage. But the remnants of this 1850s building are thought to be the oldest public work still standing. Its history speaks of a brutal past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11888766\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 628px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11888766 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentin-constructing-spanish-blocks.jpg\" alt=\"Black-and-white photo of a dirt patch with buildings and a hill behind.\" width=\"628\" height=\"377\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentin-constructing-spanish-blocks.jpg 628w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentin-constructing-spanish-blocks-160x96.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 628px) 100vw, 628px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Construction of the Old Spanish Blocks. \u003ccite>(Courtesy San Quentin State Prison)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Each one of these wells had big solid black doors in front of it,” Robinson explained. “So no matter what perspective you were in, you’re securely locked away in the dark. The reason why there is no bed in there, because we’d lock a minimum of one up to six guys in a well together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The prisoners slept on the floor. They were given three buckets, one with water and two that were empty. The dungeon hasn’t been used since 1943 when the warden at the time, Clinton Duffy, had the huge metal doors melted down so the dungeon could never be used again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dungeon is a reminder of California’s barbarous history and is one of the oldest remaining buildings in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Marin wasn’t really here before San Quentin,” Robinson said. “So really history in California — we’re standing on site right here at San Quentin. This is history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Why is San Quentin still located in Marin?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s pretty easy to understand how San Quentin came to be in Marin: The land was cheap, there was a deep-water port for the prison ship to dock while they built the main building, there was a quarry up the road and there was bedrock for the foundation. What’s less clear is why the state never moved the prison. It sits on valuable land and operates in an expensive region. Couldn’t the state save money by moving it somewhere cheaper and selling the land?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11888764\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11888764 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentin-guard-tower.jpg\" alt=\"Four black-and-white aerial photos show the parking lot, the facade, outbuildings and the bay.\" width=\"720\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentin-guard-tower.jpg 720w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/SanQuentin-guard-tower-160x128.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Four photos in a grid show different perspectives from guard tower No. 1 at San Quentin State Prison. \u003ccite>(Courtesy San Quentin State Prison)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s not so simple. The state considered a prison expansion back in 2002. Joe Nation, Marin’s state Assemblymember at the time, had some ideas for how San Quentin could be used differently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just thought there were other opportunities for it,” Nation said. “Part of it was the deep-water ferry port that I thought would make a lot of sense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A deep-water ferry port would allow the Larkspur ferry to avoid the shallow no wake zones it currently travels through. And, Nation thought the county could connect it to the SMART train, or maybe build some much needed housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought if you made it a transit hub, if you made it so that people could actually live there, work there, or commute on the ferry to the East Bay or to San Francisco, that made a lot of sense,” Nation said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But no one else in the state Legislature had much enthusiasm for his ideas and there was significant local pushback. People living nearby didn’t want the noise and congestion such a project would bring. Plus, the prison is a good neighbor. It’s tucked away, with few comings and goings. Many Marin County residents don’t think much about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, because San Quentin is located in the Bay Area, its inmates have access to more programs and services than many other prisons. And, the prison employs people in good jobs. If it moved, those jobs would leave, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s hard to change the status quo, and the prison isn’t likely to move anytime soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, there’s a whole world going on behind walls few Bay Area residents pass through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are people who have hope in a new day and a new future,” Robinson said. “[They have hope] that laws may change to benefit them, that they’ve worked to become better people themselves. And so it’s just not this place where people are sitting in the corners conniving to do bad things all the time. I think you see humanity within the walls, all aspects of it, good and bad.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, San Quentin has been the site of one of the deadliest outbreaks of the coronavirus in the state’s prison system. Over 2,200 people were infected — two-thirds of the prison — and 29 people died. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11865491/after-a-year-of-covid-19-outbreaks-california-prisons-reckon-with-mistakes\">The long-term effects of the outbreak are still being felt.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April, our colleagues on the podcast \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11871338/the-lasting-impact-of-covid-19-in-san-quentin-state-prison\">The Bay interviewed a man currently incarcerated at San Quentin\u003c/a> to learn more about what it was like to live through the last year on the inside. It’s an important perspective to hear alongside this history of the prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For more information about\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11875968/court-hearing-examines-whether-san-quentins-deadly-covid-19-outbreak-could-have-been-prevented\"> the COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin and its aftermath\u003c/a>, follow the ongoing reporting from our KQED News colleagues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QoyW8Jt9q3Tq11l8ws3wc?si=3d913de8a11c45a8&nd=1\">Listen to all six episodes of our State of Drought series on Spotify.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When summer is hot and dry, Californians have reason to think about drought — what it means to be in one, and what it means to come out of one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2017, the state emerged from a nearly six-year seasonal drought. Then we had a few years that saw more water across much of the state. Now in 2021, we’ve hit another significant drought year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That led Bay Curious listener Nicholas Hardy to ask: Are we in the start of a drought or are we actually in the middle of a megadrought with some wet years thrown in?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we examine the long-term history of California’s relationship with water, or the lack thereof, we can start to piece together what’s going on.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How do we know we’re in a drought?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Weather conditions, such as day-to-day rainfall and heat, tell us if we’re currently in a drought. What little snow fell in the Sierra Nevada melted and quickly soaked into the ground this year, never reaching reservoirs. That plus meager rainfall over the winter set the stage for bone dry summer conditions in California and across the West. By the end of August, \u003ca href=\"https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?West\">the national Drought Monitor\u003c/a>, showed the entire state of California was at least in moderate drought, with a significant swath ranked in “exceptional drought,” the highest level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/NWSBayArea/status/1433411032773316614?s=20\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oregon and Nevada had similar conditions. The Drought Monitor is a map that federal agencies and university scientists pull together from actual weather data such as temperatures and rainfall and also on-the-ground observations, such as those made by UC Cooperative Extension agents throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What is a megadrought, and are we in one?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Over the long-term, it’s climate science that paints the picture of how long droughts in the past have lasted, and to some extent how severe they were. While “drought” refers to one season or one year’s conditions, climate scientists use the term “megadrought” when drought conditions last for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the southwest, it’s been overall drier since the late 1990s. So we’re talking about a 20 year dry period here now,” said Richard Seager, a climate scientist at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, “and using the term megadrought is justifiable because it stacks up in terms of the severity and the length with the ones that we’ve inferred from tree ring data back in the Medieval period.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousbug]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, a study published in the journal Science \u003ca href=\"https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6488/314\">described how tree rings allowed researchers to conclude that the last time the West experienced sustained arid conditions over decades was a 28-year dry spell\u003c/a> that ended in the year 1603.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We now have a full, uninterrupted record of soil moisture across western North America that extends from 800 A.D. all the way up to the near present,” Park Williams, who led the study, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1962273/megadrought-conditions-not-seen-for-400-years-have-returned-to-the-west-scientists-say\">told KQED at the time\u003c/a>. He’s now a bioclimatologist at UCLA. “That allows us to compare for the first time this drought event to the big megadroughts.” Williams said the current megadrought looks “indistinguishable from those big megadroughts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study looked at California, eight other states and Northern Mexico and it corroborates what scientists have long feared and warned policymakers: \u003ca href=\"https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2019/07/24/medieval-megadroughts-climate-change/\">Extreme warming will exacerbate any dry spell making it longer, severer and more widespread\u003c/a>, and this will bake states in the Western U.S. and areas of Mexico with a punishingly long drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/californias-latest-drought/\">While the occasional wet period punctuates a long run of below-average precipitation\u003c/a>, for the past two decades the region has been consistently dry and hot. In response, thirsty farms and cities have drawn down the Colorado River, putting the water supply for 40 million people in California alone at risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the first time, in August 2021 \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/08/23/1030223380/farmers-in-arizona-face-cuts-because-of-colorado-river-water-shortages\">the federal government declared a water shortage on the river\u003c/a> and some farmers, particularly in Arizona, are already feeling the impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>California Boomed During Unusually Wet Times\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11861878\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11861878\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of lake chabot nestled below rolling hills.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2240\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-800x700.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-1020x892.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-160x140.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-1536x1344.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-2048x1792.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-1920x1680.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A 1920s view of Lake Chabot, in the East Bay Hills above San Leandro. The main embankment of Chabot Dam is at the lower right. \u003ccite>(East Bay Municipal Utility District)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The 20th century saw California grow to be the most populous state in the nation, says Scott Stine, a professor of geography and environmental studies at Cal State East Bay, and that coincided with an especially wet century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We built this phenomenal infrastructure, second to none in the world, here in California and in other parts of the West,” he said. “All of it based on the diversion of water and all of it based on the assumption that the 20th century was normal. And the 20th century is not normal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem of the present day and the coming droughts is that we are set up to need far more water than we should expect at any time in the coming decades and centuries,” he said. “Particularly with the higher temperatures. We’ve created a monster that we have to continue to feed with water, and the water is just not going to be there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That likely means changes to the ways water is consumed in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of agriculture in the United States is going to have to move from California and the southwest to other water rich areas,” Seager said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But already farmers across the state are finding different ways to use their land and water, by choice, circumstance or legal requirement. \u003ca href=\"https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2021/new-ai-institute-expands-uc-merced%E2%80%99s-smart-sustainable-agriculture-effort\">Researchers at UC Merced hope the “smart farm” they are building on campus\u003c/a> will help them develop strategies to improve the ways agriculture makes use of scarce natural resources, including water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Abatzoglou, a climate scientist at UC Merced, who collaborated on the Science paper, said people may yet innovate their way through the new conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some of these changes could actually lead to beneficial climate adaptation strategies, being more efficient, like revolutionizing how we work with land, how we work with water,” Abatzoglou said. “So there may be some good things that come out of dealing with hardship, which is what we’re going through in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An example would be custom micro-irrigation so that sensors determine exactly how much water a plant needs and only that amount is slowly dribbled out into the soil.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>When will this megadrought end?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>One challenge for residents, farmers and water managers alike is that neither weather nor climate forecasting is very good at giving us advanced drought warnings or predictions for when megadroughts will end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Abatzoglou says he and others are refining their ability to forecast into a coming “water year” (October through September), which would help people make smarter decisions. He says those could range from farmers switching up what they plant in the fall to reduce water demand in the winter and reservoir operators being better informed as they balance how much water to reserve and how much to distribute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[emailsignup newslettername=\"baycurious\" align=\"right\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because drought is a creeping phenomena, he said. “Usually you don’t know you’re in a drought until it’s a little bit too late.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longer-term, climate scientists are developing tools to better forecast ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific, Seager says, because they have a big influence on drought conditions on land. Right now, they can only see about a year into the future, but with a better system, scientists hope to predict when overall California drought conditions might change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are big international research efforts to do that,” Seager said. “But in the Pacific Ocean, that research to date has not met with a tremendous amount of success. [It] has been rather disappointing in progress.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has already said that another dry winter could lead him to impose mandatory water reductions, which will be a tricky thing to impose unilaterally as in the state’s driest regions (think Imperial Valley as one example), many people have already made changes to reduce their water use and they won’t take kindly to being asked to make more significant reductions when residents of wetter areas are just taking their first major steps toward water conservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1962273/megadrought-conditions-not-seen-for-400-years-have-returned-to-the-west-scientists-say\">This post is adapted from an earlier post published in 2020.\u003c/a> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QoyW8Jt9q3Tq11l8ws3wc?si=3d913de8a11c45a8&nd=1\">Listen to all six episodes of our State of Drought series on Spotify.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When summer is hot and dry, Californians have reason to think about drought — what it means to be in one, and what it means to come out of one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2017, the state emerged from a nearly six-year seasonal drought. Then we had a few years that saw more water across much of the state. Now in 2021, we’ve hit another significant drought year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That led Bay Curious listener Nicholas Hardy to ask: Are we in the start of a drought or are we actually in the middle of a megadrought with some wet years thrown in?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we examine the long-term history of California’s relationship with water, or the lack thereof, we can start to piece together what’s going on.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How do we know we’re in a drought?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Weather conditions, such as day-to-day rainfall and heat, tell us if we’re currently in a drought. What little snow fell in the Sierra Nevada melted and quickly soaked into the ground this year, never reaching reservoirs. That plus meager rainfall over the winter set the stage for bone dry summer conditions in California and across the West. By the end of August, \u003ca href=\"https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?West\">the national Drought Monitor\u003c/a>, showed the entire state of California was at least in moderate drought, with a significant swath ranked in “exceptional drought,” the highest level.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Oregon and Nevada had similar conditions. The Drought Monitor is a map that federal agencies and university scientists pull together from actual weather data such as temperatures and rainfall and also on-the-ground observations, such as those made by UC Cooperative Extension agents throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What is a megadrought, and are we in one?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Over the long-term, it’s climate science that paints the picture of how long droughts in the past have lasted, and to some extent how severe they were. While “drought” refers to one season or one year’s conditions, climate scientists use the term “megadrought” when drought conditions last for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the southwest, it’s been overall drier since the late 1990s. So we’re talking about a 20 year dry period here now,” said Richard Seager, a climate scientist at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, “and using the term megadrought is justifiable because it stacks up in terms of the severity and the length with the ones that we’ve inferred from tree ring data back in the Medieval period.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n What do you wonder about the Bay Area, its culture or people that you want KQED to investigate?\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Ask Bay Curious.\u003c/a>\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, a study published in the journal Science \u003ca href=\"https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6488/314\">described how tree rings allowed researchers to conclude that the last time the West experienced sustained arid conditions over decades was a 28-year dry spell\u003c/a> that ended in the year 1603.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We now have a full, uninterrupted record of soil moisture across western North America that extends from 800 A.D. all the way up to the near present,” Park Williams, who led the study, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1962273/megadrought-conditions-not-seen-for-400-years-have-returned-to-the-west-scientists-say\">told KQED at the time\u003c/a>. He’s now a bioclimatologist at UCLA. “That allows us to compare for the first time this drought event to the big megadroughts.” Williams said the current megadrought looks “indistinguishable from those big megadroughts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study looked at California, eight other states and Northern Mexico and it corroborates what scientists have long feared and warned policymakers: \u003ca href=\"https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2019/07/24/medieval-megadroughts-climate-change/\">Extreme warming will exacerbate any dry spell making it longer, severer and more widespread\u003c/a>, and this will bake states in the Western U.S. and areas of Mexico with a punishingly long drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/californias-latest-drought/\">While the occasional wet period punctuates a long run of below-average precipitation\u003c/a>, for the past two decades the region has been consistently dry and hot. In response, thirsty farms and cities have drawn down the Colorado River, putting the water supply for 40 million people in California alone at risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the first time, in August 2021 \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/08/23/1030223380/farmers-in-arizona-face-cuts-because-of-colorado-river-water-shortages\">the federal government declared a water shortage on the river\u003c/a> and some farmers, particularly in Arizona, are already feeling the impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>California Boomed During Unusually Wet Times\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11861878\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11861878\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of lake chabot nestled below rolling hills.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2240\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-800x700.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-1020x892.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-160x140.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-1536x1344.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-2048x1792.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Lake-Chabot-1920x1680.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A 1920s view of Lake Chabot, in the East Bay Hills above San Leandro. The main embankment of Chabot Dam is at the lower right. \u003ccite>(East Bay Municipal Utility District)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The 20th century saw California grow to be the most populous state in the nation, says Scott Stine, a professor of geography and environmental studies at Cal State East Bay, and that coincided with an especially wet century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We built this phenomenal infrastructure, second to none in the world, here in California and in other parts of the West,” he said. “All of it based on the diversion of water and all of it based on the assumption that the 20th century was normal. And the 20th century is not normal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem of the present day and the coming droughts is that we are set up to need far more water than we should expect at any time in the coming decades and centuries,” he said. “Particularly with the higher temperatures. We’ve created a monster that we have to continue to feed with water, and the water is just not going to be there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That likely means changes to the ways water is consumed in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of agriculture in the United States is going to have to move from California and the southwest to other water rich areas,” Seager said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But already farmers across the state are finding different ways to use their land and water, by choice, circumstance or legal requirement. \u003ca href=\"https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2021/new-ai-institute-expands-uc-merced%E2%80%99s-smart-sustainable-agriculture-effort\">Researchers at UC Merced hope the “smart farm” they are building on campus\u003c/a> will help them develop strategies to improve the ways agriculture makes use of scarce natural resources, including water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Abatzoglou, a climate scientist at UC Merced, who collaborated on the Science paper, said people may yet innovate their way through the new conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some of these changes could actually lead to beneficial climate adaptation strategies, being more efficient, like revolutionizing how we work with land, how we work with water,” Abatzoglou said. “So there may be some good things that come out of dealing with hardship, which is what we’re going through in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An example would be custom micro-irrigation so that sensors determine exactly how much water a plant needs and only that amount is slowly dribbled out into the soil.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>When will this megadrought end?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>One challenge for residents, farmers and water managers alike is that neither weather nor climate forecasting is very good at giving us advanced drought warnings or predictions for when megadroughts will end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Abatzoglou says he and others are refining their ability to forecast into a coming “water year” (October through September), which would help people make smarter decisions. He says those could range from farmers switching up what they plant in the fall to reduce water demand in the winter and reservoir operators being better informed as they balance how much water to reserve and how much to distribute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because drought is a creeping phenomena, he said. “Usually you don’t know you’re in a drought until it’s a little bit too late.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longer-term, climate scientists are developing tools to better forecast ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific, Seager says, because they have a big influence on drought conditions on land. Right now, they can only see about a year into the future, but with a better system, scientists hope to predict when overall California drought conditions might change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are big international research efforts to do that,” Seager said. “But in the Pacific Ocean, that research to date has not met with a tremendous amount of success. [It] has been rather disappointing in progress.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has already said that another dry winter could lead him to impose mandatory water reductions, which will be a tricky thing to impose unilaterally as in the state’s driest regions (think Imperial Valley as one example), many people have already made changes to reduce their water use and they won’t take kindly to being asked to make more significant reductions when residents of wetter areas are just taking their first major steps toward water conservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1962273/megadrought-conditions-not-seen-for-400-years-have-returned-to-the-west-scientists-say\">This post is adapted from an earlier post published in 2020.\u003c/a> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "12-important-things-to-know-about-californias-drought",
"title": "12 Important Things to Know About California's Drought",
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"headTitle": "12 Important Things to Know About California’s Drought | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>California is in a second year of drought. Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked residents to voluntarily cut water use by 15% across the state to try to shore up our reserves in case of another dry winter. In the meantime, fires are raging around California as bone-dry forests go up like tinderboxes. How did we get here?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975970/climate-scientists-meet-as-dangerous-fires-floods-and-droughts-test-the-world\">As climate change scrambles weather patterns and adds more variability to our lives\u003c/a>, it’s time to take stock of what we know about our state’s frequent hot, dry periods so that we can begin planning for a future with less consistent water supplies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious just finished up \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QoyW8Jt9q3Tq11l8ws3wc?si=3d913de8a11c45a8&nd=1\">a six-part State of Drought series examining the issues\u003c/a>. Here’s what we learned.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>We are experiencing megadrought conditions\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Californians are no strangers to droughts, but we tend to think of them as limited periods of abnormal dryness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While “drought” refers to one season or one year’s conditions, climate scientists use the term “megadrought” when arid conditions last for decades. A megadrought might be punctuated by a wet year here or there, but overall the conditions are dry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the southwest, it’s been overall drier since the late 1990s. So we’re talking about a 20-year dry period here now,” said Richard Seager, a climate scientist at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, “and using the term megadrought is justifiable because it stacks up in terms of the severity and the length with the ones that we’ve inferred from tree ring data back in the medieval period.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, a study published in the journal Science described how \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1962273/megadrought-conditions-not-seen-for-400-years-have-returned-to-the-west-scientists-say\">tree rings allowed researchers to conclude that the last time the West experienced sustained arid conditions over decades was a 28-year dry spell\u003c/a> that ended in the year 1603.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study looked at California, eight other states and Northern Mexico and corroborates what scientists have long feared and warned policymakers: Extreme warming will exacerbate any dry spell, making it longer, more severe and more widespread, and this will bake states in the Western U.S. and areas of Mexico with a punishingly long drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>California was developed during an abnormally wet time\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The 20th century saw California grow to become the most populous state in the nation, says Scott Stine, professor emeritus of geography and environmental studies at Cal State East Bay, and that coincided with an especially wet century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We built this phenomenal infrastructure, second to none in the world, here in California and in other parts of the West,” he said, “all of it based on the diversion of water and all of it based on the assumption that the 20th century was normal. And the 20th century is not normal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>We’re feeling the drought more because we use a lot of water\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887455\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887455 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Irrigation-Klamath-river.jpg\" alt=\"Water sprays across a field with blue mountains looming behind and puffy clouds overhead.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Irrigation-Klamath-river.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Irrigation-Klamath-river-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Irrigation-Klamath-river-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Irrigation-Klamath-river-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Irrigation-Klamath-river-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sprinklers water crops in the Tulelake Irrigation District with water from the Klamath River. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Climate scientists say a megadrought was in the cards for California and the West because of climate cycles, but our large population and dependence on agriculture make the dryness feel more painful. Forty million people living and working in the state, along with so many of the country’s fruits, vegetables and nuts being grown here, mean water levels going into this megadrought may be lower than they were in previous eras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem of the present day and the coming droughts is that we are set up to need far more water than we should expect at any time in the coming decades and centuries, particularly with the higher temperatures,” Stine said. “We’ve created a monster that we have to continue to feed with water, and the water is just not going to be there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>California has enough water, but we have to conserve\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The idea of prolonged drought is a scary one, but water management \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886317/how-should-we-be-thinking-about-a-hotter-drier-future-transcript\">experts say we will have enough water if we conserve what we have, using every drop wisely\u003c/a>. That’s going to take sacrifice from all Californians, whether they live in cities or farm in the state’s rural areas. All of us are guilty of wastefulness when it comes to water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of inefficiencies in our current system that can be fixed,” says Newsha Ajami, director of urban water policy at Stanford University. “We definitely can do a lot more just to make sure we use every drop of water properly. And if we do all the right things, we can survive. But if we don’t, we can actually have a serious breakdown in the system. So we have to be able to adapt to this new reality, which means that we have to rethink how we’re using the water in different ways and reduce waste.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>We need to change how we manage our reservoirs\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887458\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887458 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/shasta.jpg\" alt=\"Aerial view of a lake. The dam is visible and a dry shoreline peeks out above the water.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/shasta.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/shasta-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/shasta-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/shasta-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/shasta-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of the Shasta Dam and Reservoir in 1976, with low water levels due to drought. Shasta Dam is located about nine miles northwest of Redding on the Sacramento River. \u003ccite>(U.S. Bureau of Reclamation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California’s water infrastructure was designed under the assumption that about 30% of our water would naturally be stored in the form of snow in the mountains. Each spring, as the snow melts, it flows into the streams and rivers and is collected in reservoirs and lakes for use during drier periods. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1431369/californias-water-system-built-for-a-climate-we-no-longer-have\">But that infrastructure is increasingly ill-suited to our weather patterns, due to climate change.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the past, water was let out of the reservoir whether or not storms were in the forecast to make room for rainwater. That’s because dams both collect water in reservoirs and protect downstream communities from flooding. Increasingly, California’s rainy season is more concentrated and its dry season prolonged, a result of climate change. The state now relies on big, soaking atmospheric rivers for much of its precipitation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975549/russian-river-drought-sonoma-and-mendocino-residents-save-the-little-water-they-have\">Several reservoirs around the state, including Lake Mendocino, are piloting what’s called Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations\u003c/a>. Basically, water managers are waiting to let water out of the reservoirs until they see a big storm coming. That way they can preserve every drop.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>There are some big things agriculture can do to manage water better\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Agriculture uses 40% of the state’s water, urban areas use 10% and 50% goes back into the environment to support natural ecosystems. Because the farming industry’s water footprint is so large, it’s going to have to cut usage to survive a megadrought, according to Jay Lund, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis. That’s because some irrigated land is much more productive than other land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousbug]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can have a tremendous amount of reduction in irrigated acreage,” he said. “If you take it out of the less productive crops on the least productive land, you’re going to have much less of an economic impact than if you took it out of almonds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says farmers make 90% of their revenue from the crops grown on only 50% of the land. That means we can cut back on irrigating that other half — where we grow the lower-value crops that use a lot of water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we’re probably going to see on the order of 20% of the irrigated agriculture go out of production in order to keep water for other, more productive economic purposes,” Lund says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That might mean growing fewer of some crops California has become known for: processed tomatoes, vegetables, melons, onions and garlic.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>We have to manage our groundwater better\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>We often talk about farmers pumping groundwater, but many urban areas rely on groundwater as well. In the Bay Area, Santa Clara County — and its biggest city, San José — depend on groundwater for a portion of its drinking water. It’s important to protect our groundwater from pollution and to replenish the aquifers during wet years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Changes are coming to how the state manages its groundwater. Farmers have long used groundwater stored in underground aquifers during dry years when they receive less water from reservoirs. In fact, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1976429/with-a-deepening-drought-california-has-few-protections-for-depleted-groundwater\">some land in the Central Valley is sinking because of overpumping\u003c/a>. That’s one reason the state legislature passed a law seven years ago intended to restore balance to the state’s aquifers. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1955916/times-up-on-groundwater-plans-one-of-the-most-important-new-california-water-laws-in-50-years-explained\">The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act requires water districts to limit the water they pump.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If users in a water district pump a lot of water during dry years to water their crops, they’ll have to refrain from growing some crops during wet years to allow the aquifers to refill with rainwater. This new way to manage groundwater will likely have farmers change what they grow over the next two decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How we use water in our homes matters, too\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Despite a larger population, Californians statewide are using 16% less water than during the last drought, which ended in 2017. That’s because some of the water conservation habits that took off then have stuck around. Low-flow appliances like toilets, dishwashers, washing machines and showerheads are making a difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, there are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11887053/three-big-ways-to-save-water-at-home\">more ways urban water users can conserve\u003c/a>. One is to install gray water systems that reuse water from activities like laundry or showering for outdoor watering. Many cities and water agencies offer rebates to help cover the costs of such conversions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, since half of all urban water use goes to landscaping, homeowners can see big water savings by converting their yards to drought-tolerant landscaping that features native plants adapted to our region’s climate patterns. As a bonus, native plants provide habitat for helpful butterflies and insects.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Maybe it’s time to rethink our lawns\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11887461\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/rethink-lawns.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/rethink-lawns.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/rethink-lawns-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/rethink-lawns-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/rethink-lawns-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/rethink-lawns-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A yard of dried grass sits next door to a lawn of green grass on July 21, 2021, in the Cambrian neighborhood of San Jose, where water restrictions limit the length of watering and the timing. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Lawns should be banned,” said Newsha Ajami of Stanford. “Every drop of water that’s used to maintain that lawn can be a drop of water that we can leave in the reservoir if this drought ends up being a 10-year drought.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lush lawns require consistent, deep watering to stay nice. Water experts say it’s time to accept the climate we live in and landscape our yards accordingly. Basically: This isn’t the East Coast, people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can have lawns at the parks, places that the public as a whole can benefit from,” says Ajami. “But if you have a personal lawn that you use once a week, during the weekend, then that’s wrong. You shouldn’t have it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Local water agencies are considering ways to boost supply\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11887265/what-can-local-water-agencies-do-to-boost-water-supply-transcript\">mission of our local water agencies\u003c/a> is to provide customers with safe, affordable water. As we continue to experience dry weather, that’s getting harder in some areas. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886536/bay-area-do-you-know-where-your-water-comes-from-2\">Sonoma, Marin and Santa Clara counties are in tough spots right now.\u003c/a> That’s led water managers and community members to wonder about bigger solutions to ensure a resilient supply of water long term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/tag/desalination\">One idea that comes up often is desalination.\u003c/a> With the ocean so close, it’s tempting to think that pumping water out and stripping it of salt would be an easy way to ensure we always have water. But desalination is controversial for several reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, it’s energy intensive and expensive: Desalination plants cost a lot to build and run. And by some estimates, the water they produce costs consumers twice as much. That’s led water agency leaders to think twice about investing in desalination plants that must be run all the time, even in wet years. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1921626/desalinated-water-doesnt-have-to-come-from-the-ocean\">Desalination might make more sense when a community’s water is brackish\u003c/a>, but not as salty as ocean water. That’s the case in Antioch and Newark where desalination plants are part of the local mix.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other reason many experts don’t think desalination should be our go-to fix is it can harm sea life. The briny byproduct of desalination is twice as salty as ocean water and often dumped back into the sea. Many marine species cannot survive in water with such high salinity. And, sucking in millions of gallons of ocean water means the small organisms that form the building blocks of the food chain are removed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/quest/57789/toilet-to-tap\">Recycling our wastewater to potable standards would be a less expensive way to boost our supply.\u003c/a> It’s still more expensive than conserving, but many experts think we’ll see more of it in the future. Other dry parts of the world already do this.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>We are disconnected from the complicated system that brings us our water\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>No matter where you live in California, you are benefiting from a massive, complex infrastructure that moves water from water-rich areas of the state to dryer areas, both for agricultural purposes and to sustain urban centers and industry. Very few places in California naturally have enough water to sustain their activities and population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this complex system acts in the background, and many of us go about our lives using water without thought. We turn on the tap and the water flows. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886536/bay-area-do-you-know-where-your-water-comes-from-2\">We don’t often think about how far our water has traveled to reach us.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make it even more complex, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/24520/how-californias-water-rights-make-it-tough-to-manage-drought\">California has a long history of water rights that means some people have better access to water than others\u003c/a>. We now have a complicated water market, where people with better water rights can sell their water to junior rights holders and get rich in the process. Several Bay Area water districts depend on buying water to ensure they can meet demand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If everyone knew where their water came from, and the tentativeness of the supply, it could help with conservation efforts.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The environment is suffering\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887463\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887463 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/wildfire.jpg\" alt=\"Two people and a tree are backlit by the bright orange flare of a wildfire.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/wildfire.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/wildfire-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/wildfire-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/wildfire-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighters battle flames from the Thomas Fire as they advance on homes atop Shepard Mesa Road in Carpinteria on Dec. 10, 2017. \u003ccite>(Santa Barbara County Fire Department via Twitter)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Our State of Drought series focused on how humans can survive on more limited water supplies in a hotter, drier, more variable future. But humans use only half of the state’s water. The other half goes (theoretically) to the environment, to sustain wildlife and ecosystems crucial to California’s identity as a state. But our environment is suffering under climate change, ecosystem mismanagement and too many claims on limited water. Here are just some of the things our natural world grapples with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta looks nothing like the vibrant marshland of the past, but it’s still the largest freshwater estuary on the West Coast. It’s also California’s most crucial water source, supplying two-thirds of the state’s cities and millions of acres of farmland with drinking and irrigation water. But \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975761/a-delta-in-distress\">the human engineering that harnessed the delta’s bounty for cities and farms has contributed to its current fragility and challenges\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Drought has taken a toll on our forests, too. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1944993/study-climate-change-a-leading-driver-of-californias-wildfires\">Prolonged dry periods have dried out the trees and soil\u003c/a>, weakening their defenses against fire. Bone-dry forests are prone to hotter and more destructive wildfires.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Scientists aren’t yet sure of the long-term impacts on the environment of smoke and ash from wildfires. But \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11887060/how-the-caldor-fire-could-pollute-lake-tahoes-iconic-blue-waters\">they do know the Caldor Fire that is burning near Lake Tahoe will likely affect the lake’s renowned clear waters\u003c/a> for years to come.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11882491/warming-rivers-killing-juvenile-salmon-in-california-imperiling-fish-industry\">Poor water conditions and increasing heat threaten to destroy salmon populations.\u003c/a> Blistering heat waves and extended drought in the western U.S. are raising water temperatures and imperiling fish from Idaho to California.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QoyW8Jt9q3Tq11l8ws3wc?si=3d913de8a11c45a8&nd=1\">Listen to all six episodes of our State of Drought series on Spotify.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "As climate change scrambles weather patterns and adds more variability to our lives, it's time to take stock of what we know about drought so that we can begin planning for a future with less consistent access to water.",
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"title": "12 Important Things to Know About California's Drought | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California is in a second year of drought. Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked residents to voluntarily cut water use by 15% across the state to try to shore up our reserves in case of another dry winter. In the meantime, fires are raging around California as bone-dry forests go up like tinderboxes. How did we get here?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975970/climate-scientists-meet-as-dangerous-fires-floods-and-droughts-test-the-world\">As climate change scrambles weather patterns and adds more variability to our lives\u003c/a>, it’s time to take stock of what we know about our state’s frequent hot, dry periods so that we can begin planning for a future with less consistent water supplies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious just finished up \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QoyW8Jt9q3Tq11l8ws3wc?si=3d913de8a11c45a8&nd=1\">a six-part State of Drought series examining the issues\u003c/a>. Here’s what we learned.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>We are experiencing megadrought conditions\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Californians are no strangers to droughts, but we tend to think of them as limited periods of abnormal dryness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While “drought” refers to one season or one year’s conditions, climate scientists use the term “megadrought” when arid conditions last for decades. A megadrought might be punctuated by a wet year here or there, but overall the conditions are dry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the southwest, it’s been overall drier since the late 1990s. So we’re talking about a 20-year dry period here now,” said Richard Seager, a climate scientist at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, “and using the term megadrought is justifiable because it stacks up in terms of the severity and the length with the ones that we’ve inferred from tree ring data back in the medieval period.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, a study published in the journal Science described how \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1962273/megadrought-conditions-not-seen-for-400-years-have-returned-to-the-west-scientists-say\">tree rings allowed researchers to conclude that the last time the West experienced sustained arid conditions over decades was a 28-year dry spell\u003c/a> that ended in the year 1603.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study looked at California, eight other states and Northern Mexico and corroborates what scientists have long feared and warned policymakers: Extreme warming will exacerbate any dry spell, making it longer, more severe and more widespread, and this will bake states in the Western U.S. and areas of Mexico with a punishingly long drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>California was developed during an abnormally wet time\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The 20th century saw California grow to become the most populous state in the nation, says Scott Stine, professor emeritus of geography and environmental studies at Cal State East Bay, and that coincided with an especially wet century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We built this phenomenal infrastructure, second to none in the world, here in California and in other parts of the West,” he said, “all of it based on the diversion of water and all of it based on the assumption that the 20th century was normal. And the 20th century is not normal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>We’re feeling the drought more because we use a lot of water\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887455\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887455 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Irrigation-Klamath-river.jpg\" alt=\"Water sprays across a field with blue mountains looming behind and puffy clouds overhead.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Irrigation-Klamath-river.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Irrigation-Klamath-river-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Irrigation-Klamath-river-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Irrigation-Klamath-river-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Irrigation-Klamath-river-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sprinklers water crops in the Tulelake Irrigation District with water from the Klamath River. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Climate scientists say a megadrought was in the cards for California and the West because of climate cycles, but our large population and dependence on agriculture make the dryness feel more painful. Forty million people living and working in the state, along with so many of the country’s fruits, vegetables and nuts being grown here, mean water levels going into this megadrought may be lower than they were in previous eras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem of the present day and the coming droughts is that we are set up to need far more water than we should expect at any time in the coming decades and centuries, particularly with the higher temperatures,” Stine said. “We’ve created a monster that we have to continue to feed with water, and the water is just not going to be there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>California has enough water, but we have to conserve\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The idea of prolonged drought is a scary one, but water management \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886317/how-should-we-be-thinking-about-a-hotter-drier-future-transcript\">experts say we will have enough water if we conserve what we have, using every drop wisely\u003c/a>. That’s going to take sacrifice from all Californians, whether they live in cities or farm in the state’s rural areas. All of us are guilty of wastefulness when it comes to water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of inefficiencies in our current system that can be fixed,” says Newsha Ajami, director of urban water policy at Stanford University. “We definitely can do a lot more just to make sure we use every drop of water properly. And if we do all the right things, we can survive. But if we don’t, we can actually have a serious breakdown in the system. So we have to be able to adapt to this new reality, which means that we have to rethink how we’re using the water in different ways and reduce waste.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>We need to change how we manage our reservoirs\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887458\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887458 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/shasta.jpg\" alt=\"Aerial view of a lake. The dam is visible and a dry shoreline peeks out above the water.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/shasta.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/shasta-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/shasta-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/shasta-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/shasta-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of the Shasta Dam and Reservoir in 1976, with low water levels due to drought. Shasta Dam is located about nine miles northwest of Redding on the Sacramento River. \u003ccite>(U.S. Bureau of Reclamation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California’s water infrastructure was designed under the assumption that about 30% of our water would naturally be stored in the form of snow in the mountains. Each spring, as the snow melts, it flows into the streams and rivers and is collected in reservoirs and lakes for use during drier periods. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1431369/californias-water-system-built-for-a-climate-we-no-longer-have\">But that infrastructure is increasingly ill-suited to our weather patterns, due to climate change.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the past, water was let out of the reservoir whether or not storms were in the forecast to make room for rainwater. That’s because dams both collect water in reservoirs and protect downstream communities from flooding. Increasingly, California’s rainy season is more concentrated and its dry season prolonged, a result of climate change. The state now relies on big, soaking atmospheric rivers for much of its precipitation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975549/russian-river-drought-sonoma-and-mendocino-residents-save-the-little-water-they-have\">Several reservoirs around the state, including Lake Mendocino, are piloting what’s called Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations\u003c/a>. Basically, water managers are waiting to let water out of the reservoirs until they see a big storm coming. That way they can preserve every drop.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>There are some big things agriculture can do to manage water better\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Agriculture uses 40% of the state’s water, urban areas use 10% and 50% goes back into the environment to support natural ecosystems. Because the farming industry’s water footprint is so large, it’s going to have to cut usage to survive a megadrought, according to Jay Lund, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis. That’s because some irrigated land is much more productive than other land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n What do you wonder about the Bay Area, its culture or people that you want KQED to investigate?\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Ask Bay Curious.\u003c/a>\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can have a tremendous amount of reduction in irrigated acreage,” he said. “If you take it out of the less productive crops on the least productive land, you’re going to have much less of an economic impact than if you took it out of almonds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says farmers make 90% of their revenue from the crops grown on only 50% of the land. That means we can cut back on irrigating that other half — where we grow the lower-value crops that use a lot of water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we’re probably going to see on the order of 20% of the irrigated agriculture go out of production in order to keep water for other, more productive economic purposes,” Lund says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That might mean growing fewer of some crops California has become known for: processed tomatoes, vegetables, melons, onions and garlic.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>We have to manage our groundwater better\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>We often talk about farmers pumping groundwater, but many urban areas rely on groundwater as well. In the Bay Area, Santa Clara County — and its biggest city, San José — depend on groundwater for a portion of its drinking water. It’s important to protect our groundwater from pollution and to replenish the aquifers during wet years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Changes are coming to how the state manages its groundwater. Farmers have long used groundwater stored in underground aquifers during dry years when they receive less water from reservoirs. In fact, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1976429/with-a-deepening-drought-california-has-few-protections-for-depleted-groundwater\">some land in the Central Valley is sinking because of overpumping\u003c/a>. That’s one reason the state legislature passed a law seven years ago intended to restore balance to the state’s aquifers. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1955916/times-up-on-groundwater-plans-one-of-the-most-important-new-california-water-laws-in-50-years-explained\">The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act requires water districts to limit the water they pump.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If users in a water district pump a lot of water during dry years to water their crops, they’ll have to refrain from growing some crops during wet years to allow the aquifers to refill with rainwater. This new way to manage groundwater will likely have farmers change what they grow over the next two decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How we use water in our homes matters, too\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Despite a larger population, Californians statewide are using 16% less water than during the last drought, which ended in 2017. That’s because some of the water conservation habits that took off then have stuck around. Low-flow appliances like toilets, dishwashers, washing machines and showerheads are making a difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, there are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11887053/three-big-ways-to-save-water-at-home\">more ways urban water users can conserve\u003c/a>. One is to install gray water systems that reuse water from activities like laundry or showering for outdoor watering. Many cities and water agencies offer rebates to help cover the costs of such conversions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, since half of all urban water use goes to landscaping, homeowners can see big water savings by converting their yards to drought-tolerant landscaping that features native plants adapted to our region’s climate patterns. As a bonus, native plants provide habitat for helpful butterflies and insects.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Maybe it’s time to rethink our lawns\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11887461\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/rethink-lawns.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/rethink-lawns.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/rethink-lawns-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/rethink-lawns-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/rethink-lawns-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/rethink-lawns-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A yard of dried grass sits next door to a lawn of green grass on July 21, 2021, in the Cambrian neighborhood of San Jose, where water restrictions limit the length of watering and the timing. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Lawns should be banned,” said Newsha Ajami of Stanford. “Every drop of water that’s used to maintain that lawn can be a drop of water that we can leave in the reservoir if this drought ends up being a 10-year drought.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lush lawns require consistent, deep watering to stay nice. Water experts say it’s time to accept the climate we live in and landscape our yards accordingly. Basically: This isn’t the East Coast, people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can have lawns at the parks, places that the public as a whole can benefit from,” says Ajami. “But if you have a personal lawn that you use once a week, during the weekend, then that’s wrong. You shouldn’t have it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Local water agencies are considering ways to boost supply\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11887265/what-can-local-water-agencies-do-to-boost-water-supply-transcript\">mission of our local water agencies\u003c/a> is to provide customers with safe, affordable water. As we continue to experience dry weather, that’s getting harder in some areas. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886536/bay-area-do-you-know-where-your-water-comes-from-2\">Sonoma, Marin and Santa Clara counties are in tough spots right now.\u003c/a> That’s led water managers and community members to wonder about bigger solutions to ensure a resilient supply of water long term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/tag/desalination\">One idea that comes up often is desalination.\u003c/a> With the ocean so close, it’s tempting to think that pumping water out and stripping it of salt would be an easy way to ensure we always have water. But desalination is controversial for several reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, it’s energy intensive and expensive: Desalination plants cost a lot to build and run. And by some estimates, the water they produce costs consumers twice as much. That’s led water agency leaders to think twice about investing in desalination plants that must be run all the time, even in wet years. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1921626/desalinated-water-doesnt-have-to-come-from-the-ocean\">Desalination might make more sense when a community’s water is brackish\u003c/a>, but not as salty as ocean water. That’s the case in Antioch and Newark where desalination plants are part of the local mix.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other reason many experts don’t think desalination should be our go-to fix is it can harm sea life. The briny byproduct of desalination is twice as salty as ocean water and often dumped back into the sea. Many marine species cannot survive in water with such high salinity. And, sucking in millions of gallons of ocean water means the small organisms that form the building blocks of the food chain are removed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/quest/57789/toilet-to-tap\">Recycling our wastewater to potable standards would be a less expensive way to boost our supply.\u003c/a> It’s still more expensive than conserving, but many experts think we’ll see more of it in the future. Other dry parts of the world already do this.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>We are disconnected from the complicated system that brings us our water\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>No matter where you live in California, you are benefiting from a massive, complex infrastructure that moves water from water-rich areas of the state to dryer areas, both for agricultural purposes and to sustain urban centers and industry. Very few places in California naturally have enough water to sustain their activities and population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this complex system acts in the background, and many of us go about our lives using water without thought. We turn on the tap and the water flows. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886536/bay-area-do-you-know-where-your-water-comes-from-2\">We don’t often think about how far our water has traveled to reach us.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make it even more complex, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/24520/how-californias-water-rights-make-it-tough-to-manage-drought\">California has a long history of water rights that means some people have better access to water than others\u003c/a>. We now have a complicated water market, where people with better water rights can sell their water to junior rights holders and get rich in the process. Several Bay Area water districts depend on buying water to ensure they can meet demand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If everyone knew where their water came from, and the tentativeness of the supply, it could help with conservation efforts.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The environment is suffering\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887463\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887463 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/wildfire.jpg\" alt=\"Two people and a tree are backlit by the bright orange flare of a wildfire.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/wildfire.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/wildfire-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/wildfire-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/wildfire-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighters battle flames from the Thomas Fire as they advance on homes atop Shepard Mesa Road in Carpinteria on Dec. 10, 2017. \u003ccite>(Santa Barbara County Fire Department via Twitter)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Our State of Drought series focused on how humans can survive on more limited water supplies in a hotter, drier, more variable future. But humans use only half of the state’s water. The other half goes (theoretically) to the environment, to sustain wildlife and ecosystems crucial to California’s identity as a state. But our environment is suffering under climate change, ecosystem mismanagement and too many claims on limited water. Here are just some of the things our natural world grapples with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta looks nothing like the vibrant marshland of the past, but it’s still the largest freshwater estuary on the West Coast. It’s also California’s most crucial water source, supplying two-thirds of the state’s cities and millions of acres of farmland with drinking and irrigation water. But \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975761/a-delta-in-distress\">the human engineering that harnessed the delta’s bounty for cities and farms has contributed to its current fragility and challenges\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Drought has taken a toll on our forests, too. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1944993/study-climate-change-a-leading-driver-of-californias-wildfires\">Prolonged dry periods have dried out the trees and soil\u003c/a>, weakening their defenses against fire. Bone-dry forests are prone to hotter and more destructive wildfires.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Scientists aren’t yet sure of the long-term impacts on the environment of smoke and ash from wildfires. But \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11887060/how-the-caldor-fire-could-pollute-lake-tahoes-iconic-blue-waters\">they do know the Caldor Fire that is burning near Lake Tahoe will likely affect the lake’s renowned clear waters\u003c/a> for years to come.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11882491/warming-rivers-killing-juvenile-salmon-in-california-imperiling-fish-industry\">Poor water conditions and increasing heat threaten to destroy salmon populations.\u003c/a> Blistering heat waves and extended drought in the western U.S. are raising water temperatures and imperiling fish from Idaho to California.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "What Can Local Water Agencies Do to Boost Water Supply? (Transcript)",
"headTitle": "What Can Local Water Agencies Do to Boost Water Supply? (Transcript) | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>California is in drought. Again. And the infrastructure used to sustain the state’s 40 million residents — and $50 billion agriculture industry — hasn’t kept up with changing climate patterns. The Bay Curious podcast will explore new ways of thinking about the future of water in our state as part of a \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QoyW8Jt9q3Tq11l8ws3wc?si=3d913de8a11c45a8&nd=1\">six part series: State of Drought.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC1281002593\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/b>: \u003cem>[00:00:05] \u003c/em>Water districts around the Bay Area are asking communities to conserve, and we’re seeing some of the usual go to conservation steps, you might have to request water at a restaurant instead of getting it automatically. We are watering grass less often that many of our parks, decorative fountains and water play features might be turned off. All things that move the needle in the right direction, all things that we’ve seen before. When we asked you, our listeners, what you wanted to know about the drought, many of you asked about what we haven’t done much of before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Steve: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:00:43] \u003c/em>Why is no one talking about desalination? We have potentially millions of gallons right on our doorstep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Aris: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:00:49] \u003c/em>We know that California is returning to a whiplash precipitation weather pattern. What is the current plan for our water supply?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Alex: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:00:56] \u003c/em>I understand that the sewage water in the Bay Area is cleaned before it’s put back into the ocean. If it is clean, why not put it back into the water supply? Thank you for answering my question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:07] \u003c/em>That was Steve, Aris, and 11-year-old, Max, all looking for how we can increase our water supply. In our last episode, we started looking at ways to ease our water woes by conserving at home. Today, we widen our scope to what can be done by our cities and local water agencies. We’ve got a quick break, but when we come back, we’ll get cracking on some answers. I’m Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:42] \u003c/em>We’re answering questions from Steve, Aris and Max about the things local water districts can do to make us more resilient during these hotter, drier periods. Bay Curious producer Katrina Schwartz looked into some of those plans. And she’s here. Hey, Katrina. \u003cem> [00:01:57]\u003c/em>\u003cem>[14.2]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:57] \u003c/em>Hey, Olivia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:59] \u003c/em>So when we asked the Bay Curious audience what they wanted to know about drought, we heard back from so many people, including Steve, wanting to know about desalination plants. We are a state with 840 miles of coastline. Many of our big population areas are right near the ocean. Why don’t we have more desalination plants?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:20] \u003c/em>Well, desalination plants are actually pretty controversial. I mean, you’re right. They sound good. We live next to the ocean. It’s a huge body of water. Why not just use that as a water source, especially because we do have the technology to do it. But the reason that it’s controversial kind of falls into two categories. One is that it’s very expensive both to build these plants and to run them. And then second, they can be pretty hard on the environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:44] \u003c/em>When you say it’s expensive, what are we talking about for the average consumer?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:48] \u003c/em>Well, figuring out what goes into water rates can be pretty complicated. But we do know that San Diego has a functioning desalination plant right now. Water officials there said that they built it because they wanted to diversify their water sources and be less dependent on buying water from their neighbors. The water that that desalination plant produces costs at least two times more than water from other sources. And some residents down there in San Diego are pretty upset about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:16] \u003c/em>You also mentioned the environment. How is desalinating ocean water bad for the environment?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:22] \u003c/em>OK, well, first, it takes a lot of energy to strip the salt out of the water. So these plants have big carbon footprints. And until we have cleaner energy sources, that’s a problem. But also, Daniel Ellis, who’s a senior scientist with the State Water Board, explains that these plants can hurt marine ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Daniel Ellis: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:38] \u003c/em>That’s a huge issue. You have very salty ocean water, and then when you desalinate it, you take out the salt. So what you’re left with is a byproduct brine that’s about twice as salty as the ocean water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:51] \u003c/em>That briny byproduct gets put back into the ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Daniel Ellis: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:54] \u003c/em>And that has an impact on the environment. A lot of marine organisms are not built to live in 66 parts per thousand salinity. They’re built to live in 33.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:03] \u003c/em>And then there’s the other side of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Daniel Ellis: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:05] \u003c/em>Oftentimes, it’s even bigger: the impact of taking in the water. You know, you suck in twice as much water as you make. So you take in 110 million gallons a day of water. There’s marine life living in there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:18] \u003c/em>So the water that the plant takes in has small organisms that, you know, make up the food chain for the rest of the marine ecosystem. So Ellis says that whole process can have these cascading impacts on all of the sea life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:31] \u003c/em>All right. So those are some definite drawbacks. But there are some times where desal might make sense, right? I mean, it would definitely be an investment in a very reliable water source, if nothing else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:42] \u003c/em>Yeah, and some places in the Bay Area are considering it. So Marin considered it 10 years ago, but then decided against it for all of the reasons that we’ve already talked about, namely cost, environmental impact and high energy requirements. Now they’re flirting with the idea again, but sort of on a temporary basis. So the plant that they’re considering is projected to cost $37 million dollars. It would not be permanent. They would lease it to help them get through the next few years. And it would provide about a third of the county’s drinking water, but it wouldn’t be ready for another year or so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousbug]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:15] \u003c/em>And for comparison, that temporary diesel plant is still way cheaper than the permanent one that Marin was considering, which was expected to cost up to $173 million dollars. And that estimate is from 10 years ago. Now, I know cleaning water that is less salty might make sense in some places. Can you tell us some about that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:34] \u003c/em>Yeah, Antioch is in that position. So they’re building a $100 million desalination plant right now that would allow them to clean the brackish water that they have at the mouth of the San Joaquin River. So that’s a mix of fresh water coming out of the delta and ocean water coming in with the tides. And, you know, in a drought, there’s less water coming through the delta. So that makes their water saltier. Officials there are projecting that that plant will be completed in 2023 and Antioch would get all of its water from that plant. Also, I should mention that there is a functioning desalination plant in Newark that also cleans brackish water and turns it into drinking water. But ultimately, again, a lot of this comes back to equity for a lot of Bay Area residents, water that costs twice as much could be a real deal breaker. And at the same time, experts estimate that we can save half the water we currently use, which would be way cheaper. And it wouldn’t require saddling ourselves with a super expensive desalination plant that we have to run all the time, even when water is plentiful. So, you know, some experts think desalination will be part of the mix of solutions down the road. But a lot of people say, given the array of options we have at our disposal right now, desalination shouldn’t really be the first choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:06:48] \u003c/em>If desal isn’t the answer, what are some other options we’ve got?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:06:52] \u003c/em>Well, a big one is recycling our wastewater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:06:54] \u003c/em>And that’s what our listener Max was asking about. That’s cleaning up the water that we flush down the toilet, or wash down the drain, so that we can drink it again?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:07:03] \u003c/em>Yeah, and I know some people find that gross, but wastewater treatment plants are capable of making the water potable again. The Bay Area Council is a business and industry group. They recently evaluated desalination regionally and found that wastewater treatment makes more sense. Adrian Covert is a senior vice president of public policy there. He says the Bay Area dumps enough treated wastewater into the bay each year to fill Hetch Hetchy twice over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Adrian Covert: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:07:30] \u003c/em>And it’s also more than enough to meet the Bay Area’s water demand through 2040. And because wastewater is cleaner than ocean water, treating it to potable standards is also about 20% cheaper than desalinating water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:07:45] \u003c/em>This is such a good option and honestly, one that a lot of other parts of the world are already using that we’re going to talk about it more in tomorrow’s episode.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Adrian Covert: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:07:52] \u003c/em>So I think, in short, desalinated water could make more sense and in a few localized scenarios. But when it comes to scaling the Bay Area’s entire water system for climate change and adding drought proof supplies, I think recycled water is probably a better bet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:10] \u003c/em>All right, Katrina, we’ve talked about desalination and wastewater recycling. Are there any other ideas that local agencies are thinking about as they plan for the future?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:20] \u003c/em>Well, yeah. So Cynthia Koehler, who’s the president of the Marin Water Board of Directors, is interested in doing more with water budgeting. They do this in some places in Southern California already. Basically, the idea is that each home is allotted an amount of water based on a calculation of efficient use for its size and the number of people who live there. Then it’s up to the individuals to stay within their budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cynthia Koehler: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:42] \u003c/em>The advantage of that is that connects businesses, institutions, households more directly with their water use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:50] \u003c/em>This idea works on the principle that people will find ways to conserve that fit their lifestyle. So, for example, if you want to have your lawn, you’ve got to find some other way to conserve all that water. Or maybe you take shorter showers if you want to do a slip and slide on the weekend. Because if they go over their budgeted amount of water, it gets way more expensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cynthia Koehler: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:08] \u003c/em>Nothing’s a silver bullet. There’s not going to be one thing that solves all the problems. But it is it is a tool that has been underutilized so far. And I think that’ll get more play going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:17] \u003c/em>Interesting. So really just taking things a step further than asking people to conserve and sort of crossing your fingers and hoping they do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[emailsignup newslettername=\"baycurious\" align=\"right\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:24] \u003c/em>Exactly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:25] \u003c/em>All right. Well, it sounds like we have a decent amount of options at our disposal if we need them. Thanks, Katrina.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:31] \u003c/em>My pleasure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:42] \u003c/em>Are you thirsty for more solutions? Well, you are in luck. Tomorrow we finish off our solutions parade with Ezra David Romero, a climate reporter at KQED. He’ll talk us through some of the big changes the state can make to help us survive a megadrought. Thanks to the question askers, whose voices you heard at the top of this episode, Steve, Aris and Max … And the other question askers who helped us shape this episode, Alex and Eileen. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Brendan Willard, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Aris: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:16] \u003c/em>Bay Curious is produced at member-supported KQED in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:23] \u003c/em>We’ll see you tomorrow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Alex: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:25] \u003c/em>I love Bay Curious.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California is in drought. Again. And the infrastructure used to sustain the state’s 40 million residents — and $50 billion agriculture industry — hasn’t kept up with changing climate patterns. The Bay Curious podcast will explore new ways of thinking about the future of water in our state as part of a \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QoyW8Jt9q3Tq11l8ws3wc?si=3d913de8a11c45a8&nd=1\">six part series: State of Drought.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC1281002593\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/b>: \u003cem>[00:00:05] \u003c/em>Water districts around the Bay Area are asking communities to conserve, and we’re seeing some of the usual go to conservation steps, you might have to request water at a restaurant instead of getting it automatically. We are watering grass less often that many of our parks, decorative fountains and water play features might be turned off. All things that move the needle in the right direction, all things that we’ve seen before. When we asked you, our listeners, what you wanted to know about the drought, many of you asked about what we haven’t done much of before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Steve: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:00:43] \u003c/em>Why is no one talking about desalination? We have potentially millions of gallons right on our doorstep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Aris: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:00:49] \u003c/em>We know that California is returning to a whiplash precipitation weather pattern. What is the current plan for our water supply?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Alex: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:00:56] \u003c/em>I understand that the sewage water in the Bay Area is cleaned before it’s put back into the ocean. If it is clean, why not put it back into the water supply? Thank you for answering my question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:07] \u003c/em>That was Steve, Aris, and 11-year-old, Max, all looking for how we can increase our water supply. In our last episode, we started looking at ways to ease our water woes by conserving at home. Today, we widen our scope to what can be done by our cities and local water agencies. We’ve got a quick break, but when we come back, we’ll get cracking on some answers. I’m Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:42] \u003c/em>We’re answering questions from Steve, Aris and Max about the things local water districts can do to make us more resilient during these hotter, drier periods. Bay Curious producer Katrina Schwartz looked into some of those plans. And she’s here. Hey, Katrina. \u003cem> [00:01:57]\u003c/em>\u003cem>[14.2]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:57] \u003c/em>Hey, Olivia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:59] \u003c/em>So when we asked the Bay Curious audience what they wanted to know about drought, we heard back from so many people, including Steve, wanting to know about desalination plants. We are a state with 840 miles of coastline. Many of our big population areas are right near the ocean. Why don’t we have more desalination plants?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:20] \u003c/em>Well, desalination plants are actually pretty controversial. I mean, you’re right. They sound good. We live next to the ocean. It’s a huge body of water. Why not just use that as a water source, especially because we do have the technology to do it. But the reason that it’s controversial kind of falls into two categories. One is that it’s very expensive both to build these plants and to run them. And then second, they can be pretty hard on the environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:44] \u003c/em>When you say it’s expensive, what are we talking about for the average consumer?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:48] \u003c/em>Well, figuring out what goes into water rates can be pretty complicated. But we do know that San Diego has a functioning desalination plant right now. Water officials there said that they built it because they wanted to diversify their water sources and be less dependent on buying water from their neighbors. The water that that desalination plant produces costs at least two times more than water from other sources. And some residents down there in San Diego are pretty upset about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:16] \u003c/em>You also mentioned the environment. How is desalinating ocean water bad for the environment?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:22] \u003c/em>OK, well, first, it takes a lot of energy to strip the salt out of the water. So these plants have big carbon footprints. And until we have cleaner energy sources, that’s a problem. But also, Daniel Ellis, who’s a senior scientist with the State Water Board, explains that these plants can hurt marine ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Daniel Ellis: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:38] \u003c/em>That’s a huge issue. You have very salty ocean water, and then when you desalinate it, you take out the salt. So what you’re left with is a byproduct brine that’s about twice as salty as the ocean water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:51] \u003c/em>That briny byproduct gets put back into the ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Daniel Ellis: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:54] \u003c/em>And that has an impact on the environment. A lot of marine organisms are not built to live in 66 parts per thousand salinity. They’re built to live in 33.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:03] \u003c/em>And then there’s the other side of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Daniel Ellis: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:05] \u003c/em>Oftentimes, it’s even bigger: the impact of taking in the water. You know, you suck in twice as much water as you make. So you take in 110 million gallons a day of water. There’s marine life living in there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:18] \u003c/em>So the water that the plant takes in has small organisms that, you know, make up the food chain for the rest of the marine ecosystem. So Ellis says that whole process can have these cascading impacts on all of the sea life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:31] \u003c/em>All right. So those are some definite drawbacks. But there are some times where desal might make sense, right? I mean, it would definitely be an investment in a very reliable water source, if nothing else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:42] \u003c/em>Yeah, and some places in the Bay Area are considering it. So Marin considered it 10 years ago, but then decided against it for all of the reasons that we’ve already talked about, namely cost, environmental impact and high energy requirements. Now they’re flirting with the idea again, but sort of on a temporary basis. So the plant that they’re considering is projected to cost $37 million dollars. It would not be permanent. They would lease it to help them get through the next few years. And it would provide about a third of the county’s drinking water, but it wouldn’t be ready for another year or so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n What do you wonder about the Bay Area, its culture or people that you want KQED to investigate?\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Ask Bay Curious.\u003c/a>\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:15] \u003c/em>And for comparison, that temporary diesel plant is still way cheaper than the permanent one that Marin was considering, which was expected to cost up to $173 million dollars. And that estimate is from 10 years ago. Now, I know cleaning water that is less salty might make sense in some places. Can you tell us some about that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:34] \u003c/em>Yeah, Antioch is in that position. So they’re building a $100 million desalination plant right now that would allow them to clean the brackish water that they have at the mouth of the San Joaquin River. So that’s a mix of fresh water coming out of the delta and ocean water coming in with the tides. And, you know, in a drought, there’s less water coming through the delta. So that makes their water saltier. Officials there are projecting that that plant will be completed in 2023 and Antioch would get all of its water from that plant. Also, I should mention that there is a functioning desalination plant in Newark that also cleans brackish water and turns it into drinking water. But ultimately, again, a lot of this comes back to equity for a lot of Bay Area residents, water that costs twice as much could be a real deal breaker. And at the same time, experts estimate that we can save half the water we currently use, which would be way cheaper. And it wouldn’t require saddling ourselves with a super expensive desalination plant that we have to run all the time, even when water is plentiful. So, you know, some experts think desalination will be part of the mix of solutions down the road. But a lot of people say, given the array of options we have at our disposal right now, desalination shouldn’t really be the first choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:06:48] \u003c/em>If desal isn’t the answer, what are some other options we’ve got?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:06:52] \u003c/em>Well, a big one is recycling our wastewater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:06:54] \u003c/em>And that’s what our listener Max was asking about. That’s cleaning up the water that we flush down the toilet, or wash down the drain, so that we can drink it again?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:07:03] \u003c/em>Yeah, and I know some people find that gross, but wastewater treatment plants are capable of making the water potable again. The Bay Area Council is a business and industry group. They recently evaluated desalination regionally and found that wastewater treatment makes more sense. Adrian Covert is a senior vice president of public policy there. He says the Bay Area dumps enough treated wastewater into the bay each year to fill Hetch Hetchy twice over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Adrian Covert: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:07:30] \u003c/em>And it’s also more than enough to meet the Bay Area’s water demand through 2040. And because wastewater is cleaner than ocean water, treating it to potable standards is also about 20% cheaper than desalinating water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:07:45] \u003c/em>This is such a good option and honestly, one that a lot of other parts of the world are already using that we’re going to talk about it more in tomorrow’s episode.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Adrian Covert: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:07:52] \u003c/em>So I think, in short, desalinated water could make more sense and in a few localized scenarios. But when it comes to scaling the Bay Area’s entire water system for climate change and adding drought proof supplies, I think recycled water is probably a better bet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:10] \u003c/em>All right, Katrina, we’ve talked about desalination and wastewater recycling. Are there any other ideas that local agencies are thinking about as they plan for the future?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:20] \u003c/em>Well, yeah. So Cynthia Koehler, who’s the president of the Marin Water Board of Directors, is interested in doing more with water budgeting. They do this in some places in Southern California already. Basically, the idea is that each home is allotted an amount of water based on a calculation of efficient use for its size and the number of people who live there. Then it’s up to the individuals to stay within their budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cynthia Koehler: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:42] \u003c/em>The advantage of that is that connects businesses, institutions, households more directly with their water use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:50] \u003c/em>This idea works on the principle that people will find ways to conserve that fit their lifestyle. So, for example, if you want to have your lawn, you’ve got to find some other way to conserve all that water. Or maybe you take shorter showers if you want to do a slip and slide on the weekend. Because if they go over their budgeted amount of water, it gets way more expensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cynthia Koehler: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:08] \u003c/em>Nothing’s a silver bullet. There’s not going to be one thing that solves all the problems. But it is it is a tool that has been underutilized so far. And I think that’ll get more play going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:17] \u003c/em>Interesting. So really just taking things a step further than asking people to conserve and sort of crossing your fingers and hoping they do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:24] \u003c/em>Exactly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:25] \u003c/em>All right. Well, it sounds like we have a decent amount of options at our disposal if we need them. Thanks, Katrina.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:31] \u003c/em>My pleasure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:42] \u003c/em>Are you thirsty for more solutions? Well, you are in luck. Tomorrow we finish off our solutions parade with Ezra David Romero, a climate reporter at KQED. He’ll talk us through some of the big changes the state can make to help us survive a megadrought. Thanks to the question askers, whose voices you heard at the top of this episode, Steve, Aris and Max … And the other question askers who helped us shape this episode, Alex and Eileen. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Brendan Willard, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Aris: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:16] \u003c/em>Bay Curious is produced at member-supported KQED in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:23] \u003c/em>We’ll see you tomorrow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Alex: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:25] \u003c/em>I love Bay Curious.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QoyW8Jt9q3Tq11l8ws3wc?si=3d913de8a11c45a8&nd=1\">Listen to all six episodes of our State of Drought series on Spotify.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite a growing population, urban Californians are using far less water than in decades past. That’s in some measure thanks to straightforward changes people have made at home — like installing new toilets. The humble tool uses more water than any other, but over the years, \u003ca href=\"https://elemental.green/all-you-need-to-know-about-low-flow-toilets/\">toilets have dropped from using as many as 8 gallons per flush to as little as 0.8 gallons per flush\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But water conservation at home extends far beyond a low-flow toilet. Some upgrades require nothing more than switching out a showerhead or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11874287/12-simple-ways-to-conserve-water-at-home-during-a-california-drought\">keeping water cold in the fridge\u003c/a> — others involve a little more legwork. Water conservationists point to three big ways that homeowners can cut back.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Using water twice\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887108\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887108 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/greywater-system.jpg\" alt=\"A woman holds a hose connected through a utility sink on the back of her house to water her lawn\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/greywater-system.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/greywater-system-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/greywater-system-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/greywater-system-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/greywater-system-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amelia Terkel uses shower water on her trees through a homemade gray water system. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Amir Terkel)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Normally, the leftover water from a load of laundry, a bath or a shower runs down the drain and into the sewer system. But it doesn’t have to. In California, that water — the official name for it is gray water, or sometimes “greywater” — is perfect for watering most gardens. On average, \u003ca href=\"https://greywateraction.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/GW_Study_revised1.pdf\">a gray water system can save a household over 14,000 gallons of water a year\u003c/a>, by simply redirecting that lightly used water into a yard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Gray water can offer you this source to [water] your fruit trees or berries or plants that need more irrigation water without using fresh water from the tap,” says Laura Allen of Greywater Action, an advocacy group in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most common type of gray water system is a “laundry to landscape” setup, where the water from a load of laundry flows down a set of pipes into a yard or garden. Depending on specifics like the location of the washing machine in a home, \u003ca href=\"https://www.urbanfarmerstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/6_Graywater-L2L_RGW3-Graywater-Design-Manual-SFPUC.pdf\">homeowners can install a gray water system on their own\u003c/a>. The most straightforward projects don’t require a permit and can cost just a few hundred dollars. \u003ca href=\"https://greywateraction.org/greywater-system-examples/\">Other types of systems are more involved\u003c/a> and require permits and professional installation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the most cost-efficient way to start using gray water immediately? Put a bucket in the shower while you’re waiting for the water to heat up. Then, use it to flush the toilet or water plants. Gray water should never be stored for more than 24 hours, and laundry-to-landscape systems do require a switch to eco-friendly detergent.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Upgrade equipment\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887105\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887105 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/leaky-faucet.jpg\" alt=\"A leaky faucet\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/leaky-faucet.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/leaky-faucet-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/leaky-faucet-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/leaky-faucet-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/leaky-faucet-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Household leaks waste more water than many people know. For example, a toilet leak can waste about a gallon of water per hour. \u003ccite>(iStock/banusevim)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Toilets aren’t the only fixtures that have evolved in the past several decades. \u003ca href=\"https://www.circleofblue.org/2016/water-management/infrastructure/study-efficient-fixtures-cut-u-s-indoor-water-use/\">One analysis found that residential water use nationwide dropped by 22% between 1999 and 2016\u003c/a> — and that’s by and large because appliances have gotten more water-efficient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So has outdoor irrigation. But we don’t always jump to make fixes and upgrades that can save money — and water in the long run — says Justin Burks of Valley Water in Santa Clara County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A new smartphone comes out [and] a lot of us will go out and get that new version,” Burks says. “But many of us live with the same irrigation equipment from 20 or 40 years ago.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-05/documents/ws-products-irrigation-outdoor-wbic-mini-report.pdf\">Newer irrigation systems come with smart controllers\u003c/a> that respond to the weather and measure moisture content in the soil, so the landscape only gets watered when it really needs it. Drip irrigation and high-efficiency sprinklers can also have a significant impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other small fixes to cut back on water use: \u003ca href=\"https://www.lowes.com/n/how-to/test-toilet-for-leaks\">check your toilet for leaks (a simple dye test kit does the trick)\u003c/a>. An estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Government/Departments/Public-Works-Department/Water/Why-was-my-water-bill-high\">20% of all toilets leak\u003c/a>, and in some cases, a leak can waste a gallon of water every hour. \u003ca href=\"https://www.denverwater.org/tap/big-benefits-cleaning-and-updating-faucet-aerators\">Another quick fix is to install a faucet aerator\u003c/a>, which limits the flow of water.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Turf’s up\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887109\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887109 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/lawn-watering.jpg\" alt=\"Row of sprinklers watering a lawn\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/lawn-watering.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/lawn-watering-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/lawn-watering-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/lawn-watering-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/lawn-watering-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Californians living in more urban environments use a lot of water on lawns. Outdoor watering accounts for half of all urban water use, so it’s an easy place to save. Some people are planting drought-tolerant gardens instead. \u003ccite>(Marcutti/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>About \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/water-use-in-california/\">half of all the water used in urban California goes to one place: landscaping\u003c/a>. Oftentimes, that means watering a wide, flat, lawn that requires consistent, and heavy, water use. Switching out the lawn for a garden featuring California native plants can save significant amounts of water, and bring a host of other benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A nine-year study conducted by the city of Santa Monica found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/Departments/OSE/Categories/Landscape/garden-garden-2013.pdf\">a California native plant garden not only used 83% less water than one with a lawn and shrubs, but also created far less waste and required less maintenance\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wildlife and insects thrive in gardens with California native plants, too, says Julie Saare-Edmonds, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Water Resources. She says she’s seen a growing interest in native plant gardens — especially in drought years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The best native plants vary significantly depending on location. The California Native Plant Society maintains a vast database, called \u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/\">Calscape\u003c/a>, of regionally appropriate native plants. Gardners can decide whether they want to see plants that attract butterflies, plants with extremely low water needs, as well as low-maintenance options. And the \u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/water-basics/conservation-tips/plant-and-landscape-guide\">California Department of Water Resources has a comprehensive guide\u003c/a> for how to make the transition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you want to go further, each Bay Area county has a \u003ca href=\"http://mg.ucanr.edu/index.cfm\">master gardener program\u003c/a>. Seasoned gardeners are available to answer questions about designing native plant and drought-friendly gardens. Many also have demonstration gardens where newcomers can learn about their options, and find some inspiration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousbug]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How to pay for it\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Many water agencies in the Bay Area will help you cover the costs of using less water at home. Most often, this comes in the form of a rebate for projects like gray water installation, a smart flow meter, or a switch to a drought-friendly garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Renters can take advantage of some of these programs, too, by switching in a free, water-efficient showerhead (that you can swap out when you leave) or tipping your landlord off to how they can replace an old toilet at no cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’re highlighting a few programs offered by local water agencies, but check your provider for even more deals and specifics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebmud.com/water/conservation-and-rebates/rebates/\">\u003cstrong>East Bay Municipal Utility District\u003c/strong> offers rebates for flow meters\u003c/a> that collect data on how much water you use, and where in your home. The agency has also doubled its rebate for converting yards into drought-friendly gardens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ccwater.com/157/Rebates-and-Coupons\">\u003cstrong>Contra Costa County\u003c/strong> offers rebates\u003c/a> up to $1,000 for homeowners to ditch the front lawn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marinwater.org/rebates\">In \u003cstrong>Marin County\u003c/strong>, the water district has rebates\u003c/a> for rainwater storage systems and free mulching services — another way to have a drought-friendly yard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.acwd.org/134/Conservation-at-Home\">Free water conservation kits are available in \u003cstrong>Alameda County\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, as are \u003ca href=\"https://www.acwd.org/145/Rebates\">numerous rebates\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.valleywater.org/saving-water/rebates-surveys\">Valley Water in \u003cstrong>Santa Clara County\u003c/strong> offers rebates\u003c/a> up to $400 for installing gray water systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://sfpuc.org/sites/default/files/learning/conservation/2021-0723-SFPUCs%20DROUGHT%20RESOURCE%20GUIDE_v2.pdf\">\u003cstrong>San Francisco\u003c/strong>‘s Public Utilities Commission has a range of options\u003c/a> — including free toilet replacement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-county-cities-offer-freebies-and-rebates-to-help-you-save-water/\">Many cities in \u003cstrong>Sonoma County\u003c/strong> have their own programs\u003c/a>, which include rebates for turf removal and free fixtures like showerheads and faucets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/2714/Water-Conservation\">Options in \u003cstrong>San Mateo County\u003c/strong> include rebates for rain barrels.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofnapa.org/595/Residential-Programs\">\u003cstrong>Napa County\u003c/strong> will evaluate your water use at home for free\u003c/a> and help you strategize how to cut back on water use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.scwa2.com/water-efficiency/rebates-programs/residential-rebates/\">\u003cstrong>Solano County\u003c/strong> offers rebates\u003c/a> to upgrade to a high-efficiency washing machine and switch to smart irrigation controllers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QoyW8Jt9q3Tq11l8ws3wc?si=3d913de8a11c45a8&nd=1\">Listen to all six episodes of our State of Drought series on Spotify.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite a growing population, urban Californians are using far less water than in decades past. That’s in some measure thanks to straightforward changes people have made at home — like installing new toilets. The humble tool uses more water than any other, but over the years, \u003ca href=\"https://elemental.green/all-you-need-to-know-about-low-flow-toilets/\">toilets have dropped from using as many as 8 gallons per flush to as little as 0.8 gallons per flush\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But water conservation at home extends far beyond a low-flow toilet. Some upgrades require nothing more than switching out a showerhead or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11874287/12-simple-ways-to-conserve-water-at-home-during-a-california-drought\">keeping water cold in the fridge\u003c/a> — others involve a little more legwork. Water conservationists point to three big ways that homeowners can cut back.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Using water twice\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887108\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887108 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/greywater-system.jpg\" alt=\"A woman holds a hose connected through a utility sink on the back of her house to water her lawn\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/greywater-system.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/greywater-system-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/greywater-system-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/greywater-system-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/greywater-system-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amelia Terkel uses shower water on her trees through a homemade gray water system. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Amir Terkel)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Normally, the leftover water from a load of laundry, a bath or a shower runs down the drain and into the sewer system. But it doesn’t have to. In California, that water — the official name for it is gray water, or sometimes “greywater” — is perfect for watering most gardens. On average, \u003ca href=\"https://greywateraction.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/GW_Study_revised1.pdf\">a gray water system can save a household over 14,000 gallons of water a year\u003c/a>, by simply redirecting that lightly used water into a yard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Gray water can offer you this source to [water] your fruit trees or berries or plants that need more irrigation water without using fresh water from the tap,” says Laura Allen of Greywater Action, an advocacy group in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most common type of gray water system is a “laundry to landscape” setup, where the water from a load of laundry flows down a set of pipes into a yard or garden. Depending on specifics like the location of the washing machine in a home, \u003ca href=\"https://www.urbanfarmerstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/6_Graywater-L2L_RGW3-Graywater-Design-Manual-SFPUC.pdf\">homeowners can install a gray water system on their own\u003c/a>. The most straightforward projects don’t require a permit and can cost just a few hundred dollars. \u003ca href=\"https://greywateraction.org/greywater-system-examples/\">Other types of systems are more involved\u003c/a> and require permits and professional installation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the most cost-efficient way to start using gray water immediately? Put a bucket in the shower while you’re waiting for the water to heat up. Then, use it to flush the toilet or water plants. Gray water should never be stored for more than 24 hours, and laundry-to-landscape systems do require a switch to eco-friendly detergent.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Upgrade equipment\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887105\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887105 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/leaky-faucet.jpg\" alt=\"A leaky faucet\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/leaky-faucet.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/leaky-faucet-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/leaky-faucet-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/leaky-faucet-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/leaky-faucet-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Household leaks waste more water than many people know. For example, a toilet leak can waste about a gallon of water per hour. \u003ccite>(iStock/banusevim)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Toilets aren’t the only fixtures that have evolved in the past several decades. \u003ca href=\"https://www.circleofblue.org/2016/water-management/infrastructure/study-efficient-fixtures-cut-u-s-indoor-water-use/\">One analysis found that residential water use nationwide dropped by 22% between 1999 and 2016\u003c/a> — and that’s by and large because appliances have gotten more water-efficient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So has outdoor irrigation. But we don’t always jump to make fixes and upgrades that can save money — and water in the long run — says Justin Burks of Valley Water in Santa Clara County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A new smartphone comes out [and] a lot of us will go out and get that new version,” Burks says. “But many of us live with the same irrigation equipment from 20 or 40 years ago.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-05/documents/ws-products-irrigation-outdoor-wbic-mini-report.pdf\">Newer irrigation systems come with smart controllers\u003c/a> that respond to the weather and measure moisture content in the soil, so the landscape only gets watered when it really needs it. Drip irrigation and high-efficiency sprinklers can also have a significant impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other small fixes to cut back on water use: \u003ca href=\"https://www.lowes.com/n/how-to/test-toilet-for-leaks\">check your toilet for leaks (a simple dye test kit does the trick)\u003c/a>. An estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Government/Departments/Public-Works-Department/Water/Why-was-my-water-bill-high\">20% of all toilets leak\u003c/a>, and in some cases, a leak can waste a gallon of water every hour. \u003ca href=\"https://www.denverwater.org/tap/big-benefits-cleaning-and-updating-faucet-aerators\">Another quick fix is to install a faucet aerator\u003c/a>, which limits the flow of water.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Turf’s up\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887109\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887109 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/lawn-watering.jpg\" alt=\"Row of sprinklers watering a lawn\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/lawn-watering.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/lawn-watering-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/lawn-watering-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/lawn-watering-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/lawn-watering-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Californians living in more urban environments use a lot of water on lawns. Outdoor watering accounts for half of all urban water use, so it’s an easy place to save. Some people are planting drought-tolerant gardens instead. \u003ccite>(Marcutti/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>About \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/water-use-in-california/\">half of all the water used in urban California goes to one place: landscaping\u003c/a>. Oftentimes, that means watering a wide, flat, lawn that requires consistent, and heavy, water use. Switching out the lawn for a garden featuring California native plants can save significant amounts of water, and bring a host of other benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A nine-year study conducted by the city of Santa Monica found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/Departments/OSE/Categories/Landscape/garden-garden-2013.pdf\">a California native plant garden not only used 83% less water than one with a lawn and shrubs, but also created far less waste and required less maintenance\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wildlife and insects thrive in gardens with California native plants, too, says Julie Saare-Edmonds, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Water Resources. She says she’s seen a growing interest in native plant gardens — especially in drought years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The best native plants vary significantly depending on location. The California Native Plant Society maintains a vast database, called \u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/\">Calscape\u003c/a>, of regionally appropriate native plants. Gardners can decide whether they want to see plants that attract butterflies, plants with extremely low water needs, as well as low-maintenance options. And the \u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/water-basics/conservation-tips/plant-and-landscape-guide\">California Department of Water Resources has a comprehensive guide\u003c/a> for how to make the transition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you want to go further, each Bay Area county has a \u003ca href=\"http://mg.ucanr.edu/index.cfm\">master gardener program\u003c/a>. Seasoned gardeners are available to answer questions about designing native plant and drought-friendly gardens. Many also have demonstration gardens where newcomers can learn about their options, and find some inspiration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n What do you wonder about the Bay Area, its culture or people that you want KQED to investigate?\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Ask Bay Curious.\u003c/a>\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How to pay for it\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Many water agencies in the Bay Area will help you cover the costs of using less water at home. Most often, this comes in the form of a rebate for projects like gray water installation, a smart flow meter, or a switch to a drought-friendly garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Renters can take advantage of some of these programs, too, by switching in a free, water-efficient showerhead (that you can swap out when you leave) or tipping your landlord off to how they can replace an old toilet at no cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’re highlighting a few programs offered by local water agencies, but check your provider for even more deals and specifics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebmud.com/water/conservation-and-rebates/rebates/\">\u003cstrong>East Bay Municipal Utility District\u003c/strong> offers rebates for flow meters\u003c/a> that collect data on how much water you use, and where in your home. The agency has also doubled its rebate for converting yards into drought-friendly gardens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ccwater.com/157/Rebates-and-Coupons\">\u003cstrong>Contra Costa County\u003c/strong> offers rebates\u003c/a> up to $1,000 for homeowners to ditch the front lawn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marinwater.org/rebates\">In \u003cstrong>Marin County\u003c/strong>, the water district has rebates\u003c/a> for rainwater storage systems and free mulching services — another way to have a drought-friendly yard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.acwd.org/134/Conservation-at-Home\">Free water conservation kits are available in \u003cstrong>Alameda County\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, as are \u003ca href=\"https://www.acwd.org/145/Rebates\">numerous rebates\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.valleywater.org/saving-water/rebates-surveys\">Valley Water in \u003cstrong>Santa Clara County\u003c/strong> offers rebates\u003c/a> up to $400 for installing gray water systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://sfpuc.org/sites/default/files/learning/conservation/2021-0723-SFPUCs%20DROUGHT%20RESOURCE%20GUIDE_v2.pdf\">\u003cstrong>San Francisco\u003c/strong>‘s Public Utilities Commission has a range of options\u003c/a> — including free toilet replacement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-county-cities-offer-freebies-and-rebates-to-help-you-save-water/\">Many cities in \u003cstrong>Sonoma County\u003c/strong> have their own programs\u003c/a>, which include rebates for turf removal and free fixtures like showerheads and faucets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/2714/Water-Conservation\">Options in \u003cstrong>San Mateo County\u003c/strong> include rebates for rain barrels.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofnapa.org/595/Residential-Programs\">\u003cstrong>Napa County\u003c/strong> will evaluate your water use at home for free\u003c/a> and help you strategize how to cut back on water use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.scwa2.com/water-efficiency/rebates-programs/residential-rebates/\">\u003cstrong>Solano County\u003c/strong> offers rebates\u003c/a> to upgrade to a high-efficiency washing machine and switch to smart irrigation controllers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"source": "American Public Media"
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"masters-of-scale": {
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},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"morning-edition": {
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"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"onourwatch": {
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"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?",
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"on-the-media": {
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"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
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},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
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"order": 14
},
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"planet-money": {
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 5
},
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
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