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"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, California politics and government senior editor Molly Solomon joins us to talk about how Kamala Harris tells her life story to a national audience — and why she might be reluctant to mention Berkeley. Also, we discuss a lead water crisis at Oakland schools, and why some journalists are dismayed with a deal Google just reached with state lawmakers to pay millions of dollars to support local news.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC3489421666&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/25/us/politics/kamala-harris-berkeley-hometown.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">As Kamala Harris Claims Oakland, Berkeley Forgives\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2024/08/29/ousd-has-failed-at-its-most-basic-job-families-teachers-demand-answers-on-lead/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">‘OUSD has failed at its most basic job’: Families, teachers demand answers on lead\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2024/08/california-journalism-deal-legislature-google/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California tried to make Google pay news outlets. The company cut a deal that includes funding AI\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted and welcome to our August news roundup where me and the rest of the Bay team sit down to talk about some of the other stories that we have been following this month. I am joined by our senior editor, Alan Montecillo. What’s up, Alan?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Hey. Hey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And we’re also joined by a very special guest today, senior editor of KQED’s California politics and government desk, Molly Solomon. What’s up, Molly?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>Hey, thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>My thank you so much for taking the time. You guys have been super busy over there at the Politics desk, and I know your time is very precious. Can you talk about what you all have been up to this last month?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>Yeah. Busy is like the understatement of the year. It has been a busy, busy week slash man slash. This election has probably aged me like a decade, but this I think more recently, the excitement on our team was being able to go to Chicago to cover in person the Democratic National Convention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I think clearly the big story for us has also been this really quick, sudden ascension of Kamala Harris to the top of the Democratic ticket, replacing Biden. So obviously with her connections and her roots to San Francisco politics, to the Bay Area, that’s been a big story for us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>There are times when I go throughout my day and I realize, again, that that happened, that Biden dropped out and that Harris is the nominee. And I still kind of can’t believe that happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>And that was a month ago. Allen What is time? Yeah, it’s wild. The last two months have been have been a roller coaster ride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I mean, while we are on the topic, why don’t you kick us off with the first story of our news roundup, Molly, that you’ve been watching very closely this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>The story that caught my eye. This last month is really this issue of how Kamala Harris is telling her story. And I think more specifically how she seems to be, as some people say, downplaying or even just saying the name of her hometown where she’s from, Berkeley. I just think it’s been fascinating because all of us, you know, reporters here, especially some of the local reporters on our team, have been covering her for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>So I just find it very fascinating the way she decides to tell her story, especially now that she’s on this national stage, including, you know, more recently, I was kind of watching for that when she was giving her speech at the Democratic National Convention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kamala Harris: \u003c/strong>Before she could finally afford to buy a home. She rented a small apartment in the east bay. In the bay, in the bay, you either live in the hills or the flatlands. We lived in the flats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>A beautiful I think I had actually sent out a tweet when we got the transcript of her speech and I was like, Hey, like, shout out to Berkeley Flatlands. And people immediately, even just in that tweet that I sent out were like, actually, she did not specifically say Berkeley in her speech. So they were already really, like keen to, like, highlight what she was and was not saying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>She was actually born in a hospital in Oakland. You know, when she was younger, they did spend some time actually, and then moved to the Midwest. She did end up moving back to Berkeley when her parents divorced and she lived with her mom in this now iconic yellow duplex house on Bancroft in kind of a southwest corner of Berkeley. After that, you know, she spent some of her adolescence actually in Canada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>Her mom had gotten a teaching research job at one of the universities there before. You know, the stage that she’s on now, like Harris has talked about growing up in Berkeley, like she wrote about it in her autobiography. She’s talked about, you know, going to protests with her parents in a stroller. Obviously, she moved back and was an adult and lived in Oakland as she was a prosecutor in Alameda County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>And she was also, I think, as a young child, she was part of this integrated bussing program in Berkeley. And she was actually bussed from, you know, her home in southwest Berkeley up to the wealthier North Berkeley Hills to go to school. So it has played a part in, you know, how she’s talked about her childhood in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I just think it’s more interesting because it seems like there has been this deliberate omission of it. I mean, even in just how she referred to where she’s from in her speech, she said the bay and other times, you know, she’s called herself a daughter of Oakland. So for whatever reason and we can talk about it, it seems like she’s downplaying naming the city that she spent most of her time growing up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Why is that? Like, why not? Claim Berkeley as much now, or even Oakland explicitly for that matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I think it’s pretty strategic. You know, there is a political strategy here of emphasizing, you know, Oakland over Berkeley or maybe neither and just saying East Bay, there’s this idea that it’s just a bunch of like hippies and radical leftist that are in Berkeley. It’s got the nickname, bizarrely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>So I think if she is trying to, you know, as a candidate, make herself palatable to people that don’t live in the Bay Area, especially like one of the more progressive parts of California, she might want to distance herself from that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>So I think from a political strategy standpoint, I could see her either wanting to paint herself with a broader brush or just maybe not even naming that city as a way to connect herself to to this bigger audience that she’s now speaking to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>But, you know, it’s not like Harris is the first candidate to overplay or downplay certain parts of her background as someone from Berkeley. Molly, how does this make you feel?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I think there’s like an immense amount of pride for this place for people that have grown up in Berkeley. I mean, for people that have grown up in the Bay, I’m sure you feel this, too, from where you grew up. But, you know, to me, it’s like that is always been this thing that you claim, you know, and that you tell everybody about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I’m from Berkeley, I’m from the bay, you know, almost to the point of like annoyance from my husband or anyone else that is not grown up here. So so I think about it with with this, you know, I think this is something that’s interesting to me and sort of stood out to me because, you know, it tells me a little bit also about how Kamala Harris is choosing to show different parts of her identity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I mean, not just with the hometown thing and being from Berkeley. And I’m sure that, like they were quoted in this article that I read to a lot of people in Berkeley were like, we get it. It’s fine. Our feelings are not hurt. We understand you got an election to win, whatever. But I think it’s just interesting to see the way that like what she chooses to claim and reveal about herself. You know, she’s really leaned into this law and order prosecutor role.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I think that has a lot to do with the current climate around crime being a mixed race woman, South Asian, black woman. I think these are parts of her identity, what she is publicly claiming and telling us who she is as a national candidate says something. So that’s why it stood out to me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>All right. Well, Molly, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>Thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And after the break, we’ll talk about a lead crisis at Oakland schools and a deal that Google just cut with the state to help California’s struggling local news industry. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And welcome back to the Bay’s Monthly News roundup, where we sit down to talk about some of the other stories that we’ve been following this month. Alan Kids are back to school and it’s been a pretty chaotic return for students in Oakland. What’s going on?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Well, there is lead in the drinking water at dozens of Oakland public schools. You know, it has obviously kids, parents, teachers, very frustrated with the district, afraid for their kids safety. I mean, not a great start to the school year in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And how many schools are we talking about here? How bad and widespread is this problem?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Well, as of now, we know of at least 30. There’s been a lot of reporting on this from the Oakland side. KQED has done some reporting as well. Now, the district has a policy that if the lead in drinking water is five parts per billion, just the concentration of lead or higher that the district needs to basically get rid of the fountains and replace them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>We know of more than 30 schools in Oakland that are above that five parts per billion number. Some of the schools have much, much higher concentrations of lead. One school, a Lincoln Elementary, tested for 930 parts per billion. And there are at least a dozen that have about 50 parts per million, which is, you know, ten times the district’s sort of minimum level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So how were parents and students finding out about these high levels of lead in the school’s drinking water?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>So in mid-August, when almost was starting the new school year, families were getting notified that that there was lead or unsafe levels of lead in the drinking water in some of their schools. In many cases, the testing had actually been done much, much earlier. One example of this is at the Frick United Academy of Language.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>So on August 12th, which is, you know, the first day of school, teachers say they found out that six water fixtures at their schools tested over the safe limit of lead. But the testing was done in April. So teachers find this out on day one and they’re furious because, A, we have to now tell all of the kids on the first day of school, hey, do not drink the water from the fountain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>And B, kids were probably drinking it during the end of the school year during summer school. So the firestorm of anger in the district is not just about the fact that there is lead in the water. I mean, it should get fixed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>You know, this happens when pipes are old, but that the notification didn’t happen in an efficient way. They found out months later. And that’s something that the district has even copped to, that they did not communicate the test results fast enough to families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I think, like if I’m a parent and I have a kid in an Oakland school that has like, you know, maybe one of these schools that has a high amount, like you mentioned, should I be worried? I mean, is this dangerous? Is my child affected by this?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Well, there are no safe levels of lead in drinking water. I mean, the county health department even recommended that parents who have kids at one of these schools have them tested for lead exposure and that they actually bring along the communication from the district to their primary care doctor’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>The fountains that are known to have this lead in it have been shut down. But, you know, in in many cases, it’s possible that the kids have already drink the water that has led in it, because the way the district communicated this was so late.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, what has the district said about why it took them so long to notify parents, students and sounds like even teachers?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>As of now, we don’t totally know what went wrong here with the notification process. I should say we’re taping this before. Superintendent Kyla Johnson Tremmel is set to give a presentation to the public. The district has promised now that they will notify families within three days of testing and they will publish all of the results on a public dashboard. They say they’ll get this set up by January, but right now we don’t really know why this happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>Okay. So it sounds like there’s some plans in the works a little farther off. But what’s being done now about all of this?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Well, I think for the district, just in the immediate term, there’s just the basic like explaining to families what happened here and trying to reassure them. In the meantime, there’s still more testing going on as of this taping. Not all of that. Schools have been fully tested yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>And in terms of just being at school, the district is also providing filtered water dispensers at schools that have been affected. I think for teachers and kids, it’s just trying to get through the first month of school with this, you know, huge inconvenience that in many cases a lot of your drinking fountains are unsafe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>All right. Well, we’ll definitely continue to follow that story as it develops. Thank you so much, Alan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And last but not least, will cap off our news roundup with a story about an effort to try and force big tech to help the state’s struggling local news industry. This is a story that I have been following this month in a deal with state lawmakers. Google has agreed to pay $55 million over five years to a fund that would be distributed to local newsrooms and also fund AA technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This deal comes after this effort by two Bay Area lawmakers to try and force the biggest tech companies in Silicon Valley to really pay up essentially for the impact that some of these tech companies have had on our really I mean, faltering local news industry here in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>What role have they played specifically that led to some state lawmakers in California saying, hey, you guys got to pay up or at least help?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So some of the context here, I mean, the state of California has lost like about a third of its local newspapers since 2005. And as we know very well, I mean, news organizations are really trying to keep up with the changing media ecosystem. I mean, advertising has always been a huge source of revenue for newspapers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>But now publishers argue that search engines and social media platforms have really harmed the journalism business by hogging up all that advertising revenue while also benefiting from news content that they don’t pay for. And so to local lawmakers in the Bay Area tried to put forward these two laws that were really set up to try and secure a cut of tech money, really to kind of help prop up California’s struggling local news industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So one of them would have forced Google and Medha to negotiate a so-called usage fee with news outlets directly. Basically, Google pays a local news outlet for how many clicks it gets on Google when a user searches for a story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Another lawmaker from the Bay Area proposed a separate law that would have enforced a fee on major platforms like Google and Meta to basically provide a news outlet tax credit to help employ local journalists. And that ad actually would have raised $500 million a year, according to some estimates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I mean, it sounds like the original idea is not exactly what they ended up agreeing on in the end. Could you kind of walk us through what those changes were? Was there pushback and how they ended up landing on this new deal? That has, you know, I as a part of it as well?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Yeah. Basically, Google is going to be paying much less than this. The original two bills that these lawmakers proposed. What’s happening instead is that the tech giant has agreed to pay $55 million over five years to support local media outlets. This money is going to be administered by UC Berkeley and kind of distributed to local news outlets from there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And it’s also going to help start an artificial intelligence program. The idea is to basically give some of these outlets some financial support to see how I can help them in their work. And there are kind of two big reasons I’d say why the original plan kind of failed. One being that Google has spent a lot of money lobbying against these bills. They spent about $2.1 million in response to Buffy Wicks bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And once Buffy Wicks is, Bill actually passed it in the state Assembly. Google actually retaliated and temporarily removed some links to California news websites from its search results. So there was just a lot of concern about how willing Google would be to kind of go along with this idea. And there was concern about whether Governor Newsom would have been willing to support this idea to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Calmatters actually reported that proponents said that it was actually really unlikely that Newsom would support any one of these bills because he pledged no tax increases this year. So those are two kind of big reasons why their original idea didn’t kind of come to fruition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Where were journalists in these negotiations? I mean, you know, this is a little bit of a meta conversation. I didn’t get a call about going to talk about this bill. I assume neither of you did either. What groups, if any, were weighing in on behalf of journalists who would be affected by this? Well, this now new law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Some groups representing journalists across California are really not happy about this deal. One really outspoken opponent is the Media Guild of the West, which represents reporters down in Southern California. The guild said that it was particularly concerned about this part of the deal involving artificial intelligence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And they sort of have concerns about what promoting A.I. could further do to the local news industry. They saw it as sort of a concession to the tech industry in that way that could actually lead to even more devastation to the local news industry and maybe even a further loss of of jobs among, like, reporters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So, yeah, I mean, basically, like there are a bunch of unions and and other groups sort of representing journalists across the the state who are accusing California lawmakers of kind of settling and others who say that, you know, local media is not really in a position to say no to more money either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So there’s a lot more work to be done to kind of help local news organizations across the state to to be as healthy as we need them to be, especially in an election year. And that is it for our August news roundup. Thank you so much, Alan and Molly, for joining me, it was fun guys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong> Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>Thanks so much for having me. This was fun, you guys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The Bay is made by me and Alan Montecillo. We get support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad and Holly Kernan Music courtesy of Audio Network. The Bay is a production of listener supported KQED in San Francisco. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra…peace.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, California politics and government senior editor Molly Solomon joins us to talk about how Kamala Harris tells her life story to a national audience — and why she might be reluctant to mention Berkeley. Also, we discuss a lead water crisis at Oakland schools, and why some journalists are dismayed with a deal Google just reached with state lawmakers to pay millions of dollars to support local news.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC3489421666&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/25/us/politics/kamala-harris-berkeley-hometown.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">As Kamala Harris Claims Oakland, Berkeley Forgives\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2024/08/29/ousd-has-failed-at-its-most-basic-job-families-teachers-demand-answers-on-lead/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">‘OUSD has failed at its most basic job’: Families, teachers demand answers on lead\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2024/08/california-journalism-deal-legislature-google/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California tried to make Google pay news outlets. The company cut a deal that includes funding AI\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted and welcome to our August news roundup where me and the rest of the Bay team sit down to talk about some of the other stories that we have been following this month. I am joined by our senior editor, Alan Montecillo. What’s up, Alan?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Hey. Hey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And we’re also joined by a very special guest today, senior editor of KQED’s California politics and government desk, Molly Solomon. What’s up, Molly?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>Hey, thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>My thank you so much for taking the time. You guys have been super busy over there at the Politics desk, and I know your time is very precious. Can you talk about what you all have been up to this last month?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>Yeah. Busy is like the understatement of the year. It has been a busy, busy week slash man slash. This election has probably aged me like a decade, but this I think more recently, the excitement on our team was being able to go to Chicago to cover in person the Democratic National Convention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I think clearly the big story for us has also been this really quick, sudden ascension of Kamala Harris to the top of the Democratic ticket, replacing Biden. So obviously with her connections and her roots to San Francisco politics, to the Bay Area, that’s been a big story for us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>There are times when I go throughout my day and I realize, again, that that happened, that Biden dropped out and that Harris is the nominee. And I still kind of can’t believe that happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>And that was a month ago. Allen What is time? Yeah, it’s wild. The last two months have been have been a roller coaster ride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I mean, while we are on the topic, why don’t you kick us off with the first story of our news roundup, Molly, that you’ve been watching very closely this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>The story that caught my eye. This last month is really this issue of how Kamala Harris is telling her story. And I think more specifically how she seems to be, as some people say, downplaying or even just saying the name of her hometown where she’s from, Berkeley. I just think it’s been fascinating because all of us, you know, reporters here, especially some of the local reporters on our team, have been covering her for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>So I just find it very fascinating the way she decides to tell her story, especially now that she’s on this national stage, including, you know, more recently, I was kind of watching for that when she was giving her speech at the Democratic National Convention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kamala Harris: \u003c/strong>Before she could finally afford to buy a home. She rented a small apartment in the east bay. In the bay, in the bay, you either live in the hills or the flatlands. We lived in the flats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>A beautiful I think I had actually sent out a tweet when we got the transcript of her speech and I was like, Hey, like, shout out to Berkeley Flatlands. And people immediately, even just in that tweet that I sent out were like, actually, she did not specifically say Berkeley in her speech. So they were already really, like keen to, like, highlight what she was and was not saying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>She was actually born in a hospital in Oakland. You know, when she was younger, they did spend some time actually, and then moved to the Midwest. She did end up moving back to Berkeley when her parents divorced and she lived with her mom in this now iconic yellow duplex house on Bancroft in kind of a southwest corner of Berkeley. After that, you know, she spent some of her adolescence actually in Canada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>Her mom had gotten a teaching research job at one of the universities there before. You know, the stage that she’s on now, like Harris has talked about growing up in Berkeley, like she wrote about it in her autobiography. She’s talked about, you know, going to protests with her parents in a stroller. Obviously, she moved back and was an adult and lived in Oakland as she was a prosecutor in Alameda County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>And she was also, I think, as a young child, she was part of this integrated bussing program in Berkeley. And she was actually bussed from, you know, her home in southwest Berkeley up to the wealthier North Berkeley Hills to go to school. So it has played a part in, you know, how she’s talked about her childhood in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I just think it’s more interesting because it seems like there has been this deliberate omission of it. I mean, even in just how she referred to where she’s from in her speech, she said the bay and other times, you know, she’s called herself a daughter of Oakland. So for whatever reason and we can talk about it, it seems like she’s downplaying naming the city that she spent most of her time growing up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Why is that? Like, why not? Claim Berkeley as much now, or even Oakland explicitly for that matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I think it’s pretty strategic. You know, there is a political strategy here of emphasizing, you know, Oakland over Berkeley or maybe neither and just saying East Bay, there’s this idea that it’s just a bunch of like hippies and radical leftist that are in Berkeley. It’s got the nickname, bizarrely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>So I think if she is trying to, you know, as a candidate, make herself palatable to people that don’t live in the Bay Area, especially like one of the more progressive parts of California, she might want to distance herself from that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>So I think from a political strategy standpoint, I could see her either wanting to paint herself with a broader brush or just maybe not even naming that city as a way to connect herself to to this bigger audience that she’s now speaking to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>But, you know, it’s not like Harris is the first candidate to overplay or downplay certain parts of her background as someone from Berkeley. Molly, how does this make you feel?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I think there’s like an immense amount of pride for this place for people that have grown up in Berkeley. I mean, for people that have grown up in the Bay, I’m sure you feel this, too, from where you grew up. But, you know, to me, it’s like that is always been this thing that you claim, you know, and that you tell everybody about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I’m from Berkeley, I’m from the bay, you know, almost to the point of like annoyance from my husband or anyone else that is not grown up here. So so I think about it with with this, you know, I think this is something that’s interesting to me and sort of stood out to me because, you know, it tells me a little bit also about how Kamala Harris is choosing to show different parts of her identity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I mean, not just with the hometown thing and being from Berkeley. And I’m sure that, like they were quoted in this article that I read to a lot of people in Berkeley were like, we get it. It’s fine. Our feelings are not hurt. We understand you got an election to win, whatever. But I think it’s just interesting to see the way that like what she chooses to claim and reveal about herself. You know, she’s really leaned into this law and order prosecutor role.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I think that has a lot to do with the current climate around crime being a mixed race woman, South Asian, black woman. I think these are parts of her identity, what she is publicly claiming and telling us who she is as a national candidate says something. So that’s why it stood out to me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>All right. Well, Molly, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>Thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And after the break, we’ll talk about a lead crisis at Oakland schools and a deal that Google just cut with the state to help California’s struggling local news industry. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And welcome back to the Bay’s Monthly News roundup, where we sit down to talk about some of the other stories that we’ve been following this month. Alan Kids are back to school and it’s been a pretty chaotic return for students in Oakland. What’s going on?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Well, there is lead in the drinking water at dozens of Oakland public schools. You know, it has obviously kids, parents, teachers, very frustrated with the district, afraid for their kids safety. I mean, not a great start to the school year in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And how many schools are we talking about here? How bad and widespread is this problem?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Well, as of now, we know of at least 30. There’s been a lot of reporting on this from the Oakland side. KQED has done some reporting as well. Now, the district has a policy that if the lead in drinking water is five parts per billion, just the concentration of lead or higher that the district needs to basically get rid of the fountains and replace them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>We know of more than 30 schools in Oakland that are above that five parts per billion number. Some of the schools have much, much higher concentrations of lead. One school, a Lincoln Elementary, tested for 930 parts per billion. And there are at least a dozen that have about 50 parts per million, which is, you know, ten times the district’s sort of minimum level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So how were parents and students finding out about these high levels of lead in the school’s drinking water?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>So in mid-August, when almost was starting the new school year, families were getting notified that that there was lead or unsafe levels of lead in the drinking water in some of their schools. In many cases, the testing had actually been done much, much earlier. One example of this is at the Frick United Academy of Language.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>So on August 12th, which is, you know, the first day of school, teachers say they found out that six water fixtures at their schools tested over the safe limit of lead. But the testing was done in April. So teachers find this out on day one and they’re furious because, A, we have to now tell all of the kids on the first day of school, hey, do not drink the water from the fountain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>And B, kids were probably drinking it during the end of the school year during summer school. So the firestorm of anger in the district is not just about the fact that there is lead in the water. I mean, it should get fixed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>You know, this happens when pipes are old, but that the notification didn’t happen in an efficient way. They found out months later. And that’s something that the district has even copped to, that they did not communicate the test results fast enough to families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I think, like if I’m a parent and I have a kid in an Oakland school that has like, you know, maybe one of these schools that has a high amount, like you mentioned, should I be worried? I mean, is this dangerous? Is my child affected by this?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Well, there are no safe levels of lead in drinking water. I mean, the county health department even recommended that parents who have kids at one of these schools have them tested for lead exposure and that they actually bring along the communication from the district to their primary care doctor’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>The fountains that are known to have this lead in it have been shut down. But, you know, in in many cases, it’s possible that the kids have already drink the water that has led in it, because the way the district communicated this was so late.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, what has the district said about why it took them so long to notify parents, students and sounds like even teachers?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>As of now, we don’t totally know what went wrong here with the notification process. I should say we’re taping this before. Superintendent Kyla Johnson Tremmel is set to give a presentation to the public. The district has promised now that they will notify families within three days of testing and they will publish all of the results on a public dashboard. They say they’ll get this set up by January, but right now we don’t really know why this happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>Okay. So it sounds like there’s some plans in the works a little farther off. But what’s being done now about all of this?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Well, I think for the district, just in the immediate term, there’s just the basic like explaining to families what happened here and trying to reassure them. In the meantime, there’s still more testing going on as of this taping. Not all of that. Schools have been fully tested yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>And in terms of just being at school, the district is also providing filtered water dispensers at schools that have been affected. I think for teachers and kids, it’s just trying to get through the first month of school with this, you know, huge inconvenience that in many cases a lot of your drinking fountains are unsafe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>All right. Well, we’ll definitely continue to follow that story as it develops. Thank you so much, Alan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And last but not least, will cap off our news roundup with a story about an effort to try and force big tech to help the state’s struggling local news industry. This is a story that I have been following this month in a deal with state lawmakers. Google has agreed to pay $55 million over five years to a fund that would be distributed to local newsrooms and also fund AA technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This deal comes after this effort by two Bay Area lawmakers to try and force the biggest tech companies in Silicon Valley to really pay up essentially for the impact that some of these tech companies have had on our really I mean, faltering local news industry here in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>What role have they played specifically that led to some state lawmakers in California saying, hey, you guys got to pay up or at least help?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So some of the context here, I mean, the state of California has lost like about a third of its local newspapers since 2005. And as we know very well, I mean, news organizations are really trying to keep up with the changing media ecosystem. I mean, advertising has always been a huge source of revenue for newspapers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>But now publishers argue that search engines and social media platforms have really harmed the journalism business by hogging up all that advertising revenue while also benefiting from news content that they don’t pay for. And so to local lawmakers in the Bay Area tried to put forward these two laws that were really set up to try and secure a cut of tech money, really to kind of help prop up California’s struggling local news industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So one of them would have forced Google and Medha to negotiate a so-called usage fee with news outlets directly. Basically, Google pays a local news outlet for how many clicks it gets on Google when a user searches for a story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Another lawmaker from the Bay Area proposed a separate law that would have enforced a fee on major platforms like Google and Meta to basically provide a news outlet tax credit to help employ local journalists. And that ad actually would have raised $500 million a year, according to some estimates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>I mean, it sounds like the original idea is not exactly what they ended up agreeing on in the end. Could you kind of walk us through what those changes were? Was there pushback and how they ended up landing on this new deal? That has, you know, I as a part of it as well?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Yeah. Basically, Google is going to be paying much less than this. The original two bills that these lawmakers proposed. What’s happening instead is that the tech giant has agreed to pay $55 million over five years to support local media outlets. This money is going to be administered by UC Berkeley and kind of distributed to local news outlets from there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And it’s also going to help start an artificial intelligence program. The idea is to basically give some of these outlets some financial support to see how I can help them in their work. And there are kind of two big reasons I’d say why the original plan kind of failed. One being that Google has spent a lot of money lobbying against these bills. They spent about $2.1 million in response to Buffy Wicks bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And once Buffy Wicks is, Bill actually passed it in the state Assembly. Google actually retaliated and temporarily removed some links to California news websites from its search results. So there was just a lot of concern about how willing Google would be to kind of go along with this idea. And there was concern about whether Governor Newsom would have been willing to support this idea to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Calmatters actually reported that proponents said that it was actually really unlikely that Newsom would support any one of these bills because he pledged no tax increases this year. So those are two kind of big reasons why their original idea didn’t kind of come to fruition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong>Where were journalists in these negotiations? I mean, you know, this is a little bit of a meta conversation. I didn’t get a call about going to talk about this bill. I assume neither of you did either. What groups, if any, were weighing in on behalf of journalists who would be affected by this? Well, this now new law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Some groups representing journalists across California are really not happy about this deal. One really outspoken opponent is the Media Guild of the West, which represents reporters down in Southern California. The guild said that it was particularly concerned about this part of the deal involving artificial intelligence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And they sort of have concerns about what promoting A.I. could further do to the local news industry. They saw it as sort of a concession to the tech industry in that way that could actually lead to even more devastation to the local news industry and maybe even a further loss of of jobs among, like, reporters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So, yeah, I mean, basically, like there are a bunch of unions and and other groups sort of representing journalists across the the state who are accusing California lawmakers of kind of settling and others who say that, you know, local media is not really in a position to say no to more money either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So there’s a lot more work to be done to kind of help local news organizations across the state to to be as healthy as we need them to be, especially in an election year. And that is it for our August news roundup. Thank you so much, Alan and Molly, for joining me, it was fun guys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo: \u003c/strong> Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Molly Solomon: \u003c/strong>Thanks so much for having me. This was fun, you guys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The Bay is made by me and Alan Montecillo. We get support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad and Holly Kernan Music courtesy of Audio Network. The Bay is a production of listener supported KQED in San Francisco. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra…peace.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2016 and 2020, Berkeley and Oakland passed ballot measures giving 16 and 17-year olds the right to vote in local school board races. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It took years — and a lot of pressure from student activists — but in this election, Alameda County is finally ready to let students cast their ballots. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC3360881973&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://registertovote.ca.gov/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Register to vote online (click “pre-register”)\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000395/how-teen-voters-in-berkeley-oakland-can-shape-upcoming-school-board-elections\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">How Teen Voters in Berkeley, Oakland Can Shape Upcoming School Board Elections\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. After years of waiting, 16 to 17 year olds in Berkeley and Oakland will get a say in their local school board races this November. And it’s taken a lot of pressure and advocacy to finally make it happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ixchel Arista: \u003c/strong>It’s like a relief, but also a long time coming, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>It’s been eight years since Berkeley approved a measure giving students the right to vote for school board. And for years since voters did the same in Oakland. Today, how students push for the right to vote and what’s taken so long to implement it. When did people first start talking about allowing 16 and 17 year old students to vote in school board elections in the East Bay?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Well, this is all part of sort of a long time burbling national movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Annelise Finney is a reporter for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>This movement really took off in the East Bay in November of 2016. That year on the ballot, there was Berkeley’s Measure y one, which was going to allow young people to vote in school board elections and Proposition F in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Proposition F would have allowed young people to vote in all municipal elections. And it was a pretty big push. Ultimately, Proposition F in San Francisco failed. And Berkeley’s narrower ballot measure actually passed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This passed in 2016 and Berkeley have 16 to 17 year olds been able to vote there since then?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>No, not at all. It kind of stalled. The Berkeley measure had a provision in it that said that the city of Berkeley wasn’t going to pay at all to implement youth voting. So in a way, it’s kind of dead on arrival and it languished for a long time. I mean, it’s been eight years since then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>We’re talking about this now because finally Berkeley and now Oakland students as well get to vote in local school board elections. How exactly did this happen?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>A big part of why we’re seeing this happen this year is because Oakland pushed for this really hard. There’s an organization in Oakland called Oakland Kids First. It’s a community based organization that does a lot of organizing with young people. They’re embedded in local high schools and they work with people to figure out, you know, what kind of changes would you like to see in your school?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>And then they help them make that happen. So in 2019, that organization was working with young people and they had identified three areas they wanted to change in the school. And they all had to do with budget cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>There were proposed budget cuts to restorative justice coordinators, to AAPI students supports and foster youth caseworkers. And students felt like those things were super important for their peers. Then a few months later, Oakland teachers went on strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>News cast: \u003c/strong>On day one of the Oakland teachers strike kicked off with songs, rallying cries and thousands of teachers, parents, students and members of various unions gathered in solidarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>It was the beginning of a seven day strike. If you live in Oakland. You probably remember this. And Oakland students were a big part of all of this. They participated in pickets. They spoke at rallies and they organized alongside their teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lukas Brekke-Meisner: \u003c/strong>There was a lot of young people that were out in the streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>To learn a little bit more about this. I spoke with a man named Lukas Brekke-Meisner. He’s the executive director of Oakland Kids First, and he was there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lukas Brekke-Meisner: \u003c/strong>Picketing in front of their schools where leading marches downtown were at the rallies. And there came a point where the young people shared with union leadership like, hey, we actually are organizing some things right now to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Some of the young people said, Hey, we’re organizing with you. Can you organize with us and weave some of our demands? These three that I just mentioned about budget cuts into what the teachers were asking from the school district. Ultimately, what happened is that when the union deal came through and none of the student requests were in it, a lot of students were really mad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Student: \u003c/strong>We are here to tell you what we need, but it seems to be going in one ear and out the other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>The school board decided they were going to hold a meeting. It was the day after the union reached their deal with the district. And Lucas told me that students showed up in mass. He estimates there were about 500 students there coming out here. He started giving these really passionate comments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Student: \u003c/strong>But time and time again, you let us down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Student: \u003c/strong>We are tired of getting stepped on. We are tired of getting dragged through the mud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Student: \u003c/strong>Students have a voice and we will fight back. Where was our input in the strike negotiations?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Student: \u003c/strong>I’m here today speaking for all of the students of all because we deserve better than this. Then what? The student, the director have been.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>But the school board wasn’t really hearing it and they got a little overwhelmed. They eventually went into closed session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lukas Brekke-Meisner: \u003c/strong>I think it’s cemented for me and for a lot of the young people that like, if this is all we can do, like this isn’t good enough, like we’re not going to be able to move the needle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Lukas told me that there was a real realization that, you know, showing up at school board meetings and telling school board members how they felt wasn’t getting students to where they wanted to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>How does this eventually lead to them pushing for the right to vote in school board elections?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>After that meeting, students kind of went back. They thought about it some more. And after the summer, student leaders got together and said, What we want to push for is youth voting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ixchel Arista: \u003c/strong>Like I thought, we just keep our heads down and listen to what teachers tell us and that’s it. But know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Ixchel Arista is a graduate of Oakland High School. She started as a freshman there in 2020 and joined into this voting rights youth movement after sort of the drama I described in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ixchel Arista: \u003c/strong>I realized that it’s really important that students as young as possible get civically engaged and are aware of the change and the power they hold as constituents of a lot of different elected officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>For her, she said, this was all kind of common sense, that it made sense that students had been asking for this. Students are the number one constituency of the school board. They should have a say in what the school board decides to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ixchel Arista: \u003c/strong>It made sense. Again, the more I saw organizing, the more I was like, No, we should. Students have always had the ability to choose and elect the people who are going to be making the decisions that impact them every single day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>At the time, a lot of young people in Oakland didn’t know that Berkeley had passed a similar measure to what they might have been envisioning. And once they figured that out, they started working with some of the young people in Berkeley who had been part of that campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>They took the bones of Berkeley’s Measure y one and incorporated that into what they were going to ask for in Oakland. And they started meeting with city council members. And what they found was that Oakland City Council members were pretty on board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ixchel Arista: \u003c/strong>But it turns out it was only the beginning of a very, very long bureaucratic, just like logistical, technical process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, why it took so long to get youth voting up and running. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This measure in Oakland Measure Q. Q had some support among city councilors. It eventually got enough support from voters in Oakland to pass in 2020. But it still takes a really long time to implement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And then there’s still this Berkeley one from 2016 that’s like not really being fully implemented yet either. Why is that? And please, why is it taking so long for students to actually be able to finally exercise this right, even though these measures have already passed?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Yeah. Well, from the organizers I’ve spoken to and the young people who are part of this, they say there are really two things. The first is the technical challenge of getting this done. Young people have never voted in Alameda County before, so the county has to come up with a system for printing and processing. Youth votes have to be young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>People can only vote in this one type of election and our normal ballots have a bunch of elections. All of these kind of little questions that have to be answered about technically, how is this going to work? Right. The other part of this is the will. The Alameda County Register has had a lot going on. It’s kind of a fundamentally understaffed office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>The best example of that is that the registrar who oversees all of the county’s voting is also the IT director for the county, which means he oversees the entire county’s I.T. department. So they have a lot going on. And for a long time, this just wasn’t really a priority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I also imagine you have students, I mean, aging out, you know, I mean, the students who pushed for the measure in 2016 and in Berkeley, I mean, in four years are graduating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Yeah, This is something that Lukas said is is sort of a fundamental challenge of youth organizing. And, you know, I think we saw this in a different sphere, but with the pro-Palestine encampments at college campuses that, you know, there are these big breaks in the year, everybody goes home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Oftentimes they’re sort of disconnected from their friends. And then, as you mentioned, after four years, a lot of young people leave where they live and go off to do other things, whether that’s college or something else. And so there is this kind of churn and it is hard to create continuity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>But I think this is one thing that, you know, organizations like Oakland Kids First that are able to sort of stick with something and be adult allies through that gap are able to kind of help balance out and hopefully work against.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So what has that look like exactly since this measure passed in Oakland in 2020? What has the Alameda County registrar been up to to kind of get this finally going?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Oakland Unified School District hired an election consultant. They’re a technologist and they helped design the state’s voting system so they know how the system works and we’re able to come up with a plan for how this would work in Alameda County. But coming up with a plan is just part of it. They also have to test it and make sure it was going to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Oakland’s registrar had a series of sort of high profile mistakes in the 2022 general election. So the registrar has a lot of eyes watching it closely. And I think they are very kind of nervous about getting this right. And it was taking a long time. Initially the plan was for them to provide notice to Oakland and Berkeley about whether this was going to happen by July 12th, and they just blew past that deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>There was no word to the public about what was going on with it. At the same time, part of what the city’s had to figure out here is how this was all going to get paid for. As I remember, I talked about the Berkeley ballot measure issue where they said, you know, we’re not going to pay for this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>So why is the registrar sort of coming up with the technical plan? The cities are signing a cost sharing agreement. It’s shared now between Alameda County and the city of Oakland and the city of Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So how did activists find out that this is finally for real actually happening and when did they find out?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Well, they found out really recently. And we’re really excited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>I know a couple of weeks ago, some of the leaders of the Oakland Youth Vote Coalition, which is a number of different organizations, had the pleasure of letting some of the student activists know that this was actually going to happen this year. And they posted about it on social media. And you can hear they’re very excited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, Annelise, how rare is what is happening in Berkeley and Oakland? I mean, this this right, for students to vote in a local school board election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>There is a growing movement around this, but this is the first time this has happened in California. And that’s in part why this is such a challenge for the registrar to get off the ground. But it is sort of becoming a growing groundswell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>I mean, we saw this in San Francisco and Berkeley in 2016. We saw Oakland in 2020, and then this year on the November ballot, Albany voters are going to vote on whether to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote not only in school board elections, but all local elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>How are students being informed of their right to vote? I imagine that’s going to be its own thing to getting people to know to register, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Exactly. Yeah. This is something that Lucas also talked about that, you know, this is sort of about getting everybody to vote, but really it’s about building young people’s power and giving them a say in their schools and the way these schools are run. And that doesn’t happen just by having the right That happens when people are exercising it effectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lukas Brekke-Meisner: \u003c/strong>We’re really optimistic that we can lay a certain foundation of understanding on this so that when people are young, people are voting that like they have a sense of what they’re doing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>The Oakland Youth Vote Coalition designed a humanities curriculum. It’s a week long, but you can also break it up into chunks. It’s on their website. It’s free. And the hope is that teachers will take that up and during the school year teach young people about both how to register, but also how to look up who’s on the ballot and then also what it means to go vote, how you fill out all the bubbles, all the things that can get a little confusing and weird the first time that you vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what are the kind of issues that students will not have a say in that they maybe didn’t have before?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Yeah, you know, I think a lot of people don’t really know what the school board does. So that’s also part of what young people are going to have to get up to speed on. But what they’re going to now have a say on is how the district spends its money. And that’s a really big deal because it affects what types of programs the students have.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>And when there’s a pinch, it affects what types of programs get cut. On top of that, they’re also going to have a say in what kind of policies shape the school. To give you an example.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>A lot of people remember back in 2020, there was a lot of youth organizing around the George Floyd resolution to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department. Young people rallied around that a lot, but didn’t actually get to vote on the people who really got to make the decision on it. And now they’ll be able to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Annelise, thank you so much for breaking this down. I appreciate it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So if you are a 16 or 17 year old who wants to vote for school board in Oakland or Berkeley, you can fill out an online pre-registration form with the secretary of state’s office. We’ll leave a link in our show notes to that. Once it’s time to vote, you should get a ballot in the mail or you can vote in person at the county Registrar’s office located inside the Rene C Davidson Courthouse in downtown Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Annelise Finney, a reporter for KQED. This 30 minute conversation with Annelise was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. I produced this episode, scored it, and added all the tape Music courtesy of Audio Network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The Bay is a listener supported production of KQED Public Media in San Francisco. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thank you so much for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2016 and 2020, Berkeley and Oakland passed ballot measures giving 16 and 17-year olds the right to vote in local school board races. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It took years — and a lot of pressure from student activists — but in this election, Alameda County is finally ready to let students cast their ballots. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC3360881973&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://registertovote.ca.gov/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Register to vote online (click “pre-register”)\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000395/how-teen-voters-in-berkeley-oakland-can-shape-upcoming-school-board-elections\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">How Teen Voters in Berkeley, Oakland Can Shape Upcoming School Board Elections\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. After years of waiting, 16 to 17 year olds in Berkeley and Oakland will get a say in their local school board races this November. And it’s taken a lot of pressure and advocacy to finally make it happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ixchel Arista: \u003c/strong>It’s like a relief, but also a long time coming, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>It’s been eight years since Berkeley approved a measure giving students the right to vote for school board. And for years since voters did the same in Oakland. Today, how students push for the right to vote and what’s taken so long to implement it. When did people first start talking about allowing 16 and 17 year old students to vote in school board elections in the East Bay?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Well, this is all part of sort of a long time burbling national movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Annelise Finney is a reporter for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>This movement really took off in the East Bay in November of 2016. That year on the ballot, there was Berkeley’s Measure y one, which was going to allow young people to vote in school board elections and Proposition F in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Proposition F would have allowed young people to vote in all municipal elections. And it was a pretty big push. Ultimately, Proposition F in San Francisco failed. And Berkeley’s narrower ballot measure actually passed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This passed in 2016 and Berkeley have 16 to 17 year olds been able to vote there since then?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>No, not at all. It kind of stalled. The Berkeley measure had a provision in it that said that the city of Berkeley wasn’t going to pay at all to implement youth voting. So in a way, it’s kind of dead on arrival and it languished for a long time. I mean, it’s been eight years since then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>We’re talking about this now because finally Berkeley and now Oakland students as well get to vote in local school board elections. How exactly did this happen?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>A big part of why we’re seeing this happen this year is because Oakland pushed for this really hard. There’s an organization in Oakland called Oakland Kids First. It’s a community based organization that does a lot of organizing with young people. They’re embedded in local high schools and they work with people to figure out, you know, what kind of changes would you like to see in your school?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>And then they help them make that happen. So in 2019, that organization was working with young people and they had identified three areas they wanted to change in the school. And they all had to do with budget cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>There were proposed budget cuts to restorative justice coordinators, to AAPI students supports and foster youth caseworkers. And students felt like those things were super important for their peers. Then a few months later, Oakland teachers went on strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>News cast: \u003c/strong>On day one of the Oakland teachers strike kicked off with songs, rallying cries and thousands of teachers, parents, students and members of various unions gathered in solidarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>It was the beginning of a seven day strike. If you live in Oakland. You probably remember this. And Oakland students were a big part of all of this. They participated in pickets. They spoke at rallies and they organized alongside their teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lukas Brekke-Meisner: \u003c/strong>There was a lot of young people that were out in the streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>To learn a little bit more about this. I spoke with a man named Lukas Brekke-Meisner. He’s the executive director of Oakland Kids First, and he was there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lukas Brekke-Meisner: \u003c/strong>Picketing in front of their schools where leading marches downtown were at the rallies. And there came a point where the young people shared with union leadership like, hey, we actually are organizing some things right now to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Some of the young people said, Hey, we’re organizing with you. Can you organize with us and weave some of our demands? These three that I just mentioned about budget cuts into what the teachers were asking from the school district. Ultimately, what happened is that when the union deal came through and none of the student requests were in it, a lot of students were really mad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Student: \u003c/strong>We are here to tell you what we need, but it seems to be going in one ear and out the other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>The school board decided they were going to hold a meeting. It was the day after the union reached their deal with the district. And Lucas told me that students showed up in mass. He estimates there were about 500 students there coming out here. He started giving these really passionate comments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Student: \u003c/strong>But time and time again, you let us down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Student: \u003c/strong>We are tired of getting stepped on. We are tired of getting dragged through the mud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Student: \u003c/strong>Students have a voice and we will fight back. Where was our input in the strike negotiations?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Student: \u003c/strong>I’m here today speaking for all of the students of all because we deserve better than this. Then what? The student, the director have been.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>But the school board wasn’t really hearing it and they got a little overwhelmed. They eventually went into closed session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lukas Brekke-Meisner: \u003c/strong>I think it’s cemented for me and for a lot of the young people that like, if this is all we can do, like this isn’t good enough, like we’re not going to be able to move the needle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Lukas told me that there was a real realization that, you know, showing up at school board meetings and telling school board members how they felt wasn’t getting students to where they wanted to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>How does this eventually lead to them pushing for the right to vote in school board elections?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>After that meeting, students kind of went back. They thought about it some more. And after the summer, student leaders got together and said, What we want to push for is youth voting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ixchel Arista: \u003c/strong>Like I thought, we just keep our heads down and listen to what teachers tell us and that’s it. But know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Ixchel Arista is a graduate of Oakland High School. She started as a freshman there in 2020 and joined into this voting rights youth movement after sort of the drama I described in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ixchel Arista: \u003c/strong>I realized that it’s really important that students as young as possible get civically engaged and are aware of the change and the power they hold as constituents of a lot of different elected officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>For her, she said, this was all kind of common sense, that it made sense that students had been asking for this. Students are the number one constituency of the school board. They should have a say in what the school board decides to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ixchel Arista: \u003c/strong>It made sense. Again, the more I saw organizing, the more I was like, No, we should. Students have always had the ability to choose and elect the people who are going to be making the decisions that impact them every single day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>At the time, a lot of young people in Oakland didn’t know that Berkeley had passed a similar measure to what they might have been envisioning. And once they figured that out, they started working with some of the young people in Berkeley who had been part of that campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>They took the bones of Berkeley’s Measure y one and incorporated that into what they were going to ask for in Oakland. And they started meeting with city council members. And what they found was that Oakland City Council members were pretty on board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ixchel Arista: \u003c/strong>But it turns out it was only the beginning of a very, very long bureaucratic, just like logistical, technical process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, why it took so long to get youth voting up and running. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This measure in Oakland Measure Q. Q had some support among city councilors. It eventually got enough support from voters in Oakland to pass in 2020. But it still takes a really long time to implement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And then there’s still this Berkeley one from 2016 that’s like not really being fully implemented yet either. Why is that? And please, why is it taking so long for students to actually be able to finally exercise this right, even though these measures have already passed?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Yeah. Well, from the organizers I’ve spoken to and the young people who are part of this, they say there are really two things. The first is the technical challenge of getting this done. Young people have never voted in Alameda County before, so the county has to come up with a system for printing and processing. Youth votes have to be young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>People can only vote in this one type of election and our normal ballots have a bunch of elections. All of these kind of little questions that have to be answered about technically, how is this going to work? Right. The other part of this is the will. The Alameda County Register has had a lot going on. It’s kind of a fundamentally understaffed office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>The best example of that is that the registrar who oversees all of the county’s voting is also the IT director for the county, which means he oversees the entire county’s I.T. department. So they have a lot going on. And for a long time, this just wasn’t really a priority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I also imagine you have students, I mean, aging out, you know, I mean, the students who pushed for the measure in 2016 and in Berkeley, I mean, in four years are graduating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Yeah, This is something that Lukas said is is sort of a fundamental challenge of youth organizing. And, you know, I think we saw this in a different sphere, but with the pro-Palestine encampments at college campuses that, you know, there are these big breaks in the year, everybody goes home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Oftentimes they’re sort of disconnected from their friends. And then, as you mentioned, after four years, a lot of young people leave where they live and go off to do other things, whether that’s college or something else. And so there is this kind of churn and it is hard to create continuity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>But I think this is one thing that, you know, organizations like Oakland Kids First that are able to sort of stick with something and be adult allies through that gap are able to kind of help balance out and hopefully work against.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So what has that look like exactly since this measure passed in Oakland in 2020? What has the Alameda County registrar been up to to kind of get this finally going?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Oakland Unified School District hired an election consultant. They’re a technologist and they helped design the state’s voting system so they know how the system works and we’re able to come up with a plan for how this would work in Alameda County. But coming up with a plan is just part of it. They also have to test it and make sure it was going to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Oakland’s registrar had a series of sort of high profile mistakes in the 2022 general election. So the registrar has a lot of eyes watching it closely. And I think they are very kind of nervous about getting this right. And it was taking a long time. Initially the plan was for them to provide notice to Oakland and Berkeley about whether this was going to happen by July 12th, and they just blew past that deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>There was no word to the public about what was going on with it. At the same time, part of what the city’s had to figure out here is how this was all going to get paid for. As I remember, I talked about the Berkeley ballot measure issue where they said, you know, we’re not going to pay for this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>So why is the registrar sort of coming up with the technical plan? The cities are signing a cost sharing agreement. It’s shared now between Alameda County and the city of Oakland and the city of Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So how did activists find out that this is finally for real actually happening and when did they find out?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Well, they found out really recently. And we’re really excited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>I know a couple of weeks ago, some of the leaders of the Oakland Youth Vote Coalition, which is a number of different organizations, had the pleasure of letting some of the student activists know that this was actually going to happen this year. And they posted about it on social media. And you can hear they’re very excited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, Annelise, how rare is what is happening in Berkeley and Oakland? I mean, this this right, for students to vote in a local school board election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>There is a growing movement around this, but this is the first time this has happened in California. And that’s in part why this is such a challenge for the registrar to get off the ground. But it is sort of becoming a growing groundswell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>I mean, we saw this in San Francisco and Berkeley in 2016. We saw Oakland in 2020, and then this year on the November ballot, Albany voters are going to vote on whether to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote not only in school board elections, but all local elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>How are students being informed of their right to vote? I imagine that’s going to be its own thing to getting people to know to register, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Exactly. Yeah. This is something that Lucas also talked about that, you know, this is sort of about getting everybody to vote, but really it’s about building young people’s power and giving them a say in their schools and the way these schools are run. And that doesn’t happen just by having the right That happens when people are exercising it effectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lukas Brekke-Meisner: \u003c/strong>We’re really optimistic that we can lay a certain foundation of understanding on this so that when people are young, people are voting that like they have a sense of what they’re doing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>The Oakland Youth Vote Coalition designed a humanities curriculum. It’s a week long, but you can also break it up into chunks. It’s on their website. It’s free. And the hope is that teachers will take that up and during the school year teach young people about both how to register, but also how to look up who’s on the ballot and then also what it means to go vote, how you fill out all the bubbles, all the things that can get a little confusing and weird the first time that you vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what are the kind of issues that students will not have a say in that they maybe didn’t have before?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Yeah, you know, I think a lot of people don’t really know what the school board does. So that’s also part of what young people are going to have to get up to speed on. But what they’re going to now have a say on is how the district spends its money. And that’s a really big deal because it affects what types of programs the students have.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>And when there’s a pinch, it affects what types of programs get cut. On top of that, they’re also going to have a say in what kind of policies shape the school. To give you an example.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>A lot of people remember back in 2020, there was a lot of youth organizing around the George Floyd resolution to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department. Young people rallied around that a lot, but didn’t actually get to vote on the people who really got to make the decision on it. And now they’ll be able to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Annelise, thank you so much for breaking this down. I appreciate it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annelise Finney: \u003c/strong>Thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So if you are a 16 or 17 year old who wants to vote for school board in Oakland or Berkeley, you can fill out an online pre-registration form with the secretary of state’s office. We’ll leave a link in our show notes to that. Once it’s time to vote, you should get a ballot in the mail or you can vote in person at the county Registrar’s office located inside the Rene C Davidson Courthouse in downtown Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Annelise Finney, a reporter for KQED. This 30 minute conversation with Annelise was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. I produced this episode, scored it, and added all the tape Music courtesy of Audio Network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The Bay is a listener supported production of KQED Public Media in San Francisco. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thank you so much for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"title": "California Forever Pulls Ballot Measure to Build New City in Solano County — For Now",
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"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It seemed like California Forever, the billionaire-backed company intent on building a brand new city in Solano County, was going full speed ahead with a ballot measure that would have authorized construction. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But late last month, the group abruptly pulled the measure, promising to bring it back in 2026. So what changed?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC6742424972&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. For a while it seemed like nothing could stop California forever from plowing ahead with its billionaire backed idea to build a brand new city in Solano County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was until late last month, when the group sort of out of nowhere pooled the ballot measure set to go before voters this November to approve their plan. But make no mistake, we’re going to be hearing about this plan again pretty soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jan Sramek: \u003c/strong>I do think it’s going to be a vote on the future of Solano County, but it is also going to be a referendum on California more broadly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>California forever CEO, Jan Sramek says he’s going to spend the next two years trying to get more people on board with the East L.A. plan before bringing it again before voters. Today, why California forever changed course?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I remember the moment that I heard the news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Adhiti Bandlamudi is a housing reporter for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I was actually working on a story about their housing portion of the plan. I had all my interviews ready. I was preparing for the Board of Supervisors meeting the next day where the board was going to formally place it on the ballot. And then I remember seeing the news in the morning and it was a complete shock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You have been spending months really reporting on the East L.A. plan, reporting on California forever. And it seemed like they were just sort of plowing forward with this idea. But then they make this announcement. I mean, what was their rationale at the time for just dropping the idea so suddenly?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>We now know, based on campaign finance records, that they spent $9 million to get this on the ballot when they gave their explanation as to why they were making the sudden change. They said that there were two things that they kept hearing from Solano voters. They wanted to see an environmental impact report and a development agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>The environmental impact report would have basically laid out how the new city would impact the vernal pools and the Jepson prairie. These like very important habitats that are in that area. And it would have also laid out important things like how the new city would get its water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>The development agreement is sort of like a report which would show how the county would hold the company accountable, basically for making good on the many promises that were tacked on to this plan, including bringing 15,000 good paying jobs to the county, things like that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Based on their timeline, they were anyway going to spend the next two years working on those reports. So they said they would basically flip the timeline a bit, release the environmental impact report and the development agreement over the next two years, and then have the voters decide the fate of the new city in 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That is what California forever was saying in July when they announced that they were dropping this ballot measure. But you actually spent the last couple of weeks reporting to really understand what was going on behind the scenes a little bit more, how they sort of went from going full speed ahead on this idea to this sort of screeching halt. First, how did you go about trying to answer this question of why California forever suddenly dropped this idea from the ballot?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I was not satisfied with the company’s initial answer that it was just because people were calling for these reports because arguably people had been calling for these reports for months. So I called a few people who had worked with the campaign who agreed to speak off the record and include their perspective in my story, but only anonymously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And then I spoke to people on the record to sort of see if they agreed or if those if those sentiments were similar. And then I posed questions to California forever to sort of like get their reaction to those comments. And what I learned is that the story goes way deeper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Yeah. What did you would you find?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Right in the beginning, I think they started off on the wrong foot. You know, I talked to so many people about the project and the thing that kept coming up is that they bought the land in secret since 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>News cast: \u003c/strong>The group only revealed this summer that they are, in fact, a collection of Silicon Valley billionaires looking to build a new city. They call the project California Forever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I mean, we didn’t even know who was buying up the land until The New York Times broke the story in August of last year. I think it just rubbed people the wrong way. And I even talked to people at California forever who agreed that the land purchase was not a great look, though it might have made business sense to, like, purchase it in secret.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>It strikes me that it’s been a year since we actually found out who was behind former Lee Flannery Associates. What we now know is California forever. Did they go too fast here?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>That’s a big part of the problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jan Sramek: \u003c/strong>I mean, I think we went we went a little bit too quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>When I spoke with Jan Sramek:, he was basically saying that by putting it on this aggressive timeline of going to November and not really having a lot of time to talk to people and build those really important relationships, it not only made the project incredibly politicized, so much so that people didn’t want to be associated with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And he said that that really hindered the company’s ability to talk with people. And I think in speaking with county officials and just like people in general, they felt like the timeline was incredibly aggressive and it made it difficult to kind of include other perspectives in that eventual vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jan Sramek: \u003c/strong>We didn’t fully appreciate the extent to which putting this on the ballot would make it harder for people to work with us locally. And so we excited to kind of improve that dramatically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I know you also heard from some people about the culture of the campaign, especially CEO John Shrum. Six inner circle. What can you tell us about that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I had also heard from some people who had worked on the campaign who agreed to sort of speak with me anonymously, that the company had this sort of like. White male bro culture that ultimately affected how they were able to, you know, kind of like interact and connect with the the very diverse community that is Solano County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Many of them are, you know, people who came from bigger cities who want to sort of like build this dense urbanist vision for a new city. Solano County especially. And I even found this amongst the like. Supporters of the project are very diverse, like especially young families of color. So many people of color like love this project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And I got I heard so much support from them, but I didn’t necessarily see, you know, those people involved in like the leadership positions. I did talk to someone who worked with the campaign who basically said, you know, many of the decisions were sort of made by this like group of like white men.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And it was difficult to include other perspectives necessarily in those like, big decisions. I opposed this to California forever. Too young trying to ask, like what he has to say to this criticism. And he did agree that, you know, the company can do better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>He pointed to the like community advisory committee that is very diverse and filled with Solano residents. But it’s not necessarily clear to me how much power those individuals really had in shaping what the town would be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, who California forever needs to win over to build their new city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So what has this combination of moving too fast and also not getting enough people at the table meant for public opinion among people in Solano County when it comes to California Forever’s grand idea?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>They didn’t have enough support from local elected officials. They just like could not get anyone to sign on to this plan. When you’re developing housing or building a city from scratch, it ultimately requires county approval.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Even if California forever won the November election, let’s just say that they got all the votes they needed, they would still need county approval to build the roads and the underlying infrastructure for the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>If they wanted to use public funding to finance some of the roads and you know that highway expansion they were promising of expanding highways 12 and 113 they would need county approval to do that. And it’s way harder to get those approvals if the elected officials in charge don’t trust you or like the project that you’re working on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mitch Mashburn: \u003c/strong>So I still am not in favor of the project as proposed in the initiative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I spoke with Supervisor Mitch Mashburn. He’s the chair of the Board of Supervisors in Solano, and he was saying that he doesn’t like the project the way that it stands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mitch Mashburn: \u003c/strong>Based on empirical data. Show us how this is a plan to do no harm, how it’s planned to truly help and not hinder or hurt in our county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>He will need to see significant changes in order to sign off on it and, you know, really get behind what California forever wants to build.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mitch Mashburn: \u003c/strong>It was the best possibility for the residents of our county moving forward to have a chance to get a true understanding of what the impacts of this project would be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, what is your sense of public opinion at this point?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>This topic is really divisive. There are people that either love it or hate it. And I think a large group of people are still trying to figure out how they feel about it, especially since there are a lot of questions that are remaining. I’ve spoken to a number of groups, including like Artists Against Billionaires, Solano Together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Both organizations say they’re going to keep on urging the company to answer some of these questions and hold the company accountable. I also heard from people who are sort of keeping an open mind about the project, who in the meantime want to see the company investing moneys into the city is that exist almost as a way of showing goodwill that they genuinely care about the county?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Anthony Summers: \u003c/strong>As a pastor, many of my congregants who wanted to buy a home for the first time have had to move to Sacramento, and then the choice of them commuting back to Vallejo to be a part of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I was talking to Anthony Summers. He’s a pastor in Vallejo, and he said that he wants to see investment in his local community and also how the company can be held accountable for all these promises that they’re, you know, saying that they’re going to bring to this new city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Anthony Summers: \u003c/strong>I believe it’s a it’s a fresh idea. Right. And a chance to revitalize this area. You know, and so, again, from Vallejo growing up, you know, we just have to make sure that the partnership is such that people are afforded the opportunities that are being talked about and hold the the founders of the company accountable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What does this decision authority to drop the ballot measure actually mean? Like, how do you think this changes things? Now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>This project is not dead. They have a lot of work ahead of them. First off, they say that they’re going to get their environmental impact report and development agreement done in two years. Those things usually take like two decades for a project of this size to complete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>So if they can get all those reports done in two years, that alone will be a feat. They’ll also need to make up a lot of ground amongst people who still do not trust them. Definitely more conversations with locals. They’ll need more officials on board with their plan who will be willing to work with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Probably more schmoozing going on. Do you think we’re going to see more billboards?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>We definitely might see more billboards. We might see more schmoozing. But I will say, I think the billboards were, you know, focused around this like, ballot initiative, like coming to the voters in November. And now it’s more of a soft skill that the company is going to have to flex a bit. For sure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>There’s going to have to be more like earnest conversations with people who live, you know, in Rio Vista and in Sassoon, like kind of close to the new city, but also just people who they’re going to need votes from in 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>In California. For better or for worse, we have passed a myriad of legislation to kind of make sure that developers take into consideration the environment, what people want, how water is going to get there, how many people will live there, how affordable it’ll be. And California forever ran into that. They ultimately needed community support and they will need it in order to pass this thing in two years or whenever they bring it back to the voters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Adhiti, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>On Friday afternoon, TechCrunch reported that the family of Marc Andresen, one of the billionaire investors behind California forever, is preparing to build a separate development of more than a thousand homes in Vacaville. The subdivision would be ten miles away from the proposed California Forever project. It will still need city approval.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Adhiti Bandlamudi, a housing reporter for KQED. This 30 minute conversation with Adhiti was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. I produced this episode, scored it, and added all the tape music courtesy of Audio Network. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It seemed like California Forever, the billionaire-backed company intent on building a brand new city in Solano County, was going full speed ahead with a ballot measure that would have authorized construction. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But late last month, the group abruptly pulled the measure, promising to bring it back in 2026. So what changed?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC6742424972&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. For a while it seemed like nothing could stop California forever from plowing ahead with its billionaire backed idea to build a brand new city in Solano County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was until late last month, when the group sort of out of nowhere pooled the ballot measure set to go before voters this November to approve their plan. But make no mistake, we’re going to be hearing about this plan again pretty soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jan Sramek: \u003c/strong>I do think it’s going to be a vote on the future of Solano County, but it is also going to be a referendum on California more broadly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>California forever CEO, Jan Sramek says he’s going to spend the next two years trying to get more people on board with the East L.A. plan before bringing it again before voters. Today, why California forever changed course?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I remember the moment that I heard the news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Adhiti Bandlamudi is a housing reporter for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I was actually working on a story about their housing portion of the plan. I had all my interviews ready. I was preparing for the Board of Supervisors meeting the next day where the board was going to formally place it on the ballot. And then I remember seeing the news in the morning and it was a complete shock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You have been spending months really reporting on the East L.A. plan, reporting on California forever. And it seemed like they were just sort of plowing forward with this idea. But then they make this announcement. I mean, what was their rationale at the time for just dropping the idea so suddenly?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>We now know, based on campaign finance records, that they spent $9 million to get this on the ballot when they gave their explanation as to why they were making the sudden change. They said that there were two things that they kept hearing from Solano voters. They wanted to see an environmental impact report and a development agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>The environmental impact report would have basically laid out how the new city would impact the vernal pools and the Jepson prairie. These like very important habitats that are in that area. And it would have also laid out important things like how the new city would get its water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>The development agreement is sort of like a report which would show how the county would hold the company accountable, basically for making good on the many promises that were tacked on to this plan, including bringing 15,000 good paying jobs to the county, things like that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Based on their timeline, they were anyway going to spend the next two years working on those reports. So they said they would basically flip the timeline a bit, release the environmental impact report and the development agreement over the next two years, and then have the voters decide the fate of the new city in 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That is what California forever was saying in July when they announced that they were dropping this ballot measure. But you actually spent the last couple of weeks reporting to really understand what was going on behind the scenes a little bit more, how they sort of went from going full speed ahead on this idea to this sort of screeching halt. First, how did you go about trying to answer this question of why California forever suddenly dropped this idea from the ballot?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I was not satisfied with the company’s initial answer that it was just because people were calling for these reports because arguably people had been calling for these reports for months. So I called a few people who had worked with the campaign who agreed to speak off the record and include their perspective in my story, but only anonymously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And then I spoke to people on the record to sort of see if they agreed or if those if those sentiments were similar. And then I posed questions to California forever to sort of like get their reaction to those comments. And what I learned is that the story goes way deeper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Yeah. What did you would you find?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Right in the beginning, I think they started off on the wrong foot. You know, I talked to so many people about the project and the thing that kept coming up is that they bought the land in secret since 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>News cast: \u003c/strong>The group only revealed this summer that they are, in fact, a collection of Silicon Valley billionaires looking to build a new city. They call the project California Forever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I mean, we didn’t even know who was buying up the land until The New York Times broke the story in August of last year. I think it just rubbed people the wrong way. And I even talked to people at California forever who agreed that the land purchase was not a great look, though it might have made business sense to, like, purchase it in secret.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>It strikes me that it’s been a year since we actually found out who was behind former Lee Flannery Associates. What we now know is California forever. Did they go too fast here?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>That’s a big part of the problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jan Sramek: \u003c/strong>I mean, I think we went we went a little bit too quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>When I spoke with Jan Sramek:, he was basically saying that by putting it on this aggressive timeline of going to November and not really having a lot of time to talk to people and build those really important relationships, it not only made the project incredibly politicized, so much so that people didn’t want to be associated with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And he said that that really hindered the company’s ability to talk with people. And I think in speaking with county officials and just like people in general, they felt like the timeline was incredibly aggressive and it made it difficult to kind of include other perspectives in that eventual vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jan Sramek: \u003c/strong>We didn’t fully appreciate the extent to which putting this on the ballot would make it harder for people to work with us locally. And so we excited to kind of improve that dramatically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I know you also heard from some people about the culture of the campaign, especially CEO John Shrum. Six inner circle. What can you tell us about that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I had also heard from some people who had worked on the campaign who agreed to sort of speak with me anonymously, that the company had this sort of like. White male bro culture that ultimately affected how they were able to, you know, kind of like interact and connect with the the very diverse community that is Solano County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Many of them are, you know, people who came from bigger cities who want to sort of like build this dense urbanist vision for a new city. Solano County especially. And I even found this amongst the like. Supporters of the project are very diverse, like especially young families of color. So many people of color like love this project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And I got I heard so much support from them, but I didn’t necessarily see, you know, those people involved in like the leadership positions. I did talk to someone who worked with the campaign who basically said, you know, many of the decisions were sort of made by this like group of like white men.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And it was difficult to include other perspectives necessarily in those like, big decisions. I opposed this to California forever. Too young trying to ask, like what he has to say to this criticism. And he did agree that, you know, the company can do better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>He pointed to the like community advisory committee that is very diverse and filled with Solano residents. But it’s not necessarily clear to me how much power those individuals really had in shaping what the town would be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, who California forever needs to win over to build their new city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So what has this combination of moving too fast and also not getting enough people at the table meant for public opinion among people in Solano County when it comes to California Forever’s grand idea?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>They didn’t have enough support from local elected officials. They just like could not get anyone to sign on to this plan. When you’re developing housing or building a city from scratch, it ultimately requires county approval.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Even if California forever won the November election, let’s just say that they got all the votes they needed, they would still need county approval to build the roads and the underlying infrastructure for the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>If they wanted to use public funding to finance some of the roads and you know that highway expansion they were promising of expanding highways 12 and 113 they would need county approval to do that. And it’s way harder to get those approvals if the elected officials in charge don’t trust you or like the project that you’re working on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mitch Mashburn: \u003c/strong>So I still am not in favor of the project as proposed in the initiative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I spoke with Supervisor Mitch Mashburn. He’s the chair of the Board of Supervisors in Solano, and he was saying that he doesn’t like the project the way that it stands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mitch Mashburn: \u003c/strong>Based on empirical data. Show us how this is a plan to do no harm, how it’s planned to truly help and not hinder or hurt in our county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>He will need to see significant changes in order to sign off on it and, you know, really get behind what California forever wants to build.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mitch Mashburn: \u003c/strong>It was the best possibility for the residents of our county moving forward to have a chance to get a true understanding of what the impacts of this project would be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, what is your sense of public opinion at this point?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>This topic is really divisive. There are people that either love it or hate it. And I think a large group of people are still trying to figure out how they feel about it, especially since there are a lot of questions that are remaining. I’ve spoken to a number of groups, including like Artists Against Billionaires, Solano Together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Both organizations say they’re going to keep on urging the company to answer some of these questions and hold the company accountable. I also heard from people who are sort of keeping an open mind about the project, who in the meantime want to see the company investing moneys into the city is that exist almost as a way of showing goodwill that they genuinely care about the county?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Anthony Summers: \u003c/strong>As a pastor, many of my congregants who wanted to buy a home for the first time have had to move to Sacramento, and then the choice of them commuting back to Vallejo to be a part of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I was talking to Anthony Summers. He’s a pastor in Vallejo, and he said that he wants to see investment in his local community and also how the company can be held accountable for all these promises that they’re, you know, saying that they’re going to bring to this new city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Anthony Summers: \u003c/strong>I believe it’s a it’s a fresh idea. Right. And a chance to revitalize this area. You know, and so, again, from Vallejo growing up, you know, we just have to make sure that the partnership is such that people are afforded the opportunities that are being talked about and hold the the founders of the company accountable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What does this decision authority to drop the ballot measure actually mean? Like, how do you think this changes things? Now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>This project is not dead. They have a lot of work ahead of them. First off, they say that they’re going to get their environmental impact report and development agreement done in two years. Those things usually take like two decades for a project of this size to complete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>So if they can get all those reports done in two years, that alone will be a feat. They’ll also need to make up a lot of ground amongst people who still do not trust them. Definitely more conversations with locals. They’ll need more officials on board with their plan who will be willing to work with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Probably more schmoozing going on. Do you think we’re going to see more billboards?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>We definitely might see more billboards. We might see more schmoozing. But I will say, I think the billboards were, you know, focused around this like, ballot initiative, like coming to the voters in November. And now it’s more of a soft skill that the company is going to have to flex a bit. For sure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>There’s going to have to be more like earnest conversations with people who live, you know, in Rio Vista and in Sassoon, like kind of close to the new city, but also just people who they’re going to need votes from in 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>In California. For better or for worse, we have passed a myriad of legislation to kind of make sure that developers take into consideration the environment, what people want, how water is going to get there, how many people will live there, how affordable it’ll be. And California forever ran into that. They ultimately needed community support and they will need it in order to pass this thing in two years or whenever they bring it back to the voters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Adhiti, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>On Friday afternoon, TechCrunch reported that the family of Marc Andresen, one of the billionaire investors behind California forever, is preparing to build a separate development of more than a thousand homes in Vacaville. The subdivision would be ten miles away from the proposed California Forever project. It will still need city approval.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Adhiti Bandlamudi, a housing reporter for KQED. This 30 minute conversation with Adhiti was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. I produced this episode, scored it, and added all the tape music courtesy of Audio Network. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"title": "Richmond's $550 Million Deal with Chevron",
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"headTitle": "Richmond’s $550 Million Deal with Chevron | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, the Richmond City Council scrapped a November ballot measure that would have imposed a new oil-refining tax on the nearby Chevron refinery. Instead, the council voted unanimously to approve a $550 million settlement with the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED’s Dan Brekke explains why city leaders chose to strike a deal instead of taking the issue to the ballot box.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC6602217575&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the bay. Local news to keep you rooted. The city of Richmond has ditched a Chevron refinery tax that it planned to let voters weigh on this November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Instead, Chevron will pay the city more than half $1 billion over the next ten years as part of an agreement to prove it wants to be a good neighbor. And city officials say they want Chevron to pay up not just for past harms, but to help build a future that relies less on the oil refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>We are all ready to wait. We’re already doing too little. We need to start to work through just transition now, not in ten years. We need to make those investments now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, Richmond’s long standing battle to get Chevron to pay up. And what’s in this deal?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>There’s a natural conflict between industry and residential areas. It’s been played out in many places.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Dan Brekke is a reporter and editor for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Refineries produce lots of things that people shouldn’t be breathing. They put lots of things in the water that people shouldn’t be drinking. And Chevron does all of that stuff. The city has become more and more conscious and more and more aggressive about trying to get Chevron to respond to community concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And, you know, Richmond, like many cities and especially many cities with large minority populations. People are in the lower income brackets. They have a chronic financial problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And so they’ve turned to Chevron, which is the largest employer in town, is a. Fabulously wealthy company. I mean, they made more than $21 billion in profit last year. That’s not revenue. That’s profit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And Chevron is already the largest taxpayer in the city of Richmond by far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>They account for about one sixth of the city’s total revenue every year. So they entered into an agreement about ten years ago for Chevron to start making payments, you know, to try to pay for some of the things the city has to pay for it. So this agreement from ten years ago was running out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>It was a ten year settlement. And mindful of that, the city council and community activists, especially a group called Communities for a Better Environment, started to think about, well, how do we go forward?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So one idea was a November ballot measure. What would it have done?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The idea they came up with was to pass a new tax. And it was a very ambitious tax. But, you know, in broad strokes, what it would do is for the next 50 years, it would bring in something like 60 to $90 million a year. If you multiply 50 by 60 million or 90 million, you get into the 3 billion to $4.5 billion range over the next half century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>That’s something that the city of Richmond sorely needs. And it would also allow it to to do things in terms of health programs, what they call just transition programs to start job training for people in the city who might be reliant on the refinery work in some way. And and the city was very committed to this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So it was on track for the November ballot, as you said. What happened to it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The city council went ahead in June and put this on the November ballot and immediately got sued by what appears to be a front group for Chevron. One of the attacks on the measure in the lawsuit was the ballot question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The Chevron Allied Group said that the way it was written, the only logical answer to the question as it was posed would be to vote yes. Right. And that’s a level of bias. They argue that’s not allowed under state law. The city had the option of moving ahead with this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>But, you know, what the judge found was that the ballot question was indeed in permissibly biased. And so the judge, even though he only issued a tentative ruling on this, was signaling to all the parties this wording is not what you’re going to see on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So a superior court judge’s preliminary ruling sort of signaled to the city of Richmond that maybe there might be more legal fights ahead for this ballot measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Yeah, that’s absolutely right. So the city council was getting caution from the city attorney that there was going to be litigation ahead. Chevron had already said, look, you know, we’ll sue to stop this. And the city attorney was very concerned about what that might mean for the city going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And what he pointed to was the city of Carson down near Los Angeles that passed a tax on its resident refinery in 2017, but hasn’t been able to spend a dime from the revenue because they’ve been tied up in court the whole time. So what the city attorney’s warning was essentially was, look, we could pass this and maybe we’re going to go and win the vote in November, but it may be years before we see money from this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And so behind the scenes, an ad hoc committee of city council members negotiated behind closed doors with Chevron, and they came up with what they’re calling a settlement, settling this difference between them about how to go forward on this revenue question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up. Richmond And Chevron’s agreement and how it’s different from what would have been on the ballot. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So basically, the city of Richmond was afraid of having to spend millions and millions of dollars fighting this in court. So they set this ballot measure aside and instead struck a deal with Chevron. What was in this deal exactly, And how is it different from this failed ballot measure?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The main thing is the money, as we said, about the ballot measure. The estimate was it would bring in 60 to $90 million a year for 50 years. Now, the agreement that was on the table before the city council was a ten year agreement. Chevron would immediately start paying the city $50 million a year, no strings attached.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And after the first five years, $60 Million a year. And so it would come to a total of 550 million after a decade. Now, that’s money over and above what the city would expect through its normal taxes. Right? It has a payroll tax that Chevron pays their property taxes that Chevron pays, and the city gets money from that. Now, so that was a key part of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>This money is over and above everything that we’re already paying. The other thing is, if you decide you want to try to tax us again like you did with this measure, you can do that. The city is not ceding the right to to come back and try to do that again during this ten year agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And how were city leaders at this meeting like rationalizing this deal? Why did they say this was better than the ballot measure that would have been on the ballot in November?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Well, it was surprising to me for a city council that has a reputation of being somewhat fractious. They all seem to be like we’re doing the right thing here. I think it’s pretty simple. It’s a bird in the hand versus something that might be great, but also might be nothing going forward. So let’s go for what’s what we know we can get now because it’s substantial enough that it’s going to allow us to make a start on some of our priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>This has always been about money, about paying their fair share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Council member Doria Robinson: is a member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance, which is one of the factions on the Richmond City Council. And as its name suggests, I mean, they are pretty forward in terms of thinking about green issues and corporate responsibility and social justice, environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>We are absolutely committed to ensuring that these funds are used both to meet both immediate needs and to invest in just transition away from extractive, polluting fossil fuel economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>She talked about looking over, you know, toward the refinery as a child, seeing the smoke rising from it and thinking this is just something that I’ve always lived with and it’s about time we take care of things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>I live on these blocks. I see people in and in my grandparents church and in the schools, my neighbors. And they all when I talk to them, they’re like, Take the deal. Take the deal. We need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>I am accountable to the people of Richmond, to the people who actually suck in these fumes every every day, every day, including myself. I live here and I feel like we need to put this money to work now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Where is Chevron in all of this? How are they feeling about this deal?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>I think where Chevron is coming from, Chevron would like peace in the city of Richmond, Right? They don’t want people on their back. They don’t want people trying to pass taxes. Chevron is going. Look, I mean, this is a gesture from us that we’re serious about your concerns and we want to work with you. And that’s literally what the Chevron representative at the meeting, Bryan Hubinger, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryan Hubinger: \u003c/strong>This agreement will allow Chevron Richmond to continue to employ thousands of Bay Area residents and remain focused on providing affordable, reliable and ever cleaner energy that this region demands every day, while also supplying the city with much needed additional funding to support our communities needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What about the folks who I mean, organized to put the ballot measure forward in November? How are they responding to this deal that the city then cut with Chevron?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>There was a coalition that was campaigning for this make polluters pay. And a lot of the people who spoke at the meeting identify themselves as part of that coalition. And they had two things to say. One was, look, what’s happening today is because we organized. And then the other thread was, it’s really disappointing we’re not going forward because this is the right thing to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kerry Guerin: \u003c/strong>When our community members dreamt up this vision. It focused on a public campaign that empowered residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Kerry Guerin is an attorney for Communities for a Better Environment, the Richmond office. They have and was instrumental in writing the tax measure and coming up with the ballot language. By all accounts, and expressed really serious disappointment that for now this issue is going to end with this settlement with Chevron.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kerry Guerin: \u003c/strong>Our campaign did not approach the city with this concept just so that Chevron would cut a deal that is pennies to them. I did not write this ballot measure and tax ordinance so that the city could settle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Just so I understand, is the difference that with the ballot measure, Chevron would have been basically under this agreement for a much longer period than this deal that they just cut with the city. Are they getting less money this way? Like what? What really is at the heart You think of the disappointment, I guess, from from organizers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>I mean, I think there are two things that you just brought up that are really important. One is that this is a ten year agreement versus a tax that would have been in effect for 50 years. The amount of money is also really important. So they’ll get an average of $55 million a year over the next decade as opposed to 60 to $90 million a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Now, that larger figure, there is a caveat there that assumes that the Chevron’s Richmond refinery is going to continue operating for the next half century the way it has been. Right. And we don’t know that that’s true. There is going to be a transition. I won’t live to see it, but one can’t assume that things are going to continue the same way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The other thing that I think is more subtle is that people are really thinking about trying to find ways of getting the company to operate and fundamentally different ways by exacting a price from them. And I don’t think that the, you know, the tax measure in for those people is really the most important thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>I mean, I think regulatory and legal action is the most important thing. And trying to get Chevron and many other refineries to behave better, to be more responsible about their environmental impact. And and those kinds of things could be much more important in the long run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You know, you talked in the beginning about how love it or hate it. Chevron is the largest employer, the largest taxpayer in the city of Richmond. I mean, if if Chevron was gone from Richmond tomorrow, I mean, it seems like the city would be in a tough position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Like it feels like the city is just constantly walking this fine line between. Holding Chevron accountable, but also not pulling the rug out from underneath it entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Yeah, it is a conundrum for them and the city is thinking about that. City officials are thinking about, okay, how do we create the conditions for the time when Chevron is no longer here? I mean, people can conceive of that idea. It’s kind of difficult given, you know, what we see in our world every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Right. I mean, you and I happen to have taken public transit, and today most people got to work by driving. And the world is not shifting away from that at light speed. And so companies like Chevron are going to do what they do for a while. But in the long run, cities like Richmond are going to have to devise strategies for how to go forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>What what other things are there? What other things could that property be used for? For instance, because you’re right, if there’s a point where Chevron is processing zero barrels of crude petroleum a day at that facility, then the revenue stops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>You know, Richmond is a city of about 115,000 people, and it’s a city that needs services. It’s a population that has been neglected in many ways. There’s been a real lack of investment in Richmond over the years. And, you know, the city is going to need to find a way forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Thank you so much, Dan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>You’re welcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Dan Brekke, a reporter and editor for KQED. This 40 minute conversation with Dan was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. I produced this episode, scored it and added on the tape. Music courtesy of Audio Network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The Bay is a production of listener supported KQED in San Francisco. If you liked this episode, consider sharing it with a friend. I am Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, the Richmond City Council scrapped a November ballot measure that would have imposed a new oil-refining tax on the nearby Chevron refinery. Instead, the council voted unanimously to approve a $550 million settlement with the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED’s Dan Brekke explains why city leaders chose to strike a deal instead of taking the issue to the ballot box.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC6602217575&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the bay. Local news to keep you rooted. The city of Richmond has ditched a Chevron refinery tax that it planned to let voters weigh on this November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Instead, Chevron will pay the city more than half $1 billion over the next ten years as part of an agreement to prove it wants to be a good neighbor. And city officials say they want Chevron to pay up not just for past harms, but to help build a future that relies less on the oil refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>We are all ready to wait. We’re already doing too little. We need to start to work through just transition now, not in ten years. We need to make those investments now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, Richmond’s long standing battle to get Chevron to pay up. And what’s in this deal?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>There’s a natural conflict between industry and residential areas. It’s been played out in many places.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Dan Brekke is a reporter and editor for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Refineries produce lots of things that people shouldn’t be breathing. They put lots of things in the water that people shouldn’t be drinking. And Chevron does all of that stuff. The city has become more and more conscious and more and more aggressive about trying to get Chevron to respond to community concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And, you know, Richmond, like many cities and especially many cities with large minority populations. People are in the lower income brackets. They have a chronic financial problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And so they’ve turned to Chevron, which is the largest employer in town, is a. Fabulously wealthy company. I mean, they made more than $21 billion in profit last year. That’s not revenue. That’s profit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And Chevron is already the largest taxpayer in the city of Richmond by far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>They account for about one sixth of the city’s total revenue every year. So they entered into an agreement about ten years ago for Chevron to start making payments, you know, to try to pay for some of the things the city has to pay for it. So this agreement from ten years ago was running out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>It was a ten year settlement. And mindful of that, the city council and community activists, especially a group called Communities for a Better Environment, started to think about, well, how do we go forward?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So one idea was a November ballot measure. What would it have done?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The idea they came up with was to pass a new tax. And it was a very ambitious tax. But, you know, in broad strokes, what it would do is for the next 50 years, it would bring in something like 60 to $90 million a year. If you multiply 50 by 60 million or 90 million, you get into the 3 billion to $4.5 billion range over the next half century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>That’s something that the city of Richmond sorely needs. And it would also allow it to to do things in terms of health programs, what they call just transition programs to start job training for people in the city who might be reliant on the refinery work in some way. And and the city was very committed to this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So it was on track for the November ballot, as you said. What happened to it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The city council went ahead in June and put this on the November ballot and immediately got sued by what appears to be a front group for Chevron. One of the attacks on the measure in the lawsuit was the ballot question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The Chevron Allied Group said that the way it was written, the only logical answer to the question as it was posed would be to vote yes. Right. And that’s a level of bias. They argue that’s not allowed under state law. The city had the option of moving ahead with this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>But, you know, what the judge found was that the ballot question was indeed in permissibly biased. And so the judge, even though he only issued a tentative ruling on this, was signaling to all the parties this wording is not what you’re going to see on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So a superior court judge’s preliminary ruling sort of signaled to the city of Richmond that maybe there might be more legal fights ahead for this ballot measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Yeah, that’s absolutely right. So the city council was getting caution from the city attorney that there was going to be litigation ahead. Chevron had already said, look, you know, we’ll sue to stop this. And the city attorney was very concerned about what that might mean for the city going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And what he pointed to was the city of Carson down near Los Angeles that passed a tax on its resident refinery in 2017, but hasn’t been able to spend a dime from the revenue because they’ve been tied up in court the whole time. So what the city attorney’s warning was essentially was, look, we could pass this and maybe we’re going to go and win the vote in November, but it may be years before we see money from this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And so behind the scenes, an ad hoc committee of city council members negotiated behind closed doors with Chevron, and they came up with what they’re calling a settlement, settling this difference between them about how to go forward on this revenue question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up. Richmond And Chevron’s agreement and how it’s different from what would have been on the ballot. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So basically, the city of Richmond was afraid of having to spend millions and millions of dollars fighting this in court. So they set this ballot measure aside and instead struck a deal with Chevron. What was in this deal exactly, And how is it different from this failed ballot measure?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The main thing is the money, as we said, about the ballot measure. The estimate was it would bring in 60 to $90 million a year for 50 years. Now, the agreement that was on the table before the city council was a ten year agreement. Chevron would immediately start paying the city $50 million a year, no strings attached.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And after the first five years, $60 Million a year. And so it would come to a total of 550 million after a decade. Now, that’s money over and above what the city would expect through its normal taxes. Right? It has a payroll tax that Chevron pays their property taxes that Chevron pays, and the city gets money from that. Now, so that was a key part of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>This money is over and above everything that we’re already paying. The other thing is, if you decide you want to try to tax us again like you did with this measure, you can do that. The city is not ceding the right to to come back and try to do that again during this ten year agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And how were city leaders at this meeting like rationalizing this deal? Why did they say this was better than the ballot measure that would have been on the ballot in November?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Well, it was surprising to me for a city council that has a reputation of being somewhat fractious. They all seem to be like we’re doing the right thing here. I think it’s pretty simple. It’s a bird in the hand versus something that might be great, but also might be nothing going forward. So let’s go for what’s what we know we can get now because it’s substantial enough that it’s going to allow us to make a start on some of our priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>This has always been about money, about paying their fair share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Council member Doria Robinson: is a member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance, which is one of the factions on the Richmond City Council. And as its name suggests, I mean, they are pretty forward in terms of thinking about green issues and corporate responsibility and social justice, environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>We are absolutely committed to ensuring that these funds are used both to meet both immediate needs and to invest in just transition away from extractive, polluting fossil fuel economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>She talked about looking over, you know, toward the refinery as a child, seeing the smoke rising from it and thinking this is just something that I’ve always lived with and it’s about time we take care of things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>I live on these blocks. I see people in and in my grandparents church and in the schools, my neighbors. And they all when I talk to them, they’re like, Take the deal. Take the deal. We need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>I am accountable to the people of Richmond, to the people who actually suck in these fumes every every day, every day, including myself. I live here and I feel like we need to put this money to work now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Where is Chevron in all of this? How are they feeling about this deal?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>I think where Chevron is coming from, Chevron would like peace in the city of Richmond, Right? They don’t want people on their back. They don’t want people trying to pass taxes. Chevron is going. Look, I mean, this is a gesture from us that we’re serious about your concerns and we want to work with you. And that’s literally what the Chevron representative at the meeting, Bryan Hubinger, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryan Hubinger: \u003c/strong>This agreement will allow Chevron Richmond to continue to employ thousands of Bay Area residents and remain focused on providing affordable, reliable and ever cleaner energy that this region demands every day, while also supplying the city with much needed additional funding to support our communities needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What about the folks who I mean, organized to put the ballot measure forward in November? How are they responding to this deal that the city then cut with Chevron?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>There was a coalition that was campaigning for this make polluters pay. And a lot of the people who spoke at the meeting identify themselves as part of that coalition. And they had two things to say. One was, look, what’s happening today is because we organized. And then the other thread was, it’s really disappointing we’re not going forward because this is the right thing to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kerry Guerin: \u003c/strong>When our community members dreamt up this vision. It focused on a public campaign that empowered residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Kerry Guerin is an attorney for Communities for a Better Environment, the Richmond office. They have and was instrumental in writing the tax measure and coming up with the ballot language. By all accounts, and expressed really serious disappointment that for now this issue is going to end with this settlement with Chevron.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kerry Guerin: \u003c/strong>Our campaign did not approach the city with this concept just so that Chevron would cut a deal that is pennies to them. I did not write this ballot measure and tax ordinance so that the city could settle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Just so I understand, is the difference that with the ballot measure, Chevron would have been basically under this agreement for a much longer period than this deal that they just cut with the city. Are they getting less money this way? Like what? What really is at the heart You think of the disappointment, I guess, from from organizers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>I mean, I think there are two things that you just brought up that are really important. One is that this is a ten year agreement versus a tax that would have been in effect for 50 years. The amount of money is also really important. So they’ll get an average of $55 million a year over the next decade as opposed to 60 to $90 million a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Now, that larger figure, there is a caveat there that assumes that the Chevron’s Richmond refinery is going to continue operating for the next half century the way it has been. Right. And we don’t know that that’s true. There is going to be a transition. I won’t live to see it, but one can’t assume that things are going to continue the same way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The other thing that I think is more subtle is that people are really thinking about trying to find ways of getting the company to operate and fundamentally different ways by exacting a price from them. And I don’t think that the, you know, the tax measure in for those people is really the most important thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>I mean, I think regulatory and legal action is the most important thing. And trying to get Chevron and many other refineries to behave better, to be more responsible about their environmental impact. And and those kinds of things could be much more important in the long run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You know, you talked in the beginning about how love it or hate it. Chevron is the largest employer, the largest taxpayer in the city of Richmond. I mean, if if Chevron was gone from Richmond tomorrow, I mean, it seems like the city would be in a tough position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Like it feels like the city is just constantly walking this fine line between. Holding Chevron accountable, but also not pulling the rug out from underneath it entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Yeah, it is a conundrum for them and the city is thinking about that. City officials are thinking about, okay, how do we create the conditions for the time when Chevron is no longer here? I mean, people can conceive of that idea. It’s kind of difficult given, you know, what we see in our world every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Right. I mean, you and I happen to have taken public transit, and today most people got to work by driving. And the world is not shifting away from that at light speed. And so companies like Chevron are going to do what they do for a while. But in the long run, cities like Richmond are going to have to devise strategies for how to go forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>What what other things are there? What other things could that property be used for? For instance, because you’re right, if there’s a point where Chevron is processing zero barrels of crude petroleum a day at that facility, then the revenue stops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>You know, Richmond is a city of about 115,000 people, and it’s a city that needs services. It’s a population that has been neglected in many ways. There’s been a real lack of investment in Richmond over the years. And, you know, the city is going to need to find a way forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Thank you so much, Dan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>You’re welcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Dan Brekke, a reporter and editor for KQED. This 40 minute conversation with Dan was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. I produced this episode, scored it and added on the tape. Music courtesy of Audio Network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The Bay is a production of listener supported KQED in San Francisco. If you liked this episode, consider sharing it with a friend. I am Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nearly 500 Californians are in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention, where Democrats will rally around Vice President Kamala Harris as their party’s nominee for president. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of them is Igor Tregub, a newly elected member of the Berkeley City Council and chair of the Alameda County Democratic Party.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC9810218721&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. Hundreds of Californians are going to Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That’s where party delegates will rally around Vice President Kamala Harris and gear up for the last 77 days of this wild presidential election. These delegates include people like Igor Tregub, a recently elected Berkeley City Council member who’s now in Chicago for his third DNC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>It’s such a privilege to be able to go to Chicago and be able to represent the community that I now serve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, we talk with Berkeley City Council member Igor Tregub about representing California and the bay at the DNC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>I’m Igor Tregub. I am a DNC delegate that was initially pledged to Biden and now I am pledged to Vice President Harris. This is my for the DNC convention. I was a delegate for Obama in 2012 and party in 2020. I chaired the Alameda County Democratic Party and was recently elected to the Berkeley City Council, and I am a Jewish refugee from Ukraine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>I had a winding path to eventually make it to the States. I first lived in Knoxville, Tennessee, and then different parts of Southern California and 21 years ago. I think to the day I started my undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley, majoring in mechanical engineering and political science and fell in love with the Berkeley community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And delegates are the people who represent the Democratic Party. Lots of them are people like Igor, local government officials or people just really involved in local politics who volunteer to represent their region at the convention. They also have input on the official party platform.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>I think delegates are the conscience of the Democratic Party. There are different ways to become a delegate. But in all three elections, I was honored to have been elected by the electorate in the congressional district where I am based that. And so it was a vote of Democrats in that congressional district that have been able to send me to the last three DNC conventions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Is this really your role as a delegate, sort of a volunteer thing, or do you get paid for it or, you know, how often are you meeting?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>It’s a labor of love. We have to spend a lot of money to travel and get a hotel room. But it is it is a small price to pay for doing our part to defend democracy. I think it varies tool. In 2020, I remember as a party delegate, I was somewhat involved in different drafting committees to to provide certain inputs into what eventually became the DNC platform. I think it’s a little different when, well, it was going to be a reelection campaign for President Biden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I want to ask you about the last couple of months, Igor, which has been pretty crazy to say the least. I’m curious where you were when you learned the news that President Biden was dropping out of the race.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I was just speaking on a zoom of Democrats. I was asked to be there to talk about the race that I just finished for city council. And towards the end of the zoom, the news dropped and it it was very bittersweet, I have to say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Delegates pledged their support to a certain candidate after the state votes in a caucus or primary. Long before the DNC even happens. So because President Biden won the California primary, they were pledged to him. But after he dropped out of the race, it left delegates with an open question Who would they pick as the party’s presidential nominee instead?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Many quickly threw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden endorsed Harris pretty quickly after after he dropped out of the race. But there was still that window of time when she gathered the support of the party. What did that look like for you on your end? As a as a delegate, it seemed like it was pretty fast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>It was very fast. I received an invitation. If it was an invitation, if I wanted to lend my name, committing my support. Now that President Biden has dropped out and passed the torch, committing it to Vice President Harris and I did that in a heartbeat. I was pleased at how smoothly that went where I think in the matter of a day, Vice President Harris amassed enough votes for California’s delegates for our state to declare our support for our hometown. Cheever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>I think the reason this happened so quickly is because California Democrats and Democrats in other states understand that this is a binary choice. We cannot have training wheels going into this election. And so it made sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, I think it’s safe to say it’s been pretty turbulent times. It’s now a brand new race that perhaps no one predicted even a couple of months ago. What of the last few weeks been like for you, Igor? It also occurs to me that you were also just recently elected to the Berkeley City Council. You are new to this seat. I’m sure you’re doing a lot of work in the background, sort of adjusting to your new role. I mean, what have the last couple of weeks been like for you?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>It’s been very hectic. I am not going to sugarcoat it. But. I think about what is at stake and. It’s such a privilege to be able to go to Chicago and be able to represent the community that I now serve in that way. The gravity of the situation in this time, in this moment is not lost on me either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>When I have family members and friends literally fighting on the front lines of democracy in Ukraine, whatever turbulence I have been going through is a very small price to pay to do my small part, to be a part of making history and defending and preserving democracy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What is your main goal at the Democratic National Convention as a delegate?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>My main goal is to show up. I am looking forward to building relationships. It is also an opportunity to do everything that I possibly can to then go back and organize, spread the message of what is at stake to those in my community and do my part to ensure that we not only elect the Harris Wallace ticket, but that they get the support that they need from a Democratic majority in the Senate in conquest and down ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Why do you think people here in the Bay Area should tune in to the DNC this week when this episode airs, even if maybe they aren’t super plugged in to politics or maybe they’re even disillusioned with it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>I think there is probably going to be something there for all of them. Look, you know, there is a quote that has been playing in my mind often enough or particularly in the last couple of months since I’ve started this new well, politics is the art of the possible. And. What the Biden-Harris administration has been able to do is move mountains on policies that have made a real impact on everyday working families. Do we all want to see more progress faster? Absolutely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>And I joined the chorus of that. There is only one party that is invested in the American people in ensuring that the opportunities that I had, the way that Berkeley was able to become a home to me, this Jewish immigrant and refugee from Ukraine, that this is a place that everyone can call a loving home, where they are supported and where they have a safety net so that they can pursue their dreams, raise their kids if they choose to do that, and retire in dignity. Why?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Councilmember, thank you so much for making the time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. And safe travels to Chicago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>Thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Igor Tregub, a Berkeley City Council member representing District four. He’s also a DNC delegate and chair of the Alameda County Democratic Party. This 27 minute conversation was cut down and edited by Alan Montecillo and produced and scored by me. The Bay is a production of listeners supported KQED in San Francisco. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks for listening. Peace.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nearly 500 Californians are in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention, where Democrats will rally around Vice President Kamala Harris as their party’s nominee for president. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of them is Igor Tregub, a newly elected member of the Berkeley City Council and chair of the Alameda County Democratic Party.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC9810218721&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. Hundreds of Californians are going to Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That’s where party delegates will rally around Vice President Kamala Harris and gear up for the last 77 days of this wild presidential election. These delegates include people like Igor Tregub, a recently elected Berkeley City Council member who’s now in Chicago for his third DNC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>It’s such a privilege to be able to go to Chicago and be able to represent the community that I now serve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, we talk with Berkeley City Council member Igor Tregub about representing California and the bay at the DNC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>I’m Igor Tregub. I am a DNC delegate that was initially pledged to Biden and now I am pledged to Vice President Harris. This is my for the DNC convention. I was a delegate for Obama in 2012 and party in 2020. I chaired the Alameda County Democratic Party and was recently elected to the Berkeley City Council, and I am a Jewish refugee from Ukraine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>I had a winding path to eventually make it to the States. I first lived in Knoxville, Tennessee, and then different parts of Southern California and 21 years ago. I think to the day I started my undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley, majoring in mechanical engineering and political science and fell in love with the Berkeley community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And delegates are the people who represent the Democratic Party. Lots of them are people like Igor, local government officials or people just really involved in local politics who volunteer to represent their region at the convention. They also have input on the official party platform.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>I think delegates are the conscience of the Democratic Party. There are different ways to become a delegate. But in all three elections, I was honored to have been elected by the electorate in the congressional district where I am based that. And so it was a vote of Democrats in that congressional district that have been able to send me to the last three DNC conventions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Is this really your role as a delegate, sort of a volunteer thing, or do you get paid for it or, you know, how often are you meeting?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>It’s a labor of love. We have to spend a lot of money to travel and get a hotel room. But it is it is a small price to pay for doing our part to defend democracy. I think it varies tool. In 2020, I remember as a party delegate, I was somewhat involved in different drafting committees to to provide certain inputs into what eventually became the DNC platform. I think it’s a little different when, well, it was going to be a reelection campaign for President Biden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I want to ask you about the last couple of months, Igor, which has been pretty crazy to say the least. I’m curious where you were when you learned the news that President Biden was dropping out of the race.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I was just speaking on a zoom of Democrats. I was asked to be there to talk about the race that I just finished for city council. And towards the end of the zoom, the news dropped and it it was very bittersweet, I have to say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Delegates pledged their support to a certain candidate after the state votes in a caucus or primary. Long before the DNC even happens. So because President Biden won the California primary, they were pledged to him. But after he dropped out of the race, it left delegates with an open question Who would they pick as the party’s presidential nominee instead?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Many quickly threw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden endorsed Harris pretty quickly after after he dropped out of the race. But there was still that window of time when she gathered the support of the party. What did that look like for you on your end? As a as a delegate, it seemed like it was pretty fast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>It was very fast. I received an invitation. If it was an invitation, if I wanted to lend my name, committing my support. Now that President Biden has dropped out and passed the torch, committing it to Vice President Harris and I did that in a heartbeat. I was pleased at how smoothly that went where I think in the matter of a day, Vice President Harris amassed enough votes for California’s delegates for our state to declare our support for our hometown. Cheever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>I think the reason this happened so quickly is because California Democrats and Democrats in other states understand that this is a binary choice. We cannot have training wheels going into this election. And so it made sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, I think it’s safe to say it’s been pretty turbulent times. It’s now a brand new race that perhaps no one predicted even a couple of months ago. What of the last few weeks been like for you, Igor? It also occurs to me that you were also just recently elected to the Berkeley City Council. You are new to this seat. I’m sure you’re doing a lot of work in the background, sort of adjusting to your new role. I mean, what have the last couple of weeks been like for you?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>It’s been very hectic. I am not going to sugarcoat it. But. I think about what is at stake and. It’s such a privilege to be able to go to Chicago and be able to represent the community that I now serve in that way. The gravity of the situation in this time, in this moment is not lost on me either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>When I have family members and friends literally fighting on the front lines of democracy in Ukraine, whatever turbulence I have been going through is a very small price to pay to do my small part, to be a part of making history and defending and preserving democracy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What is your main goal at the Democratic National Convention as a delegate?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>My main goal is to show up. I am looking forward to building relationships. It is also an opportunity to do everything that I possibly can to then go back and organize, spread the message of what is at stake to those in my community and do my part to ensure that we not only elect the Harris Wallace ticket, but that they get the support that they need from a Democratic majority in the Senate in conquest and down ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Why do you think people here in the Bay Area should tune in to the DNC this week when this episode airs, even if maybe they aren’t super plugged in to politics or maybe they’re even disillusioned with it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>I think there is probably going to be something there for all of them. Look, you know, there is a quote that has been playing in my mind often enough or particularly in the last couple of months since I’ve started this new well, politics is the art of the possible. And. What the Biden-Harris administration has been able to do is move mountains on policies that have made a real impact on everyday working families. Do we all want to see more progress faster? Absolutely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>And I joined the chorus of that. There is only one party that is invested in the American people in ensuring that the opportunities that I had, the way that Berkeley was able to become a home to me, this Jewish immigrant and refugee from Ukraine, that this is a place that everyone can call a loving home, where they are supported and where they have a safety net so that they can pursue their dreams, raise their kids if they choose to do that, and retire in dignity. Why?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Councilmember, thank you so much for making the time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. And safe travels to Chicago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Igor Tregub: \u003c/strong>Thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Igor Tregub, a Berkeley City Council member representing District four. He’s also a DNC delegate and chair of the Alameda County Democratic Party. This 27 minute conversation was cut down and edited by Alan Montecillo and produced and scored by me. The Bay is a production of listeners supported KQED in San Francisco. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks for listening. Peace.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "bay-area-schools-face-sea-level-rise-threat",
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"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">52 Bay Area public schools are already at risk of being inundated with ocean and groundwater, according to a new analysis by KQED and Climate Central. KQED’s Ezra David Romero tells us how the threat of sea level rise has already ignited a debate over rebuilding a middle school in Marin County.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC1063445518&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Links:\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1993783/schools-in-deep-water-bay-area-faces-uphill-battle-against-climate-change\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Schools in Deep Water: Bay Area Faces Uphill Battle Against Climate Change\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong> I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. A new analysis from KQED and Climate Central found that more than 50 public schools around the Bay Area are already at risk of sea level rise thanks to human caused climate change. And that includes a middle school in Marin County, where rising water is already at the school’s doorstep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>When we drive here or the kids ride their bikes on the bike path here, it is pretty often flooded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The high tide line in the San Francisco Bay has risen by eight inches over the last century, and much of the bay shoreline has more flooding in its future. Today we go to one school in Mill Valley that’s already feeling the impact of sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>I went to Mill Valley in Marin County. It’s this town at the end of Richardson Bay. You know, there’s San Francisco Bay and then there’s Richardson Bay. And this is the very end of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Ezra David Romero is a climate reporter for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>It’s a more affluent community, just like Marin County is. And it’s a beautiful place. It’s like kind of this like little mountain valley next to the bay. It’s quite cute. And they have a cute downtown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I know you went to a public school there. Can you tell me what what school you went to exactly, And what did it look like when you arrived?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I went to Mill Valley Middle School. It’s this school literally, like ten, 15, 20ft away from the bay itself. It’s quite beautiful, right? There’s Mt. Tam in the distance. There’s the bay right there. There’s a cute little park in front of the school. It kind of looks just like a regular school to me, right? But just in this serene location right next to the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>Is it? And I think. Yeah. Miranda, Pleasure for having.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Me. I met up with Juliette Hart and Miranda O’Connell. They both have sixth graders going to the school and both had kids who left the school recently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>So this is in addition to kind of the bike path and the safe routes to school, the community center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>We met up at the school because they are quite concerned about this school district wanting to rebuild that school right in the same place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You went to this school because of your sort of broader reporting on sea level rise. But what exactly is happening at Mill Valley Middle School when it comes to sea level rise and how is it affecting people there? Now, what did Miranda and Juliet tell you about that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Well, this is a place that floods, you know, when we have high tides or extremely high tides because it’s so close to the bay. So basically, the school has a creek that runs on one side. There’s a little marsh, and then there’s like some human made channels. So when there’s a high tide, that water comes up and like floods the road that the one road in and out of campus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So the main drop off area is in one of the spots that routinely gets flooded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Miranda showed me the outside of Mill Valley Middle School where it floods. There’s basically one road in and out of campus that ends kind of in this cul de sac. She basically said that, like this area floods multiple times a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>And so it just causes a huge safety mass because there’s you can’t drop off the kids there. And so they end up kind of jumping out at random spots on a very busy road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>You know, it creates this like traffic chaos and a quite difficult way to just start your day when you just want to drop off your kids and get to work. And so they’re worried that the school, because the school wants to rebuild there, that they’re just going to put kids in danger in the future and then they’re not actually fixing the problem. There’s been this long debate over whether the school should be rebuilt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So, I mean, it sounds like the threat of sea level rise is very present for parents and families at Mill Valley Middle. But how does this problem go beyond Mill Valley, this problem of sea level rise affecting schools in the Bay Area specifically?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>So this school is like a case example of all the schools around the Bay Area where this could happen. We have 400 plus miles of shoreline. There’s many, many schools in that area. We’ve only had about like eight inches of sea level rise since the industrial revolution. And that’s supposed to speed up as human caused climate change exacerbates and seas rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>We found that 52 schools around the Bay Area already are at risk of flooding from sea level rise. Whether that’s like groundwater being pushed up or like water actually coming over the shores like we see here at Mill Valley. And that just gets worse as it goes into the future. I linked up with this group called Climate Central. They’re a non advocacy news group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>They have a data journalist named Katie Worth, and we worked on this together. We looked at USGS data around where groundwater is and how it’s going to rise in different places. And then we basically superimposed all that information onto a map. And then we saw all the schools that were at risk. And so what we found, though, is that there’s 52 schools already at risk of groundwater floods linked to sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>And seven of them also carry the risk of coastal floods, compounding the likelihood that they could be inundated. And by 2050, 16 will have both risks. And the bulk of these schools are pretty much in San Mateo, Alameda and Marin counties, you know, all low lying places, places where there’s like fill. That’s where we like filled in part of the bay. And some of it’s like actually below sea level or just right above it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Yeah. And so and you’re talking not just about the threat of the bay sort of rising, but also groundwater rising as well. Right. Can you talk about that and kind of explain what experts say about that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>So when we think about sea level rise, we’re often thinking about like, say, the Marshall Islands or somewhere out in the water where the actual ocean. Right. Is like covering land, Right. But groundwater is a phenomenon that scientists are talking about right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>For the past like five, ten years, that could happen before we see so much water coming over the shore. When you think of the ocean or the bay, you know that water is above ground. Right. But it also saturates the ground underneath the land. So what happens is the seas rise. That water also rises in that ground, that saturated soil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>And we also have groundwater in there, right? Like natural groundwater, shallow groundwater. And so the idea is as seas rise, it can push that groundwater up, become more saturated and eventually become emergent or right flooding inland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I know you also talked with some experts for this story. What do experts say about how they see the threat of sea level rise potentially impacting schools?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kevin Befus: \u003c/strong>Schools haven’t dealt with this issue before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>I talked to Kevin Befus a lot about this. You know, he’s an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas Department of Geosciences, and he studied the hydrology of the Bay Area lot, specifically for USGS, creating the maps that we used for our story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kevin Befus: \u003c/strong>Do you get a storm, a 20 year storm, So it has a 5% chance of happening in any given year. A 5% chance storm in a year could make the school an island almost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>When I talked to Kevin about how schools are going to be impacted by this, he thought about like high water days, kind of like foggy day schedules or snow days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kevin Befus: \u003c/strong>Those sort of events, I think will become more and more common for these schools along the coast. The administrators will have to be keeping track of tides, the king tides and the size of storms coming through and be ready to to have a high water day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>He sees this as an imminent threat to schools, to businesses, to highways all around the Bay Area, because as seas rise. Right, it’s going to affect everything around that lap of the bay. For example, at Mill Valley, they want to raise the school five feet above the 100 year storm level where it can be put in flood really bad. But he is saying like the school can raise it. But what about everything around it, like the roads, the community?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kevin Befus: \u003c/strong>I think the cost will be astronomical no matter what. A lot of this happens so slowly that I think that’s why people don’t necessarily think of that right away. It’s not on the front of their mind until it’s their house. It’s their car. It’s their school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, the plan to rebuild Mill Valley Middle School. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I want to come back, Ezra, to where we started in this story. Mill Valley. You already described the threat of sea level rise being imminent for parents and the students at that school. So what exactly is being done to address that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah, well, the community in Mill Valley voted on a bond measure called Measure G back in 2022, and it was for like $194 million to modernize and beautify schools in Mill Valley. So the school district decided they wanted to use a portion of that money. $130 million would go to rebuilding Mill Valley Middle School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sharon Nakatani: \u003c/strong>It’s very, very expensive, too. So we are taking it very seriously. We are a medical share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>I met up with Sharon Nakatania. She’s the board president for the Mill Valley School District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sharon Nakatani: \u003c/strong>And this is our, you know, it’s a really large library, actually, for a middle school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>We are we toured the campus and, you know, she showed me the area that floods. We thought we had like the cool library they have. And she talked about their plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sharon Nakatani: \u003c/strong>Now we have deemed the school is has reached its age and it will be demolished and rebuilt in the same spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>What they want to do is they want to raise that school about five feet above the 100 year storm. That’s basically like a historic big storm, you know, that could flood the area. So they believe that they’re raising the school out of the risk from future sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sharon Nakatani: \u003c/strong>I think there’s a plan to for what we can demolish from this building. We will use this film to to raise the site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Sharon told me that, like, you know, there are other sites, but there’s like an existing school there. So they’d have to like, figure out what to do with this elementary school. And then there could be uproar from parents about like, you’re moving our kids. And so they felt like this site is still the best site even with future sea level rise because point blank, they just didn’t feel like they had the land and or the money to like go buy some new land and also have the money to rebuild this school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sharon Nakatani: \u003c/strong>To do a new middle school in Mill Valley. Again, 10 to 12 acres. So there’s no available flat land. That’s 10 to 12 acres. There might be hills that are really accessible. But when you look at the larger picture of Mill Valley, this school is really right in the middle, which is why.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>So when I asked her about, you know, what about the road that that currently floods or, you know, the community around it. Her answer was like, it’s not in the school’s purview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sharon Nakatani: \u003c/strong>The sea level rise is everyone’s issue, frankly, and it’s up to us to do what we can for our school and our students. And it’s also up to the city to do what we can for the residents and for the county Marin to do and say to California, etc., etc..\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>But I know it’s very contentious among parents. Right. What do you what do they say about the decision to build on this same spot? And what are the parents you spoke with want to see instead?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah, the parents I spoke to, you know, Juliet and Miranda, they were quite angry that this school district still wants to build on this site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>These are long lived assets that we built. So why are we building something that we know in 20 years will be vulnerable, will be have standing water surrounding it? Why aren’t we thinking about places that don’t have that risk?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>So a few months ago when I interviewed Miranda, you know, she had an eighth grader at the school and she was just quite tired of seeing the flooding happening. Right. She was living through it multiple times a year. And so she was really worried about the future. Right. She has another sixth grader coming into the campus this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>So I have one that’s leaving and then I have one that’s starting this coming school year for the three year period and another one starting in two years for an additional three year period. Yeah, you’re.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Going to deal with this for a while.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>For the next six years. Yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>She was worried about like the kids having to be at the school as they rebuild this site and into the future as as. CS Right. So she had like concerns about right now and into the future. And when I interviewed Juliet Harte the same day, you know, she has a sixth grader coming into the school. Her concern was really about sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>I look at this site and think sea level rise because that’s what I do. But it’s not surprising to me that people haven’t thought of that. What’s surprising to me is that now that they know they’re still moving forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Professionally, she’s actually like an oceanographer, so she knows how much sea level rise is going to impact the school. She knows how many feet and by what year and what time. So she was just really worried about the future because, you know, when you think about climate change all day and what’s it going to do to the Bay Area, then your kids go to a school right next to the bay. I mean, I think those two things coincide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Right? And her her sixth grader who’s starting there this year is going to have a couple more years at that school. So, I mean, it sounds like these parents basically want the district to find somewhere else to rebuild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah, they want the school district or build the school somewhere else. But the school district, when I talked to Sharon Nakatani, she basically said it’s a done deal. Like this is where we’re rebuilding the school. We’ve look, we’ve exhausted all of our other options. We’ve been in many meetings about this, but I think the last thing that’s might determine what happens there is in this environmental review.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>So, you know, every building project, you know, in in the state has to go through environmental review when you know, when it’s in the process and that they look at everything from like sea level rise to flooding to storms to what’s a site like? What’s the hydrology there? One also caveat about this site. It’s on an old city dump site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>So like under the school, it’s a bunch of dump material, trash and stuff like that. The school measures how much methane is coming off of that site every day. So they’re paying attention to that. So there’s a lot of concerns at this site. I’m not sure where it’ll go from here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>I could see and I think the parents are really hoping that, you know, this environmental review that like state regulators will really think about this site, especially when it comes to the dump. There’s a lot of factors here that are going on. And I think it’ll just we’ll see what’s going to happen in the next couple of months or maybe a year or so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>When we’re talking about these schools, right. That are built to last 50 years, what should be done in order to really address and and adapt to. The threat of sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>A lot of my reporting, we look at like an individual cases like this in Mill Valley. But really solutions for sea level rise are regional, right? Or citywide, Right. Like in San Francisco, we’re thinking about a whole waterfront sea level rise plan for seven and a half miles of the of the bay. And then there’s other plans for other areas, Right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>It’s like this huge thing. So something for Mill Valley or another part of the bay. They need to think about this regionally. Well, when it comes to schools, they can do whatever is in their purview, like how much money they have and they can raise the school. But, you know, not all schools have that luxury, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>It costs a lot of money to build a school or in this case, they’re going to spend $130 million to rebuild this school, which is a lot of money. Right. For especially for community that doesn’t have that kind of funds or maybe isn’t in an affluent area where they can pass a bond measure to do that. And Kevin Befus from the University of Arkansas talked about that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kevin Befus: \u003c/strong>It ends up being for those who can afford to protect themselves well, and those who can’t, you know, end up with the extra water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>I mean, I think what our reporting does right, we’re like we lay out what schools are at risk. Right? We found these 52 schools. There’s of each has a varying level of risk. But when you think of a school, they’re really like a community center, right. If this school is in danger from sea features, sea level rise or current sea level rise or current flooding, then the entire community or large portions of it might be. In some way. Our analysis is like a red flag for these communities to pay attention about what’s to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Ezra, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Hey, thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Ezra David Romero, a climate reporter for KQED. We’re going to leave you a link to Ezra’s story in our shownotes, which includes graphics of where schools will be impacted by sea level rise. This 30 minute conversation with Ezra was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. It was produced and scored by me. Music Courtesy of Audio Network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The Bay is a production of listener supported KQED Public Media. If you liked this episode or you learn something new, consider sharing it with a friend. Word of mouth is one of the best ways that you can support our show. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thank you so much for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">52 Bay Area public schools are already at risk of being inundated with ocean and groundwater, according to a new analysis by KQED and Climate Central. KQED’s Ezra David Romero tells us how the threat of sea level rise has already ignited a debate over rebuilding a middle school in Marin County.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC1063445518&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Links:\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1993783/schools-in-deep-water-bay-area-faces-uphill-battle-against-climate-change\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Schools in Deep Water: Bay Area Faces Uphill Battle Against Climate Change\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong> I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. A new analysis from KQED and Climate Central found that more than 50 public schools around the Bay Area are already at risk of sea level rise thanks to human caused climate change. And that includes a middle school in Marin County, where rising water is already at the school’s doorstep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>When we drive here or the kids ride their bikes on the bike path here, it is pretty often flooded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The high tide line in the San Francisco Bay has risen by eight inches over the last century, and much of the bay shoreline has more flooding in its future. Today we go to one school in Mill Valley that’s already feeling the impact of sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>I went to Mill Valley in Marin County. It’s this town at the end of Richardson Bay. You know, there’s San Francisco Bay and then there’s Richardson Bay. And this is the very end of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Ezra David Romero is a climate reporter for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>It’s a more affluent community, just like Marin County is. And it’s a beautiful place. It’s like kind of this like little mountain valley next to the bay. It’s quite cute. And they have a cute downtown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I know you went to a public school there. Can you tell me what what school you went to exactly, And what did it look like when you arrived?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I went to Mill Valley Middle School. It’s this school literally, like ten, 15, 20ft away from the bay itself. It’s quite beautiful, right? There’s Mt. Tam in the distance. There’s the bay right there. There’s a cute little park in front of the school. It kind of looks just like a regular school to me, right? But just in this serene location right next to the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>Is it? And I think. Yeah. Miranda, Pleasure for having.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Me. I met up with Juliette Hart and Miranda O’Connell. They both have sixth graders going to the school and both had kids who left the school recently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>So this is in addition to kind of the bike path and the safe routes to school, the community center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>We met up at the school because they are quite concerned about this school district wanting to rebuild that school right in the same place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You went to this school because of your sort of broader reporting on sea level rise. But what exactly is happening at Mill Valley Middle School when it comes to sea level rise and how is it affecting people there? Now, what did Miranda and Juliet tell you about that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Well, this is a place that floods, you know, when we have high tides or extremely high tides because it’s so close to the bay. So basically, the school has a creek that runs on one side. There’s a little marsh, and then there’s like some human made channels. So when there’s a high tide, that water comes up and like floods the road that the one road in and out of campus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So the main drop off area is in one of the spots that routinely gets flooded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Miranda showed me the outside of Mill Valley Middle School where it floods. There’s basically one road in and out of campus that ends kind of in this cul de sac. She basically said that, like this area floods multiple times a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>And so it just causes a huge safety mass because there’s you can’t drop off the kids there. And so they end up kind of jumping out at random spots on a very busy road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>You know, it creates this like traffic chaos and a quite difficult way to just start your day when you just want to drop off your kids and get to work. And so they’re worried that the school, because the school wants to rebuild there, that they’re just going to put kids in danger in the future and then they’re not actually fixing the problem. There’s been this long debate over whether the school should be rebuilt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So, I mean, it sounds like the threat of sea level rise is very present for parents and families at Mill Valley Middle. But how does this problem go beyond Mill Valley, this problem of sea level rise affecting schools in the Bay Area specifically?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>So this school is like a case example of all the schools around the Bay Area where this could happen. We have 400 plus miles of shoreline. There’s many, many schools in that area. We’ve only had about like eight inches of sea level rise since the industrial revolution. And that’s supposed to speed up as human caused climate change exacerbates and seas rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>We found that 52 schools around the Bay Area already are at risk of flooding from sea level rise. Whether that’s like groundwater being pushed up or like water actually coming over the shores like we see here at Mill Valley. And that just gets worse as it goes into the future. I linked up with this group called Climate Central. They’re a non advocacy news group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>They have a data journalist named Katie Worth, and we worked on this together. We looked at USGS data around where groundwater is and how it’s going to rise in different places. And then we basically superimposed all that information onto a map. And then we saw all the schools that were at risk. And so what we found, though, is that there’s 52 schools already at risk of groundwater floods linked to sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>And seven of them also carry the risk of coastal floods, compounding the likelihood that they could be inundated. And by 2050, 16 will have both risks. And the bulk of these schools are pretty much in San Mateo, Alameda and Marin counties, you know, all low lying places, places where there’s like fill. That’s where we like filled in part of the bay. And some of it’s like actually below sea level or just right above it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Yeah. And so and you’re talking not just about the threat of the bay sort of rising, but also groundwater rising as well. Right. Can you talk about that and kind of explain what experts say about that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>So when we think about sea level rise, we’re often thinking about like, say, the Marshall Islands or somewhere out in the water where the actual ocean. Right. Is like covering land, Right. But groundwater is a phenomenon that scientists are talking about right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>For the past like five, ten years, that could happen before we see so much water coming over the shore. When you think of the ocean or the bay, you know that water is above ground. Right. But it also saturates the ground underneath the land. So what happens is the seas rise. That water also rises in that ground, that saturated soil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>And we also have groundwater in there, right? Like natural groundwater, shallow groundwater. And so the idea is as seas rise, it can push that groundwater up, become more saturated and eventually become emergent or right flooding inland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I know you also talked with some experts for this story. What do experts say about how they see the threat of sea level rise potentially impacting schools?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kevin Befus: \u003c/strong>Schools haven’t dealt with this issue before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>I talked to Kevin Befus a lot about this. You know, he’s an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas Department of Geosciences, and he studied the hydrology of the Bay Area lot, specifically for USGS, creating the maps that we used for our story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kevin Befus: \u003c/strong>Do you get a storm, a 20 year storm, So it has a 5% chance of happening in any given year. A 5% chance storm in a year could make the school an island almost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>When I talked to Kevin about how schools are going to be impacted by this, he thought about like high water days, kind of like foggy day schedules or snow days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kevin Befus: \u003c/strong>Those sort of events, I think will become more and more common for these schools along the coast. The administrators will have to be keeping track of tides, the king tides and the size of storms coming through and be ready to to have a high water day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>He sees this as an imminent threat to schools, to businesses, to highways all around the Bay Area, because as seas rise. Right, it’s going to affect everything around that lap of the bay. For example, at Mill Valley, they want to raise the school five feet above the 100 year storm level where it can be put in flood really bad. But he is saying like the school can raise it. But what about everything around it, like the roads, the community?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kevin Befus: \u003c/strong>I think the cost will be astronomical no matter what. A lot of this happens so slowly that I think that’s why people don’t necessarily think of that right away. It’s not on the front of their mind until it’s their house. It’s their car. It’s their school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, the plan to rebuild Mill Valley Middle School. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I want to come back, Ezra, to where we started in this story. Mill Valley. You already described the threat of sea level rise being imminent for parents and the students at that school. So what exactly is being done to address that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah, well, the community in Mill Valley voted on a bond measure called Measure G back in 2022, and it was for like $194 million to modernize and beautify schools in Mill Valley. So the school district decided they wanted to use a portion of that money. $130 million would go to rebuilding Mill Valley Middle School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sharon Nakatani: \u003c/strong>It’s very, very expensive, too. So we are taking it very seriously. We are a medical share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>I met up with Sharon Nakatania. She’s the board president for the Mill Valley School District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sharon Nakatani: \u003c/strong>And this is our, you know, it’s a really large library, actually, for a middle school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>We are we toured the campus and, you know, she showed me the area that floods. We thought we had like the cool library they have. And she talked about their plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sharon Nakatani: \u003c/strong>Now we have deemed the school is has reached its age and it will be demolished and rebuilt in the same spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>What they want to do is they want to raise that school about five feet above the 100 year storm. That’s basically like a historic big storm, you know, that could flood the area. So they believe that they’re raising the school out of the risk from future sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sharon Nakatani: \u003c/strong>I think there’s a plan to for what we can demolish from this building. We will use this film to to raise the site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Sharon told me that, like, you know, there are other sites, but there’s like an existing school there. So they’d have to like, figure out what to do with this elementary school. And then there could be uproar from parents about like, you’re moving our kids. And so they felt like this site is still the best site even with future sea level rise because point blank, they just didn’t feel like they had the land and or the money to like go buy some new land and also have the money to rebuild this school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sharon Nakatani: \u003c/strong>To do a new middle school in Mill Valley. Again, 10 to 12 acres. So there’s no available flat land. That’s 10 to 12 acres. There might be hills that are really accessible. But when you look at the larger picture of Mill Valley, this school is really right in the middle, which is why.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>So when I asked her about, you know, what about the road that that currently floods or, you know, the community around it. Her answer was like, it’s not in the school’s purview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sharon Nakatani: \u003c/strong>The sea level rise is everyone’s issue, frankly, and it’s up to us to do what we can for our school and our students. And it’s also up to the city to do what we can for the residents and for the county Marin to do and say to California, etc., etc..\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>But I know it’s very contentious among parents. Right. What do you what do they say about the decision to build on this same spot? And what are the parents you spoke with want to see instead?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah, the parents I spoke to, you know, Juliet and Miranda, they were quite angry that this school district still wants to build on this site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>These are long lived assets that we built. So why are we building something that we know in 20 years will be vulnerable, will be have standing water surrounding it? Why aren’t we thinking about places that don’t have that risk?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>So a few months ago when I interviewed Miranda, you know, she had an eighth grader at the school and she was just quite tired of seeing the flooding happening. Right. She was living through it multiple times a year. And so she was really worried about the future. Right. She has another sixth grader coming into the campus this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>So I have one that’s leaving and then I have one that’s starting this coming school year for the three year period and another one starting in two years for an additional three year period. Yeah, you’re.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Going to deal with this for a while.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>For the next six years. Yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>She was worried about like the kids having to be at the school as they rebuild this site and into the future as as. CS Right. So she had like concerns about right now and into the future. And when I interviewed Juliet Harte the same day, you know, she has a sixth grader coming into the school. Her concern was really about sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Miranda O’Connell: \u003c/strong>I look at this site and think sea level rise because that’s what I do. But it’s not surprising to me that people haven’t thought of that. What’s surprising to me is that now that they know they’re still moving forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Professionally, she’s actually like an oceanographer, so she knows how much sea level rise is going to impact the school. She knows how many feet and by what year and what time. So she was just really worried about the future because, you know, when you think about climate change all day and what’s it going to do to the Bay Area, then your kids go to a school right next to the bay. I mean, I think those two things coincide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Right? And her her sixth grader who’s starting there this year is going to have a couple more years at that school. So, I mean, it sounds like these parents basically want the district to find somewhere else to rebuild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah, they want the school district or build the school somewhere else. But the school district, when I talked to Sharon Nakatani, she basically said it’s a done deal. Like this is where we’re rebuilding the school. We’ve look, we’ve exhausted all of our other options. We’ve been in many meetings about this, but I think the last thing that’s might determine what happens there is in this environmental review.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>So, you know, every building project, you know, in in the state has to go through environmental review when you know, when it’s in the process and that they look at everything from like sea level rise to flooding to storms to what’s a site like? What’s the hydrology there? One also caveat about this site. It’s on an old city dump site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>So like under the school, it’s a bunch of dump material, trash and stuff like that. The school measures how much methane is coming off of that site every day. So they’re paying attention to that. So there’s a lot of concerns at this site. I’m not sure where it’ll go from here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>I could see and I think the parents are really hoping that, you know, this environmental review that like state regulators will really think about this site, especially when it comes to the dump. There’s a lot of factors here that are going on. And I think it’ll just we’ll see what’s going to happen in the next couple of months or maybe a year or so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>When we’re talking about these schools, right. That are built to last 50 years, what should be done in order to really address and and adapt to. The threat of sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>A lot of my reporting, we look at like an individual cases like this in Mill Valley. But really solutions for sea level rise are regional, right? Or citywide, Right. Like in San Francisco, we’re thinking about a whole waterfront sea level rise plan for seven and a half miles of the of the bay. And then there’s other plans for other areas, Right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>It’s like this huge thing. So something for Mill Valley or another part of the bay. They need to think about this regionally. Well, when it comes to schools, they can do whatever is in their purview, like how much money they have and they can raise the school. But, you know, not all schools have that luxury, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>It costs a lot of money to build a school or in this case, they’re going to spend $130 million to rebuild this school, which is a lot of money. Right. For especially for community that doesn’t have that kind of funds or maybe isn’t in an affluent area where they can pass a bond measure to do that. And Kevin Befus from the University of Arkansas talked about that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kevin Befus: \u003c/strong>It ends up being for those who can afford to protect themselves well, and those who can’t, you know, end up with the extra water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>I mean, I think what our reporting does right, we’re like we lay out what schools are at risk. Right? We found these 52 schools. There’s of each has a varying level of risk. But when you think of a school, they’re really like a community center, right. If this school is in danger from sea features, sea level rise or current sea level rise or current flooding, then the entire community or large portions of it might be. In some way. Our analysis is like a red flag for these communities to pay attention about what’s to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Ezra, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero: \u003c/strong>Hey, thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Ezra David Romero, a climate reporter for KQED. We’re going to leave you a link to Ezra’s story in our shownotes, which includes graphics of where schools will be impacted by sea level rise. This 30 minute conversation with Ezra was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. It was produced and scored by me. Music Courtesy of Audio Network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The Bay is a production of listener supported KQED Public Media. If you liked this episode or you learn something new, consider sharing it with a friend. Word of mouth is one of the best ways that you can support our show. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thank you so much for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You may have heard some horror stories about electric vehicle charging — long lines, lengthy waits, broken units. Sometimes even\u003cem> finding \u003c/em>a charging station is a challenge. When your car’s low on charge but no charger is available, it’s stressful. Maybe you’re halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles and you’re stuck waiting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s one of the big things stopping Bay Curious listener Kelly Lindberg from buying an electric car right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m hoping that by 2030, between having some years to save up and the technology getting better and cheaper, maybe that’s around the time [it] could work for our family,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Lindberg has an idea to help alleviate the charging congestion. She’s noticed a lot of empty former gas station sites around her neighborhood in Oakland and wondered, “Would it be a good idea to turn some of these spaces into electric car charging stations?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom set a goal for the state to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by the year 2035. So even if you’ve got a gas-powered car, and this isn’t a problem you’re facing currently, it may be soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How to set up a charging station\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To find out what goes into installing a new charging station, I met up with Jonah Eidus, who oversees real estate development for electric car charging company EVgo. The company has hundreds of charging stalls across the Bay Area and thousands across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In general, when we’re installing new chargers, we’re looking to be in high-traffic areas where the chargers will be used for about 15 to 45 minutes,” Eidus said. “And that means we also want to have amenities nearby so people have something to do during those 15 to 45 minutes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since charging your car takes longer than pumping gas, stations are designed with the surroundings in mind. They aim to install stations in the parking lot of a Safeway, for example, or close to a coffee shop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are many other considerations too, Eidus said, including the availability of parking stalls. Is there enough space for many cars to park? The goal, after all, is to build as many charging stalls per site as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Does the site integrate well into the electrical grid? The product they are ultimately selling is electricity, so they have to make sure that a site \u003cem>has \u003c/em>the electricity to sell at an affordable price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, is the charging station set up near those who need it most, including those who live in apartment complexes and don’t have the option to charge from their own garage? There are also city zoning regulations and safety considerations to take into account.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s not even half of what goes into establishing a charging site. In fact, EVgo has a mapping algorithm that integrates 27 different factors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Suffice to say, it is a fairly sophisticated process that we go through,” Eidus said. “When a site goes live, a lot of thought and a lot of data has gone into the decision to build that site.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Improving reliability and keeping up with demand\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California — particularly the Bay Area — \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/us/bay-area-electric-vehicles.html\">leads the nation\u003c/a> in electric vehicle adoption. To meet that growing demand, California has to build 1 million new chargers by the end of 2030, \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24795161/assembly-bill-2127-second-electric-vehicle-charging-infrastructure-second-assessment-revised-staff-report.pdf#page=52\">according to the state’s own projections (PDF)\u003c/a>. Some experts say \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/climate-change/2024/07/california-electric-car-chargers-unrealistic-goals/\">that’s not feasible\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would say we’re tight on the number of chargers,” said Carleen Cullen, co-founder of the environmental nonprofit Cool the Earth and a former transportation advisor to Gov. Newsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not only are they in short supply, the ones we do have are not always reliable, Cullen said. She helped conduct a study a few years ago to test the reliability of charging stations in the Bay Area and found that a quarter of them weren’t functional, meaning the screens were broken, the payment system didn’t work or the equipment was flawed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cullen said while the infrastructure has improved a lot since then, there’s still not enough of it — despite the fact that \u003ca href=\"https://smartasset.com/data-studies/ev-chargers-2023\">California is outpacing other states\u003c/a> in both EV adoption and infrastructure. And in order to reach Newsom’s goal, we need consumers, charging companies, EV manufacturers, local governments and utility companies to work together, Cullen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to move the adoption of EVs forward, we need to move the number of charging ports available as well, and we need to move the grid capacity as well,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11999354\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11999354\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tashinda Richardson of Oakland plugs in her rented electric vehicle at an EVgo Fast Charging station in Oakland on Jan. 29. Richardson said it can be hard to find a charger when she needs one. Sometimes, she said, chargers won’t work or the plug will get stuck in the car. \u003ccite>(Kathryn Styer Martínez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A big hold-up right now, according to Cullen, lies with PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a huge lag time between when the charging station vendor requests the power and when PG&E actually delivers it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a charging station to operate, it needs to be hooked up to the power grid. That’s where PG&E comes in. And they won’t just let you set up a charging station anywhere. They have to be able to deliver enough power to that site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is the section of the grid you’re trying to connect to also connected to a big manufacturing plant, for example? Are your neighbors using a lot of electricity during certain times of the day? Then the available power is likely spoken for. Does that portion of the grid rely heavily on solar power? Then the chargers may not work when the sun goes down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have over 600,000 EVs in our service territory. And we’ve seen EV adoption grow at about 26% of the compound annual growth rate over the last few years. That’s a significant amount of load that we’re seeing on the system,” said David Almeida, a manager within PG&E’s clean energy transportation group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almeida said the utility company underestimated electricity demand, and as a result, it doesn’t have the infrastructure to support the rapidly growing EV industry right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re working on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are building out a forecast that doesn’t look at necessarily just historical load, but it looks at where we anticipate load growth,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The goal is to make electric car charging stations faster to build and more reliable once they’re up and running.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite all the work needed to bolster this transportation system overhaul, Almeida said it’s ultimately worth it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, California’s transportation system is by far the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/ghg-inventory-data\">largest contributor\u003c/a> to our greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning away from gas-powered cars is critical to mitigating the impacts of climate change, and EVs are already helping to do that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.3c09642\">study\u003c/a> by scientists at UC Berkeley showed EV adoption in the Bay Area has already reduced our carbon emissions by almost 2%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been a believer from the very beginning,” Almeida said. “And it’s just very cool to see a lot of this prove out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. This is Bay curious. And today we’re going on a little road trip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of a car driving\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Here we go. So we are driving around San Francisco in my Volkswagen E-golf, and it’s an electric vehicle. And we’re looking for a place to charge. And I’m here with Dana Cronin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>And how do you normally find a place to charge in the city?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> It’s pretty rare that I have to find a place to charge because I mostly charge at home. But when I do have to find a place, I pull up an app on my phone and …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> Safely, of course, pulled over by the side of the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Exactly. Let’s actually pull over real quick up here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(sound of car decelerating)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Okay, so I pull up this app on my phone and what it does is it loads all sorts of different chargers that are nearby that are owned by all sorts of different companies. The numbers mean how many charging stations are in each of these locations. Of the one that’s nearby, it looks like one is out of service; four are currently being used … but looks like one is available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> 0.2 miles away. That’s not too bad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Yeah, let’s give it a shot. Okay, so the charger is somewhere in this enormous parking lot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> You know that there’s a spot open right now because of your app, right? Or is it possible that it’s there but someone’s using it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I would … I would say I don’t feel 100% confident based on the app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> There’s a line of Teslas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>So, let’s go and see if the non-Tesla chargers are near the Tesla ones, too. Oh, and here we are to the right. … This is also Tesla charging. Just kidding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>We drove around the parking lot for a while but then finally found the chargers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> So, it’s full. (laughs)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> There was a little dispute with another customer over who was there first. It was totally us, but we let it go. Eventually, another stall opened up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Charging port here, plug it in and it looks like this one gives me the option to pay by the EVgo app, or I can pay by credit card, which is actually great. It does not seem … Oh, there we go, there we go. Okay, let’s remove the card … (pause) authorization declined. I will try a different card payment. (pause) Authorized!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> Step one: Complete! (laughing)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Step 7,962: pay for the charging. (laughing)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Generally, I would say this was not super easy, and yet it’s pretty much totally full.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: Yeah, I mean, it’s not easy. I feel really lucky most of the time. I charge at home because it is, you know, it’s a pain and it’s a little stressful, especially if you are really low on charge. Like I’ve been in situations where I’m really sweating it out because I go to one charging station and like the screen is broken or the Wi-Fi isn’t working, or sometimes they’ll have these in paid parking garages and they don’t tell you that. And it’s like $30 just to get in the garage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> Like it feels like you do have to have an at-home charger right now for this to be convenient and conducive to your lifestyle. Like, I can’t imagine, like fully relying on this, you know. I, for one, will probably just stick with my Subaru for now. My gas-powered Subaru, for now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> On today’s episode of Bay Curious, we dive into the world of electric vehicles. I love driving mine, but as you saw, it’s not perfect. California currently dominates the EV market, and the state has a lofty goal of banning the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. So if you’re not driving an EV yet, you may be soon. Is your community set up for it? Is the Bay area’s current infrastructure matching up with the demand? We’ll get into all that just after a quick break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>SPONSOR\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>For this episode, I’m tossing to my co-pilot … reporter Dana Cronin … to explain what’s going on with the Bay Area’s EV infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> Like a lot of Bay Area residents … maybe you included … I want my next car to be electric. But if my 2012 Subaru Outback died tomorrow … I’m not sure I’d be ready to make the switch. Especially after that drive with Olivia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious listener Kelly Lindberg … feels the same way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kelly Lindberg:\u003c/strong> You hear those stories in the news sometimes about, like, the drive between, like, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. You know, people going in their Teslas and having a super long line at the charging station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Kelly works for a climate startup accelerator, and she’s thought, “There’s gotta be a solution to this problem.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One came to her… as she was driving through her neighborhood in Oakland. She’s noticed a lot of abandoned gas stations around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kelly Lindberg:\u003c/strong> Would it be a good idea to maybe turn some of these spaces into electric car charging stations?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>I mean … sounds like a good idea to me. I, too, live in Oakland and have noticed quite a few empty lots. Whether they’re former gas stations, convenience stores, or storefronts … it seems like there’s plenty of empty space for charging stations to set up shop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, to do that, you first need a charging company. So, I met with one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(sounds of loud road noise)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Jonah Eidus is wearing a navy-logoed polo and is parked at an EVgo charging station. He oversees EVgo’s real estate department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>EVgo has hundreds of charging stalls in the Bay Area … the one we’re meeting at is in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood … right off of 580 on Fruitvale Avenue. It’s set up at a Shell gas station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus:\u003c/strong> So this site is an eight-stall, fast-charging site, capable of delivering up to 350 kW to each car. And it is definitely one of the more popular stations in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>That’s enough to charge most modern EVs in less than 20 minutes. And it is popular! Over the course of our interview … all eight stalls were full almost the whole time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without wasting any time, I posed Kelly’s question. Could empty lots and gas stations near her house get setups like this one?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus:\u003c/strong> In general, when we’re installing new chargers, we’re looking to be in high-traffic areas where the chargers will be used for about 15 to 45 minutes. And that means we also want to have amenities nearby so people have something to do during those 15 to 45 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>It takes longer to charge your car’s battery than it does to pump gas. So this charging station, for example, is right next to a Peet’s Coffee and a Farmer Joe’s grocery store. A perfect place to run some errands while you wait.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we’re talking, Dave Robinson drives up in his brand new 2023 KIA EV6, backs into a stall, and plugs in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>What do you plan to do while you wait?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dave Robinson:\u003c/strong> Just hang out. You know, if it’s going to be a while, there’s coffee shops and everything else around. So it’s easy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Convenience! It’s a big factor in selecting a charging site, Jonah says. But there are lots of other factors, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus: \u003c/strong>Availability of parking stalls, grid interconnection, forecasted charging demand, electricity rates and importantly, multifamily housing density nearby the charging station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>OK … let’s take those one at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus:\u003c/strong> Availability of parking stalls …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Meaning … is there enough space for cars to park here? The goal is to build as many charging stalls as possible per site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus:\u003c/strong> … grid interconnection …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>This one is super important. Because after all, the product they are ultimately selling … is electricity. And they need to make sure that a specific site HAS the electricity to sell\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus:\u003c/strong> … forecasted charging demand … electricity rates …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>How many customers do they expect, and how much will those customers have to pay to charge? The cost of electricity can \u003cem>literally \u003c/em>vary block to block.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>And … EVGo is a for-profit company after all … so it needs to pencil out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus:\u003c/strong> … and importantly, multifamily housing density nearby the charging station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Is the charging station set up near those who need it the most? Those who live in apartment complexes, for example, don’t have the option to charge from their own garage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s not even \u003cem>half \u003c/em>the considerations that go into establishing a charging site. There’s also things like a city’s zoning regulations … and safety considerations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, EVgo has a mapping algorithm that integrates 27 different factors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus: \u003c/strong>Suffice to say, it is a fairly sophisticated process that we go through. And when a site goes live, a lot of thought and a lot of data has gone into the decision to build that site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Jonah couldn’t say exactly whether the specific abandoned gas stations in Kelly’s neighborhood could be converted to charging sites … I guess that’s a question for the algorithm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(music)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem> \u003c/em>So that’s how companies choose specific charging sites … and avoid others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at the \u003cem>heart \u003c/em>of Kelly’s question … is a bigger question. Clearly, we need MORE charging stations … whether at abandoned gas stations … or near coffee shops and grocery stores. So … why hasn’t the electric vehicle charging infrastructure kept up with demand?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To answer that question, I met up with Carleen Cullen. She’s the co-founder of the environmental nonprofit Cool the Earth and a former transportation advisor to Governor Newsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(sounds of a busy parking lot)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We meet up at another charging station … this one in the parking lot of a Safeway in Mill Valley. We’re chatting next to Carleen’s Chevy Bolt … which is parked in a stall, ready to charge … when, all of a sudden, another EV driver pulls up behind us and asks how long we plan to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>I guess that’s part of the challenge is that there’s so few chargers that we have someone waiting on us here waiting for a charge, somewhat impatiently. So we’re going to go ahead and get charging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Carleen Cullen:\u003c/strong> Let’s get started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Carleen swipes her credit card, pulls the charger around to her car, plugs in, and it starts charging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(sound of the high-pitched hum from the charger)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Carleen Cullen: \u003c/strong>So when you hear that great hum, you know that that’s happening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Carleen is somewhat of an electric vehicle evangelist … an E-V-vangelist … if you will. Half the time we spent together I felt like I was in an EV infomercial. But she’s not naive. She knows the current infrastructure is flawed. In fact, she did a study a few years ago where she tested the reliability of charging stations in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Carleen Cullen: \u003c/strong>And we found that about a quarter of the stations in the Bay area weren’t functional.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Meaning the screens were broken or the payment system didn’t work or the equipment was flawed. She says the infrastructure has improved a lot since then, but there’s still not enough of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Carleen Cullen: \u003c/strong>I would say we’re tight on the number of chargers. Yeah, we’re definitely tight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>And that’s in part because … what we’re talking about here … is a MAJOR overhaul of an entire transportation system. In 2020, Governor Newsom set a goal to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in California by the year 2035. And California is outpacing other states in both EV adoption and infrastructure by a long shot. We have more chargers than any other state. But in order to reach that lofty goal … Carleen says we need three things:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Carleen Cullen:\u003c/strong> We need to move the adoption of EVs forward. We need to move the number of charging ports available as well, and we need to move the grid capacity as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>These things all have to happen simultaneously. Consumers, charging companies, EV manufacturers, utility companies, local governments … everyone has to work in concert for this to work. Carleen says, right now, the utility companies aren’t necessarily pulling their weight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Carleen Cullen: \u003c/strong>There’s a huge lag time between when the station, the charging station vendor requests the power and when PG&E actually delivers it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>For a charging station to operate, it needs to be hooked up to our power grid. That’s where PG&E comes in. And they won’t just let you set up a charging station ANYWHERE. They have to be able to deliver enough power to that site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is the section of the grid you’re trying to connect to also connected to a big manufacturing plant … for example? Are your neighbors using a lot of electricity during certain times of the day? Then the available power is likely spoken for. Does that portion of the grid rely heavily on solar power? Then the chargers may not work when the sun goes down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are critical considerations, says David Almeida … a manager within PG&E’s clean energy transportation group. And he says Carleen’s critique is fair. He says, yes, the utility is definitely still playing catch-up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Almeida:\u003c/strong> So we have over 600,000 EVs in our service territory. And we’ve seen EV adoption grow at about 26% of the compound annual growth rate over the last few years. That’s a significant amount of load that we’re seeing on the system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>He also says … they didn’t plan for that increased demand for electricity. In fact, they UNDERestimated it … and, as a result, they don’t have the infrastructure to support it right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, he says, they’re working on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Almeida: \u003c/strong>We are building out a forecast that doesn’t look at necessarily just historical load, but it looks at where we anticipate load growth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>He says their goal is to make electric car charging stations faster to build and more reliable once they’re up and running.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>This all sounds like a lot of work. Overhauling our entire state’s transportation system … building thousands and thousands of new charging stations … getting utility companies on board … I’m exhausted just thinking about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s important to remember WHY we’re doing this. Right now, California’s transportation system is BY FAR the largest contributor to our greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning away from gas-powered cars is critical to mitigating the impacts of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Evs are already helping to do that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent study by scientists at UC Berkeley showed EV adoption in the Bay Area has already reduced our carbon emissions by almost 2 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, obviously, to keep up that progress … the system has to work for EVERYONE. And I’m not sure we’re there yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music sneaks in\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> What do you think, Olivia? Any more sympathy for the cause?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> You know, yeah. I didn’t realize there were so many hurdles to getting new charging stations online. I feel really lucky that I am able to charge my car at home and so this isn’t an issue I have to deal with very often. But for folks who can’t charge overnight where they live — that’s a huge hurdle. And I’m sure it’s a non-starter for some people! It’s got to get better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> Yeah … 2035 is not THAT far away … and if we’re gonna reach that goal, we’re going to need more charging stations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m kind of hoping my Subaru lasts just a couple more years …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Dana Cronin — thank you!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>That was KQED’s Dana Cronin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This story would not have been possible without our question-asker, Kelly Lindberg. That’s because you, our dear audience, decide what we cover by submitting questions — and then voting on which ones we should answer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have a new voting round-up at BayCurious.org with three enticing questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice 1:\u003c/strong> Why did Oakland International Airport become San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, giving us two very confusingly similar-sounding airports?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice 2:\u003c/strong> I remember going to the Berkeley dump, now Cesar Chavez Park, with my dad in the 1970s. It was pretty wild. It’d be really interesting to learn more about its evolution from dump to park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice 3:\u003c/strong> I was walking my dog on Thornton Beach on the Daly City/SF border and found a really long tunnel coming out of the hillside around some abandoned piers. Any idea what it is?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Voting is so easy! Just grab your phone, pull up BayCurious.org, scroll to our voting round and click on your favorite question! No registering or emails or phone numbers or anything complicated. We try to make it easy on you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious is made by Ana De Almeida Amaral, Amanda Font, Olivia Allen-Price, Christopher Beale. Special thanks to Laura Klivans, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED Family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>I’m Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You may have heard some horror stories about electric vehicle charging — long lines, lengthy waits, broken units. Sometimes even\u003cem> finding \u003c/em>a charging station is a challenge. When your car’s low on charge but no charger is available, it’s stressful. Maybe you’re halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles and you’re stuck waiting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s one of the big things stopping Bay Curious listener Kelly Lindberg from buying an electric car right now.\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>“I’m hoping that by 2030, between having some years to save up and the technology getting better and cheaper, maybe that’s around the time [it] could work for our family,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Lindberg has an idea to help alleviate the charging congestion. She’s noticed a lot of empty former gas station sites around her neighborhood in Oakland and wondered, “Would it be a good idea to turn some of these spaces into electric car charging stations?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom set a goal for the state to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by the year 2035. So even if you’ve got a gas-powered car, and this isn’t a problem you’re facing currently, it may be soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How to set up a charging station\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To find out what goes into installing a new charging station, I met up with Jonah Eidus, who oversees real estate development for electric car charging company EVgo. The company has hundreds of charging stalls across the Bay Area and thousands across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In general, when we’re installing new chargers, we’re looking to be in high-traffic areas where the chargers will be used for about 15 to 45 minutes,” Eidus said. “And that means we also want to have amenities nearby so people have something to do during those 15 to 45 minutes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since charging your car takes longer than pumping gas, stations are designed with the surroundings in mind. They aim to install stations in the parking lot of a Safeway, for example, or close to a coffee shop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are many other considerations too, Eidus said, including the availability of parking stalls. Is there enough space for many cars to park? The goal, after all, is to build as many charging stalls per site as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Does the site integrate well into the electrical grid? The product they are ultimately selling is electricity, so they have to make sure that a site \u003cem>has \u003c/em>the electricity to sell at an affordable price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, is the charging station set up near those who need it most, including those who live in apartment complexes and don’t have the option to charge from their own garage? There are also city zoning regulations and safety considerations to take into account.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s not even half of what goes into establishing a charging site. In fact, EVgo has a mapping algorithm that integrates 27 different factors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Suffice to say, it is a fairly sophisticated process that we go through,” Eidus said. “When a site goes live, a lot of thought and a lot of data has gone into the decision to build that site.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Improving reliability and keeping up with demand\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California — particularly the Bay Area — \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/us/bay-area-electric-vehicles.html\">leads the nation\u003c/a> in electric vehicle adoption. To meet that growing demand, California has to build 1 million new chargers by the end of 2030, \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24795161/assembly-bill-2127-second-electric-vehicle-charging-infrastructure-second-assessment-revised-staff-report.pdf#page=52\">according to the state’s own projections (PDF)\u003c/a>. Some experts say \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/climate-change/2024/07/california-electric-car-chargers-unrealistic-goals/\">that’s not feasible\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would say we’re tight on the number of chargers,” said Carleen Cullen, co-founder of the environmental nonprofit Cool the Earth and a former transportation advisor to Gov. Newsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not only are they in short supply, the ones we do have are not always reliable, Cullen said. She helped conduct a study a few years ago to test the reliability of charging stations in the Bay Area and found that a quarter of them weren’t functional, meaning the screens were broken, the payment system didn’t work or the equipment was flawed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cullen said while the infrastructure has improved a lot since then, there’s still not enough of it — despite the fact that \u003ca href=\"https://smartasset.com/data-studies/ev-chargers-2023\">California is outpacing other states\u003c/a> in both EV adoption and infrastructure. And in order to reach Newsom’s goal, we need consumers, charging companies, EV manufacturers, local governments and utility companies to work together, Cullen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to move the adoption of EVs forward, we need to move the number of charging ports available as well, and we need to move the grid capacity as well,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11999354\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11999354\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240129-EVFILE-KSM-24_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tashinda Richardson of Oakland plugs in her rented electric vehicle at an EVgo Fast Charging station in Oakland on Jan. 29. Richardson said it can be hard to find a charger when she needs one. Sometimes, she said, chargers won’t work or the plug will get stuck in the car. \u003ccite>(Kathryn Styer Martínez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A big hold-up right now, according to Cullen, lies with PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a huge lag time between when the charging station vendor requests the power and when PG&E actually delivers it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a charging station to operate, it needs to be hooked up to the power grid. That’s where PG&E comes in. And they won’t just let you set up a charging station anywhere. They have to be able to deliver enough power to that site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is the section of the grid you’re trying to connect to also connected to a big manufacturing plant, for example? Are your neighbors using a lot of electricity during certain times of the day? Then the available power is likely spoken for. Does that portion of the grid rely heavily on solar power? Then the chargers may not work when the sun goes down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have over 600,000 EVs in our service territory. And we’ve seen EV adoption grow at about 26% of the compound annual growth rate over the last few years. That’s a significant amount of load that we’re seeing on the system,” said David Almeida, a manager within PG&E’s clean energy transportation group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almeida said the utility company underestimated electricity demand, and as a result, it doesn’t have the infrastructure to support the rapidly growing EV industry right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re working on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are building out a forecast that doesn’t look at necessarily just historical load, but it looks at where we anticipate load growth,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The goal is to make electric car charging stations faster to build and more reliable once they’re up and running.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite all the work needed to bolster this transportation system overhaul, Almeida said it’s ultimately worth it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, California’s transportation system is by far the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/ghg-inventory-data\">largest contributor\u003c/a> to our greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning away from gas-powered cars is critical to mitigating the impacts of climate change, and EVs are already helping to do that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.3c09642\">study\u003c/a> by scientists at UC Berkeley showed EV adoption in the Bay Area has already reduced our carbon emissions by almost 2%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been a believer from the very beginning,” Almeida said. “And it’s just very cool to see a lot of this prove out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. This is Bay curious. And today we’re going on a little road trip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of a car driving\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Here we go. So we are driving around San Francisco in my Volkswagen E-golf, and it’s an electric vehicle. And we’re looking for a place to charge. And I’m here with Dana Cronin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>And how do you normally find a place to charge in the city?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> It’s pretty rare that I have to find a place to charge because I mostly charge at home. But when I do have to find a place, I pull up an app on my phone and …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> Safely, of course, pulled over by the side of the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Exactly. Let’s actually pull over real quick up here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(sound of car decelerating)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Okay, so I pull up this app on my phone and what it does is it loads all sorts of different chargers that are nearby that are owned by all sorts of different companies. The numbers mean how many charging stations are in each of these locations. Of the one that’s nearby, it looks like one is out of service; four are currently being used … but looks like one is available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> 0.2 miles away. That’s not too bad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Yeah, let’s give it a shot. Okay, so the charger is somewhere in this enormous parking lot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> You know that there’s a spot open right now because of your app, right? Or is it possible that it’s there but someone’s using it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I would … I would say I don’t feel 100% confident based on the app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> There’s a line of Teslas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>So, let’s go and see if the non-Tesla chargers are near the Tesla ones, too. Oh, and here we are to the right. … This is also Tesla charging. Just kidding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>We drove around the parking lot for a while but then finally found the chargers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> So, it’s full. (laughs)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> There was a little dispute with another customer over who was there first. It was totally us, but we let it go. Eventually, another stall opened up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Charging port here, plug it in and it looks like this one gives me the option to pay by the EVgo app, or I can pay by credit card, which is actually great. It does not seem … Oh, there we go, there we go. Okay, let’s remove the card … (pause) authorization declined. I will try a different card payment. (pause) Authorized!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> Step one: Complete! (laughing)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Step 7,962: pay for the charging. (laughing)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Generally, I would say this was not super easy, and yet it’s pretty much totally full.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: Yeah, I mean, it’s not easy. I feel really lucky most of the time. I charge at home because it is, you know, it’s a pain and it’s a little stressful, especially if you are really low on charge. Like I’ve been in situations where I’m really sweating it out because I go to one charging station and like the screen is broken or the Wi-Fi isn’t working, or sometimes they’ll have these in paid parking garages and they don’t tell you that. And it’s like $30 just to get in the garage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> Like it feels like you do have to have an at-home charger right now for this to be convenient and conducive to your lifestyle. Like, I can’t imagine, like fully relying on this, you know. I, for one, will probably just stick with my Subaru for now. My gas-powered Subaru, for now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> On today’s episode of Bay Curious, we dive into the world of electric vehicles. I love driving mine, but as you saw, it’s not perfect. California currently dominates the EV market, and the state has a lofty goal of banning the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. So if you’re not driving an EV yet, you may be soon. Is your community set up for it? Is the Bay area’s current infrastructure matching up with the demand? We’ll get into all that just after a quick break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>SPONSOR\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>For this episode, I’m tossing to my co-pilot … reporter Dana Cronin … to explain what’s going on with the Bay Area’s EV infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> Like a lot of Bay Area residents … maybe you included … I want my next car to be electric. But if my 2012 Subaru Outback died tomorrow … I’m not sure I’d be ready to make the switch. Especially after that drive with Olivia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious listener Kelly Lindberg … feels the same way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kelly Lindberg:\u003c/strong> You hear those stories in the news sometimes about, like, the drive between, like, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. You know, people going in their Teslas and having a super long line at the charging station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Kelly works for a climate startup accelerator, and she’s thought, “There’s gotta be a solution to this problem.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One came to her… as she was driving through her neighborhood in Oakland. She’s noticed a lot of abandoned gas stations around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kelly Lindberg:\u003c/strong> Would it be a good idea to maybe turn some of these spaces into electric car charging stations?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>I mean … sounds like a good idea to me. I, too, live in Oakland and have noticed quite a few empty lots. Whether they’re former gas stations, convenience stores, or storefronts … it seems like there’s plenty of empty space for charging stations to set up shop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, to do that, you first need a charging company. So, I met with one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(sounds of loud road noise)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Jonah Eidus is wearing a navy-logoed polo and is parked at an EVgo charging station. He oversees EVgo’s real estate department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>EVgo has hundreds of charging stalls in the Bay Area … the one we’re meeting at is in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood … right off of 580 on Fruitvale Avenue. It’s set up at a Shell gas station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus:\u003c/strong> So this site is an eight-stall, fast-charging site, capable of delivering up to 350 kW to each car. And it is definitely one of the more popular stations in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>That’s enough to charge most modern EVs in less than 20 minutes. And it is popular! Over the course of our interview … all eight stalls were full almost the whole time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without wasting any time, I posed Kelly’s question. Could empty lots and gas stations near her house get setups like this one?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus:\u003c/strong> In general, when we’re installing new chargers, we’re looking to be in high-traffic areas where the chargers will be used for about 15 to 45 minutes. And that means we also want to have amenities nearby so people have something to do during those 15 to 45 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>It takes longer to charge your car’s battery than it does to pump gas. So this charging station, for example, is right next to a Peet’s Coffee and a Farmer Joe’s grocery store. A perfect place to run some errands while you wait.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we’re talking, Dave Robinson drives up in his brand new 2023 KIA EV6, backs into a stall, and plugs in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>What do you plan to do while you wait?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dave Robinson:\u003c/strong> Just hang out. You know, if it’s going to be a while, there’s coffee shops and everything else around. So it’s easy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Convenience! It’s a big factor in selecting a charging site, Jonah says. But there are lots of other factors, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus: \u003c/strong>Availability of parking stalls, grid interconnection, forecasted charging demand, electricity rates and importantly, multifamily housing density nearby the charging station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>OK … let’s take those one at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus:\u003c/strong> Availability of parking stalls …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Meaning … is there enough space for cars to park here? The goal is to build as many charging stalls as possible per site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus:\u003c/strong> … grid interconnection …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>This one is super important. Because after all, the product they are ultimately selling … is electricity. And they need to make sure that a specific site HAS the electricity to sell\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus:\u003c/strong> … forecasted charging demand … electricity rates …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>How many customers do they expect, and how much will those customers have to pay to charge? The cost of electricity can \u003cem>literally \u003c/em>vary block to block.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>And … EVGo is a for-profit company after all … so it needs to pencil out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus:\u003c/strong> … and importantly, multifamily housing density nearby the charging station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Is the charging station set up near those who need it the most? Those who live in apartment complexes, for example, don’t have the option to charge from their own garage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s not even \u003cem>half \u003c/em>the considerations that go into establishing a charging site. There’s also things like a city’s zoning regulations … and safety considerations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, EVgo has a mapping algorithm that integrates 27 different factors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonah Eidus: \u003c/strong>Suffice to say, it is a fairly sophisticated process that we go through. And when a site goes live, a lot of thought and a lot of data has gone into the decision to build that site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Jonah couldn’t say exactly whether the specific abandoned gas stations in Kelly’s neighborhood could be converted to charging sites … I guess that’s a question for the algorithm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(music)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem> \u003c/em>So that’s how companies choose specific charging sites … and avoid others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at the \u003cem>heart \u003c/em>of Kelly’s question … is a bigger question. Clearly, we need MORE charging stations … whether at abandoned gas stations … or near coffee shops and grocery stores. So … why hasn’t the electric vehicle charging infrastructure kept up with demand?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To answer that question, I met up with Carleen Cullen. She’s the co-founder of the environmental nonprofit Cool the Earth and a former transportation advisor to Governor Newsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(sounds of a busy parking lot)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We meet up at another charging station … this one in the parking lot of a Safeway in Mill Valley. We’re chatting next to Carleen’s Chevy Bolt … which is parked in a stall, ready to charge … when, all of a sudden, another EV driver pulls up behind us and asks how long we plan to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>I guess that’s part of the challenge is that there’s so few chargers that we have someone waiting on us here waiting for a charge, somewhat impatiently. So we’re going to go ahead and get charging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Carleen Cullen:\u003c/strong> Let’s get started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Carleen swipes her credit card, pulls the charger around to her car, plugs in, and it starts charging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(sound of the high-pitched hum from the charger)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Carleen Cullen: \u003c/strong>So when you hear that great hum, you know that that’s happening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Carleen is somewhat of an electric vehicle evangelist … an E-V-vangelist … if you will. Half the time we spent together I felt like I was in an EV infomercial. But she’s not naive. She knows the current infrastructure is flawed. In fact, she did a study a few years ago where she tested the reliability of charging stations in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Carleen Cullen: \u003c/strong>And we found that about a quarter of the stations in the Bay area weren’t functional.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Meaning the screens were broken or the payment system didn’t work or the equipment was flawed. She says the infrastructure has improved a lot since then, but there’s still not enough of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Carleen Cullen: \u003c/strong>I would say we’re tight on the number of chargers. Yeah, we’re definitely tight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>And that’s in part because … what we’re talking about here … is a MAJOR overhaul of an entire transportation system. In 2020, Governor Newsom set a goal to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in California by the year 2035. And California is outpacing other states in both EV adoption and infrastructure by a long shot. We have more chargers than any other state. But in order to reach that lofty goal … Carleen says we need three things:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Carleen Cullen:\u003c/strong> We need to move the adoption of EVs forward. We need to move the number of charging ports available as well, and we need to move the grid capacity as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>These things all have to happen simultaneously. Consumers, charging companies, EV manufacturers, utility companies, local governments … everyone has to work in concert for this to work. Carleen says, right now, the utility companies aren’t necessarily pulling their weight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Carleen Cullen: \u003c/strong>There’s a huge lag time between when the station, the charging station vendor requests the power and when PG&E actually delivers it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>For a charging station to operate, it needs to be hooked up to our power grid. That’s where PG&E comes in. And they won’t just let you set up a charging station ANYWHERE. They have to be able to deliver enough power to that site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is the section of the grid you’re trying to connect to also connected to a big manufacturing plant … for example? Are your neighbors using a lot of electricity during certain times of the day? Then the available power is likely spoken for. Does that portion of the grid rely heavily on solar power? Then the chargers may not work when the sun goes down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are critical considerations, says David Almeida … a manager within PG&E’s clean energy transportation group. And he says Carleen’s critique is fair. He says, yes, the utility is definitely still playing catch-up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Almeida:\u003c/strong> So we have over 600,000 EVs in our service territory. And we’ve seen EV adoption grow at about 26% of the compound annual growth rate over the last few years. That’s a significant amount of load that we’re seeing on the system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>He also says … they didn’t plan for that increased demand for electricity. In fact, they UNDERestimated it … and, as a result, they don’t have the infrastructure to support it right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, he says, they’re working on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Almeida: \u003c/strong>We are building out a forecast that doesn’t look at necessarily just historical load, but it looks at where we anticipate load growth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>He says their goal is to make electric car charging stations faster to build and more reliable once they’re up and running.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>This all sounds like a lot of work. Overhauling our entire state’s transportation system … building thousands and thousands of new charging stations … getting utility companies on board … I’m exhausted just thinking about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s important to remember WHY we’re doing this. Right now, California’s transportation system is BY FAR the largest contributor to our greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning away from gas-powered cars is critical to mitigating the impacts of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Evs are already helping to do that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent study by scientists at UC Berkeley showed EV adoption in the Bay Area has already reduced our carbon emissions by almost 2 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, obviously, to keep up that progress … the system has to work for EVERYONE. And I’m not sure we’re there yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music sneaks in\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> What do you think, Olivia? Any more sympathy for the cause?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> You know, yeah. I didn’t realize there were so many hurdles to getting new charging stations online. I feel really lucky that I am able to charge my car at home and so this isn’t an issue I have to deal with very often. But for folks who can’t charge overnight where they live — that’s a huge hurdle. And I’m sure it’s a non-starter for some people! It’s got to get better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> Yeah … 2035 is not THAT far away … and if we’re gonna reach that goal, we’re going to need more charging stations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m kind of hoping my Subaru lasts just a couple more years …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Dana Cronin — thank you!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>That was KQED’s Dana Cronin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This story would not have been possible without our question-asker, Kelly Lindberg. That’s because you, our dear audience, decide what we cover by submitting questions — and then voting on which ones we should answer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have a new voting round-up at BayCurious.org with three enticing questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice 1:\u003c/strong> Why did Oakland International Airport become San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, giving us two very confusingly similar-sounding airports?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice 2:\u003c/strong> I remember going to the Berkeley dump, now Cesar Chavez Park, with my dad in the 1970s. It was pretty wild. It’d be really interesting to learn more about its evolution from dump to park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice 3:\u003c/strong> I was walking my dog on Thornton Beach on the Daly City/SF border and found a really long tunnel coming out of the hillside around some abandoned piers. Any idea what it is?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Voting is so easy! Just grab your phone, pull up BayCurious.org, scroll to our voting round and click on your favorite question! No registering or emails or phone numbers or anything complicated. We try to make it easy on you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious is made by Ana De Almeida Amaral, Amanda Font, Olivia Allen-Price, Christopher Beale. Special thanks to Laura Klivans, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED Family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>I’m Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Francisco Mayor London Breed has promised “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11996234/sf-mayor-says-very-aggressive-encampment-sweeps-will-start-in-august\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">very aggressive”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> sweeps of homeless encampments this month, on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that gives cities more leeway to fine or jail people for camping in public. KQED’s Sara Hossaini joins us to talk about what’s changed on the ground — and what hasn’t. \u003c/span>\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=KQINC3561974266\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. San Francisco mayor, London Breed has promised to get much more aggressive at sweeping homeless encampments after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that gives cities more leeway to fine or jail people for camping in public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mayor London Breed: \u003c/strong>This is not just about cleaning and clearing because these are people and they got to go somewhere. But we are going to make them so uncomfortable on the streets of San Francisco that they have to take our offer. That really is the goal of what we’re trying to accomplish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Homeless advocates have been bracing for the impact of the Supreme Court decision on encampments across the bay today. What’s changed on the ground in San Francisco and what hasn’t?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>Mayor London Breed had come out in July and basically promised that she was going to get aggressive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Sara Hossaini is a reporter for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>I think she had a quote that was like she was going to make it so uncomfortable that people would have to either move or accept the city’s offer of shelter. And this kind of comes hand in hand with the Supreme Court case ruling, the grants pass ruling, which basically overturned a precedent that had been if you’re clearing an encampment, you can’t fine or jail people if you don’t have adequate shelter available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>If someone’s only option is sleeping on the street and you’re saying you can’t. It’s cruel and unusual punishment. But what happened with the Supreme Court ruling in June is that they decided that actually fines and jail time are not cruel. Cities and counties can decide their own policies. But if you if you want to do those things, you can do them. You can find in jail, folks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I know in anticipation of these sweeps and these changes, you actually went out to some homeless encampments in San Francisco first. Where did you go and and how were folks feeling where you went?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>So I went out to one in the city’s design district, which is around Division and Potrero Streets. It’s several blocks large. It’s under an underpass that goes to the 1 to 1, and it’s actually really close to KQED station. So I just headed out there a couple of days before August 1st, which is kind of when Mayor London Breed had suggested that things were going to heat up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>The scene was already pretty sparse. A notice from the city had gone up, and I think it was a mix of this is familiar, but also people on the street were aware of the rhetoric kind of shift, and so they weren’t really sure what it was going to mean for them, but they were preparing to move as as they do often there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So who’d you meet while you were out there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>So one of the people that I spent a lot of time with was this young man, 32 year old named C.J.. C.J., I sort of caught out of the corner of my eye as he was taking this black bucket to a fire hydrant, opening it up with a wrench and filling it with water to take back to his tent as he was preparing to leave. Cleaning up around your area?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CJ: \u003c/strong>Yeah, Keeping it sanitized. Yeah. People are dirty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Yeah. And tell me a little bit more about C.J. and what he told you about why he’s living on the streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>So C.J. told me that he had been there for about a year, and he talked about his brother having died a few years prior. He himself since then has survived a fentanyl overdose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CJ: \u003c/strong>I passed away from overdose, but they brought me back to the Narcan. Spitting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>He still does meth. He says he knows he should quit, but he will when the time is right. He is HIV positive. He seems to be a little bit of a loner. He says that in the year he’s been out, folks from the city have come and asked him if he wants shelter three times. He said that he told them, I’m not going to a shelter. I don’t like shelters. At the same time, he says, I know I should go there and see about this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CJ: \u003c/strong>They said, Do I want housing right now? I said, No, I don’t know why I said that. So I’m still trying. I need to. It’s just hard. I never thought I would have said, this is comfortable for me. For some reason. I got comfortable and got comfortable like this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>How did you end up living?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, it sounds like he is the exact kind of person who people like London Breed would like to see in shelters, but who they sort of have a hard time getting to accept offers for shelters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>Absolutely. And I think that if you talk to C.J., you realize that he has reasons and his reasons are varied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CJ: \u003c/strong>I don’t like people stellar for me and. I don’t like arguing when he will let you know that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>He has this prized possession. It’s his cart. It’s a kind of like a mail cart with four shelves and he’s attached some milk crates to it and it has wheels. And this is something he uses to basically pack up and leave and come back to wherever he’s going in 45 minutes. It’s kind of a nomadic existence, and he depends on this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CJ: \u003c/strong>They’re not going to take this weight either. The only reason why they think the only way they’re going to take it away if I go inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>Etc.. So, yeah, the idea of going to a temporary shelter, a congregate shelter maybe for a day or two, which is often the case, I mean, we have a bad track record of moving people from these temporary shelters into actual permanent housing. So the idea of giving this thing up and then not being clear on what happens afterwards is not appealing to many people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>There’s also just not enough shelters. San Francisco has about 8000 unhoused people and 4000 shelter beds, and those are full. So what does that mean? We’re asking them potentially to give up everything they have on the street. So it’s kind of a catch 22.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You mentioned homeless advocates. What was your sense of how these advocates were gearing up for these sweeps?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>Advocates like Lukas Illa of the Coalition on Homelessness were feeling watchful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lukas Illa: \u003c/strong>We’re kind of bracing for impact in that way, right where the mayor is taking this big game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>It’s on the one hand, Lukas was saying, yes, they sweep this encampments very regularly. And as far as they’re concerned, the aggressive sweeps have been in play. But on the other hand, this rhetoric that we’re going to get aggressive and make it so uncomfortable for people that they have to do what we’re asking them is something that they’re keeping an eye on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lukas Illa: \u003c/strong>It’s an election year. Homeless folks know it. They’ve been well rehearsed and practiced in knowing that they’re in the direct focus of her ire and how she scores political points, that they’re going to be facing a lot more scrutiny.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>But and so they were out there trying to see if they could keep an eye on the situation and prepare people that they met.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, what Sarah saw when she went back to the encampment on the day of the sweep. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So you went back to this same encampment on the day that the city actually did promise to sweep it August 1st. What did you see? Sarah?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>So when I got there on August 1st, the first thing I noticed is it seemed pretty desolate. People that were there with the city team, which was a handful of Department of Public Works workers who were, you know, dressed in their white and their bright vests. So busily trying to clean the streets with power washers and discarding unattended tents, as well as police and social workers who kind of just had nothing to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>They were standing idly by. There was an observer from the city’s attorney’s office taking notes. There was an Office of Emergency services spokesman there kind of on the scene. I didn’t see any unhoused people in the area when the teams arrived. Everyone had left. I think people at this particular spot are used to sweeps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>It’s nothing new in that sense, but it does seem like almost everyone has left. Now, if you walk 4 or 5 blocks down the road, that’s where you found many of them. They were just kind of right outside the perimeter until the coast is clear. And then many of them said they they would try to return. What’s your name?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lt. Wayman Young: \u003c/strong>Lt. Wayman Young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>And how do you spell your first name?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lt. Wayman Young: \u003c/strong>W a y m…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>And so when I was on scene, I spoke with the San Francisco Police Department’s police representative on scene for the Healthy Streets Operation Center. His name was Lieutenant Waymon Young. And I was just sort of asking him how he thought things were going. You know, what do you think about all this? Do you do you consider this futile? And he said he didn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lt. Wayman Young: \u003c/strong>Well, our plan has always been the same. I mean, we clean it. And that’s what’s been happening all these years. We clean it, they come back to clean it. They come back and. If we come back more often. That’s how you prevent the encampment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Did the lieutenant that you spoke with, Sara, tell you about whether his job feels different now since the grants pass ruling? Does he have more authority now than he did maybe a couple months ago?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>I think with grants pass and with Governor Gavin Newsom’s embracing of that, as well as Mayor Breed’s pledge to get rid of encampments. I think that Lieutenant Young felt that he had more tools available to him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lt. Wayman Young: \u003c/strong>The only difference was during the injunction, we have to verify that what that was, there was actually shelter beds available. So what we had to do was call verify.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>He did say that he’s intends to still offer people shelter when he meets them. Even ones who return to the encampments, which is something the city has said they no longer have to do. But he also said that he feels a duty to people like, you know, the grandma who’s just trying to get across the sidewalk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lt. Wayman Young: \u003c/strong>You have the other side, the citizens that deserve to have a place I want. I have mothers with baby stroller, people that are wheelchair elderly that have to walk in the street. Well, how do you what do you say to those folks?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>He just feels that he’s enforcing the law and the law is there for a reason.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lt. Wayman Young: \u003c/strong>And it’s very easy for us. We enforce the law. If I think that if people are upset at us or. Were happy with us. Change the law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, I’m curious, too, if you saw C.J. again, Sarah, the homeless man that you had met the day before the sweeps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>I did see C.J. again on the day of the sweep. I saw him riding a pink child’s bike that said, Chase your dreams. Holding in one hand a stack of flattened cardboard. And then the other hand, a broom. And he was biking five blocks down to the spot where his neighbors from the encampment had moved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>And I asked him, what are you going to do? And he said, you know, I might go to my auntie’s for a night, but I’ll come back here. And I said, Why? And he said, he said, he’s comfortable here. He’s lived here for a year. And. And these sorts of sweeps aren’t new to him. So that was his plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Sarah, you asked earlier, like, what is different as a result of Gran’s pass? And I guess that really is like the question of this episode, right? Is like, was this sweep, I guess, different from the kind of sweeps that we’ve seen before in San Francisco?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>I don’t think that people on the ground, the unhoused folks, the advocates, even many of the the workers on these cleanup teams would consider this too different from what we’ve had already. This particular site has been swept more an average of more than once a week for the past six months. And people still return.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>They still consider themselves residents of this area. Really, the only thing that I think changes is the possibility that some of these people will end up in the justice system into this cycle of being fined or even going to jail. And does that encourage people to get into shelter? Maybe, maybe not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what about across the city? Are things basically the same when it comes to sweeps or are they really shifting? Because we have seen some news reports about the city getting more aggressive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>You know, a lot kind of happened on Thursday. So it was the first day of the sweep. There was this press release from the mayor’s office that they were going to start using this existing program called the Journey Home Program to start issuing people bus tickets out of town before they would offer them services. There was also reports of encampments being swept without notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>There was also a scheduled meeting of the Homelessness Oversight Commission where the vice chair warned that unhoused people were being stripped of essential items like IDs and medication, which just makes their job harder when it comes to getting people into the system and getting them out and off the streets. While it seems like for some encampments like the one I visited, this is old hat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>There’s this sort of shift in tone towards less tolerance. And how that actually will play out remains to be seen. Mayor Breed is running for reelection. And there are people on her heels and people on her heels about the issue of the homelessness crisis. So I think that that is something to keep in mind. The timing is important here. And I think that people on the street know that to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Sara, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Sara Hossaini, a reporter for KQED. This 35 minute conversation with Sara was cut down and edited by me. Alan Montecillo is our senior editor. He scored this episode and added all the tape music courtesy of NPR and Audio Network. The Bay is a listener supported production. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Francisco Mayor London Breed has promised “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11996234/sf-mayor-says-very-aggressive-encampment-sweeps-will-start-in-august\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">very aggressive”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> sweeps of homeless encampments this month, on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that gives cities more leeway to fine or jail people for camping in public. KQED’s Sara Hossaini joins us to talk about what’s changed on the ground — and what hasn’t. \u003c/span>\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=KQINC3561974266\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. San Francisco mayor, London Breed has promised to get much more aggressive at sweeping homeless encampments after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that gives cities more leeway to fine or jail people for camping in public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mayor London Breed: \u003c/strong>This is not just about cleaning and clearing because these are people and they got to go somewhere. But we are going to make them so uncomfortable on the streets of San Francisco that they have to take our offer. That really is the goal of what we’re trying to accomplish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Homeless advocates have been bracing for the impact of the Supreme Court decision on encampments across the bay today. What’s changed on the ground in San Francisco and what hasn’t?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>Mayor London Breed had come out in July and basically promised that she was going to get aggressive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Sara Hossaini is a reporter for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>I think she had a quote that was like she was going to make it so uncomfortable that people would have to either move or accept the city’s offer of shelter. And this kind of comes hand in hand with the Supreme Court case ruling, the grants pass ruling, which basically overturned a precedent that had been if you’re clearing an encampment, you can’t fine or jail people if you don’t have adequate shelter available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>If someone’s only option is sleeping on the street and you’re saying you can’t. It’s cruel and unusual punishment. But what happened with the Supreme Court ruling in June is that they decided that actually fines and jail time are not cruel. Cities and counties can decide their own policies. But if you if you want to do those things, you can do them. You can find in jail, folks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I know in anticipation of these sweeps and these changes, you actually went out to some homeless encampments in San Francisco first. Where did you go and and how were folks feeling where you went?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>So I went out to one in the city’s design district, which is around Division and Potrero Streets. It’s several blocks large. It’s under an underpass that goes to the 1 to 1, and it’s actually really close to KQED station. So I just headed out there a couple of days before August 1st, which is kind of when Mayor London Breed had suggested that things were going to heat up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>The scene was already pretty sparse. A notice from the city had gone up, and I think it was a mix of this is familiar, but also people on the street were aware of the rhetoric kind of shift, and so they weren’t really sure what it was going to mean for them, but they were preparing to move as as they do often there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So who’d you meet while you were out there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>So one of the people that I spent a lot of time with was this young man, 32 year old named C.J.. C.J., I sort of caught out of the corner of my eye as he was taking this black bucket to a fire hydrant, opening it up with a wrench and filling it with water to take back to his tent as he was preparing to leave. Cleaning up around your area?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CJ: \u003c/strong>Yeah, Keeping it sanitized. Yeah. People are dirty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Yeah. And tell me a little bit more about C.J. and what he told you about why he’s living on the streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>So C.J. told me that he had been there for about a year, and he talked about his brother having died a few years prior. He himself since then has survived a fentanyl overdose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CJ: \u003c/strong>I passed away from overdose, but they brought me back to the Narcan. Spitting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>He still does meth. He says he knows he should quit, but he will when the time is right. He is HIV positive. He seems to be a little bit of a loner. He says that in the year he’s been out, folks from the city have come and asked him if he wants shelter three times. He said that he told them, I’m not going to a shelter. I don’t like shelters. At the same time, he says, I know I should go there and see about this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CJ: \u003c/strong>They said, Do I want housing right now? I said, No, I don’t know why I said that. So I’m still trying. I need to. It’s just hard. I never thought I would have said, this is comfortable for me. For some reason. I got comfortable and got comfortable like this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>How did you end up living?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, it sounds like he is the exact kind of person who people like London Breed would like to see in shelters, but who they sort of have a hard time getting to accept offers for shelters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>Absolutely. And I think that if you talk to C.J., you realize that he has reasons and his reasons are varied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CJ: \u003c/strong>I don’t like people stellar for me and. I don’t like arguing when he will let you know that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>He has this prized possession. It’s his cart. It’s a kind of like a mail cart with four shelves and he’s attached some milk crates to it and it has wheels. And this is something he uses to basically pack up and leave and come back to wherever he’s going in 45 minutes. It’s kind of a nomadic existence, and he depends on this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CJ: \u003c/strong>They’re not going to take this weight either. The only reason why they think the only way they’re going to take it away if I go inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>Etc.. So, yeah, the idea of going to a temporary shelter, a congregate shelter maybe for a day or two, which is often the case, I mean, we have a bad track record of moving people from these temporary shelters into actual permanent housing. So the idea of giving this thing up and then not being clear on what happens afterwards is not appealing to many people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>There’s also just not enough shelters. San Francisco has about 8000 unhoused people and 4000 shelter beds, and those are full. So what does that mean? We’re asking them potentially to give up everything they have on the street. So it’s kind of a catch 22.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You mentioned homeless advocates. What was your sense of how these advocates were gearing up for these sweeps?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>Advocates like Lukas Illa of the Coalition on Homelessness were feeling watchful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lukas Illa: \u003c/strong>We’re kind of bracing for impact in that way, right where the mayor is taking this big game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>It’s on the one hand, Lukas was saying, yes, they sweep this encampments very regularly. And as far as they’re concerned, the aggressive sweeps have been in play. But on the other hand, this rhetoric that we’re going to get aggressive and make it so uncomfortable for people that they have to do what we’re asking them is something that they’re keeping an eye on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lukas Illa: \u003c/strong>It’s an election year. Homeless folks know it. They’ve been well rehearsed and practiced in knowing that they’re in the direct focus of her ire and how she scores political points, that they’re going to be facing a lot more scrutiny.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>But and so they were out there trying to see if they could keep an eye on the situation and prepare people that they met.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, what Sarah saw when she went back to the encampment on the day of the sweep. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So you went back to this same encampment on the day that the city actually did promise to sweep it August 1st. What did you see? Sarah?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>So when I got there on August 1st, the first thing I noticed is it seemed pretty desolate. People that were there with the city team, which was a handful of Department of Public Works workers who were, you know, dressed in their white and their bright vests. So busily trying to clean the streets with power washers and discarding unattended tents, as well as police and social workers who kind of just had nothing to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>They were standing idly by. There was an observer from the city’s attorney’s office taking notes. There was an Office of Emergency services spokesman there kind of on the scene. I didn’t see any unhoused people in the area when the teams arrived. Everyone had left. I think people at this particular spot are used to sweeps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>It’s nothing new in that sense, but it does seem like almost everyone has left. Now, if you walk 4 or 5 blocks down the road, that’s where you found many of them. They were just kind of right outside the perimeter until the coast is clear. And then many of them said they they would try to return. What’s your name?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lt. Wayman Young: \u003c/strong>Lt. Wayman Young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>And how do you spell your first name?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lt. Wayman Young: \u003c/strong>W a y m…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>And so when I was on scene, I spoke with the San Francisco Police Department’s police representative on scene for the Healthy Streets Operation Center. His name was Lieutenant Waymon Young. And I was just sort of asking him how he thought things were going. You know, what do you think about all this? Do you do you consider this futile? And he said he didn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lt. Wayman Young: \u003c/strong>Well, our plan has always been the same. I mean, we clean it. And that’s what’s been happening all these years. We clean it, they come back to clean it. They come back and. If we come back more often. That’s how you prevent the encampment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Did the lieutenant that you spoke with, Sara, tell you about whether his job feels different now since the grants pass ruling? Does he have more authority now than he did maybe a couple months ago?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>I think with grants pass and with Governor Gavin Newsom’s embracing of that, as well as Mayor Breed’s pledge to get rid of encampments. I think that Lieutenant Young felt that he had more tools available to him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lt. Wayman Young: \u003c/strong>The only difference was during the injunction, we have to verify that what that was, there was actually shelter beds available. So what we had to do was call verify.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>He did say that he’s intends to still offer people shelter when he meets them. Even ones who return to the encampments, which is something the city has said they no longer have to do. But he also said that he feels a duty to people like, you know, the grandma who’s just trying to get across the sidewalk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lt. Wayman Young: \u003c/strong>You have the other side, the citizens that deserve to have a place I want. I have mothers with baby stroller, people that are wheelchair elderly that have to walk in the street. Well, how do you what do you say to those folks?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>He just feels that he’s enforcing the law and the law is there for a reason.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lt. Wayman Young: \u003c/strong>And it’s very easy for us. We enforce the law. If I think that if people are upset at us or. Were happy with us. Change the law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, I’m curious, too, if you saw C.J. again, Sarah, the homeless man that you had met the day before the sweeps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>I did see C.J. again on the day of the sweep. I saw him riding a pink child’s bike that said, Chase your dreams. Holding in one hand a stack of flattened cardboard. And then the other hand, a broom. And he was biking five blocks down to the spot where his neighbors from the encampment had moved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>And I asked him, what are you going to do? And he said, you know, I might go to my auntie’s for a night, but I’ll come back here. And I said, Why? And he said, he said, he’s comfortable here. He’s lived here for a year. And. And these sorts of sweeps aren’t new to him. So that was his plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Sarah, you asked earlier, like, what is different as a result of Gran’s pass? And I guess that really is like the question of this episode, right? Is like, was this sweep, I guess, different from the kind of sweeps that we’ve seen before in San Francisco?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>I don’t think that people on the ground, the unhoused folks, the advocates, even many of the the workers on these cleanup teams would consider this too different from what we’ve had already. This particular site has been swept more an average of more than once a week for the past six months. And people still return.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>They still consider themselves residents of this area. Really, the only thing that I think changes is the possibility that some of these people will end up in the justice system into this cycle of being fined or even going to jail. And does that encourage people to get into shelter? Maybe, maybe not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what about across the city? Are things basically the same when it comes to sweeps or are they really shifting? Because we have seen some news reports about the city getting more aggressive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>You know, a lot kind of happened on Thursday. So it was the first day of the sweep. There was this press release from the mayor’s office that they were going to start using this existing program called the Journey Home Program to start issuing people bus tickets out of town before they would offer them services. There was also reports of encampments being swept without notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>There was also a scheduled meeting of the Homelessness Oversight Commission where the vice chair warned that unhoused people were being stripped of essential items like IDs and medication, which just makes their job harder when it comes to getting people into the system and getting them out and off the streets. While it seems like for some encampments like the one I visited, this is old hat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>There’s this sort of shift in tone towards less tolerance. And how that actually will play out remains to be seen. Mayor Breed is running for reelection. And there are people on her heels and people on her heels about the issue of the homelessness crisis. So I think that that is something to keep in mind. The timing is important here. And I think that people on the street know that to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Sara, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara Hossaini: \u003c/strong>Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Sara Hossaini, a reporter for KQED. This 35 minute conversation with Sara was cut down and edited by me. Alan Montecillo is our senior editor. He scored this episode and added all the tape music courtesy of NPR and Audio Network. The Bay is a listener supported production. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"title": "Why Millbrae Voters Recalled 2 City Councilmembers",
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"headTitle": "Why Millbrae Voters Recalled 2 City Councilmembers | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In late July, voters in the city of Millbrae, in northern San Mateo County, overwhelmingly recalled 2 of their 5 city councilmembers. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s a fight that started nearly a year ago, when former Councilmembers Angelina Cahalan and Maurice Goodman declined to publicly oppose a permanent supportive housing project. KQED’s Adhiti Bandlamudi tells us how that dispute snowballed into yet another recall election in the Bay Area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC7815950873&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Hey, it’s Ericka Cruz Guevarra And we’re back. While we were taking a break from making new episodes of the show, Alan and I have been looking for our new producer and we hope to make an announcement about that sometime real soon. It’s been a crazy July. Between that President Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That huge wildfire near Chico right now, a global tech outage, homeless sweeps. I mean, phew. But we’re here and we’re ready to get back to bringing you deep dives into the important stories of our region. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss a beat. It’s good to be back, y’all. Let’s get it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the bay. Local news to keep you rooted. Millbury voters have recalled two of their city councilors by a landslide after a special election late last month with a controversial affordable housing project at the center of it all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker 4: \u003c/strong>They want to know more about how the project will impact our community, affect on their property values, security issues, street safety, hygiene problems, and are there sufficient staff to take care of and supervise the residents today?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>How an affordable housing fight in Millbury snowballed into a recall campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Millbrae is a super small city. You probably have passed by it or passed through it on your way to SFO, the Airport authority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Adhiti Bandlamudi is a housing reporter for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>It’s in the peninsula in San Mateo County. It’s tucked between San Bruno and like Burlingame, there’s only about like 20,000 people who live there. It’s a lot of families mostly earning like six figures as the median household income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So this is in San Mateo County, which is one of the most expensive counties in the Bay Area. So and I imagine it’s expensive to live in Millbrae as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Very much so. I was looking at a rocket home study from June of this year and the median home sold price was 1.9 million. You know, it’s like it’s it’s got good schools. It’s a great place for families. And it’s it’s a pretty like sleepy area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Is there much affordable housing? There is. And is homelessness much of an issue in the city?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>They have some affordable housing in the city. There is an 80 unit, low income housing development, mostly leased to veterans that just opened and it’s close to the Mill Bay Bart station. But there is a unhoused population there and, you know, many of them live nearby that Bart station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, now I want to talk about where this recall effort really began. I mean, we’re talking to you about Millbury because voters there recently decided to recall two city council members. What is this all about?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>So a lot of back story basically leads to this recall. So in the fall of last year, the board of supervisors are basically starting to talk about buying two hotels, one in Millbrae, which is the La Quinta and another one in south San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>News Cast Audio: \u003c/strong>San Mateo County wants to buy this hotel for $33 million and convert it into permanent rental housing for people experiencing homelessness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And the idea of purchasing the La Quinta Inn is that it’s a ten minute walk from the Bart station. It’s close to the 1 to 1. It’s right off of El Camino Real. And the county wants to turn this basically into permanent supportive housing for people who are exiting homelessness. And they were going to do this through Project Homekey funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Homekey was this program headed by Governor Gavin Newsom to basically convert hotels into housing for those experiencing homelessness? And De La Quinta was also in a really good position to be purchased. The owners were planning to retire and their kids didn’t want to take on the hotel business. So it seemed like sort of the perfect opportunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>They proposed the project would house families and seniors that were experiencing homelessness, and they basically would have supportive housing services. So that means they would have like education and benefits assistance, you know, physical and behavioral health care, substance use services, things like that. And it would basically convert the 100 room hotel into like a 75 unit complex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So this would be a complex that houses people who are transitioning out of homelessness, as you said. And this is, of course, a plan by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. But how did people in the city of Millbrae respond at the time?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Millbrae does not have any permanent supportive housing like this project. And city officials from Millbrae said they were largely blindsided by this decision. They said they only found out about the hotel purchase and the intentions to do so after the board started talking about it without them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker: \u003c/strong>I’d ask that you submit your questions on the men to meet her hands in a card so your community members can be heard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>So in August of last year, sort of like middle of that month, the county held an informational meeting about the project. And for the most part, the county isn’t really asking people if they want this. They’re telling people, we’re going to purchase this and we can answer questions about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker 6: \u003c/strong>Unfortunately, that this is not up for this is not up for a vote. This is an information session here. I hope to give you that information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>News Cast Audio: \u003c/strong>We didn’t get to the next questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I think this is really where the conflict stemmed. The residents of Millbrae were largely upset and said that, you know, they feel like they weren’t asked about whether they wanted this housing and it’s just sort of being sprung upon them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker: \u003c/strong>On behalf of the residents of the building right near here. They want to know more about how the project will impact our community. For example, effect on their property values, security issues, street safety, hygiene problems, and are there sufficient staff?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>People brought up the fact that it’s like close to elementary schools and playgrounds. You know, there were concerns that there would be more 911 calls made to this area and that generally, like public safety, would be a bigger issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Albert Yam \u003c/strong>And many other facilities throughout the state, there are incidents of violence, sex offenders, drugs and murder. How can we trust you? It will not happen at a location within a block from three schools. And why would you need wraparound service for these facilities?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Kind of the the sorts of things that we hear when we hear about an affordable housing, low income housing project popping up in in some sort of community. Right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Yeah. These are concerns that people will have about supportive housing, about low income housing. They’re not necessarily backed by statistics and by fact. In fact, KQED correspondent Guy Marzorati looked into 911 calls to see if they actually, like, increase in frequency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And he found that that actually doesn’t happen. And what’s more, it’s like this housing is for families and seniors, you know, sort of I think there was misinformation that it was going to be like a shelter or like interim housing when in fact, this would have been, you know, permanent supportive housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>It sounds like residents were upset by this idea and this plan by the county to convert this hotel into permanent supportive housing. What do city leaders in Millbury decide to do in response to these plans? Do they try and stop the county from doing it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>So on September 1st, so a few weeks after that informational meeting, the city council members basically hosted this special meeting to discuss what they’re going to do about this plan that seemingly they didn’t have a part to play in it, and they don’t know how much power they really have in stopping the county from doing it anyway. The city council basically decides to send a letter opposing the project and asking for more information about how this would impact the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker 1: \u003c/strong>City Manager Please read it into the record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Thomas Williams: \u003c/strong>Okay. The letter the address letter is to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors care of Dave Pine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Many city council members bring up the fact that this hotel generates revenue for the city because the hotel pays a tax to the city that then funds services. Now, some city council members do note that, you know, hey, this might have been the issue anyway because the owners are thinking of retiring. But nonetheless, the question is there of how is this going to impact the city?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Thomas Williams: \u003c/strong>We urge the county to meet with our staff and the city council to further discuss ways that both parties can work together proactively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>So they draft this letter, basically getting ready to send it to the board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And is this a letter that has any kind of like legal power?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>It really doesn’t. It’s sort of it’s like urging the board of supervisors to not purchase the hotel and instead work with the city on an alternative solution that doesn’t take away this revenue stream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Okay, so this letter doesn’t quite have any legal power, but these city leaders write it up opposing the project. Did everyone agree that this project was a bad idea for Millbury, or did every city councilor sign on to this letter?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>There are two city council members who don’t sign the letter. Angelina Cahalan is one of them. And Vice Mayor Morris Goodman is another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Angelina Cahalan: \u003c/strong>I’d like to address a few different items.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Cahalan’s comments. She says she actually lives near the hotel and her kids went to the elementary school that’s nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Angelina Cahalan: \u003c/strong>I very much hear our community’s fear for safety. I know so many of us have worked so hard to, you know, build a life where we can afford a home and raise our family and be in a community like Millbury where we feel safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And she says that, you know, many of the people who would be living in the permanent supportive housing are very similar to the current residents of Millbrae. You know, family is seniors, people who would be in the community long term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Angelina Cahalan: \u003c/strong>I think it’s important to recognize that we are we do have people in our community that are struggling financially, that are experiencing mental illness, that might be experiencing addiction, that are in recovery. And they’re all active members of our community that we all live together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Vice Mayor Maurice Goodman is also against signing the letter and in favor of the supportive housing. And he sort of says, like the letter is dog whistling, talking about the public safety concerns that might come up with this development and the kinds of, you know, issues that it could raise within the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Maurice Goodman: \u003c/strong>It is my belief that while there is a need for communication to our Board of Supervisors counterparts, I feel that this letter at this time is nothing short of a carefully crafted letter to be utilized as propaganda, to further manipulate and politicize our collective responsibility, to welcome care for and support those in need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>He makes it clear that he doesn’t want to sign the letter, but welcomes the opportunity for it to be presented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Maurice Goodman: \u003c/strong>I do support the project and I believe that we all can do better at leading our collective community, both city and county, and not continue to drive a wedge between a compassionate and welcoming community using dog whistle political rhetoric.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>You know, basically, Goodman and Carlin don’t send the letter, but out of the five city council members, three of them do sign the letters. So the majority signs it. It goes through, but it doesn’t really change much because on September 12th, just a few weeks after they send the letter, the board of supervisors votes to move forward with this project anyway. And I think this is kind of the turning point of what kicks off the recall campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, the results of Millbrae’s recall election and what it says about our fights over affordable housing. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>All right, Adhiti. So you were just talking about this letter. City leaders in Millbury opposing this project, and then the county basically going on to approve it anyway. But how does all this turn into a recall effort against two of these Millbrae city council members?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I totally understand the framing. Like on the surface, it seems kind of weird, right? Like two city council members are getting recalled for not wanting to sign a letter that got sent anyway. But I spoke with Albert Yam, who is the head of the organizing campaign for the recall, and he basically told me that the letter is just one piece of the puzzle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>He was concerned about the safety aspects of the affordable housing development. He was worried about the fact that it was close to elementary schools. And he said there wasn’t really a discussion that was able to happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Albert Yam: \u003c/strong>Hello, my name is Albert Yam. I’m a new resident of Millbrae, but I’ve been coming to Millbrae Tuesday to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>You know, he spoke at the special meeting that Millbrae hosted before they sent this letter. And he basically was saying like, this is not fair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Albert Yam: \u003c/strong>I think there were a lot of questions that Millbrae residents asked at the town hall meeting if they were addressed but not answer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>You know, he moved to this country to, you know, be in a place where he could have a say in the decisions that government makes. And, you know, he felt like that wasn’t happening here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Albert Yam: \u003c/strong>I work hard. I pay taxes. And I totally understood, you know, that there are the less fortunate that needs to be helped. But also, it almost makes me feel like this is this is becoming a socialist state. You know, that’s where I came from. I thought America is a land of freedom of speech, freedom, free capitalism and innovation, meaning all the ideas of the people should be listened to and make good decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What were the supporters of Cahalan and Goodman saying?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>There were people who were against the recall. There were people who support supportive housing and getting unhoused people into housing. You know, I heard from people who were either involved in affordable housing, nonprofits, people who had previously experienced homelessness, who were speaking especially loud against the recall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>The San Mateo Democratic Party was actually particularly vocal against the recall, and they were the ones who really, you know, said that this isn’t the way a democracy works, where you recall someone that you don’t agree with. Not everything an elected official does is going to like, you know, sit right with you. But you have to, like have some give and take.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And so the recall was held in a special election in late July already. How many people participated in that election and how did those who did participate vote?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So there are 5688 registered voters in Bilbray and only about 2617 participated in the special election. So about 46% of people voted. But of the people who participated, more than 70% voted in favor of recalling. Angelina Kaylin and Maurice Goodman from the city council seats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This special election authority was held on July 23rd, and the recall campaign won by quite a lot. I mean, what reactions have you heard, starting with the pro recall side?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I unfortunately didn’t get tape of my conversation with Albert GM, but he told me he was exhausted but really happy with the results. He said it confirmed what he had expected, which is that the people felt that the council members actions didn’t align with the concerns of the voters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what about supporters of Cahalan and Goodman? How have they responded to their recall?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kalimah Salahuddin: \u003c/strong>The repercussions that happened in Millbury and their decision is going to ripple across the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I spoke with Kalima Salahuddin, who was a volunteer for Goodman’s campaign, actually, and she said that she was devastated to see the results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kalimah Salahuddin: \u003c/strong>You know, I’ve come to this as someone who was homeless. And the hardest part about being homeless was the stigma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And it especially hurt her to hear the rhetoric that was being used against unhoused people and how that really catalyzed this movement to oppose affordable housing for people who were like her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kalimah Salahuddin: \u003c/strong>You know, we all need to care about each other regardless of the lines that have been drawn and life that we all drop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, already. I mean, Millbrae is now down to city councilors. What is going to happen in the meantime and I guess in the immediate term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>So the remaining city council members could appoint two people to fill those vacant seats. And what’s interesting is that the remaining council members terms actually end in December. So we’ll see if those seats get appointed before then or by election. Callan and Goodman’s terms were set to expire in 2026, so whoever takes up that role will only have two years in office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what about this housing project at the La Quinta Inn? I mean, is it happening? Is it not?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>What’s interesting is, like despite the recall and all the sort of drama that surrounds the La Quinta, the project seems to be moving along. The the county bought it and they’re right now working on a formal application that will, you know, be submitted and, you know, voted on. So we’ll see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>We’ll see what happens. I mean, one thing I think that stands out to me about this story is that there are fights over affordable housing in California all the time. But I don’t feel like they usually look like this, like in the form of a recall campaign. Is that right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>They really don’t. Like, this is a really interesting example of how discussions about about affordable housing and where it should be placed, you know, spill out into politics. It’s it’s a very interesting time in California right now because cities and counties are facing overwhelming pressure to make way for more housing and to streamline it so that the housing can come online faster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>But at the same time, there are many people who move to California and who move to cities like Millbrae largely because they are sleepy. They are filled with single family homes and they see these projects and see that as sort of an offense to the way that they have been living. Now, some of these perceptions of, you know, what these kind of projects could bring are not necessarily rooted in fact, but they result in these political movements that have real consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Adhiti, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Adhiti Bandlamudi housing reporter for KQED. This 30 minute conversation with Adhiti was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. I produced this episode, scored it, and added all the tape music courtesy of the audio network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re new to the Bay, what’s up? We’re a local news podcast bringing the best of local Bay Area journalism to your earbuds. Each episode is really about what it means to live here. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop Monday, Wednesday and Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay is a production of KQED Public Media in San Francisco. I am Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening. Peace.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In late July, voters in the city of Millbrae, in northern San Mateo County, overwhelmingly recalled 2 of their 5 city councilmembers. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s a fight that started nearly a year ago, when former Councilmembers Angelina Cahalan and Maurice Goodman declined to publicly oppose a permanent supportive housing project. KQED’s Adhiti Bandlamudi tells us how that dispute snowballed into yet another recall election in the Bay Area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\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=KQINC7815950873&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Hey, it’s Ericka Cruz Guevarra And we’re back. While we were taking a break from making new episodes of the show, Alan and I have been looking for our new producer and we hope to make an announcement about that sometime real soon. It’s been a crazy July. Between that President Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That huge wildfire near Chico right now, a global tech outage, homeless sweeps. I mean, phew. But we’re here and we’re ready to get back to bringing you deep dives into the important stories of our region. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss a beat. It’s good to be back, y’all. Let’s get it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the bay. Local news to keep you rooted. Millbury voters have recalled two of their city councilors by a landslide after a special election late last month with a controversial affordable housing project at the center of it all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker 4: \u003c/strong>They want to know more about how the project will impact our community, affect on their property values, security issues, street safety, hygiene problems, and are there sufficient staff to take care of and supervise the residents today?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>How an affordable housing fight in Millbury snowballed into a recall campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Millbrae is a super small city. You probably have passed by it or passed through it on your way to SFO, the Airport authority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Adhiti Bandlamudi is a housing reporter for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>It’s in the peninsula in San Mateo County. It’s tucked between San Bruno and like Burlingame, there’s only about like 20,000 people who live there. It’s a lot of families mostly earning like six figures as the median household income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So this is in San Mateo County, which is one of the most expensive counties in the Bay Area. So and I imagine it’s expensive to live in Millbrae as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Very much so. I was looking at a rocket home study from June of this year and the median home sold price was 1.9 million. You know, it’s like it’s it’s got good schools. It’s a great place for families. And it’s it’s a pretty like sleepy area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Is there much affordable housing? There is. And is homelessness much of an issue in the city?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>They have some affordable housing in the city. There is an 80 unit, low income housing development, mostly leased to veterans that just opened and it’s close to the Mill Bay Bart station. But there is a unhoused population there and, you know, many of them live nearby that Bart station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, now I want to talk about where this recall effort really began. I mean, we’re talking to you about Millbury because voters there recently decided to recall two city council members. What is this all about?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>So a lot of back story basically leads to this recall. So in the fall of last year, the board of supervisors are basically starting to talk about buying two hotels, one in Millbrae, which is the La Quinta and another one in south San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>News Cast Audio: \u003c/strong>San Mateo County wants to buy this hotel for $33 million and convert it into permanent rental housing for people experiencing homelessness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And the idea of purchasing the La Quinta Inn is that it’s a ten minute walk from the Bart station. It’s close to the 1 to 1. It’s right off of El Camino Real. And the county wants to turn this basically into permanent supportive housing for people who are exiting homelessness. And they were going to do this through Project Homekey funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Homekey was this program headed by Governor Gavin Newsom to basically convert hotels into housing for those experiencing homelessness? And De La Quinta was also in a really good position to be purchased. The owners were planning to retire and their kids didn’t want to take on the hotel business. So it seemed like sort of the perfect opportunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>They proposed the project would house families and seniors that were experiencing homelessness, and they basically would have supportive housing services. So that means they would have like education and benefits assistance, you know, physical and behavioral health care, substance use services, things like that. And it would basically convert the 100 room hotel into like a 75 unit complex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So this would be a complex that houses people who are transitioning out of homelessness, as you said. And this is, of course, a plan by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. But how did people in the city of Millbrae respond at the time?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Millbrae does not have any permanent supportive housing like this project. And city officials from Millbrae said they were largely blindsided by this decision. They said they only found out about the hotel purchase and the intentions to do so after the board started talking about it without them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker: \u003c/strong>I’d ask that you submit your questions on the men to meet her hands in a card so your community members can be heard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>So in August of last year, sort of like middle of that month, the county held an informational meeting about the project. And for the most part, the county isn’t really asking people if they want this. They’re telling people, we’re going to purchase this and we can answer questions about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker 6: \u003c/strong>Unfortunately, that this is not up for this is not up for a vote. This is an information session here. I hope to give you that information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>News Cast Audio: \u003c/strong>We didn’t get to the next questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I think this is really where the conflict stemmed. The residents of Millbrae were largely upset and said that, you know, they feel like they weren’t asked about whether they wanted this housing and it’s just sort of being sprung upon them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker: \u003c/strong>On behalf of the residents of the building right near here. They want to know more about how the project will impact our community. For example, effect on their property values, security issues, street safety, hygiene problems, and are there sufficient staff?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>People brought up the fact that it’s like close to elementary schools and playgrounds. You know, there were concerns that there would be more 911 calls made to this area and that generally, like public safety, would be a bigger issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Albert Yam \u003c/strong>And many other facilities throughout the state, there are incidents of violence, sex offenders, drugs and murder. How can we trust you? It will not happen at a location within a block from three schools. And why would you need wraparound service for these facilities?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Kind of the the sorts of things that we hear when we hear about an affordable housing, low income housing project popping up in in some sort of community. Right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Yeah. These are concerns that people will have about supportive housing, about low income housing. They’re not necessarily backed by statistics and by fact. In fact, KQED correspondent Guy Marzorati looked into 911 calls to see if they actually, like, increase in frequency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And he found that that actually doesn’t happen. And what’s more, it’s like this housing is for families and seniors, you know, sort of I think there was misinformation that it was going to be like a shelter or like interim housing when in fact, this would have been, you know, permanent supportive housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>It sounds like residents were upset by this idea and this plan by the county to convert this hotel into permanent supportive housing. What do city leaders in Millbury decide to do in response to these plans? Do they try and stop the county from doing it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>So on September 1st, so a few weeks after that informational meeting, the city council members basically hosted this special meeting to discuss what they’re going to do about this plan that seemingly they didn’t have a part to play in it, and they don’t know how much power they really have in stopping the county from doing it anyway. The city council basically decides to send a letter opposing the project and asking for more information about how this would impact the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker 1: \u003c/strong>City Manager Please read it into the record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Thomas Williams: \u003c/strong>Okay. The letter the address letter is to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors care of Dave Pine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Many city council members bring up the fact that this hotel generates revenue for the city because the hotel pays a tax to the city that then funds services. Now, some city council members do note that, you know, hey, this might have been the issue anyway because the owners are thinking of retiring. But nonetheless, the question is there of how is this going to impact the city?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Thomas Williams: \u003c/strong>We urge the county to meet with our staff and the city council to further discuss ways that both parties can work together proactively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>So they draft this letter, basically getting ready to send it to the board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And is this a letter that has any kind of like legal power?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>It really doesn’t. It’s sort of it’s like urging the board of supervisors to not purchase the hotel and instead work with the city on an alternative solution that doesn’t take away this revenue stream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Okay, so this letter doesn’t quite have any legal power, but these city leaders write it up opposing the project. Did everyone agree that this project was a bad idea for Millbury, or did every city councilor sign on to this letter?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>There are two city council members who don’t sign the letter. Angelina Cahalan is one of them. And Vice Mayor Morris Goodman is another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Angelina Cahalan: \u003c/strong>I’d like to address a few different items.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Cahalan’s comments. She says she actually lives near the hotel and her kids went to the elementary school that’s nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Angelina Cahalan: \u003c/strong>I very much hear our community’s fear for safety. I know so many of us have worked so hard to, you know, build a life where we can afford a home and raise our family and be in a community like Millbury where we feel safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And she says that, you know, many of the people who would be living in the permanent supportive housing are very similar to the current residents of Millbrae. You know, family is seniors, people who would be in the community long term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Angelina Cahalan: \u003c/strong>I think it’s important to recognize that we are we do have people in our community that are struggling financially, that are experiencing mental illness, that might be experiencing addiction, that are in recovery. And they’re all active members of our community that we all live together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Vice Mayor Maurice Goodman is also against signing the letter and in favor of the supportive housing. And he sort of says, like the letter is dog whistling, talking about the public safety concerns that might come up with this development and the kinds of, you know, issues that it could raise within the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Maurice Goodman: \u003c/strong>It is my belief that while there is a need for communication to our Board of Supervisors counterparts, I feel that this letter at this time is nothing short of a carefully crafted letter to be utilized as propaganda, to further manipulate and politicize our collective responsibility, to welcome care for and support those in need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>He makes it clear that he doesn’t want to sign the letter, but welcomes the opportunity for it to be presented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Maurice Goodman: \u003c/strong>I do support the project and I believe that we all can do better at leading our collective community, both city and county, and not continue to drive a wedge between a compassionate and welcoming community using dog whistle political rhetoric.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>You know, basically, Goodman and Carlin don’t send the letter, but out of the five city council members, three of them do sign the letters. So the majority signs it. It goes through, but it doesn’t really change much because on September 12th, just a few weeks after they send the letter, the board of supervisors votes to move forward with this project anyway. And I think this is kind of the turning point of what kicks off the recall campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, the results of Millbrae’s recall election and what it says about our fights over affordable housing. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>All right, Adhiti. So you were just talking about this letter. City leaders in Millbury opposing this project, and then the county basically going on to approve it anyway. But how does all this turn into a recall effort against two of these Millbrae city council members?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I totally understand the framing. Like on the surface, it seems kind of weird, right? Like two city council members are getting recalled for not wanting to sign a letter that got sent anyway. But I spoke with Albert Yam, who is the head of the organizing campaign for the recall, and he basically told me that the letter is just one piece of the puzzle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>He was concerned about the safety aspects of the affordable housing development. He was worried about the fact that it was close to elementary schools. And he said there wasn’t really a discussion that was able to happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Albert Yam: \u003c/strong>Hello, my name is Albert Yam. I’m a new resident of Millbrae, but I’ve been coming to Millbrae Tuesday to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>You know, he spoke at the special meeting that Millbrae hosted before they sent this letter. And he basically was saying like, this is not fair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Albert Yam: \u003c/strong>I think there were a lot of questions that Millbrae residents asked at the town hall meeting if they were addressed but not answer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>You know, he moved to this country to, you know, be in a place where he could have a say in the decisions that government makes. And, you know, he felt like that wasn’t happening here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Albert Yam: \u003c/strong>I work hard. I pay taxes. And I totally understood, you know, that there are the less fortunate that needs to be helped. But also, it almost makes me feel like this is this is becoming a socialist state. You know, that’s where I came from. I thought America is a land of freedom of speech, freedom, free capitalism and innovation, meaning all the ideas of the people should be listened to and make good decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What were the supporters of Cahalan and Goodman saying?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>There were people who were against the recall. There were people who support supportive housing and getting unhoused people into housing. You know, I heard from people who were either involved in affordable housing, nonprofits, people who had previously experienced homelessness, who were speaking especially loud against the recall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>The San Mateo Democratic Party was actually particularly vocal against the recall, and they were the ones who really, you know, said that this isn’t the way a democracy works, where you recall someone that you don’t agree with. Not everything an elected official does is going to like, you know, sit right with you. But you have to, like have some give and take.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And so the recall was held in a special election in late July already. How many people participated in that election and how did those who did participate vote?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So there are 5688 registered voters in Bilbray and only about 2617 participated in the special election. So about 46% of people voted. But of the people who participated, more than 70% voted in favor of recalling. Angelina Kaylin and Maurice Goodman from the city council seats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This special election authority was held on July 23rd, and the recall campaign won by quite a lot. I mean, what reactions have you heard, starting with the pro recall side?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I unfortunately didn’t get tape of my conversation with Albert GM, but he told me he was exhausted but really happy with the results. He said it confirmed what he had expected, which is that the people felt that the council members actions didn’t align with the concerns of the voters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what about supporters of Cahalan and Goodman? How have they responded to their recall?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kalimah Salahuddin: \u003c/strong>The repercussions that happened in Millbury and their decision is going to ripple across the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>I spoke with Kalima Salahuddin, who was a volunteer for Goodman’s campaign, actually, and she said that she was devastated to see the results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kalimah Salahuddin: \u003c/strong>You know, I’ve come to this as someone who was homeless. And the hardest part about being homeless was the stigma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>And it especially hurt her to hear the rhetoric that was being used against unhoused people and how that really catalyzed this movement to oppose affordable housing for people who were like her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kalimah Salahuddin: \u003c/strong>You know, we all need to care about each other regardless of the lines that have been drawn and life that we all drop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, already. I mean, Millbrae is now down to city councilors. What is going to happen in the meantime and I guess in the immediate term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>So the remaining city council members could appoint two people to fill those vacant seats. And what’s interesting is that the remaining council members terms actually end in December. So we’ll see if those seats get appointed before then or by election. Callan and Goodman’s terms were set to expire in 2026, so whoever takes up that role will only have two years in office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what about this housing project at the La Quinta Inn? I mean, is it happening? Is it not?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>What’s interesting is, like despite the recall and all the sort of drama that surrounds the La Quinta, the project seems to be moving along. The the county bought it and they’re right now working on a formal application that will, you know, be submitted and, you know, voted on. So we’ll see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>We’ll see what happens. I mean, one thing I think that stands out to me about this story is that there are fights over affordable housing in California all the time. But I don’t feel like they usually look like this, like in the form of a recall campaign. Is that right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>They really don’t. Like, this is a really interesting example of how discussions about about affordable housing and where it should be placed, you know, spill out into politics. It’s it’s a very interesting time in California right now because cities and counties are facing overwhelming pressure to make way for more housing and to streamline it so that the housing can come online faster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>But at the same time, there are many people who move to California and who move to cities like Millbrae largely because they are sleepy. They are filled with single family homes and they see these projects and see that as sort of an offense to the way that they have been living. Now, some of these perceptions of, you know, what these kind of projects could bring are not necessarily rooted in fact, but they result in these political movements that have real consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Adhiti, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adhiti Bandlamudi: \u003c/strong>Thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Adhiti Bandlamudi housing reporter for KQED. This 30 minute conversation with Adhiti was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. I produced this episode, scored it, and added all the tape music courtesy of the audio network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re new to the Bay, what’s up? We’re a local news podcast bringing the best of local Bay Area journalism to your earbuds. Each episode is really about what it means to live here. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop Monday, Wednesday and Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay is a production of KQED Public Media in San Francisco. I am Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening. Peace.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We’re still technically on our July break, but…the news is news-ing. Today, we bring you reactions to Sunday’s news that President Joe Biden will not be running for re-election.\u003c/span>\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=KQINC1787433010\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\n\u003cp class=\"LC20lb MBeuO DKV0Md\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11832968/how-san-francisco-shaped-vice-presidential-nominee-kamala-harris\">How San Francisco Shaped VP Nominee Kamala Harris\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Hey, it’s Ericka. I know it’s still July and the bay is still technically on a break, but the news is news ING and we just couldn’t ignore this headline. President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will not run for reelection. Biden has faced lots of pressure in recent weeks to step aside after a debate performance that raised concerns about his ability to beat former President Donald Trump and serve another four years in office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Biden has since thrown his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. Reactions poured in from all over the country, including here in the Bay Area. So today we’re putting our work hats back on real quick to hear how the Bay Area is responding to this huge news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Congresswoman Anna Eshoo: \u003c/strong>Well, the first thing that came to mind was that Joe Biden has always been a great patriot. He has loved our country. He has served our country for over a half century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Congresswoman Barbara Lee” \u003c/strong>Well, I think first it was a historic announcement, and I’m confident he did this with a lot of soul searching. And I’m sure it’s a day that’s very emotional for him. Made the announcement based on what was good for the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>John Dennis: \u003c/strong>I think it was probably the best for the Democrats for him to do that. I bet the Democrats wish they had done it sooner. Vice President Harris, assuming that she’s the nominee, whoever the nominee is, a lot of ground is going to have to make up against Donald Trump. But I think in many ways, this is just a way to have a shot at saving the House and the Senate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rusty Hicks: \u003c/strong>For California Democrats, our mission has always been to defeat Donald Trump, to retake the House. My support will be for Kamala Harris as our next Democratic nominee for president and our next president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Congressman Mark DeSaulnier: \u003c/strong>I’ve already endorsed Vice President Joe Biden for decades, and I’ve known her since we were both in local government. If other people want to run, they should go and make their case. But I don’t fight for myself. I think Kamala Harris is the person for the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonathan Padilla: \u003c/strong>I think Kamala Harris has done great things for the state of California. That being said, I want to talk to people in the district. I want to get a pulse for how people feel. I think I think I’m being honest. It’s probably Vice President Harris. But, you know, I think I think we’re still reeling from the last two, three hours. I want to get a sense of what this race will look like by the week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alex Emslie: \u003c/strong>So, yeah, Just what was your reaction to that news this morning about. By not only saying he’s not going to seek the nomination, but also putting his endorsement behind Kamala Harris for president?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Victor Quatrell Bolenger: \u003c/strong>It’s time, because, I mean, he’s been sleep, so it’s time for him to relax. And he tried his best. So it is time to see if we can do something else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gwen Goens: \u003c/strong>It’s definitely quite interesting. I think I’m still sort of processing it. It’s just it’s also super last minute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>AD Mohanraj: \u003c/strong>I think, like since it’s so late, like maybe there is a time for like a full, like, who else might be like a candidate. So it seems like, it makes sense for me like that. It’s like Harris is well positioned, but I don’t know anything about like, her policies or anything specifically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Julie Shew: \u003c/strong>I think I’m jazzed about it. I’m totally jazzed about the fact that he stepped down and he’s picking Kamala Harris. I think it’s a really good thing. You know, I’m excited about what’s to come. And I know my friends are as well. I think it would be really great. I think women have to break a lot of glass ceilings and to see a woman president of color would be a really wonderful thing for this country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alex Emslie: \u003c/strong>I just first like to ask just what your reaction to information was today that bulls President Joe Biden said he’s not going to be the nominee to run against Donald Trump. He’s talking out of the race and that he endorses Kamala Harris to run for president instead of him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Johnson: \u003c/strong>Well, that’s a that’s going to be a major change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alex Emslie: \u003c/strong>Do you think she can beat Trump in a general election? And if she gets the nomination, that’s not a done deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Johnson: \u003c/strong>I don’t think so. I don’t think she’s going to beat Trump because Trump is a millionaire. And plus, Trump. Trump got a lot of support. It’s going to be hard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sloan Holzer: \u003c/strong>I consider myself a liberal person. I know you know, we live in a world where it seems like the option or the left or the right, and I really don’t believe in that. I think there’s people that know what to do and people who don’t know what to do. And I think this guy was not prepared. No, not prepared. He was not fit. I don’t know if I heard that is going to come out here. He’s going to be the substitute, Right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alex Emslie: \u003c/strong>I don’t think it’s a done deal. But Joe Biden endorsed her to be there. What’s your opinion on whether she can be?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sloan Holzer: \u003c/strong>I really don’t know. I really don’t. I don’t know her that well. To give my opinion serious would be in about how feasible is to get that position. But, you know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marcelo Pweeg: \u003c/strong>I mean it’s like a Oakland resident. I think there have been a lot of instances in which people coming out of the Bay Area have tried to appeal to like the esthetics of Bay Area radicalism and like Oakland radicalism, while not really sustaining those legacies in any meaningful way. I think that’s like a pretty big instance of that. I think that it will be a really interesting campaign to follow no matter what happens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sloan Holzer: \u003c/strong>Cross your fingers and hope that whatever whoever is going to be in charge of this really important viewed the best thing for all of us. Seems like the people who’s going to be in charge, whoever it is, has to be someone, has to be smart, has to be fair, has to be prepared for this desk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Thanks to all the folks who spoke with KQED’s Alex Emslie around Lake Merritt. That’s Victor Cottrell Bolenger, Gwen Goens, AD Mohanraj, Julie Shew, Ted Johnson, Sloan Holzer and Marcelo Pweeg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The people you heard at the very top of the show where Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, San Francisco Republican Party Chairman John Dennis, California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier and Democratic Delegate Jonathan Padilla. This episode was produced by me and Alan Montecillo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Thanks as well to KQED’s Guy Marzorati, Sara Hosseini and Elize Monoukian for the sound you heard in this episode. Music courtesy of the Audio Network. For more coverage of this story and how the Bay Area is reacting, follow KQED on socials and at kqed.org.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>In our show notes, we’re going to leave you a link to an episode we did on how San Francisco shaped Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s got some great stuff in there about her background. Yes, we are still on break from making new episodes of The Bay. We just felt compelled to pop in and respond to this news because, yeah, breaking news was breaking. Anyway, we’ll catch you back here in August. Peace.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Hey, it’s Ericka. I know it’s still July and the bay is still technically on a break, but the news is news ING and we just couldn’t ignore this headline. President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will not run for reelection. Biden has faced lots of pressure in recent weeks to step aside after a debate performance that raised concerns about his ability to beat former President Donald Trump and serve another four years in office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Biden has since thrown his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. Reactions poured in from all over the country, including here in the Bay Area. So today we’re putting our work hats back on real quick to hear how the Bay Area is responding to this huge news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Congresswoman Anna Eshoo: \u003c/strong>Well, the first thing that came to mind was that Joe Biden has always been a great patriot. He has loved our country. He has served our country for over a half century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Congresswoman Barbara Lee” \u003c/strong>Well, I think first it was a historic announcement, and I’m confident he did this with a lot of soul searching. And I’m sure it’s a day that’s very emotional for him. Made the announcement based on what was good for the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>John Dennis: \u003c/strong>I think it was probably the best for the Democrats for him to do that. I bet the Democrats wish they had done it sooner. Vice President Harris, assuming that she’s the nominee, whoever the nominee is, a lot of ground is going to have to make up against Donald Trump. But I think in many ways, this is just a way to have a shot at saving the House and the Senate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rusty Hicks: \u003c/strong>For California Democrats, our mission has always been to defeat Donald Trump, to retake the House. My support will be for Kamala Harris as our next Democratic nominee for president and our next president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Congressman Mark DeSaulnier: \u003c/strong>I’ve already endorsed Vice President Joe Biden for decades, and I’ve known her since we were both in local government. If other people want to run, they should go and make their case. But I don’t fight for myself. I think Kamala Harris is the person for the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonathan Padilla: \u003c/strong>I think Kamala Harris has done great things for the state of California. That being said, I want to talk to people in the district. I want to get a pulse for how people feel. I think I think I’m being honest. It’s probably Vice President Harris. But, you know, I think I think we’re still reeling from the last two, three hours. I want to get a sense of what this race will look like by the week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alex Emslie: \u003c/strong>So, yeah, Just what was your reaction to that news this morning about. By not only saying he’s not going to seek the nomination, but also putting his endorsement behind Kamala Harris for president?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Victor Quatrell Bolenger: \u003c/strong>It’s time, because, I mean, he’s been sleep, so it’s time for him to relax. And he tried his best. So it is time to see if we can do something else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gwen Goens: \u003c/strong>It’s definitely quite interesting. I think I’m still sort of processing it. It’s just it’s also super last minute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>AD Mohanraj: \u003c/strong>I think, like since it’s so late, like maybe there is a time for like a full, like, who else might be like a candidate. So it seems like, it makes sense for me like that. It’s like Harris is well positioned, but I don’t know anything about like, her policies or anything specifically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Julie Shew: \u003c/strong>I think I’m jazzed about it. I’m totally jazzed about the fact that he stepped down and he’s picking Kamala Harris. I think it’s a really good thing. You know, I’m excited about what’s to come. And I know my friends are as well. I think it would be really great. I think women have to break a lot of glass ceilings and to see a woman president of color would be a really wonderful thing for this country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alex Emslie: \u003c/strong>I just first like to ask just what your reaction to information was today that bulls President Joe Biden said he’s not going to be the nominee to run against Donald Trump. He’s talking out of the race and that he endorses Kamala Harris to run for president instead of him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Johnson: \u003c/strong>Well, that’s a that’s going to be a major change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alex Emslie: \u003c/strong>Do you think she can beat Trump in a general election? And if she gets the nomination, that’s not a done deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ted Johnson: \u003c/strong>I don’t think so. I don’t think she’s going to beat Trump because Trump is a millionaire. And plus, Trump. Trump got a lot of support. It’s going to be hard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sloan Holzer: \u003c/strong>I consider myself a liberal person. I know you know, we live in a world where it seems like the option or the left or the right, and I really don’t believe in that. I think there’s people that know what to do and people who don’t know what to do. And I think this guy was not prepared. No, not prepared. He was not fit. I don’t know if I heard that is going to come out here. He’s going to be the substitute, Right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alex Emslie: \u003c/strong>I don’t think it’s a done deal. But Joe Biden endorsed her to be there. What’s your opinion on whether she can be?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sloan Holzer: \u003c/strong>I really don’t know. I really don’t. I don’t know her that well. To give my opinion serious would be in about how feasible is to get that position. But, you know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marcelo Pweeg: \u003c/strong>I mean it’s like a Oakland resident. I think there have been a lot of instances in which people coming out of the Bay Area have tried to appeal to like the esthetics of Bay Area radicalism and like Oakland radicalism, while not really sustaining those legacies in any meaningful way. I think that’s like a pretty big instance of that. I think that it will be a really interesting campaign to follow no matter what happens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sloan Holzer: \u003c/strong>Cross your fingers and hope that whatever whoever is going to be in charge of this really important viewed the best thing for all of us. Seems like the people who’s going to be in charge, whoever it is, has to be someone, has to be smart, has to be fair, has to be prepared for this desk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Thanks to all the folks who spoke with KQED’s Alex Emslie around Lake Merritt. That’s Victor Cottrell Bolenger, Gwen Goens, AD Mohanraj, Julie Shew, Ted Johnson, Sloan Holzer and Marcelo Pweeg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The people you heard at the very top of the show where Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, San Francisco Republican Party Chairman John Dennis, California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier and Democratic Delegate Jonathan Padilla. This episode was produced by me and Alan Montecillo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Thanks as well to KQED’s Guy Marzorati, Sara Hosseini and Elize Monoukian for the sound you heard in this episode. Music courtesy of the Audio Network. For more coverage of this story and how the Bay Area is reacting, follow KQED on socials and at kqed.org.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>In our show notes, we’re going to leave you a link to an episode we did on how San Francisco shaped Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s got some great stuff in there about her background. Yes, we are still on break from making new episodes of The Bay. We just felt compelled to pop in and respond to this news because, yeah, breaking news was breaking. Anyway, we’ll catch you back here in August. Peace.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"title": "What Does It Mean to 'Contain' a Wildfire? And More Answers to Your Questions",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 10 a.m. on January 9, 2025\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020872/la-fires-eaton-fire-palisades-pasadena-wildfire-resources-air-quality\"> a deadly wildfire\u003c/a> breaks out in California, causing people to lose their homes, security or even their lives, it can be a truly distressing and confusing time for those of us who live here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> team asked KQED audiences their most pressing questions about wildfires. Read on for the full answers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘What does it mean when a fire is \u003cem>contained\u003c/em> or \u003cem>controlled\u003c/em>?’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Once a fire starts, the goal is suppression, and the first step is containment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire updates often include a “% contained” figure, and it can take days for fire crews to get even 10% containment on certain fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what does containment mean, and why is it so hard to achieve?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Containment means that there’s some type of barrier between the area that has been burned, which we call ‘the black’ and an area that has not been burned, which we refer to as ‘the green,'” Cal Fire public information officer Jaime Williams says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “% contained” indicates how much of the fire’s perimeter is surrounded by a barrier. So, for a fire whose perimeter is 10 miles around, if firefighters create a 5-mile-long dirt area around the fire, the fire is 50% contained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are two types of barriers: natural and artificial. A stream or lake can act as a natural barrier, and an artificial barrier is often a dirt path dug around the fire. Firefighters will use a bulldozer to create what is called a “dozer line” or manually carve out a path using picks and shovels, which is called a “hand line.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They basically scrape the top layer of the grass off to leave bare mineral soil,” Williams says. “That way, the fire stops because there’s nothing to burn.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or firefighters will employ a “hose lay,” where they’ll carry a synthetic hose around the fire, periodically spraying the area inside “the black.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that doesn’t mean fires can’t spread beyond a containment line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1916742\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2404px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fork-Complex_Aug-5-3.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1916742\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fork-Complex_Aug-5-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2404\" height=\"1412\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighters use picks to create a barrier between unburned vegetation and the fire in a technique called a ‘hand line.’ \u003cem>(Deleware.gov)\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Winds can carry embers beyond containment lines, which spark new fires nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then a fire can go from 50% contained to 20% contained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even after a fire is contained, there’s still a lot of work to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A contained fire can still be flaming inside the perimeter and firefighters must burn out untouched vegetation inside the barrier and cool down hot spots that could flare up. After the hot spots and unburned vegetation are treated and the barrier is expected to hold, a fire is considered “controlled.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EzcA3KvEsY\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘How do wildfires get their names?’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The first fire crew on the scene typically names the fire. Usually, they’re inspired by a nearby landmark like a road, mountain, lake or town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/1867\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tubbs Fire, which \u003c/a>destroyed parts of Santa Rosa in 2017, started near Tubbs Lane, just north of Calistoga. The \u003ca href=\"http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/1866\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Atlas Fire\u003c/a> in Napa was named for Atlas Peak, a nearby mountain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the naming process isn’t always that simple — especially with the sheer number of fires in play.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in 2015, \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/2015/08/26/434821450/how-do-wildfires-get-their-names-the-national-park-service-explains\">firefighters in Idaho faced their 57th fire of the season\u003c/a> and couldn’t come up with a creative name for the fire. So, they named it \u003ca href=\"https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4523\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Not Creative Fire\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousbug]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire names also often include the word “complex,” like the CZU Lightning Complex fires that burned in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties in 2020. That means there are two or more individual fires located in the same general area, and it has been assigned to a unified command.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘How can I prepare for a wildfire?’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Wildfires may now feel grimly inevitable in Northern California. But there is still a great deal you can do personally to prepare yourself, your family and your home for wildfire and its wide-reaching effects. Find our most-read guides to wildfire preparedness below:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1965575/and-now-fire-season-heres-how-to-prepare\">How to Prepare Your Home For Wildfire\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if your home isn’t in the direct path of flames, wildfire can still reach you through flying embers. Find out how to do a self-assessment of the trees, brush and other vegetation on and around your property, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1965575/and-now-fire-season-heres-how-to-prepare\">learn the steps to protect your home\u003c/a> from wildfire by creating defensible space and “hardening” your home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11833686/what-to-pack-in-your-emergency-bag-with-covid-19-in-mind\">What to Pack in Your Emergency Bag to Prepare For a Wildfire\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire moves incredibly fast, and if you live in an at-risk zone, you and your family may have to leave your home immediately. Read \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11833686/what-to-pack-in-your-emergency-bag-with-covid-19-in-mind\">our guide to what should be in your emergency bag\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11619961\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11619961 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-800x530.jpg\" alt=\"Inmate firefighters clear brush from a roadside in the Berkeley Hills in September. Fire officials say fuel reduction projects like this are critical to preventing major wildfires, but funding for fuel reduction on federal land has been squeezed to pay for increasing firefighting costs.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-1180x782.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-960x636.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-240x159.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-375x248.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-520x345.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inmate firefighters clear brush from a roadside in the Berkeley Hills in September 2017. Fire officials say fuel reduction projects like this are critical to preventing major wildfires, but funding for fuel reduction on federal land has been squeezed to pay for increasing firefighting costs. \u003ccite>(Ryan Levi/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834901/fire-evacuation-what-actually-happens-and-how-can-you-plan\">Fire Evacuation: What Actually Happens? And How Can You Plan?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having to evacuate your home due to the threat of wildfire is a scary prospect — especially if you’ve never had to do it before. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834901/fire-evacuation-what-actually-happens-and-how-can-you-plan\">Read our guide to safely and swiftly leaving your home\u003c/a>, from when you should leave to what you should bring (and what you should wear).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11840047/during-a-disaster-your-phone-might-stop-working-how-can-you-communicate\">During a Wildfire, Your Phone Might Stop Working. How Can You Communicate?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a disaster situation, communication between you and those you care about is key. But what if the one device you rely on to communicate — your phone — isn’t working because of downed cell towers? Read these \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11840047/during-a-disaster-your-phone-might-stop-working-how-can-you-communicate\">steps you can take to maintain contact with others\u003c/a> and keep loved ones up-to-date on your safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834305/masks-for-smoke-and-covid-19-what-kind-is-best\">When Air Quality’s Bad, Which Mask Should I Wear for Wildfire Smoke?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Californians have become familiar with masks in recent years. And in a nutshell, that collection of N95 or KN95 masks you may still have in your home for COVID is the best choice for protecting yourself from wildfire smoke. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834305/masks-for-smoke-and-covid-19-what-kind-is-best\">Read more about how these masks work\u003c/a>, and which ones just aren’t effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834305/masks-for-smoke-and-covid-19-what-kind-is-best\">Why Wildfire Smoke is So Dangerous to Your Health\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even brief exposure to wildfire smoke can cause potentially serious health problems for everyone. And the most dangerous thing for your health in this smoke is the fine particulate matter: that is, the tiny pieces of soot and ash that are invisible to the naked eye. Read more about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926793/protecting-your-health-from-toxic-wildfire-smoke\">why protecting yourself against wildfire smoke is so crucial\u003c/a>, and how to do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>An earlier version of this story was originally published in Oct. 2017.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 10 a.m. on January 9, 2025\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020872/la-fires-eaton-fire-palisades-pasadena-wildfire-resources-air-quality\"> a deadly wildfire\u003c/a> breaks out in California, causing people to lose their homes, security or even their lives, it can be a truly distressing and confusing time for those of us who live here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> team asked KQED audiences their most pressing questions about wildfires. Read on for the full answers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘What does it mean when a fire is \u003cem>contained\u003c/em> or \u003cem>controlled\u003c/em>?’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Once a fire starts, the goal is suppression, and the first step is containment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire updates often include a “% contained” figure, and it can take days for fire crews to get even 10% containment on certain fires.\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>So what does containment mean, and why is it so hard to achieve?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Containment means that there’s some type of barrier between the area that has been burned, which we call ‘the black’ and an area that has not been burned, which we refer to as ‘the green,'” Cal Fire public information officer Jaime Williams says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “% contained” indicates how much of the fire’s perimeter is surrounded by a barrier. So, for a fire whose perimeter is 10 miles around, if firefighters create a 5-mile-long dirt area around the fire, the fire is 50% contained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are two types of barriers: natural and artificial. A stream or lake can act as a natural barrier, and an artificial barrier is often a dirt path dug around the fire. Firefighters will use a bulldozer to create what is called a “dozer line” or manually carve out a path using picks and shovels, which is called a “hand line.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They basically scrape the top layer of the grass off to leave bare mineral soil,” Williams says. “That way, the fire stops because there’s nothing to burn.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or firefighters will employ a “hose lay,” where they’ll carry a synthetic hose around the fire, periodically spraying the area inside “the black.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that doesn’t mean fires can’t spread beyond a containment line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1916742\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2404px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fork-Complex_Aug-5-3.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1916742\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fork-Complex_Aug-5-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2404\" height=\"1412\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighters use picks to create a barrier between unburned vegetation and the fire in a technique called a ‘hand line.’ \u003cem>(Deleware.gov)\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Winds can carry embers beyond containment lines, which spark new fires nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then a fire can go from 50% contained to 20% contained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even after a fire is contained, there’s still a lot of work to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A contained fire can still be flaming inside the perimeter and firefighters must burn out untouched vegetation inside the barrier and cool down hot spots that could flare up. After the hot spots and unburned vegetation are treated and the barrier is expected to hold, a fire is considered “controlled.”\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/9EzcA3KvEsY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/9EzcA3KvEsY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>‘How do wildfires get their names?’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The first fire crew on the scene typically names the fire. Usually, they’re inspired by a nearby landmark like a road, mountain, lake or town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/1867\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tubbs Fire, which \u003c/a>destroyed parts of Santa Rosa in 2017, started near Tubbs Lane, just north of Calistoga. The \u003ca href=\"http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/1866\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Atlas Fire\u003c/a> in Napa was named for Atlas Peak, a nearby mountain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the naming process isn’t always that simple — especially with the sheer number of fires in play.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in 2015, \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/2015/08/26/434821450/how-do-wildfires-get-their-names-the-national-park-service-explains\">firefighters in Idaho faced their 57th fire of the season\u003c/a> and couldn’t come up with a creative name for the fire. So, they named it \u003ca href=\"https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4523\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Not Creative Fire\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 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>Fire names also often include the word “complex,” like the CZU Lightning Complex fires that burned in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties in 2020. That means there are two or more individual fires located in the same general area, and it has been assigned to a unified command.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘How can I prepare for a wildfire?’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Wildfires may now feel grimly inevitable in Northern California. But there is still a great deal you can do personally to prepare yourself, your family and your home for wildfire and its wide-reaching effects. Find our most-read guides to wildfire preparedness below:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1965575/and-now-fire-season-heres-how-to-prepare\">How to Prepare Your Home For Wildfire\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if your home isn’t in the direct path of flames, wildfire can still reach you through flying embers. Find out how to do a self-assessment of the trees, brush and other vegetation on and around your property, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1965575/and-now-fire-season-heres-how-to-prepare\">learn the steps to protect your home\u003c/a> from wildfire by creating defensible space and “hardening” your home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11833686/what-to-pack-in-your-emergency-bag-with-covid-19-in-mind\">What to Pack in Your Emergency Bag to Prepare For a Wildfire\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire moves incredibly fast, and if you live in an at-risk zone, you and your family may have to leave your home immediately. Read \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11833686/what-to-pack-in-your-emergency-bag-with-covid-19-in-mind\">our guide to what should be in your emergency bag\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11619961\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11619961 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-800x530.jpg\" alt=\"Inmate firefighters clear brush from a roadside in the Berkeley Hills in September. Fire officials say fuel reduction projects like this are critical to preventing major wildfires, but funding for fuel reduction on federal land has been squeezed to pay for increasing firefighting costs.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-1180x782.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-960x636.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-240x159.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-375x248.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/RS27070_Inmate-Firefighters-1-qut-520x345.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inmate firefighters clear brush from a roadside in the Berkeley Hills in September 2017. Fire officials say fuel reduction projects like this are critical to preventing major wildfires, but funding for fuel reduction on federal land has been squeezed to pay for increasing firefighting costs. \u003ccite>(Ryan Levi/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834901/fire-evacuation-what-actually-happens-and-how-can-you-plan\">Fire Evacuation: What Actually Happens? And How Can You Plan?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having to evacuate your home due to the threat of wildfire is a scary prospect — especially if you’ve never had to do it before. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834901/fire-evacuation-what-actually-happens-and-how-can-you-plan\">Read our guide to safely and swiftly leaving your home\u003c/a>, from when you should leave to what you should bring (and what you should wear).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11840047/during-a-disaster-your-phone-might-stop-working-how-can-you-communicate\">During a Wildfire, Your Phone Might Stop Working. How Can You Communicate?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a disaster situation, communication between you and those you care about is key. But what if the one device you rely on to communicate — your phone — isn’t working because of downed cell towers? Read these \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11840047/during-a-disaster-your-phone-might-stop-working-how-can-you-communicate\">steps you can take to maintain contact with others\u003c/a> and keep loved ones up-to-date on your safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834305/masks-for-smoke-and-covid-19-what-kind-is-best\">When Air Quality’s Bad, Which Mask Should I Wear for Wildfire Smoke?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Californians have become familiar with masks in recent years. And in a nutshell, that collection of N95 or KN95 masks you may still have in your home for COVID is the best choice for protecting yourself from wildfire smoke. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834305/masks-for-smoke-and-covid-19-what-kind-is-best\">Read more about how these masks work\u003c/a>, and which ones just aren’t effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834305/masks-for-smoke-and-covid-19-what-kind-is-best\">Why Wildfire Smoke is So Dangerous to Your Health\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even brief exposure to wildfire smoke can cause potentially serious health problems for everyone. And the most dangerous thing for your health in this smoke is the fine particulate matter: that is, the tiny pieces of soot and ash that are invisible to the naked eye. Read more about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926793/protecting-your-health-from-toxic-wildfire-smoke\">why protecting yourself against wildfire smoke is so crucial\u003c/a>, and how to do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>An earlier version of this story was originally published in Oct. 2017.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On April 27, 2023, an armed security guard shot and killed a Black trans man named Banko Brown outside of a San Francisco Walgreens.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brown’s killing sparked outrage. But San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins decided not to charge the security guard who shot him, saying that he acted in self-defense. And just last Friday, Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11989756/california-ag-backs-decision-not-to-charge-guard-in-banko-brown-killing\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">announced that it supported that decision\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This announcement has crushed Banko Brown’s loved ones, including those who say that his killing was an example of the conditions that unhoused transgender people face in San Francisco.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">KQED reporter Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez sits down with Brown’s chosen family, to discuss life as a homeless queer person in San Francisco, and Banko’s life before his death.\u003c/span>\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=KQINC9297731217\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This episode originally aired on Sept. 6, 2023.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On April 27, 2023, an armed security guard shot and killed a Black trans man named Banko Brown outside of a San Francisco Walgreens after he allegedly stole $14 worth of snacks. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brown was homeless. And his killing sparked outrage. Many saw his death as the worst-case scenario for trans folks living unhoused in San Francisco. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite that outrage, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins declined to prosecute the security guard, saying he acted in self defense. And even though Attorney General Rob Bonta promised to re-examine the case at the time, just last Friday his office backed Jenkins’ decision. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This announcement was a huge blow to Banko’s family and loved ones,, who are still grieving his death more than a year later.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So today, we’re sharing this episode from September of last year… My colleague Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez sat down with Banko Brown’s \u003c/span>chosen\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> family, to discuss life as a homeless queer person in San Francisco, Banko’s life before his death, and what it’ll take to truly make the city a safe place for all queer and trans people. Stay with us. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Homelessness is when you do not have rights to a space of your own. Banko never had a space of his own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>My colleague and reporter Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez sat down with Banko Brown’s shows and family to discuss life as a homeless queer person in San Francisco. Banko’s life before his death and what it’s going to take to truly make the city a safe place for queer and trans people. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>If you could just very briefly tell me a little bit about yourself. Introduce yourself to folks who are listening with your name, who you are, and your relation to Banko.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>Hello, my name is JuJu. I’m from the Young Woman’s Freedom Center. I’m a youth organizer. I officially met Banko maybe a year ago. But we have– we share relatives. His nieces and nephews are my little cousins. So, I’ve always known Banko, but we never spoke for about a year ago. And that’s when I introduced him to my sister. And he became my sister’s chosen child and I’m the auntie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>I’m Xavier. I met Banko through Young Woman’s Freedom Center. He became my mentee. And that was during the pandemic. We were focused on a lot of projects that were going to empower trans masculinity. I wanted to make sure we had a group during the pandemic, like a peer to peer support group, because the pandemic was very hard for a lot of Transmasculine folks. A lot of them were essential workers. A lot of them were creators that lost jobs. Some of them were sex workers that lost jobs. So my focus was to empower those people and make sure that they were heard. And so Banko would come to those groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>My name’s Kazani. I met Banko through Young Woman’s Freedom as well. We just had amazing, great conversations. Just always sparring with each other, bouncing back with, like, fun ideas. He uses a bright, outgoing apartment. Conversation was always immaculate, always amazing. Of he was a visionary. The struggle not only brought us together, but like I was able to, like, really build a relation with him based on, like, his gifts. He was very creative, his swag, his drip, like he was a trendsetter to me. He’s definitely inspirational to me to like, you know, him, me younger to me, like I always share with him. Like, bro, you give me so much confidence, you give me so much courage for me to be me. He didn’t even know it. But again, he was just natural at that. Whatever I remember of him is his drips, sauce, smile, hugs, goofiness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>All the jokes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>Hell yeah, hell yeah. He funny, he hella funny. We always was direct. He pushed me to always have hard conversations. Be honest, being honest. And so to have that and to tell somebody yes, to hold me accountable, I’ll take that any day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Banko was in and out of homelessness. And I wonder if you could talk about what was – what the housing situation was like for Banko and what you saw him go through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>When I first had met Banko, he was housed at some point. Then later on, when we lost another trans sister in the community, Ivory Nicole, that’s when, like, you know, stuff started to come out like, Oh, he’s looking for housing. He has nowhere to go. With only so much a person can do for an individual. It’s hard out here. I’ve been through. But for somebody to sleep on BART and got to blow time just to get it start today. If you go to the center, the $50 gift card or 25 gift card, no one’s gonna ever understand that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>And we were talking about sleeping on Bart. We’re talking about Banko Banko. You said he drifted in and out of it yourself. Can you talk a little bit about homelessness?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>Navigating homelessness in San Francisco is hard. As hard and it’s expensive. No matter way. Being homeless is still expensive. I was homeless for about two years, maybe a year or two years. I didn’t know what to do and it just wasn’t working out. We were living in McGuire. I thought his his parents were going to take a friend, but that wasn’t the case. Then even shelters. Shelters don’t protect you. Shelters don’t protect my people either. Stuff gets stolen. There’s fights that break out. People look at us like we’re nasty. So it’s things like that that we still have to navigate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Have you heard them say that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>Yeah. I mean, I’ve had problems at the outset and you can’t do nothing about it. You don’t lose this part. So it’s one of those things you got to say to sleep, wake up and do something productive. And so you get called for housing and permanent housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Xavier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Where do we start?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Well, it would then go first, and then we’ll go on to your own experiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Banko never had a space of his own. Banko had been in and out of shelter, in and out of people’s homes, sometimes even some people’s own sorrows. So let’s really break down what that really looks like when you are living in a one room space with another individual. You do not have privacy. Nine times out of ten, being a transmasculine identify person, especially being black, you have to render some type of services to stay there, whether it be sexual, whether it be drugs. So when we talk about black men and being fetishized, Banko dealt with a lot of that. And so those people would be the people to take him in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Here, kind of like not in a long Kazani like like you’ve been there. Have you been there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>I mean, shit’s hella complex. So, for me personally, couch surfing always been my my survival tactic since I can remember of couch surfing, refusing to go to shelters because of horror stories I heard from former homies of going there and, you know, being violated. My mama, she went to prison when I was right after my fifth grade graduation in 2000. That’s when her body album dropped, too, so that that summer was live. So, you know, like, my mom was big shoes, shoes surviving, too. And so her like being sentenced to prison in state prison, being a young person, I mean, to pick up quick to hustle and survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>When your mom went to prison, you talk about who who else was there for you, if anyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>Or family for her immediate family, blood relatives. My mom got nine siblings, eight total that are living. I’m also born and raised in San Francisco when my mom went to prison. They were figuring now they system impacted they in and out of jails allocated. So I just got a bed in somebody’s house or whatever that looks like in that moment. I just had to make sure I had to protect myself, take care of the things I have for the moment, and just keep trying to get through at 11 years old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>And can we talk a little bit about Banko in terms of the safety? You know, obviously Banko went through the least safe thing you could imagine with the most terrible outcome you can imagine. What was Banko experiencing in terms of safety during this whole process?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Banko was actually experiencing a lot of issues with violence happening in some of the places that he was trying to stay at. Nobody’s perfect, you know, especially when we’re talking about community, right? People have all kinds of issues and trauma that they are that they’re trying to live through as well. I definitely know that there were a few times where, you know, he was upset from violent experiences that had taken place. And what we all do, right, we get upset. We want to do something about it. So, you know, really trying to calm him down to, like, see a different side of it, for him to just move through the trauma that he was experiencing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Yeah. And I don’t know how much you all followed kind of the public discussion of what happened to Banko afterwards. A lot of what I heard was a kind of a questioning of like, what did Bianca’s trans identity or black trans identity have to do with the shooting, especially when the security guard themselves was was black. I wonder if you could talk a bit about for people who don’t understand what does Mango’s black trans identity have to do with what brought him there that day and what happened? And whoever wants to jump in idea or something.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So this is Xavier or what? What what that all has to do with is when you are a young, black, transmasculine identified person, people see that he walks in, he’s dark skinned, he has a hat on a t shirt, he has a little bit of a like a goatee or, you know, something growing in. And as another black man or being another man, there is a fight for power for who is the man for Banko. You know, the thought process is you look like a little boy or you’re trying to pretend to be a little boy. Because let’s be clear, Banko had not had, you know, top surgery. He had not been going through that part of of medical transitioning. So you have a masculine person with visible breast coming at you. You are going to now struggle for your manhood. I’m going to show you who’s boss is something that for people that are even lesbians who are more masculine looking. There is a struggle between men and any form of masculinity that they can see to them isn’t necessarily real.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>So it’s a it’s like a challenge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>It is a challenge. It very much is a challenge. I know this first experience. I have dealt with this my entire life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>And if I can just highlight that it’s true. And these are cases that’s not getting covered. And this is Juju speaking of Black Trans Men getting killed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>I wonder if we can shift a little. I do want to know how that support can come through from family. Are you at a point of acceptance with your family right now and if you could touch on that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Me and my mother understand what’s happening, but my father and my my siblings that my father has. They’re not. They were only produced by my father. My father’s children. They have a bit of a hard time. And so we don’t necessarily talk the way that people would think family should or relatives should. But, you know, my mother respects who I am. My mother understands what has what has taken place. And she’s accepted that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>I mean. Then if they’re very understanding our friends there with ties. But when I told my mom everything and broke it down that you don’t want to be a child, right. This kind of anything, you have to take a step back. My father, on the other hand, he’s more big on education. He didn’t. He taught him. He taught me, You don’t care what I do. He wants me to graduate and I’ll ever be like, so-and-so. I got it. You’ve been away. But I still had a heart and I still struggle. Identity came into play. I mean, it was still some some things going on at home. She understood. She knew, like, okay, as long as you’re safe, you know what? The protocols lie, you know, And I love you. I just I want to say this, too, because there was narratives being painted. Banko do have family that do care and love. But there was, you know, at some point everyone went their own ways. So I do want to just that on the record. He did have family that they can’t love, but he was looking for looking for a space. In people’s hearts to fill that void that he has been missing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>This goes on for me. My mother, she told me straight up, like, be you, son. Be you, son. And for me, that’s a fucking privilege. Like, you know, for someone who’s being who they are, like me, like for my mom to just show up right away. How she was able to just accept me. For me, it was just like a restart of our relationship as a as a mother and son. She’s just a gift to me, you know? And so what I’ve been doing with my folks is just like, sharing my mama with them. You know, share my mama with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>When you mean to share your mama, do you mean you share your mother with other transpeople who don’t have that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>Trans people, all people, even when they struggle like my mom just signs up like, I love you, I forgive you. And so I share my mama with my folks. And it’s my duty to make sure to create spaces for folks to be themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>What I want to ask you all lastly was about joy, because we’ve been talking about hardship. We’ve been talking about really hard things. But the goal is joy, right? I mean, let’s talk about the mechanical and let’s talk about the heart to the mechanical part is if you had these city leaders who are all talking about what happened to Banko, what would you say needs to change? And then after that, I want you to tell me what your joy looks like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I’ll start this, Xavier. I would say what needs to change is the systems in how they construct homelessness. There needs to be shelters specific for transmasculine folks. There needs to be shelters for trans people, period. But trans men need their own space. There needs to be more black, trans masculine leaders. There’s nobody else that can speak about black transness except for black trans people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>And how about the joy? What is your joy look like right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>My joy looks like, you know the rest of the work that I do. The Bay Area Transmasculine calendar is doing a second premiere of a calendar that we started last year with a group of Transmasculine folks to continue to ensure that Transmasculine folks are seen and can receive joy in seeing and having representation of themselves in all bodies, in all forms of trans masculine bodies, and in all forms of trans masculine and different cultures and ethnicities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>That’s beautiful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>Did you figuring out the funding, figuring out where money can go to? I definitely believe that there should be more programs for black trans men, even from our community. My film Queens My Doors. We need to serve our queens, our triumph queens if I’m getting emotional. And it’s because I’m thinking about the joy part living and finding purpose. Picking up someone else’s purpose when they couldn’t find their purpose. And knowing that I’m here and I can also at least set some type of story for someone just to save surface and hopefully help another next person, next generation to continue to do this advocacy work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Because any changes you want to see and then tell us about your joy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>More action. People need to really start, especially like these politicians. Folks move in and power like really, really start, you know, on the ground and get dirty with us. All the years of just all the years I’ve been living in living in the city, I have not seen nothing that has been pivotal yet, specifically tailored to supporting trans people of color, people that are our natives, the first couple folks that are still here. There’s so many things that we need. So many corporations as are going out to rent something, hotels that’s going to manage or that how do we take those metro shelters, make an independent living for folks without all the stipulations and the requirements, because that’s overwhelming for our people to having to jump through these hoops and things and having to retraumatize ourselves just to get a fucking bed. Come on, now, we’ve got to really redefine what a sanctuary in San Francisco. As for my joy. I really love what you said. You, you know, picking up somebody else’s purpose. And this moment, that’s what it is for me personally. Is it bringing up some of the joys, the joy and the beauty that I learned about Banko and where he was dreaming of envisioning of, and how do you incorporate it not just in the individual people, but in community, in people, in organizations, in how we just do life and learn how to grieve and love myself at the same time. Because I have to say he is not the last person. And so while I’m still here, I’m building on my armor because I’m doing God’s work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>So would you say that Banko has influenced where your life is going?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>I think about his nieces and nephews. I really do every day. I wake up and you say their names and how they’re having a great day in the moment. That’s how I carry you. And that’s what I think of him every day. Because, again, trans people being here and we’re won’t keep coming here. Like it or not, you want to get on board whether you like it or not. We still here? We are forever going to be here. We take care of the village.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was KQED reporter Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez in conversation with Xavier Davenport. JuJu Pikes-Prince and Kazani Kalani Finao. Their conversation was cut down and edited by producer Maria Esquinca. It was edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. The Bay is a production of KQED in San Francisco. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On April 27, 2023, an armed security guard shot and killed a Black trans man named Banko Brown outside of a San Francisco Walgreens.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brown’s killing sparked outrage. But San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins decided not to charge the security guard who shot him, saying that he acted in self-defense. And just last Friday, Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11989756/california-ag-backs-decision-not-to-charge-guard-in-banko-brown-killing\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">announced that it supported that decision\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This announcement has crushed Banko Brown’s loved ones, including those who say that his killing was an example of the conditions that unhoused transgender people face in San Francisco.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">KQED reporter Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez sits down with Brown’s chosen family, to discuss life as a homeless queer person in San Francisco, and Banko’s life before his death.\u003c/span>\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=KQINC9297731217\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This episode originally aired on Sept. 6, 2023.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On April 27, 2023, an armed security guard shot and killed a Black trans man named Banko Brown outside of a San Francisco Walgreens after he allegedly stole $14 worth of snacks. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brown was homeless. And his killing sparked outrage. Many saw his death as the worst-case scenario for trans folks living unhoused in San Francisco. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite that outrage, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins declined to prosecute the security guard, saying he acted in self defense. And even though Attorney General Rob Bonta promised to re-examine the case at the time, just last Friday his office backed Jenkins’ decision. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This announcement was a huge blow to Banko’s family and loved ones,, who are still grieving his death more than a year later.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So today, we’re sharing this episode from September of last year… My colleague Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez sat down with Banko Brown’s \u003c/span>chosen\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> family, to discuss life as a homeless queer person in San Francisco, Banko’s life before his death, and what it’ll take to truly make the city a safe place for all queer and trans people. Stay with us. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Homelessness is when you do not have rights to a space of your own. Banko never had a space of his own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>My colleague and reporter Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez sat down with Banko Brown’s shows and family to discuss life as a homeless queer person in San Francisco. Banko’s life before his death and what it’s going to take to truly make the city a safe place for queer and trans people. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>If you could just very briefly tell me a little bit about yourself. Introduce yourself to folks who are listening with your name, who you are, and your relation to Banko.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>Hello, my name is JuJu. I’m from the Young Woman’s Freedom Center. I’m a youth organizer. I officially met Banko maybe a year ago. But we have– we share relatives. His nieces and nephews are my little cousins. So, I’ve always known Banko, but we never spoke for about a year ago. And that’s when I introduced him to my sister. And he became my sister’s chosen child and I’m the auntie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>I’m Xavier. I met Banko through Young Woman’s Freedom Center. He became my mentee. And that was during the pandemic. We were focused on a lot of projects that were going to empower trans masculinity. I wanted to make sure we had a group during the pandemic, like a peer to peer support group, because the pandemic was very hard for a lot of Transmasculine folks. A lot of them were essential workers. A lot of them were creators that lost jobs. Some of them were sex workers that lost jobs. So my focus was to empower those people and make sure that they were heard. And so Banko would come to those groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>My name’s Kazani. I met Banko through Young Woman’s Freedom as well. We just had amazing, great conversations. Just always sparring with each other, bouncing back with, like, fun ideas. He uses a bright, outgoing apartment. Conversation was always immaculate, always amazing. Of he was a visionary. The struggle not only brought us together, but like I was able to, like, really build a relation with him based on, like, his gifts. He was very creative, his swag, his drip, like he was a trendsetter to me. He’s definitely inspirational to me to like, you know, him, me younger to me, like I always share with him. Like, bro, you give me so much confidence, you give me so much courage for me to be me. He didn’t even know it. But again, he was just natural at that. Whatever I remember of him is his drips, sauce, smile, hugs, goofiness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>All the jokes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>Hell yeah, hell yeah. He funny, he hella funny. We always was direct. He pushed me to always have hard conversations. Be honest, being honest. And so to have that and to tell somebody yes, to hold me accountable, I’ll take that any day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Banko was in and out of homelessness. And I wonder if you could talk about what was – what the housing situation was like for Banko and what you saw him go through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>When I first had met Banko, he was housed at some point. Then later on, when we lost another trans sister in the community, Ivory Nicole, that’s when, like, you know, stuff started to come out like, Oh, he’s looking for housing. He has nowhere to go. With only so much a person can do for an individual. It’s hard out here. I’ve been through. But for somebody to sleep on BART and got to blow time just to get it start today. If you go to the center, the $50 gift card or 25 gift card, no one’s gonna ever understand that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>And we were talking about sleeping on Bart. We’re talking about Banko Banko. You said he drifted in and out of it yourself. Can you talk a little bit about homelessness?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>Navigating homelessness in San Francisco is hard. As hard and it’s expensive. No matter way. Being homeless is still expensive. I was homeless for about two years, maybe a year or two years. I didn’t know what to do and it just wasn’t working out. We were living in McGuire. I thought his his parents were going to take a friend, but that wasn’t the case. Then even shelters. Shelters don’t protect you. Shelters don’t protect my people either. Stuff gets stolen. There’s fights that break out. People look at us like we’re nasty. So it’s things like that that we still have to navigate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Have you heard them say that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>Yeah. I mean, I’ve had problems at the outset and you can’t do nothing about it. You don’t lose this part. So it’s one of those things you got to say to sleep, wake up and do something productive. And so you get called for housing and permanent housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Xavier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Where do we start?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Well, it would then go first, and then we’ll go on to your own experiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Banko never had a space of his own. Banko had been in and out of shelter, in and out of people’s homes, sometimes even some people’s own sorrows. So let’s really break down what that really looks like when you are living in a one room space with another individual. You do not have privacy. Nine times out of ten, being a transmasculine identify person, especially being black, you have to render some type of services to stay there, whether it be sexual, whether it be drugs. So when we talk about black men and being fetishized, Banko dealt with a lot of that. And so those people would be the people to take him in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Here, kind of like not in a long Kazani like like you’ve been there. Have you been there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>I mean, shit’s hella complex. So, for me personally, couch surfing always been my my survival tactic since I can remember of couch surfing, refusing to go to shelters because of horror stories I heard from former homies of going there and, you know, being violated. My mama, she went to prison when I was right after my fifth grade graduation in 2000. That’s when her body album dropped, too, so that that summer was live. So, you know, like, my mom was big shoes, shoes surviving, too. And so her like being sentenced to prison in state prison, being a young person, I mean, to pick up quick to hustle and survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>When your mom went to prison, you talk about who who else was there for you, if anyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>Or family for her immediate family, blood relatives. My mom got nine siblings, eight total that are living. I’m also born and raised in San Francisco when my mom went to prison. They were figuring now they system impacted they in and out of jails allocated. So I just got a bed in somebody’s house or whatever that looks like in that moment. I just had to make sure I had to protect myself, take care of the things I have for the moment, and just keep trying to get through at 11 years old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>And can we talk a little bit about Banko in terms of the safety? You know, obviously Banko went through the least safe thing you could imagine with the most terrible outcome you can imagine. What was Banko experiencing in terms of safety during this whole process?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Banko was actually experiencing a lot of issues with violence happening in some of the places that he was trying to stay at. Nobody’s perfect, you know, especially when we’re talking about community, right? People have all kinds of issues and trauma that they are that they’re trying to live through as well. I definitely know that there were a few times where, you know, he was upset from violent experiences that had taken place. And what we all do, right, we get upset. We want to do something about it. So, you know, really trying to calm him down to, like, see a different side of it, for him to just move through the trauma that he was experiencing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Yeah. And I don’t know how much you all followed kind of the public discussion of what happened to Banko afterwards. A lot of what I heard was a kind of a questioning of like, what did Bianca’s trans identity or black trans identity have to do with the shooting, especially when the security guard themselves was was black. I wonder if you could talk a bit about for people who don’t understand what does Mango’s black trans identity have to do with what brought him there that day and what happened? And whoever wants to jump in idea or something.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So this is Xavier or what? What what that all has to do with is when you are a young, black, transmasculine identified person, people see that he walks in, he’s dark skinned, he has a hat on a t shirt, he has a little bit of a like a goatee or, you know, something growing in. And as another black man or being another man, there is a fight for power for who is the man for Banko. You know, the thought process is you look like a little boy or you’re trying to pretend to be a little boy. Because let’s be clear, Banko had not had, you know, top surgery. He had not been going through that part of of medical transitioning. So you have a masculine person with visible breast coming at you. You are going to now struggle for your manhood. I’m going to show you who’s boss is something that for people that are even lesbians who are more masculine looking. There is a struggle between men and any form of masculinity that they can see to them isn’t necessarily real.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>So it’s a it’s like a challenge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>It is a challenge. It very much is a challenge. I know this first experience. I have dealt with this my entire life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>And if I can just highlight that it’s true. And these are cases that’s not getting covered. And this is Juju speaking of Black Trans Men getting killed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>I wonder if we can shift a little. I do want to know how that support can come through from family. Are you at a point of acceptance with your family right now and if you could touch on that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Me and my mother understand what’s happening, but my father and my my siblings that my father has. They’re not. They were only produced by my father. My father’s children. They have a bit of a hard time. And so we don’t necessarily talk the way that people would think family should or relatives should. But, you know, my mother respects who I am. My mother understands what has what has taken place. And she’s accepted that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>I mean. Then if they’re very understanding our friends there with ties. But when I told my mom everything and broke it down that you don’t want to be a child, right. This kind of anything, you have to take a step back. My father, on the other hand, he’s more big on education. He didn’t. He taught him. He taught me, You don’t care what I do. He wants me to graduate and I’ll ever be like, so-and-so. I got it. You’ve been away. But I still had a heart and I still struggle. Identity came into play. I mean, it was still some some things going on at home. She understood. She knew, like, okay, as long as you’re safe, you know what? The protocols lie, you know, And I love you. I just I want to say this, too, because there was narratives being painted. Banko do have family that do care and love. But there was, you know, at some point everyone went their own ways. So I do want to just that on the record. He did have family that they can’t love, but he was looking for looking for a space. In people’s hearts to fill that void that he has been missing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>This goes on for me. My mother, she told me straight up, like, be you, son. Be you, son. And for me, that’s a fucking privilege. Like, you know, for someone who’s being who they are, like me, like for my mom to just show up right away. How she was able to just accept me. For me, it was just like a restart of our relationship as a as a mother and son. She’s just a gift to me, you know? And so what I’ve been doing with my folks is just like, sharing my mama with them. You know, share my mama with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>When you mean to share your mama, do you mean you share your mother with other transpeople who don’t have that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>Trans people, all people, even when they struggle like my mom just signs up like, I love you, I forgive you. And so I share my mama with my folks. And it’s my duty to make sure to create spaces for folks to be themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>What I want to ask you all lastly was about joy, because we’ve been talking about hardship. We’ve been talking about really hard things. But the goal is joy, right? I mean, let’s talk about the mechanical and let’s talk about the heart to the mechanical part is if you had these city leaders who are all talking about what happened to Banko, what would you say needs to change? And then after that, I want you to tell me what your joy looks like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I’ll start this, Xavier. I would say what needs to change is the systems in how they construct homelessness. There needs to be shelters specific for transmasculine folks. There needs to be shelters for trans people, period. But trans men need their own space. There needs to be more black, trans masculine leaders. There’s nobody else that can speak about black transness except for black trans people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>And how about the joy? What is your joy look like right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Xavier Davenport: \u003c/strong>My joy looks like, you know the rest of the work that I do. The Bay Area Transmasculine calendar is doing a second premiere of a calendar that we started last year with a group of Transmasculine folks to continue to ensure that Transmasculine folks are seen and can receive joy in seeing and having representation of themselves in all bodies, in all forms of trans masculine bodies, and in all forms of trans masculine and different cultures and ethnicities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>That’s beautiful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>JuJu Pikes-Prince: \u003c/strong>Did you figuring out the funding, figuring out where money can go to? I definitely believe that there should be more programs for black trans men, even from our community. My film Queens My Doors. We need to serve our queens, our triumph queens if I’m getting emotional. And it’s because I’m thinking about the joy part living and finding purpose. Picking up someone else’s purpose when they couldn’t find their purpose. And knowing that I’m here and I can also at least set some type of story for someone just to save surface and hopefully help another next person, next generation to continue to do this advocacy work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>Because any changes you want to see and then tell us about your joy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>More action. People need to really start, especially like these politicians. Folks move in and power like really, really start, you know, on the ground and get dirty with us. All the years of just all the years I’ve been living in living in the city, I have not seen nothing that has been pivotal yet, specifically tailored to supporting trans people of color, people that are our natives, the first couple folks that are still here. There’s so many things that we need. So many corporations as are going out to rent something, hotels that’s going to manage or that how do we take those metro shelters, make an independent living for folks without all the stipulations and the requirements, because that’s overwhelming for our people to having to jump through these hoops and things and having to retraumatize ourselves just to get a fucking bed. Come on, now, we’ve got to really redefine what a sanctuary in San Francisco. As for my joy. I really love what you said. You, you know, picking up somebody else’s purpose. And this moment, that’s what it is for me personally. Is it bringing up some of the joys, the joy and the beauty that I learned about Banko and where he was dreaming of envisioning of, and how do you incorporate it not just in the individual people, but in community, in people, in organizations, in how we just do life and learn how to grieve and love myself at the same time. Because I have to say he is not the last person. And so while I’m still here, I’m building on my armor because I’m doing God’s work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez: \u003c/strong>So would you say that Banko has influenced where your life is going?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kazani Kalani Finao: \u003c/strong>I think about his nieces and nephews. I really do every day. I wake up and you say their names and how they’re having a great day in the moment. That’s how I carry you. And that’s what I think of him every day. Because, again, trans people being here and we’re won’t keep coming here. Like it or not, you want to get on board whether you like it or not. We still here? We are forever going to be here. We take care of the village.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was KQED reporter Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez in conversation with Xavier Davenport. JuJu Pikes-Prince and Kazani Kalani Finao. Their conversation was cut down and edited by producer Maria Esquinca. It was edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. The Bay is a production of KQED in San Francisco. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"order": 9
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"order": 15
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 18
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
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"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
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"masters-of-scale": {
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"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
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"meta": {
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"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
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"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 11
},
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"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
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"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
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},
"perspectives": {
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"order": 14
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"planet-money": {
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
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