window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"news_12098320": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12098320",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12098320",
"found": true
},
"title": "260903-KOndaSeptember-03-BL",
"publishDate": 1788473845,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1788473888,
"caption": "Luis Quiroz, founder of Mission Lotería, at the organization’s new storefront in San Francisco’s Mission District on Sept. 3, 2026. The space will serve as a home for community events, workshops and local art.",
"credit": "Beth LaBerge/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-03-BL-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-03-BL-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-03-BL-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-03-BL-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-03-BL-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-03-BL-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-03-BL.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12066573": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12066573",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12066573",
"found": true
},
"title": "251208-EASTBROTHER-44-BL-KQED",
"publishDate": 1765328005,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1765328015,
"caption": "The inn at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters.",
"credit": "Beth LaBerge/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-44-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-44-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-44-BL-KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-44-BL-KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-44-BL-KQED-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-44-BL-KQED.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12022629": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12022629",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12022629",
"found": true
},
"title": "241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-20-BL_qed",
"publishDate": 1737063906,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1737063924,
"caption": "Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaks during a rally against her recall at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland on Oct. 15, 2024.",
"credit": "Beth LaBerge/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-20-BL_qed-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-20-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-20-BL_qed-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-20-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-20-BL_qed-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-20-BL_qed-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-20-BL_qed-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-20-BL_qed.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12097519": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12097519",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12097519",
"found": true
},
"title": "260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed",
"publishDate": 1788130785,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12097506,
"modified": 1788298065,
"caption": "A flyer that says, “No Data Center,” is posted at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland, California, on Aug. 29, 2026.",
"credit": "Tâm Vũ/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12096149": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12096149",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12096149",
"found": true
},
"title": "Election 2026 California",
"publishDate": 1787260389,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12096141,
"modified": 1787260433,
"caption": "State Sen. Aisha Wahab, a Democratic candidate for Congress in California's 14th district, speaks during a primary election night event on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Hayward, California. ",
"credit": "Jeff Chiu/AP Photo",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/AishaWahabAP-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/AishaWahabAP-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/AishaWahabAP-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/AishaWahabAP-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/AishaWahabAP-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/AishaWahabAP-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/AishaWahabAP.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12070839": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12070839",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12070839",
"found": true
},
"title": "A speed camera at Broadway Ave. and 7th Street in Oakland on Jan. 22, 2026.",
"publishDate": 1769122384,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1787182264,
"caption": "A speed camera at Broadway Avenue and Seventh Street in Oakland on Jan. 22, 2026.",
"credit": "Martin do Nascimento/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-OAKLAND-SPEED-CAMERAS-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-OAKLAND-SPEED-CAMERAS-MD-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-OAKLAND-SPEED-CAMERAS-MD-02-KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-OAKLAND-SPEED-CAMERAS-MD-02-KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-OAKLAND-SPEED-CAMERAS-MD-02-KQED-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-OAKLAND-SPEED-CAMERAS-MD-02-KQED.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12095869": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12095869",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12095869",
"found": true
},
"title": "260818-Hernandez Wahab-MD-01-KQED",
"publishDate": 1787093425,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1787100521,
"caption": "BART Board President Melissa Hernandez (left) and state Sen. Aisha Wahab (right) are facing off in a special election to fill the House seat vacated by Eric Swalwell.",
"credit": "Courtesy of Melissa Hernandez; Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-Hernandez-Wahab-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-Hernandez-Wahab-MD-01-KQED-1536x1025.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1025,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-Hernandez-Wahab-MD-01-KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-Hernandez-Wahab-MD-01-KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-Hernandez-Wahab-MD-01-KQED-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-Hernandez-Wahab-MD-01-KQED-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-Hernandez-Wahab-MD-01-KQED.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12094384": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12094384",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12094384",
"found": true
},
"title": "260807-Kennedy-High-BK-01-KQED",
"publishDate": 1786135437,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1786138660,
"caption": "The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026, as school district officials await air-testing results from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. ",
"credit": "Brian Krans/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-01-KQED-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-01-KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-01-KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-01-KQED-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-01-KQED-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-01-KQED.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_11737625": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11737625",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11737625",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11737575,
"imgSizes": {
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1152
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"apple_news_ca_portrait_12_9": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-1122x1496.jpg",
"width": 1122,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1496
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"apple_news_ca_portrait_9_7": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-840x1120.jpg",
"width": 840,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1120
},
"apple_news_ca_square_9_7": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-1104x1104.jpg",
"width": 1104,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1104
},
"apple_news_ca_portrait_4_7": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-414x552.jpg",
"width": 414,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 552
},
"apple_news_ca_square_12_9": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-1472x1472.jpg",
"width": 1472,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1472
},
"apple_news_ca_portrait_5_5": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-687x916.jpg",
"width": 687,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 916
},
"apple_news_ca_square_4_7": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-550x550.jpg",
"width": 550,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 550
},
"apple_news_ca_square_5_5": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-912x912.jpg",
"width": 912,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 912
},
"apple_news_ca_landscape_5_5": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-1044x783.jpg",
"width": 1044,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 783
},
"apple_news_ca_square_4_0": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-470x470.jpg",
"width": 470,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 470
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"apple_news_ca_landscape_4_7": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-632x474.jpg",
"width": 632,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 474
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"complete_open_graph": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 675
},
"apple_news_ca_landscape_4_0": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-536x402.jpg",
"width": 536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 402
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"apple_news_ca_portrait_4_0": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-354x472.jpg",
"width": 354,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 472
},
"apple_news_ca_landscape_12_9": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-1832x1374.jpg",
"width": 1832,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1374
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-1920x1080.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1080
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
},
"apple_news_ca_landscape_9_7": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/1110181710a_HDR-1376x1032.jpg",
"width": 1376,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1032
}
},
"publishDate": 1554329382,
"modified": 1554329437,
"caption": "Oakland librarian, Dorothy Lazard, points out Oakland's various annexations.",
"description": "Oakland librarian, Dorothy Lazard, points out Oakland's various annexations.",
"title": "1110181710a_HDR",
"credit": "Chris Hambrick/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12084344": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12084344",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12084344",
"found": true
},
"title": "Downtown Oakland Drone Views",
"publishDate": 1779218442,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12084243,
"modified": 1779218470,
"caption": "A view of downtown and Lake Merritt are seen from this drone view in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019. ",
"credit": "Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/The East Bay Times via Getty Images",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-1190533331-160x97.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 97,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-1190533331-1536x935.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 935,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-1190533331-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-1190533331-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-1190533331-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-1190533331-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-1190533331.jpg",
"width": 1980,
"height": 1205
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12095475": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12095475",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12095475",
"found": true
},
"title": "OAK Data Center",
"publishDate": 1786823066,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12095308,
"modified": 1786832236,
"caption": "The location of a proposed data center at 415 20th St. in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2026. ",
"credit": "Juan Carlos Lara/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12095131": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12095131",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12095131",
"found": true
},
"title": "260813-OAK LANDLORD SUIT-MD-05-KQED",
"publishDate": 1786644543,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1786651671,
"caption": "Kathy Vaquilar stands outside the La Peralta building, where she lives, in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026.",
"credit": "Martin do Nascimento/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-05-KQED-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-05-KQED-1536x1025.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1025,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-05-KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-05-KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-05-KQED-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-05-KQED-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-05-KQED.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"ohubertallen": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "102",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "102",
"found": true
},
"name": "Olivia Allen-Price",
"firstName": "Olivia",
"lastName": "Allen-Price",
"slug": "ohubertallen",
"email": "oallenprice@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "Senior Editor",
"bio": "Olivia Allen-Price is senior editor and host of the award-winning Bay Curious podcast. Prior to joining KQED in 2013, Olivia worked at The Baltimore Sun and The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va. She holds degrees in journalism and political science from Elon University. Her work has earned awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Hearst Foundation and Hearken. She loves to talk about running and curly hair.\r\n\r\nFollow: \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/oallenprice\">@oallenprice\u003c/a>\r\nEmail: \u003ca href=\"mailto:oallenprice@kqed.org\">oallenprice@kqed.org\u003c/a>",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/07f7803c1f6be56f3be58ef276dfa64dce898502e0554408ef4858451a8294f7?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "oallenprice",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"administrator"
]
},
{
"site": "pop",
"roles": [
"administrator"
]
},
{
"site": "bayareabites",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"administrator"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Olivia Allen-Price | KQED",
"description": "Senior Editor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/07f7803c1f6be56f3be58ef276dfa64dce898502e0554408ef4858451a8294f7?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/07f7803c1f6be56f3be58ef276dfa64dce898502e0554408ef4858451a8294f7?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ohubertallen"
},
"gmarzorati": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "227",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "227",
"found": true
},
"name": "Guy Marzorati",
"firstName": "Guy",
"lastName": "Marzorati",
"slug": "gmarzorati",
"email": "gmarzorati@KQED.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "Correspondent",
"bio": "Guy Marzorati is a correspondent on KQED's California Politics and Government Desk, based in San Jose. A graduate of Santa Clara University, Guy joined KQED in 2013. He reports on state and local politics and produces KQED's digital voter guide.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/771cddf45ce3a8ed533d82dcc214e9ef925d76d2af5794a33da1ce439eb54a32?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "guymarzorati",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "elections",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Guy Marzorati | KQED",
"description": "Correspondent",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/771cddf45ce3a8ed533d82dcc214e9ef925d76d2af5794a33da1ce439eb54a32?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/771cddf45ce3a8ed533d82dcc214e9ef925d76d2af5794a33da1ce439eb54a32?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/gmarzorati"
},
"ecruzguevarra": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "8654",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "8654",
"found": true
},
"name": "Ericka Cruz Guevarra",
"firstName": "Ericka",
"lastName": "Cruz Guevarra",
"slug": "ecruzguevarra",
"email": "ecruzguevarra@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "Producer, The Bay Podcast",
"bio": "Ericka Cruz Guevarra is host of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/thebay\">\u003cem>The Bay\u003c/em>\u003c/a> podcast at KQED. Before host, she was the show’s producer. Her work in that capacity includes a three-part reported series on policing in Vallejo, which won a 2020 excellence in journalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Ericka has worked as a breaking news reporter at Oregon Public Broadcasting, helped produce the Code Switch podcast, and was KQED’s inaugural Raul Ramirez Diversity Fund intern. She’s also an alumna of NPR’s Next Generation Radio program. Send her an email if you have strong feelings about whether Fairfield and Suisun City are the Bay. Ericka is represented by SAG-AFTRA.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/accefc1de4bafc7e234b69bcb9b6f6536c130fd84709bc3069ef11a78787e1bb?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "NotoriousECG",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor",
"manage_categories"
]
},
{
"site": "futureofyou",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Ericka Cruz Guevarra | KQED",
"description": "Producer, The Bay Podcast",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/accefc1de4bafc7e234b69bcb9b6f6536c130fd84709bc3069ef11a78787e1bb?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/accefc1de4bafc7e234b69bcb9b6f6536c130fd84709bc3069ef11a78787e1bb?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ecruzguevarra"
},
"ahall": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11490",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11490",
"found": true
},
"name": "Alex Hall",
"firstName": "Alex",
"lastName": "Hall",
"slug": "ahall",
"email": "ahall@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "KQED Enterprise & Accountability Reporter",
"bio": "Alex Hall is KQED's Enterprise and Accountability Reporter. She previously covered the Central Valley for five years from KQED's bureau in Fresno. Before joining KQED, Alex was an investigative reporting fellow at Wisconsin Public Radio and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. She has also worked as a bilingual producer for NPR's investigative unit and freelance video producer for Reuters TV on the Latin America desk. She got her start in journalism in South America, where she worked as a radio producer and Spanish-English translator for CNN Chile. Her documentary and investigation into the series of deadly COVID-19 outbreaks at Foster Farms won a national Edward R. Murrow award and was named an Investigative Reporters & Editors award finalist. Alex's reporting for Reveal on the Wisconsin dairy industry's reliance on undocumented immigrant labor was made into a film, Los Lecheros, which won a regional Edward R. Murrow award for best news documentary.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/04c28ad4a7caa7ac2ef39c655c4030c993a3f331481d1da4799bb76ea85b9afa?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "@chalexhall",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Alex Hall | KQED",
"description": "KQED Enterprise & Accountability Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/04c28ad4a7caa7ac2ef39c655c4030c993a3f331481d1da4799bb76ea85b9afa?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/04c28ad4a7caa7ac2ef39c655c4030c993a3f331481d1da4799bb76ea85b9afa?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ahall"
},
"btorres": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11666",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11666",
"found": true
},
"name": "Blanca Torres",
"firstName": "Blanca",
"lastName": "Torres",
"slug": "btorres",
"email": "btorres@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "Producer, Forum",
"bio": "Blanca Torres brings sharp news judgement and keen sense of lively conversation to her work as producer for Forum. She loves producing shows that leave listeners feeling like they heard distinctive voices, learned something new and gained a fresh perspective.\r\n\r\nShe joined KQED in January of 2020 after 16 years of working as a newspaper reporter most recently at the \u003cem>San Francisco Business Times,\u003c/em> where she wrote about real estate and economic development. Before that, she covered a variety of beats including crime, education, retail, workplace, the economy, consumer issues, and small business for the \u003cem>Contra Costa Times, Baltimore Sun\u003c/em> and\u003cem> The Seattle Times\u003c/em>. In addition to reporting, she worked as an editorial writer and columnist for the \u003cem>Seattle Times\u003c/em>. From 2017 to 2020, Blanca won a total of ten awards from the National Association of Real Estate Editors and won first place for land use reporting from the California News Publishers Association two years in a row. She is also a member and former board member for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.\r\n\r\nA native of the Pacific Northwest, Blanca earned her bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville and a master's in fine arts in creative writing at Mills College. She lives in the East Bay with her family.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/50b49d19b14a1eed34f26ebf4681152cdd81574ed21851100871ccd29e578cdc?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "@blancawrites",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Blanca Torres | KQED",
"description": "Producer, Forum",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/50b49d19b14a1eed34f26ebf4681152cdd81574ed21851100871ccd29e578cdc?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/50b49d19b14a1eed34f26ebf4681152cdd81574ed21851100871ccd29e578cdc?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/btorres"
},
"jlara": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11761",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11761",
"found": true
},
"name": "Juan Carlos Lara",
"firstName": "Juan Carlos",
"lastName": "Lara",
"slug": "jlara",
"email": "jlara@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": null,
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/19e2052b9b05657c5ff2af2121846e9c?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Juan Carlos Lara | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/19e2052b9b05657c5ff2af2121846e9c?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/19e2052b9b05657c5ff2af2121846e9c?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/jlara"
},
"adahlstromeckman": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11785",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11785",
"found": true
},
"name": "Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman",
"firstName": "Azul",
"lastName": "Dahlstrom-Eckman",
"slug": "adahlstromeckman",
"email": "adahlstrom-eckman@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "Reporter",
"bio": "Azul is a reporter for KQED focusing on transportation and features. He joined KQED in 2021 as an alumnus of KALW's Audio Academy radio journalism training program.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/9cb750298435add7815a777f55bf1f46845c1386bb8452555c60a7b820b5aba3?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "@zuliemann",
"bluesky": "@azul415.bsky.social",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman | KQED",
"description": "Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/9cb750298435add7815a777f55bf1f46845c1386bb8452555c60a7b820b5aba3?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/9cb750298435add7815a777f55bf1f46845c1386bb8452555c60a7b820b5aba3?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/adahlstromeckman"
},
"chambrick": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11832",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11832",
"found": true
},
"name": "Chris Hambrick",
"firstName": "Chris",
"lastName": "Hambrick",
"slug": "chambrick",
"email": "chambrick@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": null,
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/23cb83888bc440645af5d36d0d1909e8ecb6cef21f2fdb96abf9a55495bb19d8?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "podcasts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Chris Hambrick | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/23cb83888bc440645af5d36d0d1909e8ecb6cef21f2fdb96abf9a55495bb19d8?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/23cb83888bc440645af5d36d0d1909e8ecb6cef21f2fdb96abf9a55495bb19d8?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/chambrick"
},
"skennedy": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11935",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11935",
"found": true
},
"name": "Samantha Kennedy",
"firstName": "Samantha",
"lastName": "Kennedy",
"slug": "skennedy",
"email": "SKennedy@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": null,
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/adc7b14bf1e801793202a156ecc864d4ad505b0fd63162a2f3da0e5ba57222d0?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Samantha Kennedy | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/adc7b14bf1e801793202a156ecc864d4ad505b0fd63162a2f3da0e5ba57222d0?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/adc7b14bf1e801793202a156ecc864d4ad505b0fd63162a2f3da0e5ba57222d0?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/skennedy"
},
"aaliahmad": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11986",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11986",
"found": true
},
"name": "Ayah Ali-Ahmad",
"firstName": "Ayah",
"lastName": "Ali-Ahmad",
"slug": "aaliahmad",
"email": "aaliahmad@KQED.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": null,
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1cf54f187a5e1064b2cfef3f3d2f1e4f93e453395d56912aca6382a6071ec3ed?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "ayahaliahmad",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Ayah Ali-Ahmad | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1cf54f187a5e1064b2cfef3f3d2f1e4f93e453395d56912aca6382a6071ec3ed?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1cf54f187a5e1064b2cfef3f3d2f1e4f93e453395d56912aca6382a6071ec3ed?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/aaliahmad"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"news_tag_east-bay": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18352",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18352",
"score": 7.017371
},
"featImg": null,
"name": "East Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "East Bay Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18386,
"slug": "east-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"title": "East Bay",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "news",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 4
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/news?tag=east-bay",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 4
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://hls.kqed.org/hls/kqed_app/playlist.m3u8",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"news_12098277": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12098277",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12098277",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1788872400000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "how-to-show-up-for-your-community-this-hispanic-heritage-month",
"title": "How to Show Up for Your Community This Hispanic Heritage Month",
"publishDate": 1788872400,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "How to Show Up for Your Community This Hispanic Heritage Month | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was reported for K Onda KQED, a monthly newsletter focused on the Bay Area’s Latinx community. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/k-onda\">\u003cem>Click here to subscribe.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tucked inside a compact shop near the corner of 25th and Mission streets in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, Mission Lotería is evolving from promoting local businesses into a small business of its own.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The organization, which started in 2019, plans to open its first storefront on Sept. 10 at 2884 Mission St., selling giftable items such as hand-painted clay coffee mugs, purses designed by a Colombian artist, clothing, and stationery and cards designed by Bay Area artists. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What began years ago as a creative campaign celebrating the Mission, supporting neighborhood businesses, and bringing our community together has grown into more than we could have imagined,” said Luis Quiroz, founder of Mission Lotería. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The store’s opening coincides with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which spans from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I intentionally planned the store opening just before Hispanic Heritage Month so that we could lean into the festivities that were to come and be able to highlight the Latino voices and the Latino artists that are going to be featured here.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098318\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lotería art at Mission Lotería’s new storefront in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2026. The space will serve as a home for community events, workshops and local art. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mission Lotería takes inspiration from Lotería, a beloved bingo-style board game from Mexico known for iconic images such as a cactus plant, a woman in a small boat on Lake Chapala, a man carrying a large globe on his back and a radiant sun. Quiroz, 36, created the marketing platform to support local artists and small businesses by organizing community events and neighborhood tours. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I want people to visit Mission Lotería and then venture into a cafe shop or a taqueria or a restaurant or another brick-and-mortar store,” Quiroz said. “It’s the starting point to bring them to the other parts of the Mission.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The organization provides a template for how to support Latino businesses with intention and thoughtfulness, especially at a time when the Trump administration \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087915/bay-area-cities-ask-us-judge-to-block-trump-from-cutting-funds-over-dei-immigration\">vigorously attacks diversity initiatives\u003c/a> and has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097313/northern-california-ice-arrests-surged-this-summer\">launched a deportation apparatus\u003c/a> that has largely targeted Latino immigrants and hurts Latine communities nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To be sitting here and about to open a storefront in the Mission, in the Latino cultural district of San Francisco,” said Quiroz, who was previously undocumented. “It’s my way of resisting. They’re not going to hold me down. They’re not going to hold us down. We’re here, we’re here to stay, and we’re out here. We’re thriving.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month presents an opportunity for Latinos to support businesses, organizations and community members who have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096833/how-immigration-raids-are-affecting-children-in-los-angeles\">felt the toll\u003c/a> of the administration’s anti-immigration policies that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913621/the-psychological-toll-of-trumps-immigration-policies-on-bay-area-latinos\">have had a chilling effect\u003c/a>, with immigrants staying home, shopping less, attending fewer public events and even being afraid to speak Spanish in public. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This has also been a challenging year for many Latinx-owned businesses between the fear immigrants are feeling and higher costs of doing business, said Alicia Villanueva, owner and founder of Hayward-based Alicia’s Tamales Los Mayas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seeing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073728/us-citizen-army-veteran-detained-by-ice-sues-for-damages-in-federal-court\">hardworking people\u003c/a> picked up off the street, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094994/detained-at-green-card-interview-how-a-bay-area-family-is-healing-from-sudden-separation?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=20260814_NewsDaily_Newsletter_SponsorBlock&utm_content=20260814_NewsDaily_Newsletter_SponsorBlock+8642121190\">families being separated\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028303/ice-arrest-left-bay-area-man-hospitalized-struggling-breathe-attorney-says\">parents being detained\u003c/a> and leaving children behind is demoralizing, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I am a citizen now, since last year, and I still feel this trauma,” she said. “Like when I’m driving, and I see the police or something — it scares me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For many food vendors, Hispanic Heritage Month is one of the busiest times of the year, Villanueva said, but this year is different because the community needs a morale boost.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We really celebrate our cultures, our cuisine and all these traditions that we bring from our countries,” she said. “To keep our traditions alive is one of the responsibilities that we have for future generations.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098323\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Concha candles and mugs for sale at Mission Lotería’s new storefront in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2026. The space will serve as a home for community events, workshops and local art. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villanueva said it pains her to see immigrants living in fear and suffering, especially since she understands the desire to come to the United States to work and advance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She started her company in 2010 after selling tamales door to door. She joined a business incubator program for entrepreneurs at San Francisco-based La Cocina that helped her establish a wholesale and catering business and secure capital to grow. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sixteen years later, Villanueva employs 21 workers who cater events, sell food to retail stores, provide passenger meals for Alaska Airlines and make school lunches for students throughout Northern California. Her next goal is national distribution, the 65-year-old said. She embodies an ethos of permanent optimism that many immigrants espouse. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The time is really hard,” Villanueva said. “But if you have your passion, your dreams, no matter what, just keep going. Don’t be afraid.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, for many Latines, Hispanic Heritage Month can come off as cringe. Corporations use it as a time to pander to Latinos and perform solidarity with clichés such as adding pictures of tacos to non-food-related content or putting the Spanish letter ñ where it doesn’t belong. So it’s no wonder why many people tend to snub their noses at seasonal, tone-deaf marketing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What I can appreciate about Hispanic Heritage Month is the opportunity to unapologetically lean into the beauty, strength and value of Latino culture. Lately, I have been hearing the phrase, “Solo el pueblo salva al pueblo” (Only the community will save the community), which reminds me that celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month might include sharing our culture with others — but it’s most important to show up for ourselves. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We think about Latinx heritage 365 days a year,” said Josiah Alderete, co-owner of Medicine for Nightmares in San Francisco. The bookstore is Black- and Latino-owned and has made a point to stock books written by and about people of color from its inception five years ago — not just for affinity months. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m always thrilled people celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, but the truth is, we are always celebrating it,” he said. “You can come in here and see yourself 12 months of the year.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Practical ways to show up this Hispanic Heritage Month: \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Attend Hispanic Heritage Month events \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cities and organizations across the Bay Area are planning festivities to honor and celebrate Latine residents and culture, which has turned into an act of resistance. (Check out K Onda’s comprehensive guide.) \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the last year, several event organizers have said they were advised against holding large public gatherings like festivals for fear of ICE showing up and detaining people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But most organizers decided that offering joy, reinforcing culture and coming together was more important than giving in to fear. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12030084\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dolls for sale at Luz de Luna, a gift store on 24th Street in San Francisco, on March 5, 2025. Owner Denise Gonzales says about 70% of the products sold in store are imported from Mexico. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prioritize shopping at Latino-owned businesses, especially small ones\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I covered retail and consumer issues many years ago, and the biggest lesson I learned was that consumers have way more power than they know. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Every dollar people spend fuels someone’s bottom line, so choose where you shop wisely, because our spending power picks winners and losers every day. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s why I don’t feel bad buying an artisan or locally made item such as soaps, honey, produce from a farmer’s market or a handmade gift, even if I could have found something cheaper at a big-box store. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When I buy a cup of fruit from a street vendor, I feel good about buying a healthy snack and supporting someone who is often depending on that day’s sales to survive. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read more books about Latin American identity and history by Latino authors\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For a dose of cultural criticism and an exploration of how personal histories intersect with mainstream culture, I recommend \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/704670/magicalrealism-by-vanessa-angelica-villarreal/\">\u003cem>Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders\u003c/em> by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal\u003c/a>, which I recently read and found evocative. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other books to check out: \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Migrant-Heart/Reyna-Grande/9781668055274\">\u003cem>Migrant Heart\u003c/em> by Reyna Grande\u003c/a>, a true gem of a writer who makes her home in Northern California, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Keeper-of-My-Kin/Ada-Ferrer/9781668025659\">\u003cem>Keeper of My Kin: Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by Ada Ferrer, who appeared \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913858/a-family-divided-by-cubas-revolution\">on Forum earlier this year\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And, here are some recommendations from Alderete, of Medicine for Nightmares: the young adult novel, \u003ca href=\"https://www.harpercollins.com/products/estela-undrowning-rene-pena-govea\">\u003cem>Estela, Undrowning\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by San Francisco writer and educator \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913189/local-ya-novels-tell-san-francisco-stories\">René Peña-Govea\u003c/a>; the poetry collection \u003ca href=\"https://unpress.nevada.edu/9781647792183/where-heaven-sinks/\">\u003cem>When Heaven Sinks\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by María Esquinca (who coincidently is a former KQED colleague); the nonfiction book \u003ca href=\"https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324004370\">\u003cem>Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire & Revolution in the Borderlands\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by Kelly Lytle Hernández; and the memoir \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803724/terrestre-spanish-edition-by-cristina-rivera-garza/\">\u003cem>Terrestre\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and scholar Cristina Rivera Garza.\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was reported for K Onda KQED, a monthly newsletter focused on the Bay Area’s Latinx community. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/k-onda\">\u003cem>Click here to subscribe.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was reported for K Onda KQED, a monthly newsletter focused on the Bay Area’s Latinx community. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/k-onda\">\u003cem>Click here to subscribe.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tucked inside a compact shop near the corner of 25th and Mission streets in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, Mission Lotería is evolving from promoting local businesses into a small business of its own.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Tucked inside a compact shop near the corner of 25th and Mission streets in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, Mission Lotería is evolving from promoting local businesses into a small business of its own.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The organization, which started in 2019, plans to open its first storefront on Sept. 10 at 2884 Mission St., selling giftable items such as hand-painted clay coffee mugs, purses designed by a Colombian artist, clothing, and stationery and cards designed by Bay Area artists. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The organization, which started in 2019, plans to open its first storefront on Sept. 10 at 2884 Mission St., selling giftable items such as hand-painted clay coffee mugs, purses designed by a Colombian artist, clothing, and stationery and cards designed by Bay Area artists. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What began years ago as a creative campaign celebrating the Mission, supporting neighborhood businesses, and bringing our community together has grown into more than we could have imagined,” said Luis Quiroz, founder of Mission Lotería. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“What began years ago as a creative campaign celebrating the Mission, supporting neighborhood businesses, and bringing our community together has grown into more than we could have imagined,” said Luis Quiroz, founder of Mission Lotería. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The store’s opening coincides with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which spans from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The store’s opening coincides with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which spans from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I intentionally planned the store opening just before Hispanic Heritage Month so that we could lean into the festivities that were to come and be able to highlight the Latino voices and the Latino artists that are going to be featured here.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I intentionally planned the store opening just before Hispanic Heritage Month so that we could lean into the festivities that were to come and be able to highlight the Latino voices and the Latino artists that are going to be featured here.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12098318,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098318\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lotería art at Mission Lotería’s new storefront in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2026. The space will serve as a home for community events, workshops and local art.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098318\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lotería art at Mission Lotería’s new storefront in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2026. The space will serve as a home for community events, workshops and local art.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mission Lotería takes inspiration from Lotería, a beloved bingo-style board game from Mexico known for iconic images such as a cactus plant, a woman in a small boat on Lake Chapala, a man carrying a large globe on his back and a radiant sun. Quiroz, 36, created the marketing platform to support local artists and small businesses by organizing community events and neighborhood tours. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Mission Lotería takes inspiration from Lotería, a beloved bingo-style board game from Mexico known for iconic images such as a cactus plant, a woman in a small boat on Lake Chapala, a man carrying a large globe on his back and a radiant sun. Quiroz, 36, created the marketing platform to support local artists and small businesses by organizing community events and neighborhood tours. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I want people to visit Mission Lotería and then venture into a cafe shop or a taqueria or a restaurant or another brick-and-mortar store,” Quiroz said. “It’s the starting point to bring them to the other parts of the Mission.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I want people to visit Mission Lotería and then venture into a cafe shop or a taqueria or a restaurant or another brick-and-mortar store,” Quiroz said. “It’s the starting point to bring them to the other parts of the Mission.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The organization provides a template for how to support Latino businesses with intention and thoughtfulness, especially at a time when the Trump administration \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087915/bay-area-cities-ask-us-judge-to-block-trump-from-cutting-funds-over-dei-immigration\">vigorously attacks diversity initiatives\u003c/a> and has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097313/northern-california-ice-arrests-surged-this-summer\">launched a deportation apparatus\u003c/a> that has largely targeted Latino immigrants and hurts Latine communities nationwide.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The organization provides a template for how to support Latino businesses with intention and thoughtfulness, especially at a time when the Trump administration \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087915/bay-area-cities-ask-us-judge-to-block-trump-from-cutting-funds-over-dei-immigration\">vigorously attacks diversity initiatives\u003c/a> and has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097313/northern-california-ice-arrests-surged-this-summer\">launched a deportation apparatus\u003c/a> that has largely targeted Latino immigrants and hurts Latine communities nationwide.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“To be sitting here and about to open a storefront in the Mission, in the Latino cultural district of San Francisco,” said Quiroz, who was previously undocumented. “It’s my way of resisting. They’re not going to hold me down. They’re not going to hold us down. We’re here, we’re here to stay, and we’re out here. We’re thriving.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“To be sitting here and about to open a storefront in the Mission, in the Latino cultural district of San Francisco,” said Quiroz, who was previously undocumented. “It’s my way of resisting. They’re not going to hold me down. They’re not going to hold us down. We’re here, we’re here to stay, and we’re out here. We’re thriving.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12088887"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260407-CESARCHAVEZMURALS-02-BL-KQED.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month presents an opportunity for Latinos to support businesses, organizations and community members who have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096833/how-immigration-raids-are-affecting-children-in-los-angeles\">felt the toll\u003c/a> of the administration’s anti-immigration policies that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913621/the-psychological-toll-of-trumps-immigration-policies-on-bay-area-latinos\">have had a chilling effect\u003c/a>, with immigrants staying home, shopping less, attending fewer public events and even being afraid to speak Spanish in public. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month presents an opportunity for Latinos to support businesses, organizations and community members who have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096833/how-immigration-raids-are-affecting-children-in-los-angeles\">felt the toll\u003c/a> of the administration’s anti-immigration policies that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913621/the-psychological-toll-of-trumps-immigration-policies-on-bay-area-latinos\">have had a chilling effect\u003c/a>, with immigrants staying home, shopping less, attending fewer public events and even being afraid to speak Spanish in public. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This has also been a challenging year for many Latinx-owned businesses between the fear immigrants are feeling and higher costs of doing business, said Alicia Villanueva, owner and founder of Hayward-based Alicia’s Tamales Los Mayas.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>This has also been a challenging year for many Latinx-owned businesses between the fear immigrants are feeling and higher costs of doing business, said Alicia Villanueva, owner and founder of Hayward-based Alicia’s Tamales Los Mayas.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Seeing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073728/us-citizen-army-veteran-detained-by-ice-sues-for-damages-in-federal-court\">hardworking people\u003c/a> picked up off the street, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094994/detained-at-green-card-interview-how-a-bay-area-family-is-healing-from-sudden-separation?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=20260814_NewsDaily_Newsletter_SponsorBlock&utm_content=20260814_NewsDaily_Newsletter_SponsorBlock+8642121190\">families being separated\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028303/ice-arrest-left-bay-area-man-hospitalized-struggling-breathe-attorney-says\">parents being detained\u003c/a> and leaving children behind is demoralizing, she said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Seeing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073728/us-citizen-army-veteran-detained-by-ice-sues-for-damages-in-federal-court\">hardworking people\u003c/a> picked up off the street, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094994/detained-at-green-card-interview-how-a-bay-area-family-is-healing-from-sudden-separation?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=20260814_NewsDaily_Newsletter_SponsorBlock&utm_content=20260814_NewsDaily_Newsletter_SponsorBlock+8642121190\">families being separated\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028303/ice-arrest-left-bay-area-man-hospitalized-struggling-breathe-attorney-says\">parents being detained\u003c/a> and leaving children behind is demoralizing, she said. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I am a citizen now, since last year, and I still feel this trauma,” she said. “Like when I’m driving, and I see the police or something — it scares me.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I am a citizen now, since last year, and I still feel this trauma,” she said. “Like when I’m driving, and I see the police or something — it scares me.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For many food vendors, Hispanic Heritage Month is one of the busiest times of the year, Villanueva said, but this year is different because the community needs a morale boost.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For many food vendors, Hispanic Heritage Month is one of the busiest times of the year, Villanueva said, but this year is different because the community needs a morale boost.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We really celebrate our cultures, our cuisine and all these traditions that we bring from our countries,” she said. “To keep our traditions alive is one of the responsibilities that we have for future generations.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We really celebrate our cultures, our cuisine and all these traditions that we bring from our countries,” she said. “To keep our traditions alive is one of the responsibilities that we have for future generations.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12098323,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098323\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Concha candles and mugs for sale at Mission Lotería’s new storefront in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2026. The space will serve as a home for community events, workshops and local art.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098323\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Concha candles and mugs for sale at Mission Lotería’s new storefront in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2026. The space will serve as a home for community events, workshops and local art.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Villanueva said it pains her to see immigrants living in fear and suffering, especially since she understands the desire to come to the United States to work and advance. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Villanueva said it pains her to see immigrants living in fear and suffering, especially since she understands the desire to come to the United States to work and advance. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She started her company in 2010 after selling tamales door to door. She joined a business incubator program for entrepreneurs at San Francisco-based La Cocina that helped her establish a wholesale and catering business and secure capital to grow. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>She started her company in 2010 after selling tamales door to door. She joined a business incubator program for entrepreneurs at San Francisco-based La Cocina that helped her establish a wholesale and catering business and secure capital to grow. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sixteen years later, Villanueva employs 21 workers who cater events, sell food to retail stores, provide passenger meals for Alaska Airlines and make school lunches for students throughout Northern California. Her next goal is national distribution, the 65-year-old said. She embodies an ethos of permanent optimism that many immigrants espouse. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Sixteen years later, Villanueva employs 21 workers who cater events, sell food to retail stores, provide passenger meals for Alaska Airlines and make school lunches for students throughout Northern California. Her next goal is national distribution, the 65-year-old said. She embodies an ethos of permanent optimism that many immigrants espouse. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The time is really hard,” Villanueva said. “But if you have your passion, your dreams, no matter what, just keep going. Don’t be afraid.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“The time is really hard,” Villanueva said. “But if you have your passion, your dreams, no matter what, just keep going. Don’t be afraid.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12090669"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260710_KONDALATINAFASHIONUPCYCLER_GC-8-KQED.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Still, for many Latines, Hispanic Heritage Month can come off as cringe. Corporations use it as a time to pander to Latinos and perform solidarity with clichés such as adding pictures of tacos to non-food-related content or putting the Spanish letter ñ where it doesn’t belong. So it’s no wonder why many people tend to snub their noses at seasonal, tone-deaf marketing. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Still, for many Latines, Hispanic Heritage Month can come off as cringe. Corporations use it as a time to pander to Latinos and perform solidarity with clichés such as adding pictures of tacos to non-food-related content or putting the Spanish letter ñ where it doesn’t belong. So it’s no wonder why many people tend to snub their noses at seasonal, tone-deaf marketing. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>What I can appreciate about Hispanic Heritage Month is the opportunity to unapologetically lean into the beauty, strength and value of Latino culture. Lately, I have been hearing the phrase, “Solo el pueblo salva al pueblo” (Only the community will save the community), which reminds me that celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month might include sharing our culture with others — but it’s most important to show up for ourselves. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>What I can appreciate about Hispanic Heritage Month is the opportunity to unapologetically lean into the beauty, strength and value of Latino culture. Lately, I have been hearing the phrase, “Solo el pueblo salva al pueblo” (Only the community will save the community), which reminds me that celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month might include sharing our culture with others — but it’s most important to show up for ourselves. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We think about Latinx heritage 365 days a year,” said Josiah Alderete, co-owner of Medicine for Nightmares in San Francisco. The bookstore is Black- and Latino-owned and has made a point to stock books written by and about people of color from its inception five years ago — not just for affinity months. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We think about Latinx heritage 365 days a year,” said Josiah Alderete, co-owner of Medicine for Nightmares in San Francisco. The bookstore is Black- and Latino-owned and has made a point to stock books written by and about people of color from its inception five years ago — not just for affinity months. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m always thrilled people celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, but the truth is, we are always celebrating it,” he said. “You can come in here and see yourself 12 months of the year.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I’m always thrilled people celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, but the truth is, we are always celebrating it,” he said. “You can come in here and see yourself 12 months of the year.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Practical ways to show up this Hispanic Heritage Month: ",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Practical ways to show up this Hispanic Heritage Month: \u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Practical ways to show up this Hispanic Heritage Month: \u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Attend Hispanic Heritage Month events "
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Attend Hispanic Heritage Month events \u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Attend Hispanic Heritage Month events \u003c/h3>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cities and organizations across the Bay Area are planning festivities to honor and celebrate Latine residents and culture, which has turned into an act of resistance. (Check out K Onda’s comprehensive guide.) \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Cities and organizations across the Bay Area are planning festivities to honor and celebrate Latine residents and culture, which has turned into an act of resistance. (Check out K Onda’s comprehensive guide.) \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Over the last year, several event organizers have said they were advised against holding large public gatherings like festivals for fear of ICE showing up and detaining people. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Over the last year, several event organizers have said they were advised against holding large public gatherings like festivals for fear of ICE showing up and detaining people. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But most organizers decided that offering joy, reinforcing culture and coming together was more important than giving in to fear. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But most organizers decided that offering joy, reinforcing culture and coming together was more important than giving in to fear. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12030084,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12030084\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dolls for sale at Luz de Luna, a gift store on 24th Street in San Francisco, on March 5, 2025. Owner Denise Gonzales says about 70% of the products sold in store are imported from Mexico.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12030084\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dolls for sale at Luz de Luna, a gift store on 24th Street in San Francisco, on March 5, 2025. Owner Denise Gonzales says about 70% of the products sold in store are imported from Mexico.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Prioritize shopping at Latino-owned businesses, especially small ones"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prioritize shopping at Latino-owned businesses, especially small ones\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prioritize shopping at Latino-owned businesses, especially small ones\u003c/h3>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I covered retail and consumer issues many years ago, and the biggest lesson I learned was that consumers have way more power than they know. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>I covered retail and consumer issues many years ago, and the biggest lesson I learned was that consumers have way more power than they know. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Every dollar people spend fuels someone’s bottom line, so choose where you shop wisely, because our spending power picks winners and losers every day. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Every dollar people spend fuels someone’s bottom line, so choose where you shop wisely, because our spending power picks winners and losers every day. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s why I don’t feel bad buying an artisan or locally made item such as soaps, honey, produce from a farmer’s market or a handmade gift, even if I could have found something cheaper at a big-box store. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That’s why I don’t feel bad buying an artisan or locally made item such as soaps, honey, produce from a farmer’s market or a handmade gift, even if I could have found something cheaper at a big-box store. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When I buy a cup of fruit from a street vendor, I feel good about buying a healthy snack and supporting someone who is often depending on that day’s sales to survive. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>When I buy a cup of fruit from a street vendor, I feel good about buying a healthy snack and supporting someone who is often depending on that day’s sales to survive. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"level": 3,
"text": "Read more books about Latin American identity and history by Latino authors "
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read more books about Latin American identity and history by Latino authors\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read more books about Latin American identity and history by Latino authors\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For a dose of cultural criticism and an exploration of how personal histories intersect with mainstream culture, I recommend \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/704670/magicalrealism-by-vanessa-angelica-villarreal/\">\u003cem>Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders\u003c/em> by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal\u003c/a>, which I recently read and found evocative. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For a dose of cultural criticism and an exploration of how personal histories intersect with mainstream culture, I recommend \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/704670/magicalrealism-by-vanessa-angelica-villarreal/\">\u003cem>Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders\u003c/em> by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal\u003c/a>, which I recently read and found evocative. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Other books to check out: \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Migrant-Heart/Reyna-Grande/9781668055274\">\u003cem>Migrant Heart\u003c/em> by Reyna Grande\u003c/a>, a true gem of a writer who makes her home in Northern California, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Keeper-of-My-Kin/Ada-Ferrer/9781668025659\">\u003cem>Keeper of My Kin: Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by Ada Ferrer, who appeared \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913858/a-family-divided-by-cubas-revolution\">on Forum earlier this year\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Other books to check out: \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Migrant-Heart/Reyna-Grande/9781668055274\">\u003cem>Migrant Heart\u003c/em> by Reyna Grande\u003c/a>, a true gem of a writer who makes her home in Northern California, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Keeper-of-My-Kin/Ada-Ferrer/9781668025659\">\u003cem>Keeper of My Kin: Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by Ada Ferrer, who appeared \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913858/a-family-divided-by-cubas-revolution\">on Forum earlier this year\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And, here are some recommendations from Alderete, of Medicine for Nightmares: the young adult novel, \u003ca href=\"https://www.harpercollins.com/products/estela-undrowning-rene-pena-govea\">\u003cem>Estela, Undrowning\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by San Francisco writer and educator \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913189/local-ya-novels-tell-san-francisco-stories\">René Peña-Govea\u003c/a>; the poetry collection \u003ca href=\"https://unpress.nevada.edu/9781647792183/where-heaven-sinks/\">\u003cem>When Heaven Sinks\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by María Esquinca (who coincidently is a former KQED colleague); the nonfiction book \u003ca href=\"https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324004370\">\u003cem>Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire & Revolution in the Borderlands\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by Kelly Lytle Hernández; and the memoir \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803724/terrestre-spanish-edition-by-cristina-rivera-garza/\">\u003cem>Terrestre\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and scholar Cristina Rivera Garza.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>And, here are some recommendations from Alderete, of Medicine for Nightmares: the young adult novel, \u003ca href=\"https://www.harpercollins.com/products/estela-undrowning-rene-pena-govea\">\u003cem>Estela, Undrowning\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by San Francisco writer and educator \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913189/local-ya-novels-tell-san-francisco-stories\">René Peña-Govea\u003c/a>; the poetry collection \u003ca href=\"https://unpress.nevada.edu/9781647792183/where-heaven-sinks/\">\u003cem>When Heaven Sinks\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by María Esquinca (who coincidently is a former KQED colleague); the nonfiction book \u003ca href=\"https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324004370\">\u003cem>Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire & Revolution in the Borderlands\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by Kelly Lytle Hernández; and the memoir \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803724/terrestre-spanish-edition-by-cristina-rivera-garza/\">\u003cem>Terrestre\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and scholar Cristina Rivera Garza.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "This Hispanic Heritage Month, support your community with intention and thoughtfulness. \n",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1789753829,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 34,
"wordCount": 1544
},
"headData": {
"title": "How to Show Up for Your Community This Hispanic Heritage Month | KQED",
"description": "This Hispanic Heritage Month, support your community with intention and thoughtfulness. \n",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "How to Show Up for Your Community This Hispanic Heritage Month",
"datePublished": "2026-09-08T06:00:00-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-09-18T10:50:29-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 28250,
"slug": "local",
"name": "Local"
},
"source": "K Onda KQED",
"sourceUrl": "https://next.kqed.org/newsletters/k-onda",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/87fdd794-f90e-4280-920f-ab89016e8062/71421545-8753-47c9-a55d-b4c5018a52ea/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12098277",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12098277/how-to-show-up-for-your-community-this-hispanic-heritage-month",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was reported for K Onda KQED, a monthly newsletter focused on the Bay Area’s Latinx community. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/k-onda\">\u003cem>Click here to subscribe.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tucked inside a compact shop near the corner of 25th and Mission streets in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, Mission Lotería is evolving from promoting local businesses into a small business of its own.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The organization, which started in 2019, plans to open its first storefront on Sept. 10 at 2884 Mission St., selling giftable items such as hand-painted clay coffee mugs, purses designed by a Colombian artist, clothing, and stationery and cards designed by Bay Area artists. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What began years ago as a creative campaign celebrating the Mission, supporting neighborhood businesses, and bringing our community together has grown into more than we could have imagined,” said Luis Quiroz, founder of Mission Lotería. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The store’s opening coincides with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which spans from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I intentionally planned the store opening just before Hispanic Heritage Month so that we could lean into the festivities that were to come and be able to highlight the Latino voices and the Latino artists that are going to be featured here.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098318\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lotería art at Mission Lotería’s new storefront in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2026. The space will serve as a home for community events, workshops and local art. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mission Lotería takes inspiration from Lotería, a beloved bingo-style board game from Mexico known for iconic images such as a cactus plant, a woman in a small boat on Lake Chapala, a man carrying a large globe on his back and a radiant sun. Quiroz, 36, created the marketing platform to support local artists and small businesses by organizing community events and neighborhood tours. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I want people to visit Mission Lotería and then venture into a cafe shop or a taqueria or a restaurant or another brick-and-mortar store,” Quiroz said. “It’s the starting point to bring them to the other parts of the Mission.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The organization provides a template for how to support Latino businesses with intention and thoughtfulness, especially at a time when the Trump administration \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087915/bay-area-cities-ask-us-judge-to-block-trump-from-cutting-funds-over-dei-immigration\">vigorously attacks diversity initiatives\u003c/a> and has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097313/northern-california-ice-arrests-surged-this-summer\">launched a deportation apparatus\u003c/a> that has largely targeted Latino immigrants and hurts Latine communities nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To be sitting here and about to open a storefront in the Mission, in the Latino cultural district of San Francisco,” said Quiroz, who was previously undocumented. “It’s my way of resisting. They’re not going to hold me down. They’re not going to hold us down. We’re here, we’re here to stay, and we’re out here. We’re thriving.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month presents an opportunity for Latinos to support businesses, organizations and community members who have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096833/how-immigration-raids-are-affecting-children-in-los-angeles\">felt the toll\u003c/a> of the administration’s anti-immigration policies that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913621/the-psychological-toll-of-trumps-immigration-policies-on-bay-area-latinos\">have had a chilling effect\u003c/a>, with immigrants staying home, shopping less, attending fewer public events and even being afraid to speak Spanish in public. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This has also been a challenging year for many Latinx-owned businesses between the fear immigrants are feeling and higher costs of doing business, said Alicia Villanueva, owner and founder of Hayward-based Alicia’s Tamales Los Mayas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seeing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073728/us-citizen-army-veteran-detained-by-ice-sues-for-damages-in-federal-court\">hardworking people\u003c/a> picked up off the street, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094994/detained-at-green-card-interview-how-a-bay-area-family-is-healing-from-sudden-separation?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=20260814_NewsDaily_Newsletter_SponsorBlock&utm_content=20260814_NewsDaily_Newsletter_SponsorBlock+8642121190\">families being separated\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028303/ice-arrest-left-bay-area-man-hospitalized-struggling-breathe-attorney-says\">parents being detained\u003c/a> and leaving children behind is demoralizing, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I am a citizen now, since last year, and I still feel this trauma,” she said. “Like when I’m driving, and I see the police or something — it scares me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For many food vendors, Hispanic Heritage Month is one of the busiest times of the year, Villanueva said, but this year is different because the community needs a morale boost.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We really celebrate our cultures, our cuisine and all these traditions that we bring from our countries,” she said. “To keep our traditions alive is one of the responsibilities that we have for future generations.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098323\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-KOndaSeptember-06-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Concha candles and mugs for sale at Mission Lotería’s new storefront in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2026. The space will serve as a home for community events, workshops and local art. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villanueva said it pains her to see immigrants living in fear and suffering, especially since she understands the desire to come to the United States to work and advance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She started her company in 2010 after selling tamales door to door. She joined a business incubator program for entrepreneurs at San Francisco-based La Cocina that helped her establish a wholesale and catering business and secure capital to grow. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sixteen years later, Villanueva employs 21 workers who cater events, sell food to retail stores, provide passenger meals for Alaska Airlines and make school lunches for students throughout Northern California. Her next goal is national distribution, the 65-year-old said. She embodies an ethos of permanent optimism that many immigrants espouse. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The time is really hard,” Villanueva said. “But if you have your passion, your dreams, no matter what, just keep going. Don’t be afraid.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, for many Latines, Hispanic Heritage Month can come off as cringe. Corporations use it as a time to pander to Latinos and perform solidarity with clichés such as adding pictures of tacos to non-food-related content or putting the Spanish letter ñ where it doesn’t belong. So it’s no wonder why many people tend to snub their noses at seasonal, tone-deaf marketing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What I can appreciate about Hispanic Heritage Month is the opportunity to unapologetically lean into the beauty, strength and value of Latino culture. Lately, I have been hearing the phrase, “Solo el pueblo salva al pueblo” (Only the community will save the community), which reminds me that celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month might include sharing our culture with others — but it’s most important to show up for ourselves. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We think about Latinx heritage 365 days a year,” said Josiah Alderete, co-owner of Medicine for Nightmares in San Francisco. The bookstore is Black- and Latino-owned and has made a point to stock books written by and about people of color from its inception five years ago — not just for affinity months. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m always thrilled people celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, but the truth is, we are always celebrating it,” he said. “You can come in here and see yourself 12 months of the year.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Practical ways to show up this Hispanic Heritage Month: \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Attend Hispanic Heritage Month events \u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cities and organizations across the Bay Area are planning festivities to honor and celebrate Latine residents and culture, which has turned into an act of resistance. (Check out K Onda’s comprehensive guide.) \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the last year, several event organizers have said they were advised against holding large public gatherings like festivals for fear of ICE showing up and detaining people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But most organizers decided that offering joy, reinforcing culture and coming together was more important than giving in to fear. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12030084\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250305_TariffsImpact_GC-10_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dolls for sale at Luz de Luna, a gift store on 24th Street in San Francisco, on March 5, 2025. Owner Denise Gonzales says about 70% of the products sold in store are imported from Mexico. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prioritize shopping at Latino-owned businesses, especially small ones\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I covered retail and consumer issues many years ago, and the biggest lesson I learned was that consumers have way more power than they know. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Every dollar people spend fuels someone’s bottom line, so choose where you shop wisely, because our spending power picks winners and losers every day. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s why I don’t feel bad buying an artisan or locally made item such as soaps, honey, produce from a farmer’s market or a handmade gift, even if I could have found something cheaper at a big-box store. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When I buy a cup of fruit from a street vendor, I feel good about buying a healthy snack and supporting someone who is often depending on that day’s sales to survive. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read more books about Latin American identity and history by Latino authors\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For a dose of cultural criticism and an exploration of how personal histories intersect with mainstream culture, I recommend \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/704670/magicalrealism-by-vanessa-angelica-villarreal/\">\u003cem>Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders\u003c/em> by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal\u003c/a>, which I recently read and found evocative. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other books to check out: \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Migrant-Heart/Reyna-Grande/9781668055274\">\u003cem>Migrant Heart\u003c/em> by Reyna Grande\u003c/a>, a true gem of a writer who makes her home in Northern California, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Keeper-of-My-Kin/Ada-Ferrer/9781668025659\">\u003cem>Keeper of My Kin: Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by Ada Ferrer, who appeared \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913858/a-family-divided-by-cubas-revolution\">on Forum earlier this year\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And, here are some recommendations from Alderete, of Medicine for Nightmares: the young adult novel, \u003ca href=\"https://www.harpercollins.com/products/estela-undrowning-rene-pena-govea\">\u003cem>Estela, Undrowning\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by San Francisco writer and educator \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101913189/local-ya-novels-tell-san-francisco-stories\">René Peña-Govea\u003c/a>; the poetry collection \u003ca href=\"https://unpress.nevada.edu/9781647792183/where-heaven-sinks/\">\u003cem>When Heaven Sinks\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by María Esquinca (who coincidently is a former KQED colleague); the nonfiction book \u003ca href=\"https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324004370\">\u003cem>Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire & Revolution in the Borderlands\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by Kelly Lytle Hernández; and the memoir \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803724/terrestre-spanish-edition-by-cristina-rivera-garza/\">\u003cem>Terrestre\u003c/em>\u003c/a> by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and scholar Cristina Rivera Garza.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12098277/how-to-show-up-for-your-community-this-hispanic-heritage-month",
"authors": [
"11666"
],
"categories": [
"news_223",
"news_34169",
"news_24114",
"news_28250",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_1386",
"news_22973",
"news_18352",
"news_34081",
"news_27626",
"news_2968",
"news_31420",
"news_18142",
"news_25409",
"news_6615",
"news_34054",
"news_38",
"news_21285"
],
"featImg": "news_12098320",
"label": "source_news_12098277"
},
"news_12097809": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12097809",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12097809",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1788461039000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "a-trip-to-the-remote-island-lighthouse-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco-bay",
"title": "A Trip to the Remote Island Lighthouse in the Middle of San Francisco Bay",
"publishDate": 1788461039,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "A Trip to the Remote Island Lighthouse in the Middle of San Francisco Bay | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A few years ago, a friend sent me the link for a job listing that seemed like an absolute dream. The opening was for a resident innkeeper at a bed and breakfast on an island in the middle of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-bay\">San Francisco Bay\u003c/a>. Even better, the B&B was housed in a 152-year-old working Victorian lighthouse! \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>From my cramped desk, I fantasized about a simpler life, spent outside in one of the most gorgeous settings I could imagine. And living rent-free while earning a salary! But reality came crashing down when I read the job required a boat operator’s license and high-quality culinary experience — both of which I lacked. Alas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the fantasy of East Brother Light Station stayed with me. So I was delighted when a Bay Curious listener named Kathleen Taylor wrote in, looking to learn more about the place. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066562\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The inn at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“We were taking the ferry from Vallejo to a Giants game and passed by what looked like a small island with an East Coast-style lighthouse on it,” she recalled. It captured her imagination, too, and she got to wondering: “What’s the history? Did somebody live on that island previously? Just how far back do we have documentation of what went on on that island?”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>So we headed to the island together to get some answers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jump straight to:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#history-east-brother\">History of East Brother Light Station \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#early-lightkeepers\">What life was like for early lighthouse keepers\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#bed-and-breakfast\">How it was converted to a bed and breakfast\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#visiting-today\">Visiting East Brother Light Station today\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"history-east-brother\">History of East Brother Light Station\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the decades after gold was first found in California in 1848, mining activity in the Sierra ramped up. Getting supplies from San Francisco up into the mountains often meant floating things up the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. To get there, boats had to skirt around Point San Pablo, the thumb sticking out from Richmond, California. This part of the bay can be especially tough for mariners.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The topography under the water is pretty interesting,” said Rae Colvin, one of the resident innkeepers at East Brother Light Station. “There’s a 160-foot-deep chasm right off the island. But most of the [water] off to the side averages about 15 feet deep.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ships passing through this channel were constantly at risk of running aground even in good weather. Add in some dense fog, and it’s pretty precarious. So in the early 1870s, it was decided a lighthouse and fog horn were needed. Initially, the Lighthouse Board hoped to put the light station on the mainland, but landowners fought back. They delayed things so profoundly that eventually an alternative site was chosen — East Brother Island. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066561\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inn keeper Danielle La Vigne pilots a boat from Point San Pablo Harbor to East Brother Light Station in Richmond, California, on Dec. 8, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>It was small, less than an acre in size, but it was land the U.S. government already owned. Construction began in 1873.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The exterior of the light station features gingerbread trim, scrollwork and a generous second-floor porch. Not the standard-issue government building we’ve come to expect today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The six-room Victorian light station was intended to house three lightkeepers, and two of them could have families. Downstairs was a bedroom and parlor for the principal keeper. Upstairs was a smaller bedroom and parlor for the assistant keeper. There was also a third bedroom for the most junior keeper. Things were cozy, to say the least.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Stacked on top of the living quarters was also the tower that housed the light. When the light station began operating on March 1, 1874, the light’s flame was powered by lard oil and featured a fourth-order \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresnel_lens\">Fresnel lens\u003c/a>. The lens rotated on a clockwork mechanism. On a clear night, this beam, which appeared to flash every 30 seconds because of the design of the lens, could be seen from about 15 miles away. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"early-lightkeepers\">What life was like for early lightkeepers\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Despite the romantic portrayal of lighthouse keeping in novels, poems and art, the job was monotonous, and the Lighthouse Board knew it. Pay was modest and much of the work boring,” Frank Perry wrote in his book, \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/East-Brother-History-Island-Station/dp/0578211750\">\u003cem>East Brother: History of an Island Light Station\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Much of what we know about life on the island comes from Perry’s book, which was compiled using primary sources.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1874, the primary keeper earned $800 a year — the equivalent to about a $24,000 salary today. The assistants earned even less. Their primary responsibility was keeping the light running from sunset to sunrise every night and keeping the fog signal sounding during inclement weather.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The nightly routine would begin at sunset. Lightkeepers would fill the lamp with lard oil, light the wick, and slowly bring the flame up to the optimal size of about 1 and 13/16 inches. If they did this too quickly, the glass chimney inside the rotating Fresnel lens could crack from the change in temperature. That alone was a 30-minute job. Then the keepers had to sit in the watch room all night, tending to the needs of the light.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066570\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historic photos hang on the wall at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. One lighthouse keeper, John Stenmark, brought his wife and children to live on the island. They had many friends in the community and would host large gatherings on the island. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“Because of the timing on that clockwork mechanism and how quickly the wicks would burn down, you gotta check it every half hour,” said Danielle La Vigne, one of the resident innkeepers at East Brother Light Station. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The innkeepers also had to wipe the glass panes of the lantern room with dry towels to keep moisture away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On foggy nights, the keepers’ jobs were doubly hard. They had to run the fog signal, too, which sits in another building on the island.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The whistle was sometimes more important in aiding mariners than the light,” wrote Perry. “In dense fog or heavy rain, East Brother’s powerful light was virtually useless. The 10-inch whistle, on the other hand, could often be heard from 10 or 12 miles away.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It took about 45 minutes to build up enough steam in the boiler for the fog whistle to work. So in the meantime, one of the keepers went outside and struck a large bell every 15 seconds until the whistle could be sounded. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Beyond the core responsibilities, keepers kept up with a long list of chores: cooking, cleaning, maintenance and repairs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12066564\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066564\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The foghorn machinery at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The 19th-century lighthouse complex includes a restored fog signal that once warned ships navigating San Pablo Bay. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12066563\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-17-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066563\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-17-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-17-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-17-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The foghorn machinery at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When they needed food to supplement the dry rations that got delivered once a year or so, they had to leave the island for the nearest town. At the time, that was San Quentin, about 2 1/2 miles away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have a 200 horsepower motorboat to get back and forth to our little harbor,” said La Vigne. “They had to row.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A daily log was kept by the primary keeper, accounting for the day’s weather and work. Most entries are not more than a sentence, but they do give us a glimpse at the day-to-day life on East Brother. A string of entries in 1882 mention an assistant keeper named Mr. Page, who was a bit of a screw-up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cblockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 14, 1882 – Wind S.W., strong. Mr. Page left for San Quentin A.M., capsized off the buoy near the West Brother at 12:15 p.m. Capt. Windsor hailed the Steamer Reform passing up at the time and sent her to his relief. The Reform picked him up ¼ of a mile N.N.E. of the Light House and landed him and the boat at the dock at 1:15 p.m. Oars, rudder, mail and all the marketing – consisting of mutton, cabbages, peas, etc., etc., lost, also milk and can.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>\u003cbr>Dec. 14, 1882 – Wind N.E. Foggy from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. Mr. Page went to San Quentin for mail, returned as usual, drunk.\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Feb. 8 1883 – Wind N.E. Light, clear. Mr. Page went for mail and stores, drunk, no mail.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Feb. 10, 1883, a new assistant, Mr. Tippett, is mentioned, and Mr. Page is never spoken of again. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Stenmark era\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though some keepers were men living on their own, passing through East Brother for only a few years, families lived here, too. John Stenmark moved here in 1894 with his wife and 3-month-old daughter, Annie, and they stayed for 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They set up a vegetable garden and raised pigs, goats, rabbits and chickens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Prior to the birth of each of his two sons [Mr. Stenmark] rowed all the way to San Quentin and back to fetch the doctor,” wrote Perry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When the kids grew older, the government paid for a teacher to live on the island for a time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On April 18, 1906, Stenmark wrote about one of the most infamous days in local history in the logbook.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cblockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A heavy earthquake this morning at 5:15 a.m. Lenses of the light broken and glassware broke, and everything of glass broke. \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Doors open of themselves and the whole island rocking. All the lenses broke.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the next two days, the Stenmarks watched from their quiet island as the fire that followed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068602/san-franciscos-historic-relief-cottages-built-after-the-1906-earthquake-are-hidden-in-plain-sight\">earthquake consumed San Francisco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The end of lighthouse keepers\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the decades, technological improvements came regularly to East Brother Light Station, most often to the fuel source used to power the light.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“The original used lard oil lamps, and then they switched to mineral oil, and then they used kerosene,” Colvin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066565\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view from the inn at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One big change came in 1934 when electricity arrived on the island via an underwater cable that connected it to shore. A lightkeeper was no longer needed to keep a flame burning all night — greatly reducing their daily chore load. The steam-powered fog signal was replaced with a diaphonic horn that can still be operated today and is one of only eight like it in the world. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To save on salaries, the U.S. Coast Guard automated everything and pulled the last resident personnel from the island in 1969. They planned to demolish all the buildings and put the light on a steel tower. But residents living in Point Richmond had other plans. They had grown attached to the charming lighthouse off their shoreline and were ready to fight for it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bed-and-breakfast\">How it was converted to a bed and breakfast\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“One of the first things [local residents] did was write a National Register nomination for it, which was successful,” said Tom Butt, founder and president of East Brother Light Station Inc., the nonprofit that operates the bed and breakfast. He’s also the former mayor of Richmond and a longtime city council member. “That didn’t save it, but it made it harder for the Coast Guard to tear it down because it invoked the Historic Preservation Act of 1966.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The group then tried to find a local organization to take on rehabilitating the site, because by that point it was more than a decade behind on maintenance and needed serious work. They focused on organizations like the National Park Service and East Bay Regional Park District, but no one was interested.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think everybody looked at it and [thought] it was just too much,” said Butt. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He went to the island in 1978. “Looking back now,” he said, “I was a lot younger and not near as smart as I am now, and I was intrigued by it and said, ‘you know, we can do this.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066569\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Marin Room, which faces Mount Tamalpais, at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12066567\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-54-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066567\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-54-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-54-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-54-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A lighthouse shower curtain hangs in a bathroom at the inn on East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12066571\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-76-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066571\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-76-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-76-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-76-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A room at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat. The inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He and others formed a nonprofit and started leasing the site from the Coast Guard. They spent a year rehabilitating everything, mostly with volunteer work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“All the buildings at that point were covered with asbestos shingles,” Butt said. “All of the ornamental railings had long since been taken off. We were lucky we had original plans from the National Archives, so we were able to replicate all that trim and put that back on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Volunteers did electrical work, plumbing, plastering and painting. It was a ton of work, but they managed to get it all done in about a year. The nonprofit began running the site as a bed and breakfast in 1980 to provide a stream of revenue to keep up with the maintenance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though most of the operational costs and maintenance for the B&B are now covered by the nightly fee guests pay, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-east-brother-lighthouse-replace-the-pier?cp_src=d\">a major fundraising effort\u003c/a> is underway to replace the dock and gangway on the east side of the island. It must be replaced, or access to the island could be threatened. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"visiting-today\">Visiting East Brother Light Station today\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The nonprofit B&B is open four nights a week for overnight guests, and it’s recommended you \u003ca href=\"https://ebls.org/?_gl=1%2A1oq51ai%2A_ga%2AMjkzMDI3NzY5LjE3ODYxMzI2MjI.%2A_ga_J5B5MW125P%2AczE3ODc4NzI0MjUkbzckZzEkdDE3ODc4NzI0NDMkajQyJGwwJGgw\">book one of the five rooms well in advance\u003c/a>. Rates range from $525 to $575 per night. During summer months, there is once-monthly day-use access for $45, which includes the boat ride to and from the island.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the beginning of the overnight stays, guests are taken by boat from Point San Pablo Marina by innkeepers Colvin and La Vigne. Once on the island, hors d’oeuvre and champagne are served, Colvin gives a history talk, and then comes a four-course dinner with wine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We try to focus as much as we can on keeping things local,” La Vigne said. “We collaborate with the little goat farm that’s in the harbor, and we tend to plan the meals around what is being harvested now, what’s in season.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066568\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Innkeepers Rachel (Rae) Colvin (left) and Danielle La Vigne at East Brother Light Station in Richmond on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>They also try to make meals part of the historical experience, using ingredients the keepers would have received as part of their rations — like potatoes, rice and salted pork.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have recipes from the Lighthouse Keeper’s Manual from 1891 that had recipes for how to stretch your rations. Last night we served for the first course a corn chowder that is from that original Lighthouse Keeper’s handbook,” La Vigne said. “Although their recipe was incredibly bland, and I spruced it up a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, historically inspired … but for a modern palate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Guests sleep in rooms neatly decorated with antiques. Most rooms are named after the view you see from the room, so there’s West Brother (the neighboring island), Marin Room, San Francisco Room. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A more modest room is out in the fog signal building — a popular choice for returning guests looking for a different experience, Colvin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most of the clientele are couples looking for a romantic getaway, but the house is also regularly rented out entirely by groups for birthdays, anniversaries or themed experiences.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We had two murder mystery dinner parties in the past month,” La Vigne said. “Both parties dressed up. They were in character the whole time. It was 1920 the whole time they were here.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the morning, before guests depart, they offer a demonstration of the fog signal — I can attest, it’s loud!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode transcript\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I’m Olivia Allen-Price. This is Bay Curious.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cem>sound design of the sea: waves, gulls\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There’s something dreamy about lighthouses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Their striking architecture, rising high above our human scale.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Their symbolism. A literal light in the darkness.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In me, lighthouses stir something nostalgic. A time before GPS and radar — when navigation was done with charts and stars.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Today, many lighthouses across the United States have become tourism attractions, like Cape Hatteras in North Carolina and the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But there’s a lighthouse near San Francisco that offers an experience like none other. Not just a quick trip to the top, but an opportunity to live like a lighthouse keeper of yore!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>East Brother Light Station looks like it could have been plucked from a child’s storybook. It’s a charming three-story wooden house, painted a creamy yellow with white gingerbread trim. At the top, stands a tower, where the brilliant light beckons through the fog.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kathleen got to wondering a lot of things about this lighthouse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor: \u003c/strong>What’s the history? Did somebody live on that island previously? Just how far back do we have documentation of, you know, what went on on that Island?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>So today we’re on a mission for answers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Step one! We have to get to the lighthouse. At a marina north of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Kathleen and I make our way toward a small boat.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There we meet Danielle La Vigne and Rae Colvin — the two keepers currently living on the island.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> Oh, you guys can hop on board. Our insurance company does ask that you wear those.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Life vests are on, and we are off. Danielle and Rae have been living at the East Brother Light Station for about a year and half. But the helm of a boat is a familiar place for them.\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price in scene:\u003c/strong> Did you know how to drive a boat, or is this a recent skill you’ve had to acquire? ‘Cause you’ve, you guys have been on the job for…\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>I’ve been a commercial captain for almost 20 years. This is the smallest boat that I’ve ever operated professionally. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>As we’re making our way out of the marina, Rae spots a seal.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>A lot of seals live out by the island. … we have a bunch of birds and the harbor seals and sometimes a sea lion.\u003cem>\u003cs>\u003cbr>\u003c/s>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Danielle and Rae are the only two full-time \u003cem>human\u003c/em> residents of East Brother Light Station. But they’re far from alone out there. Because keeping the light running is not their main focus. Instead it’s catering to the weekly overnight guests who join them at the Light Station. Because these days East Brother is a one-of-a-kind bed and breakfast. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price in scene: \u003c/strong>Oh, we just snuck around the bend, and I am seeing the light station probably 400 feet away or so.\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>I can’t see it from up on the water, but down beneath our boat lies the answer to one of Kathleen’s questions. Why is this lighthouse \u003cem>here\u003c/em>, some 15 miles from the open ocean?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music begins\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>In the decades after gold was first found in California in 1848, mining activity in the Sierra really ramped up. Getting supplies from San Francisco up into the mountains often meant taking a boat — floating things up the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ships had to skirt around Point San Pablo — where our little boat just departed from. Rae Colvin explains.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>And they put a lighthouse out here because the topography under the water is pretty interesting. There’s a 160-foot-deep chasm right off the island. But most of the open ocean off to the side that you can see averages out to about 15 feet deep. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Ships passing through this channel were constantly at risk of running aground even in good weather. Add in some dense fog and it’s pretty precarious.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So in the early 1870s, it was decided a lighthouse and foghorn were needed. Initially, they hoped to put the light station on the mainland, but quickly ran into issues…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>The people who owned the land on the East Bay there didn’t want to sell to the government to let them build a lighthouse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>After years of trying and failing to get the landowners to relent, the government changed course. Just offshore was \u003cem>East Brother Island\u003c/em> — a speck of land really, smaller than an acre — but it was enough. And better yet, it was land the U.S. government already owned. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Workers blasted sandstone from the top of the island to create a level plot. A foundation went in, walls went up, and in less than a year the six-room Victorian light station was complete. The design is quite striking…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>There’s a lot of ornamental woodwork on it, and it’s three stories.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> But it’s not exactly unique. Lighthouses with a similar design were built all over the West Coast. This is the oldest one still standing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music ends\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Fade up on sound of boat slowing down and approaching dock. Ambi of arriving sounds.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The wind picks up as our little boat approaches the island and sidles up to the dock. Once we’re off, Danielle and Rae work to get the boat lifted out of the water.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>If we left it in the water, it would just get thrashed against the dock all day long, and this dock already needs help so.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>This one’s been here since I think the 1960s, and, you know, it’s seen better days.\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The dock may need work, but as we make our way up some stairs and onto the property, a tidy semicircle of three buildings emerges. The main light station to the west, a small cottage to the north, and a fog signal building to the east. All fit on about three-quarters of an acre. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The buildings surround a low white dome covering something beneath the pavement. Danielle explains…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>We need to collect rainwater to survive out here, this whole courtyard is set up to direct all of the rain flow down into the cistern.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Across the courtyard we head into the main house, where today most of the overnight bed-and-breakfast guests stay.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>So of course we have to do the shameless product placement. As you enter the house, the first room you see is the gift shop.\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>OK, so, the gift shop is not original to the light station, but the mugs they sell are popular with B&B guests. Couples often come out for romantic getaways. Kathleen and I learn learn groups stay here for birding weekends or murder-mystery parties.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor:\u003c/strong> How often do you get groups that rent the whole island? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> Two, yeah, two to three times a month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The house has seen some changes over its 152-year life, but it’s not hard to imagine what it once was. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most often three lighthouse keepers, and sometimes their families, shared the home. There’d be a primary keeper, aka the boss, living downstairs. And then the first assistant upstairs, along with a junior keeper, someone just learning the ropes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They all lived, ate and slept beneath the tower that housed the light. Staying close because it needed constant attention. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> This is the parlor, which is the comfy hangout spot for the guests. Originally this would have been the junior keeper’s parlor. And the bedroom right over here, the Marin room, would have been the junior keeper’s bedroom. So it was kind of like a little apartment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Today, B&B guests stay in bedrooms with cozy beds, decorated with beautiful antiques. Historical maps and pictures of boats hang on the walls. And each room gets a name, based on what is visible outside the window.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> So this is the San Francisco room, and it’s my personal favorite room. \u003cs>I\u003c/s>t has an arched ceiling, and it looks out to San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>We make our way to the main attraction: the tower … which is made up of three tiny rooms stacked on top of each other. We start at the base.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>So this is kind of the prep room where they’d get everything ready, but every half hour they had to go up there and trim the wick and refill the oil.\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Next we head up to the Watch room.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> It’s a tightly winding staircase like you would expect in a Victorian mansion.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>We’re now 40 feet up. So you’ve got a pretty good view. If it’s stormy out, if it seems like it’s there’s a danger of a ship not seeing the light or whatever, that’s where you’re watching from so that you can signal those people if you need to.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Finally, we head to the pinnacle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> Up here is more winding stairs up into the actual lighthouse. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I will say, the view from this room is spectacular. The light itself, a little bit of a letdown. Today a 4 inch LED sits in the space.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> So the original light, it was a Fresnel lens with a little lantern torch in the middle. And originally that torch on this station was powered by lard oil.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>A fourth-order Fresnel lens! Imagine a magnificent orb of glass, made up of neat rows of prisms, standing several feet tall. They were designed to concentrate the light of a single flame so intensely it could be seen for about 15 miles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On March 1, 1874, as sunset approached, three lighthouse keepers climbed up into this very tower, and lit the oil lamp for the very first time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The lighthouse has been operating, in some fashion or another, ever since.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cem>[Music moment]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>When we return, we explore what life was like living and working at East Brother. And it might not be like you expect! Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor messages\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>If you enjoy stories like this one, consider becoming a financial supporter of KQED. Learn more at donate.kqed.org/podcasts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music begins\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>It’s easy to get enamored by the apparent simplicity of life on an island in the middle of the Bay. I know I imagine myself reading in a hammock. Our question asker, Kathleen, loves that cell reception out on East Brother is limited.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor:\u003c/strong> It is great to decompress and turn your phone off, and we don’t have a lot of opportunities to do that.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> And sure, that is the experience you will get here today as a guest at the B&B. But working here is hard, as Danielle can attest.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>The work is never-ending. Because it’s just the two of us … So we’re the phones and the emails and the booking. There’s some degree of maintenance work that is pretty much always happening. The house needs to be deep cleaned every week between guests.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Working here has always been hard. Historian Frank Perry makes clear that his book, \u003cem>East Brother: History of an Island Light Station.\u003c/em> Here’s an excerpt…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>BOOK VO: \u003c/strong>Despite the romantic portrayal of lighthouse keeping in novels, poems and art, the job was monotonous, and the Lighthouse Board knew it. Pay was modest and much of the work boring. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The nightly routine would begin at sunset. Innkeepers would fill the lamp with lard oil, light the wick, and bring the flame slowly up to the optimal size, just shy of 2 inches. If they did this too quickly, the glass chimney inside the rotating Fresnel lens could crack from the change in temperature. That alone was a 30-minute job. Then the keepers had to sit in the watch room all night, tending to its various needs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle \u003cstrong>La Vigne\u003c/strong>: \u003c/strong>And because of the timing on that clockwork mechanism and how quickly the wicks would burn down, you gotta check it every half hour.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>On a clear night, the tiny flame, refracted through that powerful lens, could be seen from parts of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On a foggy night, things got more complicated. Keepers had to run the fog signal across the courtyard too. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Book VO: \u003c/strong>The whistle was sometimes more important in aiding mariners than the light. In dense fog or heavy rain, East Brother’s powerful light was virtually useless. The 10-inch whistle, on the other hand, could often be heard from 10 or 12 miles away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>It took about 45 minutes to build up enough steam in the boiler for the fog whistle to work. So in the meantime, one of the keepers went outside and struck a large bell until the whistle could be sounded. Danielle gave us a demonstration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Danielle whacking the bell\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>What a job.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bell ambi\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Book VO: \u003c/strong>Since the whistle might be put in operation night or day, off-duty keepers had to learn to sleep in spite of the noise. Some keepers apparently got quite good at this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Keepers were also quite busy with chores. Cooking, cleaning, maintenance, repairs. When they needed food to supplement the rations that got delivered once a year or so, they had to leave the island for the nearest town, which at the time was San Quentin.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> So in order to get anything, they had to go to San Quentin. And I have a 200 horsepower motorboat to get back and forth to our little harbor. They had to row.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor:\u003c/strong> So how far would the trip have been from here to San Quentin? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> Two and a half miles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Light Keepers also kept daily logbooks with short entries about the day’s work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice Over: \u003c/strong>Feb. 14 1883 – Wind S.W. Squally, strong. Employed all day cleaning engine room and lens in lantern.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>…but sometimes you get a glimpse of more. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music start\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>There was an assistant keeper who got put down in the logbook as a drunken screw-up. He’s one of my favorites.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Joseph Page was his name. And let’s just say the head keeper at the time was not a fan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice Over: \u003c/strong>Dec. 14, 1882 – Mr. Page went to San Quentin for mail, returned as usual, drunk.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice Over: \u003c/strong>July 14, 1882 – Mr. Page left for San Quentin. Capsized off the buoy at 12:15 p.m. … \u003cem>The Reform\u003c/em> picked him up ¼ mile NNE of light house. Oars, rudder, mail and all the marketing – consisting of mutton, cabbages, peas, lost. Also milk.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music end\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Over the decades, technological improvements came regularly to East Brother Light Station … most often to the fuel source used to power the light.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>The originals used lard oil lamps, and then they switched to mineral oil, and then they used kerosene.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>One big change came in 1934 when the lens was electrified – via an underwater cable that connected the island to shore. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A light keeper was no longer needed to keep a flame burning all night – greatly reducing their daily chore load – and probably greatly improving their quality of life. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But it was also the first step toward automation – and eliminating the need for lighthouse keepers altogether.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eventually that came, of course, in 1969. To save on salaries, the U.S. Coast Guard automated everything and pulled the last resident keeper from the island. They planned to demolish the light station, and all the buildings on the island, and put the light on a steel tower.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music end\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But locals living nearby in Point Richmond had other plans. They had grown attached to the charming lighthouse out in the bay, and vowed to save it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>One of the first things they did was write a national register nomination for it, which was successful.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Tom Butt is the president of East Brother Light Station Inc., the nonprofit that operates the bed and breakfast. He’s also the former mayor of Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>East Brother Light Station made it onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt:\u003c/strong> That didn’t save it, but it made it harder for the Coast Guard to tear it down.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The local group then tried to find a local organization to take on restoring the site — by that point it was more than a decade behind on maintenance and needed serious work. They focused on groups like the National Parks Service and East Bay Regional Park District. But no one bit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt:\u003c/strong> I think everybody looked at it, and they just it was it it it was just too much.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Tom went out to the island in 1978.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>Looking back now, I was a lot younger and not near as smart as I am now, and I was intrigued by it and said, you know, we can do this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>He and others formed a nonprofit and started leasing the site from the Coast Guard. They spent a year rehabbing everything, mostly with volunteer work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>New concrete around the cistern.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt:\u003c/strong> We had to do electrical work, we had to do plumbing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>All the ornamental railings had been taken off, so they made new ones using the original plans they found in the National Archives.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>Repainted everything on the inside. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There was asbestos to remove.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>It was a lot of work. And you know … it took a year, but we got it done. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>When the work was complete around 1980, the nonprofit began running the site as a bed and breakfast to provide a stream of revenue to keep up on the maintenance. And … well … because it’s fun!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the beginning of the stay, guests get a boat ride out with innkeepers Danielle and Rae, just like we did at the beginning of the story. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>We do charcuterie and champagne…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>A history tour with Rae.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>And then dinner is a four-course dinner with wine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>A fantastic sunset, if the weather cooperates…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>And then in the morning it’s a full breakfast.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Just before heading back to shore, guests get a special demonstration that we also get to see on our tour…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>So the gasoline starter engine here is what actually starts the diesel … And this one starts with a ripped cord. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>In the fog signal building, Rae shows us the multistep process it takes to blow the foghorn like they did in the 1930s. The small room is packed with old mechanical equipment, some more than 100 years old. It smells like… old military? Is that a smell?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s a couple diesel engines, a few air compressors … and they’re all kept running today as a museum piece … because the diaphonic horn is one of only eight like it still functioning in the world.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>The horn sounds cool in here, but it’s really cool out there.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>After 12 minutes of warming up, we head outside for the grand finale of our tour.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Foghorn blows loudly\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price in scene: \u003c/strong>You jumped.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz in scene: \u003c/strong>Well I didn’t know it was coming. I know you’re kinda counting 15, but you’re like…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Despite being ready, it still startled us all. Absolutely thrilling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I checked in with our question asker Kathleen, to see what she made of our tour today…\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor: \u003c/strong>I think that a lot of times we see us in something we see something that interests us and we do a quick Google search and we think that we’ve kind of learned all we there is to know, but it isn’t until you actually take that boat ride, get out on the island to realize that it is just such a unique experience and really such a hidden secret in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>East Brother Light Station is such a special place. An improbable compromise carved into stone. A beacon of safety. The sound of warning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For decades, keepers traded modern comfort for cold, salt air. They measured their lives in lonely night shifts spent tending a 2-inch flame.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Today this light station offers something softer – a chance to step off the boat, leave the modern world behind and sleep inside a piece of living history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We hinted at it in this story, but the pier platform where boats dock at East Brother is in need of repair. The nonprofit is working to raise $750,000 to replace it, along with the gangway. Access to the island could be threatened if it’s not repaired. We’ll link to their fundraising page in the show notes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Big thanks to historian and author Frank Perry, whose book about East Brother Light Station provided much of the historical information in this episode. And to Kathleen Taylor, our question asker.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We just launched a new voting round at \u003ca href=\"http://baycurious.org\">BayCurious.org\u003c/a>, so that means we need your help picking a question to answer in an upcoming episode. Here are your options!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Question 1:\u003c/strong> Why does this area have so many community colleges and won’t demographics result in fewer students and some needing to eventually close? How does the ratio of colleges to population compare with other states?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Question 2:\u003c/strong> Why did rogue botanists plant Venus flytraps in the Albion Pygmy Forest in Mendocino in the 1960s?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Question 3: \u003c/strong>I would love to hear about Sally Stanford, the renowned madam turned mayor. I recall my parents having many colorful conversations about her and her “Damn Bird” when we were living in Sausalito.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Vote anytime this month at \u003ca href=\"http://baycurious.org\">BayCurious.org\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor: \u003c/strong>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We get extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a wonderful week!\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A few years ago, a friend sent me the link for a job listing that seemed like an absolute dream. The opening was for a resident innkeeper at a bed and breakfast on an island in the middle of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-bay\">San Francisco Bay\u003c/a>. Even better, the B&B was housed in a 152-year-old working Victorian lighthouse! \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A few years ago, a friend sent me the link for a job listing that seemed like an absolute dream. The opening was for a resident innkeeper at a bed and breakfast on an island in the middle of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-bay\">San Francisco Bay\u003c/a>. Even better, the B&B was housed in a 152-year-old working Victorian lighthouse! \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>From my cramped desk, I fantasized about a simpler life, spent outside in one of the most gorgeous settings I could imagine. And living rent-free while earning a salary! But reality came crashing down when I read the job required a boat operator’s license and high-quality culinary experience — both of which I lacked. Alas. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>From my cramped desk, I fantasized about a simpler life, spent outside in one of the most gorgeous settings I could imagine. And living rent-free while earning a salary! But reality came crashing down when I read the job required a boat operator’s license and high-quality culinary experience — both of which I lacked. Alas. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the fantasy of East Brother Light Station stayed with me. So I was delighted when a Bay Curious listener named Kathleen Taylor wrote in, looking to learn more about the place. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But the fantasy of East Brother Light Station stayed with me. So I was delighted when a Bay Curious listener named Kathleen Taylor wrote in, looking to learn more about the place. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12066562,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"align": "center",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066562\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The inn at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066562\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The inn at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We were taking the ferry from Vallejo to a Giants game and passed by what looked like a small island with an East Coast-style lighthouse on it,” she recalled. It captured her imagination, too, and she got to wondering: “What’s the history? Did somebody live on that island previously? Just how far back do we have documentation of what went on on that island?”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>So we headed to the island together to get some answers.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We were taking the ferry from Vallejo to a Giants game and passed by what looked like a small island with an East Coast-style lighthouse on it,” she recalled. It captured her imagination, too, and she got to wondering: “What’s the history? Did somebody live on that island previously? Just how far back do we have documentation of what went on on that island?”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>So we headed to the island together to get some answers.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jump straight to:\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Jump straight to:\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/list",
"attrs": {
"items": [
"History of East Brother Light Station ",
"What life was like for early lighthouse keepers",
"How it was converted to a bed and breakfast",
"Visiting East Brother Light Station today"
],
"ordered": false,
"values": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003c/ul>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\u003c/ul>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/list-item",
"attrs": [],
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#history-east-brother\">History of East Brother Light Station \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#history-east-brother\">History of East Brother Light Station \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/list-item",
"attrs": [],
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#early-lightkeepers\">What life was like for early lighthouse keepers\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#early-lightkeepers\">What life was like for early lighthouse keepers\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/list-item",
"attrs": [],
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#bed-and-breakfast\">How it was converted to a bed and breakfast\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#bed-and-breakfast\">How it was converted to a bed and breakfast\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/list-item",
"attrs": [],
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#visiting-today\">Visiting East Brother Light Station today\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#visiting-today\">Visiting East Brother Light Station today\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
]
}
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "History of East Brother Light Station",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"history-east-brother\">History of East Brother Light Station\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"history-east-brother\">History of East Brother Light Station\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the decades after gold was first found in California in 1848, mining activity in the Sierra ramped up. Getting supplies from San Francisco up into the mountains often meant floating things up the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. To get there, boats had to skirt around Point San Pablo, the thumb sticking out from Richmond, California. This part of the bay can be especially tough for mariners.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In the decades after gold was first found in California in 1848, mining activity in the Sierra ramped up. Getting supplies from San Francisco up into the mountains often meant floating things up the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. To get there, boats had to skirt around Point San Pablo, the thumb sticking out from Richmond, California. This part of the bay can be especially tough for mariners.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The topography under the water is pretty interesting,” said Rae Colvin, one of the resident innkeepers at East Brother Light Station. “There’s a 160-foot-deep chasm right off the island. But most of the [water] off to the side averages about 15 feet deep.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“The topography under the water is pretty interesting,” said Rae Colvin, one of the resident innkeepers at East Brother Light Station. “There’s a 160-foot-deep chasm right off the island. But most of the [water] off to the side averages about 15 feet deep.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ships passing through this channel were constantly at risk of running aground even in good weather. Add in some dense fog, and it’s pretty precarious. So in the early 1870s, it was decided a lighthouse and fog horn were needed. Initially, the Lighthouse Board hoped to put the light station on the mainland, but landowners fought back. They delayed things so profoundly that eventually an alternative site was chosen — East Brother Island. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ships passing through this channel were constantly at risk of running aground even in good weather. Add in some dense fog, and it’s pretty precarious. So in the early 1870s, it was decided a lighthouse and fog horn were needed. Initially, the Lighthouse Board hoped to put the light station on the mainland, but landowners fought back. They delayed things so profoundly that eventually an alternative site was chosen — East Brother Island. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12066561,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"align": "center",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066561\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inn keeper Danielle La Vigne pilots a boat from Point San Pablo Harbor to East Brother Light Station in Richmond, California, on Dec. 8, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066561\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inn keeper Danielle La Vigne pilots a boat from Point San Pablo Harbor to East Brother Light Station in Richmond, California, on Dec. 8, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It was small, less than an acre in size, but it was land the U.S. government already owned. Construction began in 1873.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It was small, less than an acre in size, but it was land the U.S. government already owned. Construction began in 1873.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The exterior of the light station features gingerbread trim, scrollwork and a generous second-floor porch. Not the standard-issue government building we’ve come to expect today. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The exterior of the light station features gingerbread trim, scrollwork and a generous second-floor porch. Not the standard-issue government building we’ve come to expect today. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The six-room Victorian light station was intended to house three lightkeepers, and two of them could have families. Downstairs was a bedroom and parlor for the principal keeper. Upstairs was a smaller bedroom and parlor for the assistant keeper. There was also a third bedroom for the most junior keeper. Things were cozy, to say the least.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The six-room Victorian light station was intended to house three lightkeepers, and two of them could have families. Downstairs was a bedroom and parlor for the principal keeper. Upstairs was a smaller bedroom and parlor for the assistant keeper. There was also a third bedroom for the most junior keeper. Things were cozy, to say the least.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Stacked on top of the living quarters was also the tower that housed the light. When the light station began operating on March 1, 1874, the light’s flame was powered by lard oil and featured a fourth-order \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresnel_lens\">Fresnel lens\u003c/a>. The lens rotated on a clockwork mechanism. On a clear night, this beam, which appeared to flash every 30 seconds because of the design of the lens, could be seen from about 15 miles away. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Stacked on top of the living quarters was also the tower that housed the light. When the light station began operating on March 1, 1874, the light’s flame was powered by lard oil and featured a fourth-order \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresnel_lens\">Fresnel lens\u003c/a>. The lens rotated on a clockwork mechanism. On a clear night, this beam, which appeared to flash every 30 seconds because of the design of the lens, could be seen from about 15 miles away. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "What life was like for early lightkeepers",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"early-lightkeepers\">What life was like for early lightkeepers\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"early-lightkeepers\">What life was like for early lightkeepers\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Despite the romantic portrayal of lighthouse keeping in novels, poems and art, the job was monotonous, and the Lighthouse Board knew it. Pay was modest and much of the work boring,” Frank Perry wrote in his book, \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/East-Brother-History-Island-Station/dp/0578211750\">\u003cem>East Brother: History of an Island Light Station\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Much of what we know about life on the island comes from Perry’s book, which was compiled using primary sources.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Despite the romantic portrayal of lighthouse keeping in novels, poems and art, the job was monotonous, and the Lighthouse Board knew it. Pay was modest and much of the work boring,” Frank Perry wrote in his book, \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/East-Brother-History-Island-Station/dp/0578211750\">\u003cem>East Brother: History of an Island Light Station\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Much of what we know about life on the island comes from Perry’s book, which was compiled using primary sources.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1874, the primary keeper earned $800 a year — the equivalent to about a $24,000 salary today. The assistants earned even less. Their primary responsibility was keeping the light running from sunset to sunrise every night and keeping the fog signal sounding during inclement weather.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In 1874, the primary keeper earned $800 a year — the equivalent to about a $24,000 salary today. The assistants earned even less. Their primary responsibility was keeping the light running from sunset to sunrise every night and keeping the fog signal sounding during inclement weather.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The nightly routine would begin at sunset. Lightkeepers would fill the lamp with lard oil, light the wick, and slowly bring the flame up to the optimal size of about 1 and 13/16 inches. If they did this too quickly, the glass chimney inside the rotating Fresnel lens could crack from the change in temperature. That alone was a 30-minute job. Then the keepers had to sit in the watch room all night, tending to the needs of the light.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The nightly routine would begin at sunset. Lightkeepers would fill the lamp with lard oil, light the wick, and slowly bring the flame up to the optimal size of about 1 and 13/16 inches. If they did this too quickly, the glass chimney inside the rotating Fresnel lens could crack from the change in temperature. That alone was a 30-minute job. Then the keepers had to sit in the watch room all night, tending to the needs of the light.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12066570,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"align": "center",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066570\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historic photos hang on the wall at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. One lighthouse keeper, John Stenmark, brought his wife and children to live on the island. They had many friends in the community and would host large gatherings on the island.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066570\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historic photos hang on the wall at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. One lighthouse keeper, John Stenmark, brought his wife and children to live on the island. They had many friends in the community and would host large gatherings on the island.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Because of the timing on that clockwork mechanism and how quickly the wicks would burn down, you gotta check it every half hour,” said Danielle La Vigne, one of the resident innkeepers at East Brother Light Station. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Because of the timing on that clockwork mechanism and how quickly the wicks would burn down, you gotta check it every half hour,” said Danielle La Vigne, one of the resident innkeepers at East Brother Light Station. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The innkeepers also had to wipe the glass panes of the lantern room with dry towels to keep moisture away.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The innkeepers also had to wipe the glass panes of the lantern room with dry towels to keep moisture away.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On foggy nights, the keepers’ jobs were doubly hard. They had to run the fog signal, too, which sits in another building on the island.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>On foggy nights, the keepers’ jobs were doubly hard. They had to run the fog signal, too, which sits in another building on the island.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The whistle was sometimes more important in aiding mariners than the light,” wrote Perry. “In dense fog or heavy rain, East Brother’s powerful light was virtually useless. The 10-inch whistle, on the other hand, could often be heard from 10 or 12 miles away.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“The whistle was sometimes more important in aiding mariners than the light,” wrote Perry. “In dense fog or heavy rain, East Brother’s powerful light was virtually useless. The 10-inch whistle, on the other hand, could often be heard from 10 or 12 miles away.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It took about 45 minutes to build up enough steam in the boiler for the fog whistle to work. So in the meantime, one of the keepers went outside and struck a large bell every 15 seconds until the whistle could be sounded. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It took about 45 minutes to build up enough steam in the boiler for the fog whistle to work. So in the meantime, one of the keepers went outside and struck a large bell every 15 seconds until the whistle could be sounded. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Beyond the core responsibilities, keepers kept up with a long list of chores: cooking, cleaning, maintenance and repairs. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Beyond the core responsibilities, keepers kept up with a long list of chores: cooking, cleaning, maintenance and repairs. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/gallery",
"attrs": {
"linkTo": "none",
"images": [],
"ids": [],
"shortCodeTransforms": [],
"imageCrop": true,
"randomOrder": false,
"fixedHeight": true,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"allowResize": false,
"aspectRatio": "auto"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">\n\n\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12066564,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066564\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The foghorn machinery at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The 19th-century lighthouse complex includes a restored fog signal that once warned ships navigating San Pablo Bay.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066564\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The foghorn machinery at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The 19th-century lighthouse complex includes a restored fog signal that once warned ships navigating San Pablo Bay.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12066563,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-17-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066563\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The foghorn machinery at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-17-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066563\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The foghorn machinery at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
}
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When they needed food to supplement the dry rations that got delivered once a year or so, they had to leave the island for the nearest town. At the time, that was San Quentin, about 2 1/2 miles away.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>When they needed food to supplement the dry rations that got delivered once a year or so, they had to leave the island for the nearest town. At the time, that was San Quentin, about 2 1/2 miles away.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I have a 200 horsepower motorboat to get back and forth to our little harbor,” said La Vigne. “They had to row.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I have a 200 horsepower motorboat to get back and forth to our little harbor,” said La Vigne. “They had to row.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A daily log was kept by the primary keeper, accounting for the day’s weather and work. Most entries are not more than a sentence, but they do give us a glimpse at the day-to-day life on East Brother. A string of entries in 1882 mention an assistant keeper named Mr. Page, who was a bit of a screw-up.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A daily log was kept by the primary keeper, accounting for the day’s weather and work. Most entries are not more than a sentence, but they do give us a glimpse at the day-to-day life on East Brother. A string of entries in 1882 mention an assistant keeper named Mr. Page, who was a bit of a screw-up.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/quote",
"attrs": {
"value": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cblockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\u003c/blockquote>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cblockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">",
null,
"\u003c/blockquote>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 14, 1882 – Wind S.W., strong. Mr. Page left for San Quentin A.M., capsized off the buoy near the West Brother at 12:15 p.m. Capt. Windsor hailed the Steamer Reform passing up at the time and sent her to his relief. The Reform picked him up ¼ of a mile N.N.E. of the Light House and landed him and the boat at the dock at 1:15 p.m. Oars, rudder, mail and all the marketing – consisting of mutton, cabbages, peas, etc., etc., lost, also milk and can.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>\u003cbr>Dec. 14, 1882 – Wind N.E. Foggy from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. Mr. Page went to San Quentin for mail, returned as usual, drunk.\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Feb. 8 1883 – Wind N.E. Light, clear. Mr. Page went for mail and stores, drunk, no mail.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 14, 1882 – Wind S.W., strong. Mr. Page left for San Quentin A.M., capsized off the buoy near the West Brother at 12:15 p.m. Capt. Windsor hailed the Steamer Reform passing up at the time and sent her to his relief. The Reform picked him up ¼ of a mile N.N.E. of the Light House and landed him and the boat at the dock at 1:15 p.m. Oars, rudder, mail and all the marketing – consisting of mutton, cabbages, peas, etc., etc., lost, also milk and can.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>\u003cbr>Dec. 14, 1882 – Wind N.E. Foggy from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. Mr. Page went to San Quentin for mail, returned as usual, drunk.\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Feb. 8 1883 – Wind N.E. Light, clear. Mr. Page went for mail and stores, drunk, no mail.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
]
}
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Feb. 10, 1883, a new assistant, Mr. Tippett, is mentioned, and Mr. Page is never spoken of again. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>On Feb. 10, 1883, a new assistant, Mr. Tippett, is mentioned, and Mr. Page is never spoken of again. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "The Stenmark era",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Stenmark era\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Stenmark era\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Though some keepers were men living on their own, passing through East Brother for only a few years, families lived here, too. John Stenmark moved here in 1894 with his wife and 3-month-old daughter, Annie, and they stayed for 20 years.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Though some keepers were men living on their own, passing through East Brother for only a few years, families lived here, too. John Stenmark moved here in 1894 with his wife and 3-month-old daughter, Annie, and they stayed for 20 years.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12096541"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03842-KQED.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They set up a vegetable garden and raised pigs, goats, rabbits and chickens.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>They set up a vegetable garden and raised pigs, goats, rabbits and chickens.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Prior to the birth of each of his two sons [Mr. Stenmark] rowed all the way to San Quentin and back to fetch the doctor,” wrote Perry.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Prior to the birth of each of his two sons [Mr. Stenmark] rowed all the way to San Quentin and back to fetch the doctor,” wrote Perry.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When the kids grew older, the government paid for a teacher to live on the island for a time. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>When the kids grew older, the government paid for a teacher to live on the island for a time. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On April 18, 1906, Stenmark wrote about one of the most infamous days in local history in the logbook.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>On April 18, 1906, Stenmark wrote about one of the most infamous days in local history in the logbook.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/quote",
"attrs": {
"value": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cblockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\u003c/blockquote>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cblockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">",
null,
"\u003c/blockquote>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A heavy earthquake this morning at 5:15 a.m. Lenses of the light broken and glassware broke, and everything of glass broke. \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Doors open of themselves and the whole island rocking. All the lenses broke.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A heavy earthquake this morning at 5:15 a.m. Lenses of the light broken and glassware broke, and everything of glass broke. \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Doors open of themselves and the whole island rocking. All the lenses broke.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
]
}
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Over the next two days, the Stenmarks watched from their quiet island as the fire that followed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068602/san-franciscos-historic-relief-cottages-built-after-the-1906-earthquake-are-hidden-in-plain-sight\">earthquake consumed San Francisco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Over the next two days, the Stenmarks watched from their quiet island as the fire that followed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068602/san-franciscos-historic-relief-cottages-built-after-the-1906-earthquake-are-hidden-in-plain-sight\">earthquake consumed San Francisco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "The end of lighthouse keepers",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The end of lighthouse keepers\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The end of lighthouse keepers\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Over the decades, technological improvements came regularly to East Brother Light Station, most often to the fuel source used to power the light.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“The original used lard oil lamps, and then they switched to mineral oil, and then they used kerosene,” Colvin said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Over the decades, technological improvements came regularly to East Brother Light Station, most often to the fuel source used to power the light.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“The original used lard oil lamps, and then they switched to mineral oil, and then they used kerosene,” Colvin said. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12066565,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066565\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view from the inn at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066565\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view from the inn at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One big change came in 1934 when electricity arrived on the island via an underwater cable that connected it to shore. A lightkeeper was no longer needed to keep a flame burning all night — greatly reducing their daily chore load. The steam-powered fog signal was replaced with a diaphonic horn that can still be operated today and is one of only eight like it in the world. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>One big change came in 1934 when electricity arrived on the island via an underwater cable that connected it to shore. A lightkeeper was no longer needed to keep a flame burning all night — greatly reducing their daily chore load. The steam-powered fog signal was replaced with a diaphonic horn that can still be operated today and is one of only eight like it in the world. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To save on salaries, the U.S. Coast Guard automated everything and pulled the last resident personnel from the island in 1969. They planned to demolish all the buildings and put the light on a steel tower. But residents living in Point Richmond had other plans. They had grown attached to the charming lighthouse off their shoreline and were ready to fight for it. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>To save on salaries, the U.S. Coast Guard automated everything and pulled the last resident personnel from the island in 1969. They planned to demolish all the buildings and put the light on a steel tower. But residents living in Point Richmond had other plans. They had grown attached to the charming lighthouse off their shoreline and were ready to fight for it. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "How it was converted to a bed and breakfast",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bed-and-breakfast\">How it was converted to a bed and breakfast\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bed-and-breakfast\">How it was converted to a bed and breakfast\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“One of the first things [local residents] did was write a National Register nomination for it, which was successful,” said Tom Butt, founder and president of East Brother Light Station Inc., the nonprofit that operates the bed and breakfast. He’s also the former mayor of Richmond and a longtime city council member. “That didn’t save it, but it made it harder for the Coast Guard to tear it down because it invoked the Historic Preservation Act of 1966.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“One of the first things [local residents] did was write a National Register nomination for it, which was successful,” said Tom Butt, founder and president of East Brother Light Station Inc., the nonprofit that operates the bed and breakfast. He’s also the former mayor of Richmond and a longtime city council member. “That didn’t save it, but it made it harder for the Coast Guard to tear it down because it invoked the Historic Preservation Act of 1966.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The group then tried to find a local organization to take on rehabilitating the site, because by that point it was more than a decade behind on maintenance and needed serious work. They focused on organizations like the National Park Service and East Bay Regional Park District, but no one was interested.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The group then tried to find a local organization to take on rehabilitating the site, because by that point it was more than a decade behind on maintenance and needed serious work. They focused on organizations like the National Park Service and East Bay Regional Park District, but no one was interested.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think everybody looked at it and [thought] it was just too much,” said Butt. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I think everybody looked at it and [thought] it was just too much,” said Butt. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He went to the island in 1978. “Looking back now,” he said, “I was a lot younger and not near as smart as I am now, and I was intrigued by it and said, ‘you know, we can do this.’”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>He went to the island in 1978. “Looking back now,” he said, “I was a lot younger and not near as smart as I am now, and I was intrigued by it and said, ‘you know, we can do this.’”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12066569,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"align": "center",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066569\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Marin Room, which faces Mount Tamalpais, at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066569\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Marin Room, which faces Mount Tamalpais, at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/gallery",
"attrs": {
"linkTo": "none",
"images": [],
"ids": [],
"shortCodeTransforms": [],
"imageCrop": true,
"randomOrder": false,
"fixedHeight": true,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"allowResize": false,
"aspectRatio": "auto"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">\n\n\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12066567,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-54-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066567\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A lighthouse shower curtain hangs in a bathroom at the inn on East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-54-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066567\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A lighthouse shower curtain hangs in a bathroom at the inn on East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12066571,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-76-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066571\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A room at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat. The inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-76-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066571\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A room at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat. The inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
}
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He and others formed a nonprofit and started leasing the site from the Coast Guard. They spent a year rehabilitating everything, mostly with volunteer work.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>He and others formed a nonprofit and started leasing the site from the Coast Guard. They spent a year rehabilitating everything, mostly with volunteer work.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“All the buildings at that point were covered with asbestos shingles,” Butt said. “All of the ornamental railings had long since been taken off. We were lucky we had original plans from the National Archives, so we were able to replicate all that trim and put that back on.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“All the buildings at that point were covered with asbestos shingles,” Butt said. “All of the ornamental railings had long since been taken off. We were lucky we had original plans from the National Archives, so we were able to replicate all that trim and put that back on.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Volunteers did electrical work, plumbing, plastering and painting. It was a ton of work, but they managed to get it all done in about a year. The nonprofit began running the site as a bed and breakfast in 1980 to provide a stream of revenue to keep up with the maintenance.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Volunteers did electrical work, plumbing, plastering and painting. It was a ton of work, but they managed to get it all done in about a year. The nonprofit began running the site as a bed and breakfast in 1980 to provide a stream of revenue to keep up with the maintenance.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Though most of the operational costs and maintenance for the B&B are now covered by the nightly fee guests pay, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-east-brother-lighthouse-replace-the-pier?cp_src=d\">a major fundraising effort\u003c/a> is underway to replace the dock and gangway on the east side of the island. It must be replaced, or access to the island could be threatened. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Though most of the operational costs and maintenance for the B&B are now covered by the nightly fee guests pay, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-east-brother-lighthouse-replace-the-pier?cp_src=d\">a major fundraising effort\u003c/a> is underway to replace the dock and gangway on the east side of the island. It must be replaced, or access to the island could be threatened. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Visiting East Brother Light Station today",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"visiting-today\">Visiting East Brother Light Station today\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"visiting-today\">Visiting East Brother Light Station today\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The nonprofit B&B is open four nights a week for overnight guests, and it’s recommended you \u003ca href=\"https://ebls.org/?_gl=1%2A1oq51ai%2A_ga%2AMjkzMDI3NzY5LjE3ODYxMzI2MjI.%2A_ga_J5B5MW125P%2AczE3ODc4NzI0MjUkbzckZzEkdDE3ODc4NzI0NDMkajQyJGwwJGgw\">book one of the five rooms well in advance\u003c/a>. Rates range from $525 to $575 per night. During summer months, there is once-monthly day-use access for $45, which includes the boat ride to and from the island.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The nonprofit B&B is open four nights a week for overnight guests, and it’s recommended you \u003ca href=\"https://ebls.org/?_gl=1%2A1oq51ai%2A_ga%2AMjkzMDI3NzY5LjE3ODYxMzI2MjI.%2A_ga_J5B5MW125P%2AczE3ODc4NzI0MjUkbzckZzEkdDE3ODc4NzI0NDMkajQyJGwwJGgw\">book one of the five rooms well in advance\u003c/a>. Rates range from $525 to $575 per night. During summer months, there is once-monthly day-use access for $45, which includes the boat ride to and from the island.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the beginning of the overnight stays, guests are taken by boat from Point San Pablo Marina by innkeepers Colvin and La Vigne. Once on the island, hors d’oeuvre and champagne are served, Colvin gives a history talk, and then comes a four-course dinner with wine.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>At the beginning of the overnight stays, guests are taken by boat from Point San Pablo Marina by innkeepers Colvin and La Vigne. Once on the island, hors d’oeuvre and champagne are served, Colvin gives a history talk, and then comes a four-course dinner with wine.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We try to focus as much as we can on keeping things local,” La Vigne said. “We collaborate with the little goat farm that’s in the harbor, and we tend to plan the meals around what is being harvested now, what’s in season.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We try to focus as much as we can on keeping things local,” La Vigne said. “We collaborate with the little goat farm that’s in the harbor, and we tend to plan the meals around what is being harvested now, what’s in season.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12066568,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"align": "center",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066568\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Innkeepers Rachel (Rae) Colvin (left) and Danielle La Vigne at East Brother Light Station in Richmond on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066568\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Innkeepers Rachel (Rae) Colvin (left) and Danielle La Vigne at East Brother Light Station in Richmond on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They also try to make meals part of the historical experience, using ingredients the keepers would have received as part of their rations — like potatoes, rice and salted pork.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>They also try to make meals part of the historical experience, using ingredients the keepers would have received as part of their rations — like potatoes, rice and salted pork.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We have recipes from the Lighthouse Keeper’s Manual from 1891 that had recipes for how to stretch your rations. Last night we served for the first course a corn chowder that is from that original Lighthouse Keeper’s handbook,” La Vigne said. “Although their recipe was incredibly bland, and I spruced it up a lot.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We have recipes from the Lighthouse Keeper’s Manual from 1891 that had recipes for how to stretch your rations. Last night we served for the first course a corn chowder that is from that original Lighthouse Keeper’s handbook,” La Vigne said. “Although their recipe was incredibly bland, and I spruced it up a lot.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So, historically inspired … but for a modern palate. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>So, historically inspired … but for a modern palate. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Guests sleep in rooms neatly decorated with antiques. Most rooms are named after the view you see from the room, so there’s West Brother (the neighboring island), Marin Room, San Francisco Room. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Guests sleep in rooms neatly decorated with antiques. Most rooms are named after the view you see from the room, so there’s West Brother (the neighboring island), Marin Room, San Francisco Room. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A more modest room is out in the fog signal building — a popular choice for returning guests looking for a different experience, Colvin said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A more modest room is out in the fog signal building — a popular choice for returning guests looking for a different experience, Colvin said. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Most of the clientele are couples looking for a romantic getaway, but the house is also regularly rented out entirely by groups for birthdays, anniversaries or themed experiences.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Most of the clientele are couples looking for a romantic getaway, but the house is also regularly rented out entirely by groups for birthdays, anniversaries or themed experiences.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We had two murder mystery dinner parties in the past month,” La Vigne said. “Both parties dressed up. They were in character the whole time. It was 1920 the whole time they were here.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We had two murder mystery dinner parties in the past month,” La Vigne said. “Both parties dressed up. They were in character the whole time. It was 1920 the whole time they were here.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the morning, before guests depart, they offer a demonstration of the fog signal — I can attest, it’s loud!\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In the morning, before guests depart, they offer a demonstration of the fog signal — I can attest, it’s loud!\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/shortcode",
"attrs": {
"shortcode_type": "self_closing",
"shortcode_name": "baycuriousquestion"
},
"innerHTML": "\n[baycuriousquestion]\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n[baycuriousquestion]\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Episode transcript",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode transcript\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode transcript\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I’m Olivia Allen-Price. This is Bay Curious.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cem>sound design of the sea: waves, gulls\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I’m Olivia Allen-Price. This is Bay Curious.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cem>sound design of the sea: waves, gulls\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There’s something dreamy about lighthouses.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There’s something dreamy about lighthouses.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Their striking architecture, rising high above our human scale.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Their striking architecture, rising high above our human scale.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Their symbolism. A literal light in the darkness.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Their symbolism. A literal light in the darkness.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In me, lighthouses stir something nostalgic. A time before GPS and radar — when navigation was done with charts and stars.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In me, lighthouses stir something nostalgic. A time before GPS and radar — when navigation was done with charts and stars.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Today, many lighthouses across the United States have become tourism attractions, like Cape Hatteras in North Carolina and the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Today, many lighthouses across the United States have become tourism attractions, like Cape Hatteras in North Carolina and the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But there’s a lighthouse near San Francisco that offers an experience like none other. Not just a quick trip to the top, but an opportunity to live like a lighthouse keeper of yore!\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But there’s a lighthouse near San Francisco that offers an experience like none other. Not just a quick trip to the top, but an opportunity to live like a lighthouse keeper of yore!\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>East Brother Light Station looks like it could have been plucked from a child’s storybook. It’s a charming three-story wooden house, painted a creamy yellow with white gingerbread trim. At the top, stands a tower, where the brilliant light beckons through the fog.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>East Brother Light Station looks like it could have been plucked from a child’s storybook. It’s a charming three-story wooden house, painted a creamy yellow with white gingerbread trim. At the top, stands a tower, where the brilliant light beckons through the fog.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kathleen got to wondering a lot of things about this lighthouse.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Kathleen got to wondering a lot of things about this lighthouse.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor: \u003c/strong>What’s the history? Did somebody live on that island previously? Just how far back do we have documentation of, you know, what went on on that Island?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor: \u003c/strong>What’s the history? Did somebody live on that island previously? Just how far back do we have documentation of, you know, what went on on that Island?\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>So today we’re on a mission for answers. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>So today we’re on a mission for answers. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Step one! We have to get to the lighthouse. At a marina north of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Kathleen and I make our way toward a small boat.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Step one! We have to get to the lighthouse. At a marina north of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Kathleen and I make our way toward a small boat.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There we meet Danielle La Vigne and Rae Colvin — the two keepers currently living on the island.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>There we meet Danielle La Vigne and Rae Colvin — the two keepers currently living on the island.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> Oh, you guys can hop on board. Our insurance company does ask that you wear those.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> Oh, you guys can hop on board. Our insurance company does ask that you wear those.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Life vests are on, and we are off. Danielle and Rae have been living at the East Brother Light Station for about a year and half. But the helm of a boat is a familiar place for them.\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price in scene:\u003c/strong> Did you know how to drive a boat, or is this a recent skill you’ve had to acquire? ‘Cause you’ve, you guys have been on the job for…\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>I’ve been a commercial captain for almost 20 years. This is the smallest boat that I’ve ever operated professionally. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Life vests are on, and we are off. Danielle and Rae have been living at the East Brother Light Station for about a year and half. But the helm of a boat is a familiar place for them.\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price in scene:\u003c/strong> Did you know how to drive a boat, or is this a recent skill you’ve had to acquire? ‘Cause you’ve, you guys have been on the job for…\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>I’ve been a commercial captain for almost 20 years. This is the smallest boat that I’ve ever operated professionally. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>As we’re making our way out of the marina, Rae spots a seal.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>A lot of seals live out by the island. … we have a bunch of birds and the harbor seals and sometimes a sea lion.\u003cem>\u003cs>\u003cbr>\u003c/s>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Danielle and Rae are the only two full-time \u003cem>human\u003c/em> residents of East Brother Light Station. But they’re far from alone out there. Because keeping the light running is not their main focus. Instead it’s catering to the weekly overnight guests who join them at the Light Station. Because these days East Brother is a one-of-a-kind bed and breakfast. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>As we’re making our way out of the marina, Rae spots a seal.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>A lot of seals live out by the island. … we have a bunch of birds and the harbor seals and sometimes a sea lion.\u003cem>\u003cs>\u003cbr>\u003c/s>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Danielle and Rae are the only two full-time \u003cem>human\u003c/em> residents of East Brother Light Station. But they’re far from alone out there. Because keeping the light running is not their main focus. Instead it’s catering to the weekly overnight guests who join them at the Light Station. Because these days East Brother is a one-of-a-kind bed and breakfast. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price in scene: \u003c/strong>Oh, we just snuck around the bend, and I am seeing the light station probably 400 feet away or so.\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>I can’t see it from up on the water, but down beneath our boat lies the answer to one of Kathleen’s questions. Why is this lighthouse \u003cem>here\u003c/em>, some 15 miles from the open ocean?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price in scene: \u003c/strong>Oh, we just snuck around the bend, and I am seeing the light station probably 400 feet away or so.\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>I can’t see it from up on the water, but down beneath our boat lies the answer to one of Kathleen’s questions. Why is this lighthouse \u003cem>here\u003c/em>, some 15 miles from the open ocean?\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music begins\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music begins\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>In the decades after gold was first found in California in 1848, mining activity in the Sierra really ramped up. Getting supplies from San Francisco up into the mountains often meant taking a boat — floating things up the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>In the decades after gold was first found in California in 1848, mining activity in the Sierra really ramped up. Getting supplies from San Francisco up into the mountains often meant taking a boat — floating things up the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ships had to skirt around Point San Pablo — where our little boat just departed from. Rae Colvin explains.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ships had to skirt around Point San Pablo — where our little boat just departed from. Rae Colvin explains.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>And they put a lighthouse out here because the topography under the water is pretty interesting. There’s a 160-foot-deep chasm right off the island. But most of the open ocean off to the side that you can see averages out to about 15 feet deep. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>And they put a lighthouse out here because the topography under the water is pretty interesting. There’s a 160-foot-deep chasm right off the island. But most of the open ocean off to the side that you can see averages out to about 15 feet deep. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Ships passing through this channel were constantly at risk of running aground even in good weather. Add in some dense fog and it’s pretty precarious.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Ships passing through this channel were constantly at risk of running aground even in good weather. Add in some dense fog and it’s pretty precarious.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So in the early 1870s, it was decided a lighthouse and foghorn were needed. Initially, they hoped to put the light station on the mainland, but quickly ran into issues…\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>So in the early 1870s, it was decided a lighthouse and foghorn were needed. Initially, they hoped to put the light station on the mainland, but quickly ran into issues…\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>The people who owned the land on the East Bay there didn’t want to sell to the government to let them build a lighthouse.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>The people who owned the land on the East Bay there didn’t want to sell to the government to let them build a lighthouse.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>After years of trying and failing to get the landowners to relent, the government changed course. Just offshore was \u003cem>East Brother Island\u003c/em> — a speck of land really, smaller than an acre — but it was enough. And better yet, it was land the U.S. government already owned. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>After years of trying and failing to get the landowners to relent, the government changed course. Just offshore was \u003cem>East Brother Island\u003c/em> — a speck of land really, smaller than an acre — but it was enough. And better yet, it was land the U.S. government already owned. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Workers blasted sandstone from the top of the island to create a level plot. A foundation went in, walls went up, and in less than a year the six-room Victorian light station was complete. The design is quite striking…\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Workers blasted sandstone from the top of the island to create a level plot. A foundation went in, walls went up, and in less than a year the six-room Victorian light station was complete. The design is quite striking…\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>There’s a lot of ornamental woodwork on it, and it’s three stories.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>There’s a lot of ornamental woodwork on it, and it’s three stories.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> But it’s not exactly unique. Lighthouses with a similar design were built all over the West Coast. This is the oldest one still standing.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> But it’s not exactly unique. Lighthouses with a similar design were built all over the West Coast. This is the oldest one still standing.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music ends\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music ends\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Fade up on sound of boat slowing down and approaching dock. Ambi of arriving sounds.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Fade up on sound of boat slowing down and approaching dock. Ambi of arriving sounds.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The wind picks up as our little boat approaches the island and sidles up to the dock. Once we’re off, Danielle and Rae work to get the boat lifted out of the water.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The wind picks up as our little boat approaches the island and sidles up to the dock. Once we’re off, Danielle and Rae work to get the boat lifted out of the water.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>If we left it in the water, it would just get thrashed against the dock all day long, and this dock already needs help so.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>If we left it in the water, it would just get thrashed against the dock all day long, and this dock already needs help so.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>This one’s been here since I think the 1960s, and, you know, it’s seen better days.\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>This one’s been here since I think the 1960s, and, you know, it’s seen better days.\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The dock may need work, but as we make our way up some stairs and onto the property, a tidy semicircle of three buildings emerges. The main light station to the west, a small cottage to the north, and a fog signal building to the east. All fit on about three-quarters of an acre. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The dock may need work, but as we make our way up some stairs and onto the property, a tidy semicircle of three buildings emerges. The main light station to the west, a small cottage to the north, and a fog signal building to the east. All fit on about three-quarters of an acre. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The buildings surround a low white dome covering something beneath the pavement. Danielle explains…\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The buildings surround a low white dome covering something beneath the pavement. Danielle explains…\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>We need to collect rainwater to survive out here, this whole courtyard is set up to direct all of the rain flow down into the cistern.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>We need to collect rainwater to survive out here, this whole courtyard is set up to direct all of the rain flow down into the cistern.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Across the courtyard we head into the main house, where today most of the overnight bed-and-breakfast guests stay.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Across the courtyard we head into the main house, where today most of the overnight bed-and-breakfast guests stay.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>So of course we have to do the shameless product placement. As you enter the house, the first room you see is the gift shop.\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>OK, so, the gift shop is not original to the light station, but the mugs they sell are popular with B&B guests. Couples often come out for romantic getaways. Kathleen and I learn learn groups stay here for birding weekends or murder-mystery parties.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>So of course we have to do the shameless product placement. As you enter the house, the first room you see is the gift shop.\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>OK, so, the gift shop is not original to the light station, but the mugs they sell are popular with B&B guests. Couples often come out for romantic getaways. Kathleen and I learn learn groups stay here for birding weekends or murder-mystery parties.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor:\u003c/strong> How often do you get groups that rent the whole island? \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor:\u003c/strong> How often do you get groups that rent the whole island? \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> Two, yeah, two to three times a month. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> Two, yeah, two to three times a month. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The house has seen some changes over its 152-year life, but it’s not hard to imagine what it once was. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The house has seen some changes over its 152-year life, but it’s not hard to imagine what it once was. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Most often three lighthouse keepers, and sometimes their families, shared the home. There’d be a primary keeper, aka the boss, living downstairs. And then the first assistant upstairs, along with a junior keeper, someone just learning the ropes.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Most often three lighthouse keepers, and sometimes their families, shared the home. There’d be a primary keeper, aka the boss, living downstairs. And then the first assistant upstairs, along with a junior keeper, someone just learning the ropes.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They all lived, ate and slept beneath the tower that housed the light. Staying close because it needed constant attention. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>They all lived, ate and slept beneath the tower that housed the light. Staying close because it needed constant attention. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> This is the parlor, which is the comfy hangout spot for the guests. Originally this would have been the junior keeper’s parlor. And the bedroom right over here, the Marin room, would have been the junior keeper’s bedroom. So it was kind of like a little apartment.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> This is the parlor, which is the comfy hangout spot for the guests. Originally this would have been the junior keeper’s parlor. And the bedroom right over here, the Marin room, would have been the junior keeper’s bedroom. So it was kind of like a little apartment.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Today, B&B guests stay in bedrooms with cozy beds, decorated with beautiful antiques. Historical maps and pictures of boats hang on the walls. And each room gets a name, based on what is visible outside the window.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Today, B&B guests stay in bedrooms with cozy beds, decorated with beautiful antiques. Historical maps and pictures of boats hang on the walls. And each room gets a name, based on what is visible outside the window.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> So this is the San Francisco room, and it’s my personal favorite room. \u003cs>I\u003c/s>t has an arched ceiling, and it looks out to San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> So this is the San Francisco room, and it’s my personal favorite room. \u003cs>I\u003c/s>t has an arched ceiling, and it looks out to San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>We make our way to the main attraction: the tower … which is made up of three tiny rooms stacked on top of each other. We start at the base.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>We make our way to the main attraction: the tower … which is made up of three tiny rooms stacked on top of each other. We start at the base.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>So this is kind of the prep room where they’d get everything ready, but every half hour they had to go up there and trim the wick and refill the oil.\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Next we head up to the Watch room.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>So this is kind of the prep room where they’d get everything ready, but every half hour they had to go up there and trim the wick and refill the oil.\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Next we head up to the Watch room.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> It’s a tightly winding staircase like you would expect in a Victorian mansion.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> It’s a tightly winding staircase like you would expect in a Victorian mansion.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>We’re now 40 feet up. So you’ve got a pretty good view. If it’s stormy out, if it seems like it’s there’s a danger of a ship not seeing the light or whatever, that’s where you’re watching from so that you can signal those people if you need to.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>We’re now 40 feet up. So you’ve got a pretty good view. If it’s stormy out, if it seems like it’s there’s a danger of a ship not seeing the light or whatever, that’s where you’re watching from so that you can signal those people if you need to.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Finally, we head to the pinnacle. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Finally, we head to the pinnacle. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> Up here is more winding stairs up into the actual lighthouse. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> Up here is more winding stairs up into the actual lighthouse. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I will say, the view from this room is spectacular. The light itself, a little bit of a letdown. Today a 4 inch LED sits in the space.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I will say, the view from this room is spectacular. The light itself, a little bit of a letdown. Today a 4 inch LED sits in the space.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> So the original light, it was a Fresnel lens with a little lantern torch in the middle. And originally that torch on this station was powered by lard oil.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> So the original light, it was a Fresnel lens with a little lantern torch in the middle. And originally that torch on this station was powered by lard oil.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>A fourth-order Fresnel lens! Imagine a magnificent orb of glass, made up of neat rows of prisms, standing several feet tall. They were designed to concentrate the light of a single flame so intensely it could be seen for about 15 miles.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>A fourth-order Fresnel lens! Imagine a magnificent orb of glass, made up of neat rows of prisms, standing several feet tall. They were designed to concentrate the light of a single flame so intensely it could be seen for about 15 miles.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On March 1, 1874, as sunset approached, three lighthouse keepers climbed up into this very tower, and lit the oil lamp for the very first time. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>On March 1, 1874, as sunset approached, three lighthouse keepers climbed up into this very tower, and lit the oil lamp for the very first time. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The lighthouse has been operating, in some fashion or another, ever since.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cem>[Music moment]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The lighthouse has been operating, in some fashion or another, ever since.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cem>[Music moment]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>When we return, we explore what life was like living and working at East Brother. And it might not be like you expect! Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>When we return, we explore what life was like living and working at East Brother. And it might not be like you expect! Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor messages\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>If you enjoy stories like this one, consider becoming a financial supporter of KQED. Learn more at donate.kqed.org/podcasts.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor messages\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>If you enjoy stories like this one, consider becoming a financial supporter of KQED. Learn more at donate.kqed.org/podcasts.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music begins\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music begins\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>It’s easy to get enamored by the apparent simplicity of life on an island in the middle of the Bay. I know I imagine myself reading in a hammock. Our question asker, Kathleen, loves that cell reception out on East Brother is limited.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>It’s easy to get enamored by the apparent simplicity of life on an island in the middle of the Bay. I know I imagine myself reading in a hammock. Our question asker, Kathleen, loves that cell reception out on East Brother is limited.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor:\u003c/strong> It is great to decompress and turn your phone off, and we don’t have a lot of opportunities to do that.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor:\u003c/strong> It is great to decompress and turn your phone off, and we don’t have a lot of opportunities to do that.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> And sure, that is the experience you will get here today as a guest at the B&B. But working here is hard, as Danielle can attest.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> And sure, that is the experience you will get here today as a guest at the B&B. But working here is hard, as Danielle can attest.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>The work is never-ending. Because it’s just the two of us … So we’re the phones and the emails and the booking. There’s some degree of maintenance work that is pretty much always happening. The house needs to be deep cleaned every week between guests.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>The work is never-ending. Because it’s just the two of us … So we’re the phones and the emails and the booking. There’s some degree of maintenance work that is pretty much always happening. The house needs to be deep cleaned every week between guests.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Working here has always been hard. Historian Frank Perry makes clear that his book, \u003cem>East Brother: History of an Island Light Station.\u003c/em> Here’s an excerpt…\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Working here has always been hard. Historian Frank Perry makes clear that his book, \u003cem>East Brother: History of an Island Light Station.\u003c/em> Here’s an excerpt…\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>BOOK VO: \u003c/strong>Despite the romantic portrayal of lighthouse keeping in novels, poems and art, the job was monotonous, and the Lighthouse Board knew it. Pay was modest and much of the work boring. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>BOOK VO: \u003c/strong>Despite the romantic portrayal of lighthouse keeping in novels, poems and art, the job was monotonous, and the Lighthouse Board knew it. Pay was modest and much of the work boring. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The nightly routine would begin at sunset. Innkeepers would fill the lamp with lard oil, light the wick, and bring the flame slowly up to the optimal size, just shy of 2 inches. If they did this too quickly, the glass chimney inside the rotating Fresnel lens could crack from the change in temperature. That alone was a 30-minute job. Then the keepers had to sit in the watch room all night, tending to its various needs.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The nightly routine would begin at sunset. Innkeepers would fill the lamp with lard oil, light the wick, and bring the flame slowly up to the optimal size, just shy of 2 inches. If they did this too quickly, the glass chimney inside the rotating Fresnel lens could crack from the change in temperature. That alone was a 30-minute job. Then the keepers had to sit in the watch room all night, tending to its various needs.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle \u003cstrong>La Vigne\u003c/strong>: \u003c/strong>And because of the timing on that clockwork mechanism and how quickly the wicks would burn down, you gotta check it every half hour.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle \u003cstrong>La Vigne\u003c/strong>: \u003c/strong>And because of the timing on that clockwork mechanism and how quickly the wicks would burn down, you gotta check it every half hour.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>On a clear night, the tiny flame, refracted through that powerful lens, could be seen from parts of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>On a clear night, the tiny flame, refracted through that powerful lens, could be seen from parts of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On a foggy night, things got more complicated. Keepers had to run the fog signal across the courtyard too. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>On a foggy night, things got more complicated. Keepers had to run the fog signal across the courtyard too. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Book VO: \u003c/strong>The whistle was sometimes more important in aiding mariners than the light. In dense fog or heavy rain, East Brother’s powerful light was virtually useless. The 10-inch whistle, on the other hand, could often be heard from 10 or 12 miles away.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Book VO: \u003c/strong>The whistle was sometimes more important in aiding mariners than the light. In dense fog or heavy rain, East Brother’s powerful light was virtually useless. The 10-inch whistle, on the other hand, could often be heard from 10 or 12 miles away.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>It took about 45 minutes to build up enough steam in the boiler for the fog whistle to work. So in the meantime, one of the keepers went outside and struck a large bell until the whistle could be sounded. Danielle gave us a demonstration.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>It took about 45 minutes to build up enough steam in the boiler for the fog whistle to work. So in the meantime, one of the keepers went outside and struck a large bell until the whistle could be sounded. Danielle gave us a demonstration.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Danielle whacking the bell\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Danielle whacking the bell\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>What a job.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>What a job.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bell ambi\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bell ambi\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Book VO: \u003c/strong>Since the whistle might be put in operation night or day, off-duty keepers had to learn to sleep in spite of the noise. Some keepers apparently got quite good at this.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Book VO: \u003c/strong>Since the whistle might be put in operation night or day, off-duty keepers had to learn to sleep in spite of the noise. Some keepers apparently got quite good at this.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Keepers were also quite busy with chores. Cooking, cleaning, maintenance, repairs. When they needed food to supplement the rations that got delivered once a year or so, they had to leave the island for the nearest town, which at the time was San Quentin.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Keepers were also quite busy with chores. Cooking, cleaning, maintenance, repairs. When they needed food to supplement the rations that got delivered once a year or so, they had to leave the island for the nearest town, which at the time was San Quentin.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> So in order to get anything, they had to go to San Quentin. And I have a 200 horsepower motorboat to get back and forth to our little harbor. They had to row.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> So in order to get anything, they had to go to San Quentin. And I have a 200 horsepower motorboat to get back and forth to our little harbor. They had to row.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor:\u003c/strong> So how far would the trip have been from here to San Quentin? \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor:\u003c/strong> So how far would the trip have been from here to San Quentin? \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> Two and a half miles.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> Two and a half miles.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Light Keepers also kept daily logbooks with short entries about the day’s work.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Light Keepers also kept daily logbooks with short entries about the day’s work.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice Over: \u003c/strong>Feb. 14 1883 – Wind S.W. Squally, strong. Employed all day cleaning engine room and lens in lantern.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice Over: \u003c/strong>Feb. 14 1883 – Wind S.W. Squally, strong. Employed all day cleaning engine room and lens in lantern.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>…but sometimes you get a glimpse of more. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>…but sometimes you get a glimpse of more. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music start\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music start\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>There was an assistant keeper who got put down in the logbook as a drunken screw-up. He’s one of my favorites.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>There was an assistant keeper who got put down in the logbook as a drunken screw-up. He’s one of my favorites.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Joseph Page was his name. And let’s just say the head keeper at the time was not a fan.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Joseph Page was his name. And let’s just say the head keeper at the time was not a fan.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice Over: \u003c/strong>Dec. 14, 1882 – Mr. Page went to San Quentin for mail, returned as usual, drunk.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice Over: \u003c/strong>Dec. 14, 1882 – Mr. Page went to San Quentin for mail, returned as usual, drunk.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice Over: \u003c/strong>July 14, 1882 – Mr. Page left for San Quentin. Capsized off the buoy at 12:15 p.m. … \u003cem>The Reform\u003c/em> picked him up ¼ mile NNE of light house. Oars, rudder, mail and all the marketing – consisting of mutton, cabbages, peas, lost. Also milk.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice Over: \u003c/strong>July 14, 1882 – Mr. Page left for San Quentin. Capsized off the buoy at 12:15 p.m. … \u003cem>The Reform\u003c/em> picked him up ¼ mile NNE of light house. Oars, rudder, mail and all the marketing – consisting of mutton, cabbages, peas, lost. Also milk.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music end\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Over the decades, technological improvements came regularly to East Brother Light Station … most often to the fuel source used to power the light.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music end\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Over the decades, technological improvements came regularly to East Brother Light Station … most often to the fuel source used to power the light.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>The originals used lard oil lamps, and then they switched to mineral oil, and then they used kerosene.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>The originals used lard oil lamps, and then they switched to mineral oil, and then they used kerosene.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>One big change came in 1934 when the lens was electrified – via an underwater cable that connected the island to shore. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>One big change came in 1934 when the lens was electrified – via an underwater cable that connected the island to shore. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A light keeper was no longer needed to keep a flame burning all night – greatly reducing their daily chore load – and probably greatly improving their quality of life. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A light keeper was no longer needed to keep a flame burning all night – greatly reducing their daily chore load – and probably greatly improving their quality of life. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But it was also the first step toward automation – and eliminating the need for lighthouse keepers altogether.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But it was also the first step toward automation – and eliminating the need for lighthouse keepers altogether.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eventually that came, of course, in 1969. To save on salaries, the U.S. Coast Guard automated everything and pulled the last resident keeper from the island. They planned to demolish the light station, and all the buildings on the island, and put the light on a steel tower.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Eventually that came, of course, in 1969. To save on salaries, the U.S. Coast Guard automated everything and pulled the last resident keeper from the island. They planned to demolish the light station, and all the buildings on the island, and put the light on a steel tower.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music end\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music end\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But locals living nearby in Point Richmond had other plans. They had grown attached to the charming lighthouse out in the bay, and vowed to save it.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But locals living nearby in Point Richmond had other plans. They had grown attached to the charming lighthouse out in the bay, and vowed to save it.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>One of the first things they did was write a national register nomination for it, which was successful.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Tom Butt is the president of East Brother Light Station Inc., the nonprofit that operates the bed and breakfast. He’s also the former mayor of Richmond.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>One of the first things they did was write a national register nomination for it, which was successful.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Tom Butt is the president of East Brother Light Station Inc., the nonprofit that operates the bed and breakfast. He’s also the former mayor of Richmond.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>East Brother Light Station made it onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>East Brother Light Station made it onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt:\u003c/strong> That didn’t save it, but it made it harder for the Coast Guard to tear it down.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt:\u003c/strong> That didn’t save it, but it made it harder for the Coast Guard to tear it down.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The local group then tried to find a local organization to take on restoring the site — by that point it was more than a decade behind on maintenance and needed serious work. They focused on groups like the National Parks Service and East Bay Regional Park District. But no one bit.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The local group then tried to find a local organization to take on restoring the site — by that point it was more than a decade behind on maintenance and needed serious work. They focused on groups like the National Parks Service and East Bay Regional Park District. But no one bit.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt:\u003c/strong> I think everybody looked at it, and they just it was it it it was just too much.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt:\u003c/strong> I think everybody looked at it, and they just it was it it it was just too much.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Tom went out to the island in 1978.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Tom went out to the island in 1978.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>Looking back now, I was a lot younger and not near as smart as I am now, and I was intrigued by it and said, you know, we can do this.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>Looking back now, I was a lot younger and not near as smart as I am now, and I was intrigued by it and said, you know, we can do this.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>He and others formed a nonprofit and started leasing the site from the Coast Guard. They spent a year rehabbing everything, mostly with volunteer work.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>He and others formed a nonprofit and started leasing the site from the Coast Guard. They spent a year rehabbing everything, mostly with volunteer work.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>New concrete around the cistern.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>New concrete around the cistern.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt:\u003c/strong> We had to do electrical work, we had to do plumbing.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt:\u003c/strong> We had to do electrical work, we had to do plumbing.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>All the ornamental railings had been taken off, so they made new ones using the original plans they found in the National Archives.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>Repainted everything on the inside. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>All the ornamental railings had been taken off, so they made new ones using the original plans they found in the National Archives.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>Repainted everything on the inside. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There was asbestos to remove.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There was asbestos to remove.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>It was a lot of work. And you know … it took a year, but we got it done. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>It was a lot of work. And you know … it took a year, but we got it done. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>When the work was complete around 1980, the nonprofit began running the site as a bed and breakfast to provide a stream of revenue to keep up on the maintenance. And … well … because it’s fun!\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>When the work was complete around 1980, the nonprofit began running the site as a bed and breakfast to provide a stream of revenue to keep up on the maintenance. And … well … because it’s fun!\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the beginning of the stay, guests get a boat ride out with innkeepers Danielle and Rae, just like we did at the beginning of the story. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>At the beginning of the stay, guests get a boat ride out with innkeepers Danielle and Rae, just like we did at the beginning of the story. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>We do charcuterie and champagne…\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>We do charcuterie and champagne…\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>A history tour with Rae.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>A history tour with Rae.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>And then dinner is a four-course dinner with wine.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>And then dinner is a four-course dinner with wine.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>A fantastic sunset, if the weather cooperates…\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>A fantastic sunset, if the weather cooperates…\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>And then in the morning it’s a full breakfast.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>And then in the morning it’s a full breakfast.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Just before heading back to shore, guests get a special demonstration that we also get to see on our tour…\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Just before heading back to shore, guests get a special demonstration that we also get to see on our tour…\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>So the gasoline starter engine here is what actually starts the diesel … And this one starts with a ripped cord. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>So the gasoline starter engine here is what actually starts the diesel … And this one starts with a ripped cord. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>In the fog signal building, Rae shows us the multistep process it takes to blow the foghorn like they did in the 1930s. The small room is packed with old mechanical equipment, some more than 100 years old. It smells like… old military? Is that a smell?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>In the fog signal building, Rae shows us the multistep process it takes to blow the foghorn like they did in the 1930s. The small room is packed with old mechanical equipment, some more than 100 years old. It smells like… old military? Is that a smell?\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There’s a couple diesel engines, a few air compressors … and they’re all kept running today as a museum piece … because the diaphonic horn is one of only eight like it still functioning in the world.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>There’s a couple diesel engines, a few air compressors … and they’re all kept running today as a museum piece … because the diaphonic horn is one of only eight like it still functioning in the world.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>The horn sounds cool in here, but it’s really cool out there.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>The horn sounds cool in here, but it’s really cool out there.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>After 12 minutes of warming up, we head outside for the grand finale of our tour.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>After 12 minutes of warming up, we head outside for the grand finale of our tour.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Foghorn blows loudly\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Foghorn blows loudly\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price in scene: \u003c/strong>You jumped.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price in scene: \u003c/strong>You jumped.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz in scene: \u003c/strong>Well I didn’t know it was coming. I know you’re kinda counting 15, but you’re like…\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz in scene: \u003c/strong>Well I didn’t know it was coming. I know you’re kinda counting 15, but you’re like…\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Despite being ready, it still startled us all. Absolutely thrilling. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Despite being ready, it still startled us all. Absolutely thrilling. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I checked in with our question asker Kathleen, to see what she made of our tour today…\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor: \u003c/strong>I think that a lot of times we see us in something we see something that interests us and we do a quick Google search and we think that we’ve kind of learned all we there is to know, but it isn’t until you actually take that boat ride, get out on the island to realize that it is just such a unique experience and really such a hidden secret in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>I checked in with our question asker Kathleen, to see what she made of our tour today…\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor: \u003c/strong>I think that a lot of times we see us in something we see something that interests us and we do a quick Google search and we think that we’ve kind of learned all we there is to know, but it isn’t until you actually take that boat ride, get out on the island to realize that it is just such a unique experience and really such a hidden secret in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>East Brother Light Station is such a special place. An improbable compromise carved into stone. A beacon of safety. The sound of warning. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>East Brother Light Station is such a special place. An improbable compromise carved into stone. A beacon of safety. The sound of warning. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For decades, keepers traded modern comfort for cold, salt air. They measured their lives in lonely night shifts spent tending a 2-inch flame.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Today this light station offers something softer – a chance to step off the boat, leave the modern world behind and sleep inside a piece of living history.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For decades, keepers traded modern comfort for cold, salt air. They measured their lives in lonely night shifts spent tending a 2-inch flame.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Today this light station offers something softer – a chance to step off the boat, leave the modern world behind and sleep inside a piece of living history.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We hinted at it in this story, but the pier platform where boats dock at East Brother is in need of repair. The nonprofit is working to raise $750,000 to replace it, along with the gangway. Access to the island could be threatened if it’s not repaired. We’ll link to their fundraising page in the show notes.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>We hinted at it in this story, but the pier platform where boats dock at East Brother is in need of repair. The nonprofit is working to raise $750,000 to replace it, along with the gangway. Access to the island could be threatened if it’s not repaired. We’ll link to their fundraising page in the show notes.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Big thanks to historian and author Frank Perry, whose book about East Brother Light Station provided much of the historical information in this episode. And to Kathleen Taylor, our question asker.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Big thanks to historian and author Frank Perry, whose book about East Brother Light Station provided much of the historical information in this episode. And to Kathleen Taylor, our question asker.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We just launched a new voting round at \u003ca href=\"http://baycurious.org\">BayCurious.org\u003c/a>, so that means we need your help picking a question to answer in an upcoming episode. Here are your options!\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>We just launched a new voting round at \u003ca href=\"http://baycurious.org\">BayCurious.org\u003c/a>, so that means we need your help picking a question to answer in an upcoming episode. Here are your options!\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Question 1:\u003c/strong> Why does this area have so many community colleges and won’t demographics result in fewer students and some needing to eventually close? How does the ratio of colleges to population compare with other states?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Question 1:\u003c/strong> Why does this area have so many community colleges and won’t demographics result in fewer students and some needing to eventually close? How does the ratio of colleges to population compare with other states?\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Question 2:\u003c/strong> Why did rogue botanists plant Venus flytraps in the Albion Pygmy Forest in Mendocino in the 1960s?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Question 2:\u003c/strong> Why did rogue botanists plant Venus flytraps in the Albion Pygmy Forest in Mendocino in the 1960s?\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Question 3: \u003c/strong>I would love to hear about Sally Stanford, the renowned madam turned mayor. I recall my parents having many colorful conversations about her and her “Damn Bird” when we were living in Sausalito.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Question 3: \u003c/strong>I would love to hear about Sally Stanford, the renowned madam turned mayor. I recall my parents having many colorful conversations about her and her “Damn Bird” when we were living in Sausalito.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Vote anytime this month at \u003ca href=\"http://baycurious.org\">BayCurious.org\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Vote anytime this month at \u003ca href=\"http://baycurious.org\">BayCurious.org\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor: \u003c/strong>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor: \u003c/strong>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We get extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>We get extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a wonderful week!\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a wonderful week!\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "East Brother Light Station is a gold-rush era relic that was almost torn down. Spending the night there can feel like time traveling.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1788470682,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": true,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 199,
"wordCount": 6861
},
"headData": {
"title": "A Trip to the Remote Island Lighthouse in the Middle of San Francisco Bay | KQED",
"description": "East Brother Light Station is a gold-rush era relic that was almost torn down. Spending the night there can feel like time traveling.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "A Trip to the Remote Island Lighthouse in the Middle of San Francisco Bay",
"datePublished": "2026-09-03T11:43:59-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-09-03T14:24:42-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 33520,
"slug": "podcast",
"name": "Podcast"
},
"source": "Bay Curious",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/baycurious",
"audioUrl": "https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC2726728848.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12097809",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12097809/a-trip-to-the-remote-island-lighthouse-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco-bay",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A few years ago, a friend sent me the link for a job listing that seemed like an absolute dream. The opening was for a resident innkeeper at a bed and breakfast on an island in the middle of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-bay\">San Francisco Bay\u003c/a>. Even better, the B&B was housed in a 152-year-old working Victorian lighthouse! \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>From my cramped desk, I fantasized about a simpler life, spent outside in one of the most gorgeous settings I could imagine. And living rent-free while earning a salary! But reality came crashing down when I read the job required a boat operator’s license and high-quality culinary experience — both of which I lacked. Alas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the fantasy of East Brother Light Station stayed with me. So I was delighted when a Bay Curious listener named Kathleen Taylor wrote in, looking to learn more about the place. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066562\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-15-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The inn at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“We were taking the ferry from Vallejo to a Giants game and passed by what looked like a small island with an East Coast-style lighthouse on it,” she recalled. It captured her imagination, too, and she got to wondering: “What’s the history? Did somebody live on that island previously? Just how far back do we have documentation of what went on on that island?”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>So we headed to the island together to get some answers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jump straight to:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#history-east-brother\">History of East Brother Light Station \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#early-lightkeepers\">What life was like for early lighthouse keepers\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#bed-and-breakfast\">How it was converted to a bed and breakfast\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#visiting-today\">Visiting East Brother Light Station today\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"history-east-brother\">History of East Brother Light Station\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the decades after gold was first found in California in 1848, mining activity in the Sierra ramped up. Getting supplies from San Francisco up into the mountains often meant floating things up the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. To get there, boats had to skirt around Point San Pablo, the thumb sticking out from Richmond, California. This part of the bay can be especially tough for mariners.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The topography under the water is pretty interesting,” said Rae Colvin, one of the resident innkeepers at East Brother Light Station. “There’s a 160-foot-deep chasm right off the island. But most of the [water] off to the side averages about 15 feet deep.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ships passing through this channel were constantly at risk of running aground even in good weather. Add in some dense fog, and it’s pretty precarious. So in the early 1870s, it was decided a lighthouse and fog horn were needed. Initially, the Lighthouse Board hoped to put the light station on the mainland, but landowners fought back. They delayed things so profoundly that eventually an alternative site was chosen — East Brother Island. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066561\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-05-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inn keeper Danielle La Vigne pilots a boat from Point San Pablo Harbor to East Brother Light Station in Richmond, California, on Dec. 8, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>It was small, less than an acre in size, but it was land the U.S. government already owned. Construction began in 1873.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The exterior of the light station features gingerbread trim, scrollwork and a generous second-floor porch. Not the standard-issue government building we’ve come to expect today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The six-room Victorian light station was intended to house three lightkeepers, and two of them could have families. Downstairs was a bedroom and parlor for the principal keeper. Upstairs was a smaller bedroom and parlor for the assistant keeper. There was also a third bedroom for the most junior keeper. Things were cozy, to say the least.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Stacked on top of the living quarters was also the tower that housed the light. When the light station began operating on March 1, 1874, the light’s flame was powered by lard oil and featured a fourth-order \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresnel_lens\">Fresnel lens\u003c/a>. The lens rotated on a clockwork mechanism. On a clear night, this beam, which appeared to flash every 30 seconds because of the design of the lens, could be seen from about 15 miles away. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"early-lightkeepers\">What life was like for early lightkeepers\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Despite the romantic portrayal of lighthouse keeping in novels, poems and art, the job was monotonous, and the Lighthouse Board knew it. Pay was modest and much of the work boring,” Frank Perry wrote in his book, \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/East-Brother-History-Island-Station/dp/0578211750\">\u003cem>East Brother: History of an Island Light Station\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Much of what we know about life on the island comes from Perry’s book, which was compiled using primary sources.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1874, the primary keeper earned $800 a year — the equivalent to about a $24,000 salary today. The assistants earned even less. Their primary responsibility was keeping the light running from sunset to sunrise every night and keeping the fog signal sounding during inclement weather.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The nightly routine would begin at sunset. Lightkeepers would fill the lamp with lard oil, light the wick, and slowly bring the flame up to the optimal size of about 1 and 13/16 inches. If they did this too quickly, the glass chimney inside the rotating Fresnel lens could crack from the change in temperature. That alone was a 30-minute job. Then the keepers had to sit in the watch room all night, tending to the needs of the light.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066570\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-69-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historic photos hang on the wall at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. One lighthouse keeper, John Stenmark, brought his wife and children to live on the island. They had many friends in the community and would host large gatherings on the island. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“Because of the timing on that clockwork mechanism and how quickly the wicks would burn down, you gotta check it every half hour,” said Danielle La Vigne, one of the resident innkeepers at East Brother Light Station. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The innkeepers also had to wipe the glass panes of the lantern room with dry towels to keep moisture away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On foggy nights, the keepers’ jobs were doubly hard. They had to run the fog signal, too, which sits in another building on the island.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The whistle was sometimes more important in aiding mariners than the light,” wrote Perry. “In dense fog or heavy rain, East Brother’s powerful light was virtually useless. The 10-inch whistle, on the other hand, could often be heard from 10 or 12 miles away.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It took about 45 minutes to build up enough steam in the boiler for the fog whistle to work. So in the meantime, one of the keepers went outside and struck a large bell every 15 seconds until the whistle could be sounded. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Beyond the core responsibilities, keepers kept up with a long list of chores: cooking, cleaning, maintenance and repairs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12066564\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066564\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The foghorn machinery at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The 19th-century lighthouse complex includes a restored fog signal that once warned ships navigating San Pablo Bay. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12066563\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-17-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066563\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-17-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-17-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-17-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The foghorn machinery at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When they needed food to supplement the dry rations that got delivered once a year or so, they had to leave the island for the nearest town. At the time, that was San Quentin, about 2 1/2 miles away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have a 200 horsepower motorboat to get back and forth to our little harbor,” said La Vigne. “They had to row.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A daily log was kept by the primary keeper, accounting for the day’s weather and work. Most entries are not more than a sentence, but they do give us a glimpse at the day-to-day life on East Brother. A string of entries in 1882 mention an assistant keeper named Mr. Page, who was a bit of a screw-up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cblockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 14, 1882 – Wind S.W., strong. Mr. Page left for San Quentin A.M., capsized off the buoy near the West Brother at 12:15 p.m. Capt. Windsor hailed the Steamer Reform passing up at the time and sent her to his relief. The Reform picked him up ¼ of a mile N.N.E. of the Light House and landed him and the boat at the dock at 1:15 p.m. Oars, rudder, mail and all the marketing – consisting of mutton, cabbages, peas, etc., etc., lost, also milk and can.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>\u003cbr>Dec. 14, 1882 – Wind N.E. Foggy from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. Mr. Page went to San Quentin for mail, returned as usual, drunk.\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Feb. 8 1883 – Wind N.E. Light, clear. Mr. Page went for mail and stores, drunk, no mail.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Feb. 10, 1883, a new assistant, Mr. Tippett, is mentioned, and Mr. Page is never spoken of again. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Stenmark era\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though some keepers were men living on their own, passing through East Brother for only a few years, families lived here, too. John Stenmark moved here in 1894 with his wife and 3-month-old daughter, Annie, and they stayed for 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They set up a vegetable garden and raised pigs, goats, rabbits and chickens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Prior to the birth of each of his two sons [Mr. Stenmark] rowed all the way to San Quentin and back to fetch the doctor,” wrote Perry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When the kids grew older, the government paid for a teacher to live on the island for a time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On April 18, 1906, Stenmark wrote about one of the most infamous days in local history in the logbook.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cblockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A heavy earthquake this morning at 5:15 a.m. Lenses of the light broken and glassware broke, and everything of glass broke. \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Doors open of themselves and the whole island rocking. All the lenses broke.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the next two days, the Stenmarks watched from their quiet island as the fire that followed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068602/san-franciscos-historic-relief-cottages-built-after-the-1906-earthquake-are-hidden-in-plain-sight\">earthquake consumed San Francisco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The end of lighthouse keepers\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the decades, technological improvements came regularly to East Brother Light Station, most often to the fuel source used to power the light.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“The original used lard oil lamps, and then they switched to mineral oil, and then they used kerosene,” Colvin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066565\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-40-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view from the inn at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One big change came in 1934 when electricity arrived on the island via an underwater cable that connected it to shore. A lightkeeper was no longer needed to keep a flame burning all night — greatly reducing their daily chore load. The steam-powered fog signal was replaced with a diaphonic horn that can still be operated today and is one of only eight like it in the world. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To save on salaries, the U.S. Coast Guard automated everything and pulled the last resident personnel from the island in 1969. They planned to demolish all the buildings and put the light on a steel tower. But residents living in Point Richmond had other plans. They had grown attached to the charming lighthouse off their shoreline and were ready to fight for it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bed-and-breakfast\">How it was converted to a bed and breakfast\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“One of the first things [local residents] did was write a National Register nomination for it, which was successful,” said Tom Butt, founder and president of East Brother Light Station Inc., the nonprofit that operates the bed and breakfast. He’s also the former mayor of Richmond and a longtime city council member. “That didn’t save it, but it made it harder for the Coast Guard to tear it down because it invoked the Historic Preservation Act of 1966.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The group then tried to find a local organization to take on rehabilitating the site, because by that point it was more than a decade behind on maintenance and needed serious work. They focused on organizations like the National Park Service and East Bay Regional Park District, but no one was interested.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think everybody looked at it and [thought] it was just too much,” said Butt. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He went to the island in 1978. “Looking back now,” he said, “I was a lot younger and not near as smart as I am now, and I was intrigued by it and said, ‘you know, we can do this.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066569\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-68-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Marin Room, which faces Mount Tamalpais, at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12066567\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-54-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066567\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-54-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-54-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-54-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A lighthouse shower curtain hangs in a bathroom at the inn on East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12066571\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-76-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066571\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-76-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-76-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-76-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A room at East Brother Light Station, an island just off the Richmond shoreline, on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat. The inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He and others formed a nonprofit and started leasing the site from the Coast Guard. They spent a year rehabilitating everything, mostly with volunteer work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“All the buildings at that point were covered with asbestos shingles,” Butt said. “All of the ornamental railings had long since been taken off. We were lucky we had original plans from the National Archives, so we were able to replicate all that trim and put that back on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Volunteers did electrical work, plumbing, plastering and painting. It was a ton of work, but they managed to get it all done in about a year. The nonprofit began running the site as a bed and breakfast in 1980 to provide a stream of revenue to keep up with the maintenance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though most of the operational costs and maintenance for the B&B are now covered by the nightly fee guests pay, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-east-brother-lighthouse-replace-the-pier?cp_src=d\">a major fundraising effort\u003c/a> is underway to replace the dock and gangway on the east side of the island. It must be replaced, or access to the island could be threatened. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"visiting-today\">Visiting East Brother Light Station today\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The nonprofit B&B is open four nights a week for overnight guests, and it’s recommended you \u003ca href=\"https://ebls.org/?_gl=1%2A1oq51ai%2A_ga%2AMjkzMDI3NzY5LjE3ODYxMzI2MjI.%2A_ga_J5B5MW125P%2AczE3ODc4NzI0MjUkbzckZzEkdDE3ODc4NzI0NDMkajQyJGwwJGgw\">book one of the five rooms well in advance\u003c/a>. Rates range from $525 to $575 per night. During summer months, there is once-monthly day-use access for $45, which includes the boat ride to and from the island.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the beginning of the overnight stays, guests are taken by boat from Point San Pablo Marina by innkeepers Colvin and La Vigne. Once on the island, hors d’oeuvre and champagne are served, Colvin gives a history talk, and then comes a four-course dinner with wine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We try to focus as much as we can on keeping things local,” La Vigne said. “We collaborate with the little goat farm that’s in the harbor, and we tend to plan the meals around what is being harvested now, what’s in season.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066568\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-EASTBROTHER-64-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Innkeepers Rachel (Rae) Colvin (left) and Danielle La Vigne at East Brother Light Station in Richmond on Dec. 8, 2025. The historic lighthouse sits on a small, rocky outcrop in San Pablo Bay and is accessible only by boat, and the inn provides overnight stays in the restored 19th-century keeper’s quarters. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>They also try to make meals part of the historical experience, using ingredients the keepers would have received as part of their rations — like potatoes, rice and salted pork.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have recipes from the Lighthouse Keeper’s Manual from 1891 that had recipes for how to stretch your rations. Last night we served for the first course a corn chowder that is from that original Lighthouse Keeper’s handbook,” La Vigne said. “Although their recipe was incredibly bland, and I spruced it up a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, historically inspired … but for a modern palate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Guests sleep in rooms neatly decorated with antiques. Most rooms are named after the view you see from the room, so there’s West Brother (the neighboring island), Marin Room, San Francisco Room. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A more modest room is out in the fog signal building — a popular choice for returning guests looking for a different experience, Colvin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most of the clientele are couples looking for a romantic getaway, but the house is also regularly rented out entirely by groups for birthdays, anniversaries or themed experiences.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We had two murder mystery dinner parties in the past month,” La Vigne said. “Both parties dressed up. They were in character the whole time. It was 1920 the whole time they were here.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the morning, before guests depart, they offer a demonstration of the fog signal — I can attest, it’s loud!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "baycuriousquestion",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode transcript\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I’m Olivia Allen-Price. This is Bay Curious.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cem>sound design of the sea: waves, gulls\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There’s something dreamy about lighthouses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Their striking architecture, rising high above our human scale.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Their symbolism. A literal light in the darkness.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In me, lighthouses stir something nostalgic. A time before GPS and radar — when navigation was done with charts and stars.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Today, many lighthouses across the United States have become tourism attractions, like Cape Hatteras in North Carolina and the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But there’s a lighthouse near San Francisco that offers an experience like none other. Not just a quick trip to the top, but an opportunity to live like a lighthouse keeper of yore!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>East Brother Light Station looks like it could have been plucked from a child’s storybook. It’s a charming three-story wooden house, painted a creamy yellow with white gingerbread trim. At the top, stands a tower, where the brilliant light beckons through the fog.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kathleen got to wondering a lot of things about this lighthouse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor: \u003c/strong>What’s the history? Did somebody live on that island previously? Just how far back do we have documentation of, you know, what went on on that Island?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>So today we’re on a mission for answers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Step one! We have to get to the lighthouse. At a marina north of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Kathleen and I make our way toward a small boat.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There we meet Danielle La Vigne and Rae Colvin — the two keepers currently living on the island.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> Oh, you guys can hop on board. Our insurance company does ask that you wear those.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Life vests are on, and we are off. Danielle and Rae have been living at the East Brother Light Station for about a year and half. But the helm of a boat is a familiar place for them.\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price in scene:\u003c/strong> Did you know how to drive a boat, or is this a recent skill you’ve had to acquire? ‘Cause you’ve, you guys have been on the job for…\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>I’ve been a commercial captain for almost 20 years. This is the smallest boat that I’ve ever operated professionally. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>As we’re making our way out of the marina, Rae spots a seal.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>A lot of seals live out by the island. … we have a bunch of birds and the harbor seals and sometimes a sea lion.\u003cem>\u003cs>\u003cbr>\u003c/s>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Danielle and Rae are the only two full-time \u003cem>human\u003c/em> residents of East Brother Light Station. But they’re far from alone out there. Because keeping the light running is not their main focus. Instead it’s catering to the weekly overnight guests who join them at the Light Station. Because these days East Brother is a one-of-a-kind bed and breakfast. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price in scene: \u003c/strong>Oh, we just snuck around the bend, and I am seeing the light station probably 400 feet away or so.\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>I can’t see it from up on the water, but down beneath our boat lies the answer to one of Kathleen’s questions. Why is this lighthouse \u003cem>here\u003c/em>, some 15 miles from the open ocean?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music begins\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>In the decades after gold was first found in California in 1848, mining activity in the Sierra really ramped up. Getting supplies from San Francisco up into the mountains often meant taking a boat — floating things up the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ships had to skirt around Point San Pablo — where our little boat just departed from. Rae Colvin explains.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>And they put a lighthouse out here because the topography under the water is pretty interesting. There’s a 160-foot-deep chasm right off the island. But most of the open ocean off to the side that you can see averages out to about 15 feet deep. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Ships passing through this channel were constantly at risk of running aground even in good weather. Add in some dense fog and it’s pretty precarious.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So in the early 1870s, it was decided a lighthouse and foghorn were needed. Initially, they hoped to put the light station on the mainland, but quickly ran into issues…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>The people who owned the land on the East Bay there didn’t want to sell to the government to let them build a lighthouse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>After years of trying and failing to get the landowners to relent, the government changed course. Just offshore was \u003cem>East Brother Island\u003c/em> — a speck of land really, smaller than an acre — but it was enough. And better yet, it was land the U.S. government already owned. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Workers blasted sandstone from the top of the island to create a level plot. A foundation went in, walls went up, and in less than a year the six-room Victorian light station was complete. The design is quite striking…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>There’s a lot of ornamental woodwork on it, and it’s three stories.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> But it’s not exactly unique. Lighthouses with a similar design were built all over the West Coast. This is the oldest one still standing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music ends\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Fade up on sound of boat slowing down and approaching dock. Ambi of arriving sounds.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The wind picks up as our little boat approaches the island and sidles up to the dock. Once we’re off, Danielle and Rae work to get the boat lifted out of the water.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>If we left it in the water, it would just get thrashed against the dock all day long, and this dock already needs help so.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>This one’s been here since I think the 1960s, and, you know, it’s seen better days.\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The dock may need work, but as we make our way up some stairs and onto the property, a tidy semicircle of three buildings emerges. The main light station to the west, a small cottage to the north, and a fog signal building to the east. All fit on about three-quarters of an acre. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The buildings surround a low white dome covering something beneath the pavement. Danielle explains…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>We need to collect rainwater to survive out here, this whole courtyard is set up to direct all of the rain flow down into the cistern.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Across the courtyard we head into the main house, where today most of the overnight bed-and-breakfast guests stay.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>So of course we have to do the shameless product placement. As you enter the house, the first room you see is the gift shop.\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>OK, so, the gift shop is not original to the light station, but the mugs they sell are popular with B&B guests. Couples often come out for romantic getaways. Kathleen and I learn learn groups stay here for birding weekends or murder-mystery parties.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor:\u003c/strong> How often do you get groups that rent the whole island? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> Two, yeah, two to three times a month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The house has seen some changes over its 152-year life, but it’s not hard to imagine what it once was. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most often three lighthouse keepers, and sometimes their families, shared the home. There’d be a primary keeper, aka the boss, living downstairs. And then the first assistant upstairs, along with a junior keeper, someone just learning the ropes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They all lived, ate and slept beneath the tower that housed the light. Staying close because it needed constant attention. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> This is the parlor, which is the comfy hangout spot for the guests. Originally this would have been the junior keeper’s parlor. And the bedroom right over here, the Marin room, would have been the junior keeper’s bedroom. So it was kind of like a little apartment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Today, B&B guests stay in bedrooms with cozy beds, decorated with beautiful antiques. Historical maps and pictures of boats hang on the walls. And each room gets a name, based on what is visible outside the window.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> So this is the San Francisco room, and it’s my personal favorite room. \u003cs>I\u003c/s>t has an arched ceiling, and it looks out to San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>We make our way to the main attraction: the tower … which is made up of three tiny rooms stacked on top of each other. We start at the base.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>So this is kind of the prep room where they’d get everything ready, but every half hour they had to go up there and trim the wick and refill the oil.\u003cem>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Next we head up to the Watch room.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> It’s a tightly winding staircase like you would expect in a Victorian mansion.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>We’re now 40 feet up. So you’ve got a pretty good view. If it’s stormy out, if it seems like it’s there’s a danger of a ship not seeing the light or whatever, that’s where you’re watching from so that you can signal those people if you need to.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Finally, we head to the pinnacle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> Up here is more winding stairs up into the actual lighthouse. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I will say, the view from this room is spectacular. The light itself, a little bit of a letdown. Today a 4 inch LED sits in the space.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin:\u003c/strong> So the original light, it was a Fresnel lens with a little lantern torch in the middle. And originally that torch on this station was powered by lard oil.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>A fourth-order Fresnel lens! Imagine a magnificent orb of glass, made up of neat rows of prisms, standing several feet tall. They were designed to concentrate the light of a single flame so intensely it could be seen for about 15 miles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On March 1, 1874, as sunset approached, three lighthouse keepers climbed up into this very tower, and lit the oil lamp for the very first time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The lighthouse has been operating, in some fashion or another, ever since.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cem>[Music moment]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>When we return, we explore what life was like living and working at East Brother. And it might not be like you expect! Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor messages\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>If you enjoy stories like this one, consider becoming a financial supporter of KQED. Learn more at donate.kqed.org/podcasts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music begins\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>It’s easy to get enamored by the apparent simplicity of life on an island in the middle of the Bay. I know I imagine myself reading in a hammock. Our question asker, Kathleen, loves that cell reception out on East Brother is limited.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor:\u003c/strong> It is great to decompress and turn your phone off, and we don’t have a lot of opportunities to do that.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> And sure, that is the experience you will get here today as a guest at the B&B. But working here is hard, as Danielle can attest.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne: \u003c/strong>The work is never-ending. Because it’s just the two of us … So we’re the phones and the emails and the booking. There’s some degree of maintenance work that is pretty much always happening. The house needs to be deep cleaned every week between guests.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Working here has always been hard. Historian Frank Perry makes clear that his book, \u003cem>East Brother: History of an Island Light Station.\u003c/em> Here’s an excerpt…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>BOOK VO: \u003c/strong>Despite the romantic portrayal of lighthouse keeping in novels, poems and art, the job was monotonous, and the Lighthouse Board knew it. Pay was modest and much of the work boring. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The nightly routine would begin at sunset. Innkeepers would fill the lamp with lard oil, light the wick, and bring the flame slowly up to the optimal size, just shy of 2 inches. If they did this too quickly, the glass chimney inside the rotating Fresnel lens could crack from the change in temperature. That alone was a 30-minute job. Then the keepers had to sit in the watch room all night, tending to its various needs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle \u003cstrong>La Vigne\u003c/strong>: \u003c/strong>And because of the timing on that clockwork mechanism and how quickly the wicks would burn down, you gotta check it every half hour.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>On a clear night, the tiny flame, refracted through that powerful lens, could be seen from parts of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On a foggy night, things got more complicated. Keepers had to run the fog signal across the courtyard too. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Book VO: \u003c/strong>The whistle was sometimes more important in aiding mariners than the light. In dense fog or heavy rain, East Brother’s powerful light was virtually useless. The 10-inch whistle, on the other hand, could often be heard from 10 or 12 miles away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>It took about 45 minutes to build up enough steam in the boiler for the fog whistle to work. So in the meantime, one of the keepers went outside and struck a large bell until the whistle could be sounded. Danielle gave us a demonstration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Danielle whacking the bell\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>What a job.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bell ambi\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Book VO: \u003c/strong>Since the whistle might be put in operation night or day, off-duty keepers had to learn to sleep in spite of the noise. Some keepers apparently got quite good at this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Keepers were also quite busy with chores. Cooking, cleaning, maintenance, repairs. When they needed food to supplement the rations that got delivered once a year or so, they had to leave the island for the nearest town, which at the time was San Quentin.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> So in order to get anything, they had to go to San Quentin. And I have a 200 horsepower motorboat to get back and forth to our little harbor. They had to row.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor:\u003c/strong> So how far would the trip have been from here to San Quentin? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle La Vigne:\u003c/strong> Two and a half miles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Light Keepers also kept daily logbooks with short entries about the day’s work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice Over: \u003c/strong>Feb. 14 1883 – Wind S.W. Squally, strong. Employed all day cleaning engine room and lens in lantern.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>…but sometimes you get a glimpse of more. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music start\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>There was an assistant keeper who got put down in the logbook as a drunken screw-up. He’s one of my favorites.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Joseph Page was his name. And let’s just say the head keeper at the time was not a fan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice Over: \u003c/strong>Dec. 14, 1882 – Mr. Page went to San Quentin for mail, returned as usual, drunk.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Voice Over: \u003c/strong>July 14, 1882 – Mr. Page left for San Quentin. Capsized off the buoy at 12:15 p.m. … \u003cem>The Reform\u003c/em> picked him up ¼ mile NNE of light house. Oars, rudder, mail and all the marketing – consisting of mutton, cabbages, peas, lost. Also milk.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music end\u003cbr>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Over the decades, technological improvements came regularly to East Brother Light Station … most often to the fuel source used to power the light.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>The originals used lard oil lamps, and then they switched to mineral oil, and then they used kerosene.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>One big change came in 1934 when the lens was electrified – via an underwater cable that connected the island to shore. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A light keeper was no longer needed to keep a flame burning all night – greatly reducing their daily chore load – and probably greatly improving their quality of life. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But it was also the first step toward automation – and eliminating the need for lighthouse keepers altogether.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eventually that came, of course, in 1969. To save on salaries, the U.S. Coast Guard automated everything and pulled the last resident keeper from the island. They planned to demolish the light station, and all the buildings on the island, and put the light on a steel tower.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music end\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But locals living nearby in Point Richmond had other plans. They had grown attached to the charming lighthouse out in the bay, and vowed to save it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>One of the first things they did was write a national register nomination for it, which was successful.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Tom Butt is the president of East Brother Light Station Inc., the nonprofit that operates the bed and breakfast. He’s also the former mayor of Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>East Brother Light Station made it onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt:\u003c/strong> That didn’t save it, but it made it harder for the Coast Guard to tear it down.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The local group then tried to find a local organization to take on restoring the site — by that point it was more than a decade behind on maintenance and needed serious work. They focused on groups like the National Parks Service and East Bay Regional Park District. But no one bit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt:\u003c/strong> I think everybody looked at it, and they just it was it it it was just too much.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Tom went out to the island in 1978.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>Looking back now, I was a lot younger and not near as smart as I am now, and I was intrigued by it and said, you know, we can do this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>He and others formed a nonprofit and started leasing the site from the Coast Guard. They spent a year rehabbing everything, mostly with volunteer work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>New concrete around the cistern.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt:\u003c/strong> We had to do electrical work, we had to do plumbing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>All the ornamental railings had been taken off, so they made new ones using the original plans they found in the National Archives.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>Repainted everything on the inside. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There was asbestos to remove.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tom Butt: \u003c/strong>It was a lot of work. And you know … it took a year, but we got it done. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>When the work was complete around 1980, the nonprofit began running the site as a bed and breakfast to provide a stream of revenue to keep up on the maintenance. And … well … because it’s fun!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the beginning of the stay, guests get a boat ride out with innkeepers Danielle and Rae, just like we did at the beginning of the story. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>We do charcuterie and champagne…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>A history tour with Rae.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>And then dinner is a four-course dinner with wine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>A fantastic sunset, if the weather cooperates…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>And then in the morning it’s a full breakfast.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Just before heading back to shore, guests get a special demonstration that we also get to see on our tour…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>So the gasoline starter engine here is what actually starts the diesel … And this one starts with a ripped cord. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>In the fog signal building, Rae shows us the multistep process it takes to blow the foghorn like they did in the 1930s. The small room is packed with old mechanical equipment, some more than 100 years old. It smells like… old military? Is that a smell?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s a couple diesel engines, a few air compressors … and they’re all kept running today as a museum piece … because the diaphonic horn is one of only eight like it still functioning in the world.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rae Colvin: \u003c/strong>The horn sounds cool in here, but it’s really cool out there.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>After 12 minutes of warming up, we head outside for the grand finale of our tour.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Foghorn blows loudly\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price in scene: \u003c/strong>You jumped.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz in scene: \u003c/strong>Well I didn’t know it was coming. I know you’re kinda counting 15, but you’re like…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Despite being ready, it still startled us all. Absolutely thrilling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I checked in with our question asker Kathleen, to see what she made of our tour today…\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor: \u003c/strong>I think that a lot of times we see us in something we see something that interests us and we do a quick Google search and we think that we’ve kind of learned all we there is to know, but it isn’t until you actually take that boat ride, get out on the island to realize that it is just such a unique experience and really such a hidden secret in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>East Brother Light Station is such a special place. An improbable compromise carved into stone. A beacon of safety. The sound of warning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For decades, keepers traded modern comfort for cold, salt air. They measured their lives in lonely night shifts spent tending a 2-inch flame.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Today this light station offers something softer – a chance to step off the boat, leave the modern world behind and sleep inside a piece of living history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We hinted at it in this story, but the pier platform where boats dock at East Brother is in need of repair. The nonprofit is working to raise $750,000 to replace it, along with the gangway. Access to the island could be threatened if it’s not repaired. We’ll link to their fundraising page in the show notes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Big thanks to historian and author Frank Perry, whose book about East Brother Light Station provided much of the historical information in this episode. And to Kathleen Taylor, our question asker.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We just launched a new voting round at \u003ca href=\"http://baycurious.org\">BayCurious.org\u003c/a>, so that means we need your help picking a question to answer in an upcoming episode. Here are your options!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Question 1:\u003c/strong> Why does this area have so many community colleges and won’t demographics result in fewer students and some needing to eventually close? How does the ratio of colleges to population compare with other states?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Question 2:\u003c/strong> Why did rogue botanists plant Venus flytraps in the Albion Pygmy Forest in Mendocino in the 1960s?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Question 3: \u003c/strong>I would love to hear about Sally Stanford, the renowned madam turned mayor. I recall my parents having many colorful conversations about her and her “Damn Bird” when we were living in Sausalito.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Vote anytime this month at \u003ca href=\"http://baycurious.org\">BayCurious.org\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kathleen Taylor: \u003c/strong>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We get extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a wonderful week!\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
}
],
"link": "/news/12097809/a-trip-to-the-remote-island-lighthouse-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco-bay",
"authors": [
"102"
],
"programs": [
"news_33523",
"news_34552"
],
"series": [
"news_17986"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_8",
"news_33520"
],
"tags": [
"news_3631",
"news_18426",
"news_18352",
"news_27626",
"news_4352",
"news_579",
"news_1861",
"news_19990",
"news_35611"
],
"featImg": "news_12066573",
"label": "source_news_12097809"
},
"news_12097353": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12097353",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12097353",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1788203906000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "sheng-thao-trial-government-asks-judge-to-block-questions-about-key-informants-past",
"title": "Sheng Thao Trial: Government Asks Judge to Block Questions About Key Informant’s Past",
"publishDate": 1788203906,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Sheng Thao Trial: Government Asks Judge to Block Questions About Key Informant’s Past | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors gearing up for the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a> are asking a judge to bar defense attorneys from cross-examining their star witness about certain aspects of his checkered past, along with a shooting that took place in front of his home several days after he first spoke with federal investigators. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The long-awaited trial, scheduled to begin with jury selection on Oct. 13, is expected to feature testimony from that witness, Mario Juarez, an Oakland businessman and political operative who was a key informant in the FBI’s investigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Defense attorneys have argued that Juarez has a history of accusing others of wrongdoing when business relationships collapse, pointing to numerous lawsuits they say he has been a party to, including fraud cases involving former business partners. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thao, her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones and father-and-son recycling executives David and Andy Duong will also be on trial. The four were indicted last year on bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges in an alleged pay-to-play scheme. Andy Duong faces an additional charge related to lying to federal agents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081856\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong speaks with guests after the screening of The King of Trash on Jan. 10, 2026, at Regal Jack London in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors allege Thao agreed to use her power to extend the Duongs’ recycling contract, commit the city to purchase homes from a housing company co-owned by the Duongs and Juarez, and appoint city officials they selected to work in high-level staff positions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In exchange, the Duongs financed negative campaign mailers targeting Thao’s opponents in the 2022 mayoral election and paid Jones for a no-show job, prosecutors allege. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Juarez has pleaded guilty to participating in the alleged conspiracy and is expected to testify at trial about his interactions with the defendants as well as his experience as a co-founder of Evolutionary Homes, the housing company at the heart of the alleged conspiracy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Court records show the government is also asking the judge to prohibit defense attorneys from bringing up a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091317/oakland-councilmember-proposes-a-409000-severance-for-former-city-administrator\">text message scandal\u003c/a> that rocked Oakland earlier this year, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.thekingoftrash.us/\">documentary the Duongs released\u003c/a> last year about their origin story and arguments that the prosecution of the case is politically biased.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a motion filed in federal court on Thursday, government attorneys argued that defense lawyers should not be permitted to ask Juarez about “decades-old” lawsuits, including any actions related to his surrendered real estate license, as well as “unsubstantiated allegations of unrelated fraud, or prior arrests and criminal charges that did not result in convictions.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The filing mentions, among other things, a 2016 federal money laundering investigation of Juarez that was closed without any arrests or charges, allegations of real estate fraud and Juarez’s prior arrests and charges for theft and embezzlement, battery and grand theft. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Juarez does not have any criminal convictions, the motion notes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Juarez is not on trial in this case, and his cross-examination should not serve as an opportunity for the defense to stage a mini-trial about any acts Juarez may have committed,” the motion states. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A hearing to discuss the pre-trial motion and a collection of others is scheduled for Sept. 11. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069397\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Duong talks with attendees after a private screening of The King of Trash at Regal Jack London in Oakland on Jan. 10, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Several defense attorneys in the case did not respond to KQED’s request for comment on the government’s motions. One attorney representing David Duong said lawyers would respond in a brief this week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In April, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied a series of motions filed by defense attorneys \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071314/fbi-informant-tested-corruption-case-against-oaklands-former-mayor\">raising questions about Juarez’s past\u003c/a> and his credibility as a witness. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062614/defense-in-oakland-corruption-case-files-motion-targeting-key-informants-credibility\">argued\u003c/a> that the FBI left out key information about Juarez’s history in affidavits used to secure search warrants of their clients’ homes, vehicles and businesses, which they said rested heavily on his claims. Some of the seized evidence should be suppressed, they argued. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors responded that they had accumulated extensive documentary evidence related to the alleged conspiracy long before ever speaking with Juarez. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In their motion filed last week, lawyers with the U.S. Attorney’s Office argued that Juarez should not be questioned about government investigations into his conduct, allegations that he misappropriated funds from Evolutionary Homes and a 2024 shooting in front of his house. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The filing specifically points to a 2024 affidavit submitted in support of a warrant to search Juarez’s bank records following a complaint that he had defrauded Oakland businessman and president of the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council, Stewart Chen, of a $250,000 loan. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The affidavit, filed by an inspector with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, describes an interview with Jack Cohen of Balboa LLC, who claimed he loaned Juarez $3 million and that Juarez never paid it back. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The inspector also spoke with Andy Duong, who described the Duongs’ and Juarez’s business investment in Evolutionary Homes and their subsequent falling out, the affidavit reads. According to Duong, he and David Duong “fell victim to what he considered theft of their investment.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1330\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12046768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1-1536x1021.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The government’s star witness, Oakland businessman and political operative Mario Juarez, has been a main focus in the federal prosecution of the alleged corruption scheme. (Sebastian Barros/Nur Photo via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To date, the district attorney’s office has not filed charges in the case. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The affidavit was filed about five and a half weeks after a shooting took place in front of Juarez’s house. Several days earlier, Juarez had spoken with the government about the alleged scheme involving Thao and the Duongs for the first time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors wrote in their motion on Thursday that Juarez initially reported to Oakland police and the FBI that he had confronted two individuals breaking into his vehicle, and that one of them shot at him and he returned fire. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The FBI believed that the shooting might have been related to Juarez’s cooperation with law enforcement and that he was in potential physical danger,” it reads. “The day after the shooting, the FBI relocated Juarez for his safety and paid for a hotel room, rental car, and per diem for meals for Juarez, amounting to approximately $8,568.07 in expenses.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12073250\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Federal Courthouse in Oakland on Feb. 11, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The FBI later determined it was likely that Juarez shot first, rather than returning fire, the document reads. When FBI agents then interviewed Juarez about the shooting, he said he shot first after another individual pointed a gun at him, and he thought his life was in danger. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office moved to dismiss a criminal case against a suspect in the shooting in May after learning of Juarez’s inconsistent statements, a document filed in Alameda County Superior Court shows. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In the light of the material inconsistencies in [Juarez’s] statement regarding the event and the absence of any physical evidence that would corroborate [his] statement, the People cannot sustain their burden beyond a reasonable doubt,” it reads.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In their motion filed Thursday, federal prosecutors asked the judge to prohibit defense attorneys from questioning Juarez about the shooting, his statements to law enforcement about it and the government’s response. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They also requested that the judge prohibit the defense from asking former Oakland City Administrator Jestin Johnson and former Assistant City Administrator Harold Duffey about text messages they sent each other regarding female city of Oakland employees, which surfaced in May, leading to Johnson’s abrupt resignation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Duffey is now a city manager for the city of Brentwood, where he is currently on administrative leave. Both are on the government’s list of potential witnesses expected to testify. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the months following the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11991242/fbi-agents-raid-home-of-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao\">FBI’s search of Thao’s home\u003c/a> in 2024, both she and her attorney raised questions about the timing of the raid, which took place several months before a general election in which she was facing a recall. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors have asked that defendants not be permitted to argue that the government’s investigation of the case is politically motivated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At an anti-recall campaign event in October 2024, Thao told a crowd of supporters and media that she was innocent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>I am not the target of the investigation,” Thao said. “Unfortunately, like the Jim Comey investigation into Hillary Clinton that swayed the 2016 presidential election that got us Trump, this overreach of the FBI is undoubtedly putting a finger on the scale influencing this election.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">indicted roughly three months\u003c/a> later.\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors gearing up for the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a> are asking a judge to bar defense attorneys from cross-examining their star witness about certain aspects of his checkered past, along with a shooting that took place in front of his home several days after he first spoke with federal investigators. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors gearing up for the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a> are asking a judge to bar defense attorneys from cross-examining their star witness about certain aspects of his checkered past, along with a shooting that took place in front of his home several days after he first spoke with federal investigators. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The long-awaited trial, scheduled to begin with jury selection on Oct. 13, is expected to feature testimony from that witness, Mario Juarez, an Oakland businessman and political operative who was a key informant in the FBI’s investigation. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The long-awaited trial, scheduled to begin with jury selection on Oct. 13, is expected to feature testimony from that witness, Mario Juarez, an Oakland businessman and political operative who was a key informant in the FBI’s investigation. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Defense attorneys have argued that Juarez has a history of accusing others of wrongdoing when business relationships collapse, pointing to numerous lawsuits they say he has been a party to, including fraud cases involving former business partners. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Defense attorneys have argued that Juarez has a history of accusing others of wrongdoing when business relationships collapse, pointing to numerous lawsuits they say he has been a party to, including fraud cases involving former business partners. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thao, her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones and father-and-son recycling executives David and Andy Duong will also be on trial. The four were indicted last year on bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges in an alleged pay-to-play scheme. Andy Duong faces an additional charge related to lying to federal agents. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Thao, her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones and father-and-son recycling executives David and Andy Duong will also be on trial. The four were indicted last year on bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges in an alleged pay-to-play scheme. Andy Duong faces an additional charge related to lying to federal agents. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12081856,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081856\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong speaks with guests after the screening of The King of Trash on Jan. 10, 2026, at Regal Jack London in Oakland.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081856\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong speaks with guests after the screening of The King of Trash on Jan. 10, 2026, at Regal Jack London in Oakland.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors allege Thao agreed to use her power to extend the Duongs’ recycling contract, commit the city to purchase homes from a housing company co-owned by the Duongs and Juarez, and appoint city officials they selected to work in high-level staff positions. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors allege Thao agreed to use her power to extend the Duongs’ recycling contract, commit the city to purchase homes from a housing company co-owned by the Duongs and Juarez, and appoint city officials they selected to work in high-level staff positions. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In exchange, the Duongs financed negative campaign mailers targeting Thao’s opponents in the 2022 mayoral election and paid Jones for a no-show job, prosecutors allege. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In exchange, the Duongs financed negative campaign mailers targeting Thao’s opponents in the 2022 mayoral election and paid Jones for a no-show job, prosecutors allege. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Juarez has pleaded guilty to participating in the alleged conspiracy and is expected to testify at trial about his interactions with the defendants as well as his experience as a co-founder of Evolutionary Homes, the housing company at the heart of the alleged conspiracy. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Juarez has pleaded guilty to participating in the alleged conspiracy and is expected to testify at trial about his interactions with the defendants as well as his experience as a co-founder of Evolutionary Homes, the housing company at the heart of the alleged conspiracy. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12071314"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/IMG_1338-2000x1500.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Court records show the government is also asking the judge to prohibit defense attorneys from bringing up a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091317/oakland-councilmember-proposes-a-409000-severance-for-former-city-administrator\">text message scandal\u003c/a> that rocked Oakland earlier this year, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.thekingoftrash.us/\">documentary the Duongs released\u003c/a> last year about their origin story and arguments that the prosecution of the case is politically biased.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Court records show the government is also asking the judge to prohibit defense attorneys from bringing up a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091317/oakland-councilmember-proposes-a-409000-severance-for-former-city-administrator\">text message scandal\u003c/a> that rocked Oakland earlier this year, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.thekingoftrash.us/\">documentary the Duongs released\u003c/a> last year about their origin story and arguments that the prosecution of the case is politically biased.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a motion filed in federal court on Thursday, government attorneys argued that defense lawyers should not be permitted to ask Juarez about “decades-old” lawsuits, including any actions related to his surrendered real estate license, as well as “unsubstantiated allegations of unrelated fraud, or prior arrests and criminal charges that did not result in convictions.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In a motion filed in federal court on Thursday, government attorneys argued that defense lawyers should not be permitted to ask Juarez about “decades-old” lawsuits, including any actions related to his surrendered real estate license, as well as “unsubstantiated allegations of unrelated fraud, or prior arrests and criminal charges that did not result in convictions.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The filing mentions, among other things, a 2016 federal money laundering investigation of Juarez that was closed without any arrests or charges, allegations of real estate fraud and Juarez’s prior arrests and charges for theft and embezzlement, battery and grand theft. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The filing mentions, among other things, a 2016 federal money laundering investigation of Juarez that was closed without any arrests or charges, allegations of real estate fraud and Juarez’s prior arrests and charges for theft and embezzlement, battery and grand theft. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Juarez does not have any criminal convictions, the motion notes. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Juarez does not have any criminal convictions, the motion notes. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Juarez is not on trial in this case, and his cross-examination should not serve as an opportunity for the defense to stage a mini-trial about any acts Juarez may have committed,” the motion states. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Juarez is not on trial in this case, and his cross-examination should not serve as an opportunity for the defense to stage a mini-trial about any acts Juarez may have committed,” the motion states. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A hearing to discuss the pre-trial motion and a collection of others is scheduled for Sept. 11. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A hearing to discuss the pre-trial motion and a collection of others is scheduled for Sept. 11. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12069397,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069397\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Duong talks with attendees after a private screening of The King of Trash at Regal Jack London in Oakland on Jan. 10, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069397\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Duong talks with attendees after a private screening of The King of Trash at Regal Jack London in Oakland on Jan. 10, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Several defense attorneys in the case did not respond to KQED’s request for comment on the government’s motions. One attorney representing David Duong said lawyers would respond in a brief this week. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Several defense attorneys in the case did not respond to KQED’s request for comment on the government’s motions. One attorney representing David Duong said lawyers would respond in a brief this week. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In April, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied a series of motions filed by defense attorneys \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071314/fbi-informant-tested-corruption-case-against-oaklands-former-mayor\">raising questions about Juarez’s past\u003c/a> and his credibility as a witness. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In April, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied a series of motions filed by defense attorneys \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071314/fbi-informant-tested-corruption-case-against-oaklands-former-mayor\">raising questions about Juarez’s past\u003c/a> and his credibility as a witness. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062614/defense-in-oakland-corruption-case-files-motion-targeting-key-informants-credibility\">argued\u003c/a> that the FBI left out key information about Juarez’s history in affidavits used to secure search warrants of their clients’ homes, vehicles and businesses, which they said rested heavily on his claims. Some of the seized evidence should be suppressed, they argued. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>They \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062614/defense-in-oakland-corruption-case-files-motion-targeting-key-informants-credibility\">argued\u003c/a> that the FBI left out key information about Juarez’s history in affidavits used to secure search warrants of their clients’ homes, vehicles and businesses, which they said rested heavily on his claims. Some of the seized evidence should be suppressed, they argued. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12081746"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/240624-THAO-FBI-PRESSER-MD-05_qed.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors responded that they had accumulated extensive documentary evidence related to the alleged conspiracy long before ever speaking with Juarez. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors responded that they had accumulated extensive documentary evidence related to the alleged conspiracy long before ever speaking with Juarez. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In their motion filed last week, lawyers with the U.S. Attorney’s Office argued that Juarez should not be questioned about government investigations into his conduct, allegations that he misappropriated funds from Evolutionary Homes and a 2024 shooting in front of his house. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In their motion filed last week, lawyers with the U.S. Attorney’s Office argued that Juarez should not be questioned about government investigations into his conduct, allegations that he misappropriated funds from Evolutionary Homes and a 2024 shooting in front of his house. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The filing specifically points to a 2024 affidavit submitted in support of a warrant to search Juarez’s bank records following a complaint that he had defrauded Oakland businessman and president of the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council, Stewart Chen, of a $250,000 loan. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The filing specifically points to a 2024 affidavit submitted in support of a warrant to search Juarez’s bank records following a complaint that he had defrauded Oakland businessman and president of the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council, Stewart Chen, of a $250,000 loan. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The affidavit, filed by an inspector with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, describes an interview with Jack Cohen of Balboa LLC, who claimed he loaned Juarez $3 million and that Juarez never paid it back. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The affidavit, filed by an inspector with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, describes an interview with Jack Cohen of Balboa LLC, who claimed he loaned Juarez $3 million and that Juarez never paid it back. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The inspector also spoke with Andy Duong, who described the Duongs’ and Juarez’s business investment in Evolutionary Homes and their subsequent falling out, the affidavit reads. According to Duong, he and David Duong “fell victim to what he considered theft of their investment.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The inspector also spoke with Andy Duong, who described the Duongs’ and Juarez’s business investment in Evolutionary Homes and their subsequent falling out, the affidavit reads. According to Duong, he and David Duong “fell victim to what he considered theft of their investment.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12046768,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1-1536x1021.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12046768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1-1536x1021.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The government’s star witness, Oakland businessman and political operative Mario Juarez, has been a main focus in the federal prosecution of the alleged corruption scheme.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Sebastian Barros/Nur Photo via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12046768\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The government’s star witness, Oakland businessman and political operative Mario Juarez, has been a main focus in the federal prosecution of the alleged corruption scheme.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Sebastian Barros/Nur Photo via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To date, the district attorney’s office has not filed charges in the case. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>To date, the district attorney’s office has not filed charges in the case. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The affidavit was filed about five and a half weeks after a shooting took place in front of Juarez’s house. Several days earlier, Juarez had spoken with the government about the alleged scheme involving Thao and the Duongs for the first time.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The affidavit was filed about five and a half weeks after a shooting took place in front of Juarez’s house. Several days earlier, Juarez had spoken with the government about the alleged scheme involving Thao and the Duongs for the first time.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors wrote in their motion on Thursday that Juarez initially reported to Oakland police and the FBI that he had confronted two individuals breaking into his vehicle, and that one of them shot at him and he returned fire. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors wrote in their motion on Thursday that Juarez initially reported to Oakland police and the FBI that he had confronted two individuals breaking into his vehicle, and that one of them shot at him and he returned fire. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The FBI believed that the shooting might have been related to Juarez’s cooperation with law enforcement and that he was in potential physical danger,” it reads. “The day after the shooting, the FBI relocated Juarez for his safety and paid for a hotel room, rental car, and per diem for meals for Juarez, amounting to approximately $8,568.07 in expenses.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“The FBI believed that the shooting might have been related to Juarez’s cooperation with law enforcement and that he was in potential physical danger,” it reads. “The day after the shooting, the FBI relocated Juarez for his safety and paid for a hotel room, rental car, and per diem for meals for Juarez, amounting to approximately $8,568.07 in expenses.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12073250,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12073250\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Federal Courthouse in Oakland on Feb. 11, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12073250\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Federal Courthouse in Oakland on Feb. 11, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The FBI later determined it was likely that Juarez shot first, rather than returning fire, the document reads. When FBI agents then interviewed Juarez about the shooting, he said he shot first after another individual pointed a gun at him, and he thought his life was in danger. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The FBI later determined it was likely that Juarez shot first, rather than returning fire, the document reads. When FBI agents then interviewed Juarez about the shooting, he said he shot first after another individual pointed a gun at him, and he thought his life was in danger. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office moved to dismiss a criminal case against a suspect in the shooting in May after learning of Juarez’s inconsistent statements, a document filed in Alameda County Superior Court shows. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office moved to dismiss a criminal case against a suspect in the shooting in May after learning of Juarez’s inconsistent statements, a document filed in Alameda County Superior Court shows. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In the light of the material inconsistencies in [Juarez’s] statement regarding the event and the absence of any physical evidence that would corroborate [his] statement, the People cannot sustain their burden beyond a reasonable doubt,” it reads.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“In the light of the material inconsistencies in [Juarez’s] statement regarding the event and the absence of any physical evidence that would corroborate [his] statement, the People cannot sustain their burden beyond a reasonable doubt,” it reads.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In their motion filed Thursday, federal prosecutors asked the judge to prohibit defense attorneys from questioning Juarez about the shooting, his statements to law enforcement about it and the government’s response. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In their motion filed Thursday, federal prosecutors asked the judge to prohibit defense attorneys from questioning Juarez about the shooting, his statements to law enforcement about it and the government’s response. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12096647"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-METATRIALSKETCH1-VB-KQED.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They also requested that the judge prohibit the defense from asking former Oakland City Administrator Jestin Johnson and former Assistant City Administrator Harold Duffey about text messages they sent each other regarding female city of Oakland employees, which surfaced in May, leading to Johnson’s abrupt resignation. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>They also requested that the judge prohibit the defense from asking former Oakland City Administrator Jestin Johnson and former Assistant City Administrator Harold Duffey about text messages they sent each other regarding female city of Oakland employees, which surfaced in May, leading to Johnson’s abrupt resignation. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Duffey is now a city manager for the city of Brentwood, where he is currently on administrative leave. Both are on the government’s list of potential witnesses expected to testify. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Duffey is now a city manager for the city of Brentwood, where he is currently on administrative leave. Both are on the government’s list of potential witnesses expected to testify. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the months following the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11991242/fbi-agents-raid-home-of-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao\">FBI’s search of Thao’s home\u003c/a> in 2024, both she and her attorney raised questions about the timing of the raid, which took place several months before a general election in which she was facing a recall. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In the months following the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11991242/fbi-agents-raid-home-of-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao\">FBI’s search of Thao’s home\u003c/a> in 2024, both she and her attorney raised questions about the timing of the raid, which took place several months before a general election in which she was facing a recall. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors have asked that defendants not be permitted to argue that the government’s investigation of the case is politically motivated. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors have asked that defendants not be permitted to argue that the government’s investigation of the case is politically motivated. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At an anti-recall campaign event in October 2024, Thao told a crowd of supporters and media that she was innocent. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>At an anti-recall campaign event in October 2024, Thao told a crowd of supporters and media that she was innocent. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>I am not the target of the investigation,” Thao said. “Unfortunately, like the Jim Comey investigation into Hillary Clinton that swayed the 2016 presidential election that got us Trump, this overreach of the FBI is undoubtedly putting a finger on the scale influencing this election.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>I am not the target of the investigation,” Thao said. “Unfortunately, like the Jim Comey investigation into Hillary Clinton that swayed the 2016 presidential election that got us Trump, this overreach of the FBI is undoubtedly putting a finger on the scale influencing this election.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">indicted roughly three months\u003c/a> later.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>She was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">indicted roughly three months\u003c/a> later.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "The government’s star witness, Oakland businessman and political operative Mario Juarez, and his checkered past have been a main focus in the federal prosecution of the alleged corruption scheme.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1790728334,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 37,
"wordCount": 1478
},
"headData": {
"title": "Sheng Thao Trial: Government Asks Judge to Block Questions About Key Informant’s Past | KQED",
"description": "The government’s star witness, Oakland businessman and political operative Mario Juarez, and his checkered past have been a main focus in the federal prosecution of the alleged corruption scheme.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Sheng Thao Trial: Government Asks Judge to Block Questions About Key Informant’s Past",
"datePublished": "2026-08-31T12:18:26-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-09-29T17:32:14-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 34167,
"slug": "criminal-justice",
"name": "Criminal Justice"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12097353",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12097353/sheng-thao-trial-government-asks-judge-to-block-questions-about-key-informants-past",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Prosecutors gearing up for the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a> are asking a judge to bar defense attorneys from cross-examining their star witness about certain aspects of his checkered past, along with a shooting that took place in front of his home several days after he first spoke with federal investigators. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The long-awaited trial, scheduled to begin with jury selection on Oct. 13, is expected to feature testimony from that witness, Mario Juarez, an Oakland businessman and political operative who was a key informant in the FBI’s investigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Defense attorneys have argued that Juarez has a history of accusing others of wrongdoing when business relationships collapse, pointing to numerous lawsuits they say he has been a party to, including fraud cases involving former business partners. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thao, her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones and father-and-son recycling executives David and Andy Duong will also be on trial. The four were indicted last year on bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges in an alleged pay-to-play scheme. Andy Duong faces an additional charge related to lying to federal agents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081856\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/011026_KingofTrash-_GH_005_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong speaks with guests after the screening of The King of Trash on Jan. 10, 2026, at Regal Jack London in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors allege Thao agreed to use her power to extend the Duongs’ recycling contract, commit the city to purchase homes from a housing company co-owned by the Duongs and Juarez, and appoint city officials they selected to work in high-level staff positions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In exchange, the Duongs financed negative campaign mailers targeting Thao’s opponents in the 2022 mayoral election and paid Jones for a no-show job, prosecutors allege. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Juarez has pleaded guilty to participating in the alleged conspiracy and is expected to testify at trial about his interactions with the defendants as well as his experience as a co-founder of Evolutionary Homes, the housing company at the heart of the alleged conspiracy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Court records show the government is also asking the judge to prohibit defense attorneys from bringing up a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091317/oakland-councilmember-proposes-a-409000-severance-for-former-city-administrator\">text message scandal\u003c/a> that rocked Oakland earlier this year, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.thekingoftrash.us/\">documentary the Duongs released\u003c/a> last year about their origin story and arguments that the prosecution of the case is politically biased.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a motion filed in federal court on Thursday, government attorneys argued that defense lawyers should not be permitted to ask Juarez about “decades-old” lawsuits, including any actions related to his surrendered real estate license, as well as “unsubstantiated allegations of unrelated fraud, or prior arrests and criminal charges that did not result in convictions.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The filing mentions, among other things, a 2016 federal money laundering investigation of Juarez that was closed without any arrests or charges, allegations of real estate fraud and Juarez’s prior arrests and charges for theft and embezzlement, battery and grand theft. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Juarez does not have any criminal convictions, the motion notes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Juarez is not on trial in this case, and his cross-examination should not serve as an opportunity for the defense to stage a mini-trial about any acts Juarez may have committed,” the motion states. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A hearing to discuss the pre-trial motion and a collection of others is scheduled for Sept. 11. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069397\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/011026_KINGOFTRASH-_GH_003-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Duong talks with attendees after a private screening of The King of Trash at Regal Jack London in Oakland on Jan. 10, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Several defense attorneys in the case did not respond to KQED’s request for comment on the government’s motions. One attorney representing David Duong said lawyers would respond in a brief this week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In April, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied a series of motions filed by defense attorneys \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071314/fbi-informant-tested-corruption-case-against-oaklands-former-mayor\">raising questions about Juarez’s past\u003c/a> and his credibility as a witness. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062614/defense-in-oakland-corruption-case-files-motion-targeting-key-informants-credibility\">argued\u003c/a> that the FBI left out key information about Juarez’s history in affidavits used to secure search warrants of their clients’ homes, vehicles and businesses, which they said rested heavily on his claims. Some of the seized evidence should be suppressed, they argued. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors responded that they had accumulated extensive documentary evidence related to the alleged conspiracy long before ever speaking with Juarez. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In their motion filed last week, lawyers with the U.S. Attorney’s Office argued that Juarez should not be questioned about government investigations into his conduct, allegations that he misappropriated funds from Evolutionary Homes and a 2024 shooting in front of his house. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The filing specifically points to a 2024 affidavit submitted in support of a warrant to search Juarez’s bank records following a complaint that he had defrauded Oakland businessman and president of the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council, Stewart Chen, of a $250,000 loan. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The affidavit, filed by an inspector with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, describes an interview with Jack Cohen of Balboa LLC, who claimed he loaned Juarez $3 million and that Juarez never paid it back. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The inspector also spoke with Andy Duong, who described the Duongs’ and Juarez’s business investment in Evolutionary Homes and their subsequent falling out, the affidavit reads. According to Duong, he and David Duong “fell victim to what he considered theft of their investment.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1330\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12046768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/FBIJacketGetty1-1536x1021.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The government’s star witness, Oakland businessman and political operative Mario Juarez, has been a main focus in the federal prosecution of the alleged corruption scheme. (Sebastian Barros/Nur Photo via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To date, the district attorney’s office has not filed charges in the case. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The affidavit was filed about five and a half weeks after a shooting took place in front of Juarez’s house. Several days earlier, Juarez had spoken with the government about the alleged scheme involving Thao and the Duongs for the first time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors wrote in their motion on Thursday that Juarez initially reported to Oakland police and the FBI that he had confronted two individuals breaking into his vehicle, and that one of them shot at him and he returned fire. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The FBI believed that the shooting might have been related to Juarez’s cooperation with law enforcement and that he was in potential physical danger,” it reads. “The day after the shooting, the FBI relocated Juarez for his safety and paid for a hotel room, rental car, and per diem for meals for Juarez, amounting to approximately $8,568.07 in expenses.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12073250\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260211-OAKLAND-FEDERAL-COURTHOUSE-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Federal Courthouse in Oakland on Feb. 11, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The FBI later determined it was likely that Juarez shot first, rather than returning fire, the document reads. When FBI agents then interviewed Juarez about the shooting, he said he shot first after another individual pointed a gun at him, and he thought his life was in danger. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office moved to dismiss a criminal case against a suspect in the shooting in May after learning of Juarez’s inconsistent statements, a document filed in Alameda County Superior Court shows. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In the light of the material inconsistencies in [Juarez’s] statement regarding the event and the absence of any physical evidence that would corroborate [his] statement, the People cannot sustain their burden beyond a reasonable doubt,” it reads.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In their motion filed Thursday, federal prosecutors asked the judge to prohibit defense attorneys from questioning Juarez about the shooting, his statements to law enforcement about it and the government’s response. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They also requested that the judge prohibit the defense from asking former Oakland City Administrator Jestin Johnson and former Assistant City Administrator Harold Duffey about text messages they sent each other regarding female city of Oakland employees, which surfaced in May, leading to Johnson’s abrupt resignation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Duffey is now a city manager for the city of Brentwood, where he is currently on administrative leave. Both are on the government’s list of potential witnesses expected to testify. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the months following the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11991242/fbi-agents-raid-home-of-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao\">FBI’s search of Thao’s home\u003c/a> in 2024, both she and her attorney raised questions about the timing of the raid, which took place several months before a general election in which she was facing a recall. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors have asked that defendants not be permitted to argue that the government’s investigation of the case is politically motivated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At an anti-recall campaign event in October 2024, Thao told a crowd of supporters and media that she was innocent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>I am not the target of the investigation,” Thao said. “Unfortunately, like the Jim Comey investigation into Hillary Clinton that swayed the 2016 presidential election that got us Trump, this overreach of the FBI is undoubtedly putting a finger on the scale influencing this election.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">indicted roughly three months\u003c/a> later.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12097353/sheng-thao-trial-government-asks-judge-to-block-questions-about-key-informants-past",
"authors": [
"11490"
],
"categories": [
"news_34167",
"news_6188",
"news_28250",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_17725",
"news_18352",
"news_425",
"news_27626",
"news_19954",
"news_34054",
"news_34661",
"news_31962",
"news_37497"
],
"featImg": "news_12022629",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12097506": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12097506",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12097506",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1788131601000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "oakland-residents-continue-push-against-data-centers",
"title": "Oakland Residents Continue Push Against Data Centers",
"publishDate": 1788131601,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Oakland Residents Continue Push Against Data Centers | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\n\u003cp>The Rev. Jeffrey Parker spoke almost sermon-like in front of more than a hundred people in his \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland \u003c/a>church this weekend, but it wasn’t the typical service the place was used to hearing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He had something else in mind: data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Parker joined organizers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation on Saturday to call for city leaders to stop the possibility of data centers in the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097522\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rev. Jeffrey Parker speaks at an anti-data center meeting hosted by Party for Socialism and Liberation at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland on Aug. 29, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PSL and around 7,000 petition signers have urged a citywide ban on the facilities after a proposal by Behring Companies to bring a 20,000-square-foot data center to downtown drew backlash. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ire among opponents has recently grown. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tesla and Prometheus, an AI startup cofounded by Jeff Bezos, signed leases at another site in the city, according to the \u003cem>San Francisco Business Times\u003c/em>. It’s not yet known what Tesla and Prometheus have planned for the projects or if they’ll end up being data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I am against Oakland becoming a place where powerful technology companies can come into our community, consume enormous amounts of resources, and potentially leave Oakland residents to deal with the consequences,” Parker said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12097523\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00391_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097523\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00391_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00391_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00391_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland residents attend an anti-data center meeting hosted by Party for Socialism and Liberation at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland on Aug. 29, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12097520\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00386_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097520\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00386_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00386_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00386_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland residents attend an anti-data center meeting hosted by Party for Socialism and Liberation at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland on Aug. 29, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The AI industry as a whole has come under fire for concerns over environmental impacts — water and energy usage, along with noise pollution — that residents worry will disproportionately hurt lower-income or Black and Brown communities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Xavier Buck, executive director of the Huey P. Newton Foundation and founding director of the Black Panther Party Museum in Oakland, said he thinks cities like Oakland are intentionally targeted to be “sacrifice zones for the AI boom.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The power structure is not choosing these cities by accident; it is choosing them because these are cities where we built the most powerful organizing models,” Buck said. “[It’s] the most efficient way to destroy both the communities and the blueprint simultaneously.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife, whose district the Behring proposal falls in, said in a social media post that she had already reached out to the city attorney about what it would mean to regulate data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve not shared my perspective on data centers or my political perspective because I’m forming it,” Fife \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcC9M7GkgSa/\">said \u003c/a>in her social media video. “I know what I’ve seen in other places is unacceptable, completely.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More recently, the Bay Area News Group reported that Fife had been working on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/30/billionaire-backed-data-center-proposals-cause-rift-in-oakland/\">proposal for a moratorium\u003c/a> on data centers. As of publication, Fife had not responded to KQED’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Developers have also set their sites on the cities of Pittsburg, Gilroy and San Jose for current or future data centers. Residents in those cities have similarly called for a moratorium and then a permanent ban on the facilities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Aditi Varshneya, an organizer with PSL, said that hundreds of people came to a previous organizing meeting about the Behring project and almost 200 more showed up this weekend.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095475\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The location of Behring’s proposed data center at 415 20th St. in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2026. (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It just goes to show how united the community is and how ready they are to organize and fight back,” Varshneya said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opponents in Oakland have said they’re not opposed to technology. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“AI is not a technological advancement,” Buck said. “If it is damaging humans, the places we live and the ecosystem we survive on, what’s advanced about that?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Organizers plan to show up at the next Oakland City Council meeting to continue calls for a data center ban.\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Rev. Jeffrey Parker spoke almost sermon-like in front of more than a hundred people in his \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland \u003c/a>church this weekend, but it wasn’t the typical service the place was used to hearing. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The Rev. Jeffrey Parker spoke almost sermon-like in front of more than a hundred people in his \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland \u003c/a>church this weekend, but it wasn’t the typical service the place was used to hearing. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He had something else in mind: data centers. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>He had something else in mind: data centers. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Parker joined organizers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation on Saturday to call for city leaders to stop the possibility of data centers in the city. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Parker joined organizers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation on Saturday to call for city leaders to stop the possibility of data centers in the city. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12097522,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097522\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rev. Jeffrey Parker speaks at an anti-data center meeting hosted by Party for Socialism and Liberation at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland on Aug. 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097522\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rev. Jeffrey Parker speaks at an anti-data center meeting hosted by Party for Socialism and Liberation at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland on Aug. 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>PSL and around 7,000 petition signers have urged a citywide ban on the facilities after a proposal by Behring Companies to bring a 20,000-square-foot data center to downtown drew backlash. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>PSL and around 7,000 petition signers have urged a citywide ban on the facilities after a proposal by Behring Companies to bring a 20,000-square-foot data center to downtown drew backlash. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ire among opponents has recently grown. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ire among opponents has recently grown. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tesla and Prometheus, an AI startup cofounded by Jeff Bezos, signed leases at another site in the city, according to the \u003cem>San Francisco Business Times\u003c/em>. It’s not yet known what Tesla and Prometheus have planned for the projects or if they’ll end up being data centers. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Tesla and Prometheus, an AI startup cofounded by Jeff Bezos, signed leases at another site in the city, according to the \u003cem>San Francisco Business Times\u003c/em>. It’s not yet known what Tesla and Prometheus have planned for the projects or if they’ll end up being data centers. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I am against Oakland becoming a place where powerful technology companies can come into our community, consume enormous amounts of resources, and potentially leave Oakland residents to deal with the consequences,” Parker said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I am against Oakland becoming a place where powerful technology companies can come into our community, consume enormous amounts of resources, and potentially leave Oakland residents to deal with the consequences,” Parker said. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/gallery",
"attrs": {
"linkTo": "none",
"images": [],
"ids": [],
"shortCodeTransforms": [],
"imageCrop": true,
"randomOrder": false,
"fixedHeight": true,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"allowResize": false,
"aspectRatio": "auto"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">\n\n\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12097523,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00391_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097523\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland residents attend an anti-data center meeting hosted by Party for Socialism and Liberation at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland on Aug. 29, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00391_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097523\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland residents attend an anti-data center meeting hosted by Party for Socialism and Liberation at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland on Aug. 29, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12097520,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00386_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097520\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland residents attend an anti-data center meeting hosted by Party for Socialism and Liberation at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland on Aug. 29, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00386_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097520\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland residents attend an anti-data center meeting hosted by Party for Socialism and Liberation at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland on Aug. 29, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
}
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The AI industry as a whole has come under fire for concerns over environmental impacts — water and energy usage, along with noise pollution — that residents worry will disproportionately hurt lower-income or Black and Brown communities.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The AI industry as a whole has come under fire for concerns over environmental impacts — water and energy usage, along with noise pollution — that residents worry will disproportionately hurt lower-income or Black and Brown communities.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Xavier Buck, executive director of the Huey P. Newton Foundation and founding director of the Black Panther Party Museum in Oakland, said he thinks cities like Oakland are intentionally targeted to be “sacrifice zones for the AI boom.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Xavier Buck, executive director of the Huey P. Newton Foundation and founding director of the Black Panther Party Museum in Oakland, said he thinks cities like Oakland are intentionally targeted to be “sacrifice zones for the AI boom.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The power structure is not choosing these cities by accident; it is choosing them because these are cities where we built the most powerful organizing models,” Buck said. “[It’s] the most efficient way to destroy both the communities and the blueprint simultaneously.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“The power structure is not choosing these cities by accident; it is choosing them because these are cities where we built the most powerful organizing models,” Buck said. “[It’s] the most efficient way to destroy both the communities and the blueprint simultaneously.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12095492"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-1190533331.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife, whose district the Behring proposal falls in, said in a social media post that she had already reached out to the city attorney about what it would mean to regulate data centers. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife, whose district the Behring proposal falls in, said in a social media post that she had already reached out to the city attorney about what it would mean to regulate data centers. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ve not shared my perspective on data centers or my political perspective because I’m forming it,” Fife \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcC9M7GkgSa/\">said \u003c/a>in her social media video. “I know what I’ve seen in other places is unacceptable, completely.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I’ve not shared my perspective on data centers or my political perspective because I’m forming it,” Fife \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcC9M7GkgSa/\">said \u003c/a>in her social media video. “I know what I’ve seen in other places is unacceptable, completely.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>More recently, the Bay Area News Group reported that Fife had been working on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/30/billionaire-backed-data-center-proposals-cause-rift-in-oakland/\">proposal for a moratorium\u003c/a> on data centers. As of publication, Fife had not responded to KQED’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>More recently, the Bay Area News Group reported that Fife had been working on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/30/billionaire-backed-data-center-proposals-cause-rift-in-oakland/\">proposal for a moratorium\u003c/a> on data centers. As of publication, Fife had not responded to KQED’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Developers have also set their sites on the cities of Pittsburg, Gilroy and San Jose for current or future data centers. Residents in those cities have similarly called for a moratorium and then a permanent ban on the facilities. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Developers have also set their sites on the cities of Pittsburg, Gilroy and San Jose for current or future data centers. Residents in those cities have similarly called for a moratorium and then a permanent ban on the facilities. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Aditi Varshneya, an organizer with PSL, said that hundreds of people came to a previous organizing meeting about the Behring project and almost 200 more showed up this weekend.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Aditi Varshneya, an organizer with PSL, said that hundreds of people came to a previous organizing meeting about the Behring project and almost 200 more showed up this weekend.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12095475,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095475\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The location of Behring’s proposed data center at 415 20th St. in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095475\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The location of Behring’s proposed data center at 415 20th St. in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It just goes to show how united the community is and how ready they are to organize and fight back,” Varshneya said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“It just goes to show how united the community is and how ready they are to organize and fight back,” Varshneya said. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Opponents in Oakland have said they’re not opposed to technology. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Opponents in Oakland have said they’re not opposed to technology. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“AI is not a technological advancement,” Buck said. “If it is damaging humans, the places we live and the ecosystem we survive on, what’s advanced about that?” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“AI is not a technological advancement,” Buck said. “If it is damaging humans, the places we live and the ecosystem we survive on, what’s advanced about that?” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Organizers plan to show up at the next Oakland City Council meeting to continue calls for a data center ban.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Organizers plan to show up at the next Oakland City Council meeting to continue calls for a data center ban.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "Oaklanders keep their foot on the pedal in call for data center ban.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1788199034,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 19,
"wordCount": 694
},
"headData": {
"title": "Oakland Residents Continue Push Against Data Centers | KQED",
"description": "Oaklanders keep their foot on the pedal in call for data center ban.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Oakland Residents Continue Push Against Data Centers",
"datePublished": "2026-08-30T16:13:21-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-08-31T10:57:14-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 28250,
"slug": "local",
"name": "Local"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12097506",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12097506/oakland-residents-continue-push-against-data-centers",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The Rev. Jeffrey Parker spoke almost sermon-like in front of more than a hundred people in his \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland \u003c/a>church this weekend, but it wasn’t the typical service the place was used to hearing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He had something else in mind: data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Parker joined organizers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation on Saturday to call for city leaders to stop the possibility of data centers in the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097522\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00383_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rev. Jeffrey Parker speaks at an anti-data center meeting hosted by Party for Socialism and Liberation at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland on Aug. 29, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PSL and around 7,000 petition signers have urged a citywide ban on the facilities after a proposal by Behring Companies to bring a 20,000-square-foot data center to downtown drew backlash. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ire among opponents has recently grown. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tesla and Prometheus, an AI startup cofounded by Jeff Bezos, signed leases at another site in the city, according to the \u003cem>San Francisco Business Times\u003c/em>. It’s not yet known what Tesla and Prometheus have planned for the projects or if they’ll end up being data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I am against Oakland becoming a place where powerful technology companies can come into our community, consume enormous amounts of resources, and potentially leave Oakland residents to deal with the consequences,” Parker said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12097523\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00391_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097523\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00391_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00391_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00391_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland residents attend an anti-data center meeting hosted by Party for Socialism and Liberation at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland on Aug. 29, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12097520\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00386_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097520\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00386_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00386_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00386_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland residents attend an anti-data center meeting hosted by Party for Socialism and Liberation at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland on Aug. 29, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The AI industry as a whole has come under fire for concerns over environmental impacts — water and energy usage, along with noise pollution — that residents worry will disproportionately hurt lower-income or Black and Brown communities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Xavier Buck, executive director of the Huey P. Newton Foundation and founding director of the Black Panther Party Museum in Oakland, said he thinks cities like Oakland are intentionally targeted to be “sacrifice zones for the AI boom.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The power structure is not choosing these cities by accident; it is choosing them because these are cities where we built the most powerful organizing models,” Buck said. “[It’s] the most efficient way to destroy both the communities and the blueprint simultaneously.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife, whose district the Behring proposal falls in, said in a social media post that she had already reached out to the city attorney about what it would mean to regulate data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve not shared my perspective on data centers or my political perspective because I’m forming it,” Fife \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcC9M7GkgSa/\">said \u003c/a>in her social media video. “I know what I’ve seen in other places is unacceptable, completely.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More recently, the Bay Area News Group reported that Fife had been working on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/30/billionaire-backed-data-center-proposals-cause-rift-in-oakland/\">proposal for a moratorium\u003c/a> on data centers. As of publication, Fife had not responded to KQED’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Developers have also set their sites on the cities of Pittsburg, Gilroy and San Jose for current or future data centers. Residents in those cities have similarly called for a moratorium and then a permanent ban on the facilities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Aditi Varshneya, an organizer with PSL, said that hundreds of people came to a previous organizing meeting about the Behring project and almost 200 more showed up this weekend.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095475\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The location of Behring’s proposed data center at 415 20th St. in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2026. (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It just goes to show how united the community is and how ready they are to organize and fight back,” Varshneya said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opponents in Oakland have said they’re not opposed to technology. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“AI is not a technological advancement,” Buck said. “If it is damaging humans, the places we live and the ecosystem we survive on, what’s advanced about that?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Organizers plan to show up at the next Oakland City Council meeting to continue calls for a data center ban.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12097506/oakland-residents-continue-push-against-data-centers",
"authors": [
"11935"
],
"categories": [
"news_28250",
"news_8",
"news_248"
],
"tags": [
"news_36792",
"news_37381",
"news_34755",
"news_37040",
"news_18352",
"news_17996",
"news_34054",
"news_1631"
],
"featImg": "news_12097519",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12096141": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12096141",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12096141",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1787268764000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "progressive-aisha-wahab-wins-east-bay-special-election-for-congress",
"title": "Progressive Aisha Wahab Wins East Bay Special Election for Congress",
"publishDate": 1787268764,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Progressive Aisha Wahab Wins East Bay Special Election for Congress | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>State Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/aisha-wahab\">Aisha Wahab\u003c/a> has won a contentious special election for former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s House seat in the East Bay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab leads fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez, a member of the BART board of directors, 53% to 47% in the 14th Congressional District, expanding her narrow \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095863/contentious-east-bay-special-election-for-congress-comes-to-a-close\">election night margin\u003c/a> to more than 6,000 votes. The \u003cem>Associated Press\u003c/em> called the race after the latest results were released Thursday afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The win allows Wahab to run as an incumbent in November, when she will again face Hernandez on the ballot for a full two-year term. The race, which pitted the progressive Wahab against the more moderate Hernandez, drew \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">millions in outside spending\u003c/a> — much of it from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in support of Hernandez. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab will become the nation’s first Afghan American member of Congress. The former Hayward council member has represented parts of the East Bay and South Bay in the state Legislature since 2022. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083964\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Eric Swalwell addresses the press event in Hayward on March 9, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This victory belongs to the voters who made clear that our district cannot be bought,” Wahab said in a statement. “From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Wahab and Hernandez were already running for a full term in the 14th District when \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079800/eric-swalwell-allegations-resign-congress-california-governor-race-who-is-running-primary\">Swalwell resigned from the seat\u003c/a> in April, in the face of multiple allegations of sexual assault that arose during his campaign for governor. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special election for June 16 to fill the seat, and a number of congressional Democrats pushed for candidates to clear the way for a caretaker to claim an outright majority and take office immediately in a divided Congress. Wahab resisted the effort and described it as out of touch with the district. She finished first with 43% of the vote, with Hernandez trailing in second with 17%.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In just 63 days, we closed a gap from 26,000 to 6,000 votes by sharing our message of lowering housing costs, creating jobs, and supporting strong public safety,” Hernandez said in a statement after Thursday’s results. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The race heated up in the nine weeks between the primary and Tuesday’s runoff. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AIPAC spent $2.4 million to boost Hernandez through its super PAC, United Democracy Project. That group also contributed over $1.5 million this year to BOLD America, a separate super PAC that has spent over $2 million to help Hernandez.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The spending came after Wahab said in a candidate forum that she believed that Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Both campaigns head into the general election with reason for optimism. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab will be the incumbent and can count on a higher turnout that could allow her to activate younger voters and progressives. AIPAC’s political spending, meanwhile, has become a flashpoint in Democrat vs. Democrat races across the country. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I believe that AIPAC has been nothing but racist and prejudiced in this effort,” Wahab told KQED on election night. “I support our Jewish constituents and really want to serve everybody — human rights is not a zero-sum game.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The November election will take place with slightly different district lines, under changes approved by California voters last year in Proposition 50. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hernandez pointed to the fact that the new 14th District will add more than 26,000 voters in Dublin, where she served as mayor and city council member. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This district has changed,” Hernandez said in an interview. “Folks know my leadership and what we’ve done in the city of Dublin.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turnout in Tuesday’s primary sits at just 23%, with an unknown number of ballots left to count. That’s lower than the 29% of voters who cast ballots in the June 16 special primary election and the 37% of voters who participated in the regularly scheduled June 2 primary.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/aisha-wahab\">Aisha Wahab\u003c/a> has won a contentious special election for former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s House seat in the East Bay. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>State Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/aisha-wahab\">Aisha Wahab\u003c/a> has won a contentious special election for former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s House seat in the East Bay. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wahab leads fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez, a member of the BART board of directors, 53% to 47% in the 14th Congressional District, expanding her narrow \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095863/contentious-east-bay-special-election-for-congress-comes-to-a-close\">election night margin\u003c/a> to more than 6,000 votes. The \u003cem>Associated Press\u003c/em> called the race after the latest results were released Thursday afternoon.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Wahab leads fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez, a member of the BART board of directors, 53% to 47% in the 14th Congressional District, expanding her narrow \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095863/contentious-east-bay-special-election-for-congress-comes-to-a-close\">election night margin\u003c/a> to more than 6,000 votes. The \u003cem>Associated Press\u003c/em> called the race after the latest results were released Thursday afternoon.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The win allows Wahab to run as an incumbent in November, when she will again face Hernandez on the ballot for a full two-year term. The race, which pitted the progressive Wahab against the more moderate Hernandez, drew \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">millions in outside spending\u003c/a> — much of it from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in support of Hernandez. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The win allows Wahab to run as an incumbent in November, when she will again face Hernandez on the ballot for a full two-year term. The race, which pitted the progressive Wahab against the more moderate Hernandez, drew \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">millions in outside spending\u003c/a> — much of it from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in support of Hernandez. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wahab will become the nation’s first Afghan American member of Congress. The former Hayward council member has represented parts of the East Bay and South Bay in the state Legislature since 2022. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Wahab will become the nation’s first Afghan American member of Congress. The former Hayward council member has represented parts of the East Bay and South Bay in the state Legislature since 2022. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12083964,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Martin do Nascimento/KQED",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083964\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Eric Swalwell addresses the press event in Hayward on March 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083964\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Eric Swalwell addresses the press event in Hayward on March 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This victory belongs to the voters who made clear that our district cannot be bought,” Wahab said in a statement. “From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“This victory belongs to the voters who made clear that our district cannot be bought,” Wahab said in a statement. “From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "fullwidth"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Both Wahab and Hernandez were already running for a full term in the 14th District when \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079800/eric-swalwell-allegations-resign-congress-california-governor-race-who-is-running-primary\">Swalwell resigned from the seat\u003c/a> in April, in the face of multiple allegations of sexual assault that arose during his campaign for governor. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Both Wahab and Hernandez were already running for a full term in the 14th District when \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079800/eric-swalwell-allegations-resign-congress-california-governor-race-who-is-running-primary\">Swalwell resigned from the seat\u003c/a> in April, in the face of multiple allegations of sexual assault that arose during his campaign for governor. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special election for June 16 to fill the seat, and a number of congressional Democrats pushed for candidates to clear the way for a caretaker to claim an outright majority and take office immediately in a divided Congress. Wahab resisted the effort and described it as out of touch with the district. She finished first with 43% of the vote, with Hernandez trailing in second with 17%.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special election for June 16 to fill the seat, and a number of congressional Democrats pushed for candidates to clear the way for a caretaker to claim an outright majority and take office immediately in a divided Congress. Wahab resisted the effort and described it as out of touch with the district. She finished first with 43% of the vote, with Hernandez trailing in second with 17%.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In just 63 days, we closed a gap from 26,000 to 6,000 votes by sharing our message of lowering housing costs, creating jobs, and supporting strong public safety,” Hernandez said in a statement after Thursday’s results. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“In just 63 days, we closed a gap from 26,000 to 6,000 votes by sharing our message of lowering housing costs, creating jobs, and supporting strong public safety,” Hernandez said in a statement after Thursday’s results. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The race heated up in the nine weeks between the primary and Tuesday’s runoff. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The race heated up in the nine weeks between the primary and Tuesday’s runoff. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>AIPAC spent $2.4 million to boost Hernandez through its super PAC, United Democracy Project. That group also contributed over $1.5 million this year to BOLD America, a separate super PAC that has spent over $2 million to help Hernandez.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>AIPAC spent $2.4 million to boost Hernandez through its super PAC, United Democracy Project. That group also contributed over $1.5 million this year to BOLD America, a separate super PAC that has spent over $2 million to help Hernandez.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12095863"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-Hernandez-Wahab-MD-01-KQED.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The spending came after Wahab said in a candidate forum that she believed that Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The spending came after Wahab said in a candidate forum that she believed that Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Both campaigns head into the general election with reason for optimism. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Both campaigns head into the general election with reason for optimism. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wahab will be the incumbent and can count on a higher turnout that could allow her to activate younger voters and progressives. AIPAC’s political spending, meanwhile, has become a flashpoint in Democrat vs. Democrat races across the country. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Wahab will be the incumbent and can count on a higher turnout that could allow her to activate younger voters and progressives. AIPAC’s political spending, meanwhile, has become a flashpoint in Democrat vs. Democrat races across the country. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I believe that AIPAC has been nothing but racist and prejudiced in this effort,” Wahab told KQED on election night. “I support our Jewish constituents and really want to serve everybody — human rights is not a zero-sum game.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I believe that AIPAC has been nothing but racist and prejudiced in this effort,” Wahab told KQED on election night. “I support our Jewish constituents and really want to serve everybody — human rights is not a zero-sum game.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The November election will take place with slightly different district lines, under changes approved by California voters last year in Proposition 50. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The November election will take place with slightly different district lines, under changes approved by California voters last year in Proposition 50. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hernandez pointed to the fact that the new 14th District will add more than 26,000 voters in Dublin, where she served as mayor and city council member. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Hernandez pointed to the fact that the new 14th District will add more than 26,000 voters in Dublin, where she served as mayor and city council member. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This district has changed,” Hernandez said in an interview. “Folks know my leadership and what we’ve done in the city of Dublin.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“This district has changed,” Hernandez said in an interview. “Folks know my leadership and what we’ve done in the city of Dublin.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "floatright"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Turnout in Tuesday’s primary sits at just 23%, with an unknown number of ballots left to count. That’s lower than the 29% of voters who cast ballots in the June 16 special primary election and the 37% of voters who participated in the regularly scheduled June 2 primary.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Turnout in Tuesday’s primary sits at just 23%, with an unknown number of ballots left to count. That’s lower than the 29% of voters who cast ballots in the June 16 special primary election and the 37% of voters who participated in the regularly scheduled June 2 primary.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "Wahab will become the nation’s first Afghan American Congress member after winning the seat formerly held by Eric Swalwell.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1787273004,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 20,
"wordCount": 694
},
"headData": {
"title": "Progressive Aisha Wahab Wins East Bay Special Election for Congress | KQED",
"description": "Wahab will become the nation’s first Afghan American Congress member after winning the seat formerly held by Eric Swalwell.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Progressive Aisha Wahab Wins East Bay Special Election for Congress",
"datePublished": "2026-08-20T16:32:44-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-08-20T17:43:24-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 13,
"slug": "politics",
"name": "Politics"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12096141",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12096141/progressive-aisha-wahab-wins-east-bay-special-election-for-congress",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>State Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/aisha-wahab\">Aisha Wahab\u003c/a> has won a contentious special election for former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s House seat in the East Bay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab leads fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez, a member of the BART board of directors, 53% to 47% in the 14th Congressional District, expanding her narrow \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095863/contentious-east-bay-special-election-for-congress-comes-to-a-close\">election night margin\u003c/a> to more than 6,000 votes. The \u003cem>Associated Press\u003c/em> called the race after the latest results were released Thursday afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The win allows Wahab to run as an incumbent in November, when she will again face Hernandez on the ballot for a full two-year term. The race, which pitted the progressive Wahab against the more moderate Hernandez, drew \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">millions in outside spending\u003c/a> — much of it from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in support of Hernandez. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab will become the nation’s first Afghan American member of Congress. The former Hayward council member has represented parts of the East Bay and South Bay in the state Legislature since 2022. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083964\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260309-DEAF-DEPORTEE-MD-05_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Eric Swalwell addresses the press event in Hayward on March 9, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This victory belongs to the voters who made clear that our district cannot be bought,” Wahab said in a statement. “From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Wahab and Hernandez were already running for a full term in the 14th District when \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079800/eric-swalwell-allegations-resign-congress-california-governor-race-who-is-running-primary\">Swalwell resigned from the seat\u003c/a> in April, in the face of multiple allegations of sexual assault that arose during his campaign for governor. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special election for June 16 to fill the seat, and a number of congressional Democrats pushed for candidates to clear the way for a caretaker to claim an outright majority and take office immediately in a divided Congress. Wahab resisted the effort and described it as out of touch with the district. She finished first with 43% of the vote, with Hernandez trailing in second with 17%.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In just 63 days, we closed a gap from 26,000 to 6,000 votes by sharing our message of lowering housing costs, creating jobs, and supporting strong public safety,” Hernandez said in a statement after Thursday’s results. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The race heated up in the nine weeks between the primary and Tuesday’s runoff. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AIPAC spent $2.4 million to boost Hernandez through its super PAC, United Democracy Project. That group also contributed over $1.5 million this year to BOLD America, a separate super PAC that has spent over $2 million to help Hernandez.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The spending came after Wahab said in a candidate forum that she believed that Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Both campaigns head into the general election with reason for optimism. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab will be the incumbent and can count on a higher turnout that could allow her to activate younger voters and progressives. AIPAC’s political spending, meanwhile, has become a flashpoint in Democrat vs. Democrat races across the country. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I believe that AIPAC has been nothing but racist and prejudiced in this effort,” Wahab told KQED on election night. “I support our Jewish constituents and really want to serve everybody — human rights is not a zero-sum game.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The November election will take place with slightly different district lines, under changes approved by California voters last year in Proposition 50. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hernandez pointed to the fact that the new 14th District will add more than 26,000 voters in Dublin, where she served as mayor and city council member. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This district has changed,” Hernandez said in an interview. “Folks know my leadership and what we’ve done in the city of Dublin.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turnout in Tuesday’s primary sits at just 23%, with an unknown number of ballots left to count. That’s lower than the 29% of voters who cast ballots in the June 16 special primary election and the 37% of voters who participated in the regularly scheduled June 2 primary.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12096141/progressive-aisha-wahab-wins-east-bay-special-election-for-congress",
"authors": [
"227"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_8",
"news_13"
],
"tags": [
"news_24191",
"news_18538",
"news_20149",
"news_18352",
"news_20910",
"news_27626",
"news_34377",
"news_152",
"news_17968",
"news_36045"
],
"featImg": "news_12096149",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12095997": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12095997",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12095997",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1787242044000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "oakland-speed-cameras-show-promise-more-than-half-of-tickets-go-to-non-residents",
"title": "Oakland Speed Cameras Show Promise, More Than Half of Tickets Go to Nonresidents",
"publishDate": 1787242044,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Oakland Speed Cameras Show Promise, More Than Half of Tickets Go to Nonresidents | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Automated speed cameras in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> are causing a dramatic drop in speeding, according to new data released Thursday by the city’s Department of Transportation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cameras issued nearly 200,000 citations — and more than half were mailed to an address outside of Oakland — the six-month progress report on the program revealed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report finds that the number of vehicles traveling 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit dropped by an average of 70% across all 18 camera locations — which fall in the city’s high injury network — compared to speed data collected before the cameras were installed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The greatest drop in speeding drivers was at Seventh Street between Adeline and Linden streets, which saw a reduction of 91%, according to the report.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2295\" height=\"1631\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096025\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED.jpg 2295w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-2000x1421.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-1536x1092.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-2048x1455.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2295px) 100vw, 2295px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot of data from Oakland’s Department of Transportation for the 18 speed camera locations in the city. (Oakland Department of Transportation)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp> ”In a pretty short amount of time, those were very positive results,” said Josh Rowan, director of Oakland’s Department of Transportation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s speed cameras began a two-month $0 warning period on Jan. 14, and began issuing citations on March 15. The cameras are the result of a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202320240ab645\">2023 state law\u003c/a> that authorized Oakland and five other cities — including San Francisco, San Jose, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Glendale — to pilot the speed enforcement technology for a five-year period. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For more than two decades, speeding has been involved in approximately \u003ca href=\"https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding\">one-third\u003c/a> of all motor vehicle fatalities nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In March, San Francisco \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/one-year-speeding-down-79-speed-safety-camera-locations\">reported \u003c/a>an 80% drop in speeding at camera locations after one year of enforcement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the first four months of issuing citations, Oakland’s cameras have generated well more than double the amount that San Francisco did in its first four months, according to data on San Francisco’s citations \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/speeding-trend-cameras-22229083.php?utm_campaign=trueanthem%2B3988&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawTy7YFwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAGJyaWQRMVViZzREOE5qekg1U3JEMVJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeiRQLCkbO4VFuua0b2pxwx7R0xuuebuuhuQmjPUaUSEfjkyK8RuqpwMSd_p4_aem_zozoz2yB246vvz8dcFBuuA\">analyzed\u003c/a> by the San Francisco Chronicle.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rowan said part of the reason for that is that many of Oakland’s streets are built in a way that encourages speeding.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ In Oakland we have a lot of local streets that are built to highway standards. They’re wide, straight and fast,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rowan’s theory is that Oakland is a “through” city: “that people use to get from point a to point b.” So his discovery that a majority of speeders have a registered address outside Oakland was an “aha” moment for him.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“My intuitive feeling has been that not all of our problems are us doing this to ourselves,” Rowan said. “Those not from Oakland, please don’t speed when you’re here.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Speeders are the vast minority of all drivers in the city, according to Oakland’s progress report. Across all camera locations combined, violations were issued to approximately 1.5% of all vehicles that passed by each camera, meaning most drivers were traveling close to the speed limit, the report noted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rowan said speed cameras are proving to be a valuable tool in the short term, but the technology is also pushing the city to have conversations about redesigning Oakland’s streets to be safer in the long term. He mulled over the prospect of a long-term roundabout installation program to “really get into the type of safety projects that start making a real change over time.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under California law, automated speeding cameras issue $50 citations to anyone traveling 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit, and the fine increases based on speed, with a maximum fine of $500 for a driver traveling more than 100 miles per hour over the speed limit. Under the law, the citations issued by the cameras are considered civil penalties and can’t be used against a driver to revoke or suspend their license. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ideally, if this is successful, we make no money off of it because now everyone’s complying with speed limit laws,” Rowan said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Automated speed cameras in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> are causing a dramatic drop in speeding, according to new data released Thursday by the city’s Department of Transportation. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Automated speed cameras in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> are causing a dramatic drop in speeding, according to new data released Thursday by the city’s Department of Transportation. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cameras issued nearly 200,000 citations — and more than half were mailed to an address outside of Oakland — the six-month progress report on the program revealed.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Cameras issued nearly 200,000 citations — and more than half were mailed to an address outside of Oakland — the six-month progress report on the program revealed.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report finds that the number of vehicles traveling 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit dropped by an average of 70% across all 18 camera locations — which fall in the city’s high injury network — compared to speed data collected before the cameras were installed. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The report finds that the number of vehicles traveling 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit dropped by an average of 70% across all 18 camera locations — which fall in the city’s high injury network — compared to speed data collected before the cameras were installed. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The greatest drop in speeding drivers was at Seventh Street between Adeline and Linden streets, which saw a reduction of 91%, according to the report.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The greatest drop in speeding drivers was at Seventh Street between Adeline and Linden streets, which saw a reduction of 91%, according to the report.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12096025,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Oakland Department of Transportation",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED.jpg 2295w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-2000x1421.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-1536x1092.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-2048x1455.jpg 2048w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096025\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED.jpg 2295w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-2000x1421.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-1536x1092.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-2048x1455.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot of data from Oakland’s Department of Transportation for the 18 speed camera locations in the city.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096025\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot of data from Oakland’s Department of Transportation for the 18 speed camera locations in the city.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp> ”In a pretty short amount of time, those were very positive results,” said Josh Rowan, director of Oakland’s Department of Transportation.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp> ”In a pretty short amount of time, those were very positive results,” said Josh Rowan, director of Oakland’s Department of Transportation.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "fullwidth"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oakland’s speed cameras began a two-month $0 warning period on Jan. 14, and began issuing citations on March 15. The cameras are the result of a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202320240ab645\">2023 state law\u003c/a> that authorized Oakland and five other cities — including San Francisco, San Jose, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Glendale — to pilot the speed enforcement technology for a five-year period. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Oakland’s speed cameras began a two-month $0 warning period on Jan. 14, and began issuing citations on March 15. The cameras are the result of a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202320240ab645\">2023 state law\u003c/a> that authorized Oakland and five other cities — including San Francisco, San Jose, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Glendale — to pilot the speed enforcement technology for a five-year period. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For more than two decades, speeding has been involved in approximately \u003ca href=\"https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding\">one-third\u003c/a> of all motor vehicle fatalities nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In March, San Francisco \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/one-year-speeding-down-79-speed-safety-camera-locations\">reported \u003c/a>an 80% drop in speeding at camera locations after one year of enforcement. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For more than two decades, speeding has been involved in approximately \u003ca href=\"https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding\">one-third\u003c/a> of all motor vehicle fatalities nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In March, San Francisco \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/one-year-speeding-down-79-speed-safety-camera-locations\">reported \u003c/a>an 80% drop in speeding at camera locations after one year of enforcement. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the first four months of issuing citations, Oakland’s cameras have generated well more than double the amount that San Francisco did in its first four months, according to data on San Francisco’s citations \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/speeding-trend-cameras-22229083.php?utm_campaign=trueanthem%2B3988&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawTy7YFwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAGJyaWQRMVViZzREOE5qekg1U3JEMVJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeiRQLCkbO4VFuua0b2pxwx7R0xuuebuuhuQmjPUaUSEfjkyK8RuqpwMSd_p4_aem_zozoz2yB246vvz8dcFBuuA\">analyzed\u003c/a> by the San Francisco Chronicle.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>During the first four months of issuing citations, Oakland’s cameras have generated well more than double the amount that San Francisco did in its first four months, according to data on San Francisco’s citations \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/speeding-trend-cameras-22229083.php?utm_campaign=trueanthem%2B3988&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawTy7YFwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAGJyaWQRMVViZzREOE5qekg1U3JEMVJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeiRQLCkbO4VFuua0b2pxwx7R0xuuebuuhuQmjPUaUSEfjkyK8RuqpwMSd_p4_aem_zozoz2yB246vvz8dcFBuuA\">analyzed\u003c/a> by the San Francisco Chronicle.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12082693"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/CellebriteGetty.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rowan said part of the reason for that is that many of Oakland’s streets are built in a way that encourages speeding.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Rowan said part of the reason for that is that many of Oakland’s streets are built in a way that encourages speeding.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ In Oakland we have a lot of local streets that are built to highway standards. They’re wide, straight and fast,” he added.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“ In Oakland we have a lot of local streets that are built to highway standards. They’re wide, straight and fast,” he added.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rowan’s theory is that Oakland is a “through” city: “that people use to get from point a to point b.” So his discovery that a majority of speeders have a registered address outside Oakland was an “aha” moment for him.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Rowan’s theory is that Oakland is a “through” city: “that people use to get from point a to point b.” So his discovery that a majority of speeders have a registered address outside Oakland was an “aha” moment for him.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“My intuitive feeling has been that not all of our problems are us doing this to ourselves,” Rowan said. “Those not from Oakland, please don’t speed when you’re here.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“My intuitive feeling has been that not all of our problems are us doing this to ourselves,” Rowan said. “Those not from Oakland, please don’t speed when you’re here.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Speeders are the vast minority of all drivers in the city, according to Oakland’s progress report. Across all camera locations combined, violations were issued to approximately 1.5% of all vehicles that passed by each camera, meaning most drivers were traveling close to the speed limit, the report noted.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Speeders are the vast minority of all drivers in the city, according to Oakland’s progress report. Across all camera locations combined, violations were issued to approximately 1.5% of all vehicles that passed by each camera, meaning most drivers were traveling close to the speed limit, the report noted.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rowan said speed cameras are proving to be a valuable tool in the short term, but the technology is also pushing the city to have conversations about redesigning Oakland’s streets to be safer in the long term. He mulled over the prospect of a long-term roundabout installation program to “really get into the type of safety projects that start making a real change over time.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Rowan said speed cameras are proving to be a valuable tool in the short term, but the technology is also pushing the city to have conversations about redesigning Oakland’s streets to be safer in the long term. He mulled over the prospect of a long-term roundabout installation program to “really get into the type of safety projects that start making a real change over time.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under California law, automated speeding cameras issue $50 citations to anyone traveling 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit, and the fine increases based on speed, with a maximum fine of $500 for a driver traveling more than 100 miles per hour over the speed limit. Under the law, the citations issued by the cameras are considered civil penalties and can’t be used against a driver to revoke or suspend their license. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Under California law, automated speeding cameras issue $50 citations to anyone traveling 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit, and the fine increases based on speed, with a maximum fine of $500 for a driver traveling more than 100 miles per hour over the speed limit. Under the law, the citations issued by the cameras are considered civil penalties and can’t be used against a driver to revoke or suspend their license. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "floatright"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Ideally, if this is successful, we make no money off of it because now everyone’s complying with speed limit laws,” Rowan said.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Ideally, if this is successful, we make no money off of it because now everyone’s complying with speed limit laws,” Rowan said.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "Oakland reports significant drops in speeding, as automated cameras issued nearly 200,000 citations over a four-month period.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1787242167,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 18,
"wordCount": 701
},
"headData": {
"title": "Oakland Speed Cameras Show Promise, More Than Half of Tickets Go to Nonresidents | KQED",
"description": "Oakland reports significant drops in speeding, as automated cameras issued nearly 200,000 citations over a four-month period.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Oakland Speed Cameras Show Promise, More Than Half of Tickets Go to Nonresidents",
"datePublished": "2026-08-20T09:07:24-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-08-20T09:09:27-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1397,
"slug": "transportation",
"name": "Transportation"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12095997",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12095997/oakland-speed-cameras-show-promise-more-than-half-of-tickets-go-to-non-residents",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Automated speed cameras in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> are causing a dramatic drop in speeding, according to new data released Thursday by the city’s Department of Transportation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cameras issued nearly 200,000 citations — and more than half were mailed to an address outside of Oakland — the six-month progress report on the program revealed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report finds that the number of vehicles traveling 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit dropped by an average of 70% across all 18 camera locations — which fall in the city’s high injury network — compared to speed data collected before the cameras were installed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The greatest drop in speeding drivers was at Seventh Street between Adeline and Linden streets, which saw a reduction of 91%, according to the report.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2295\" height=\"1631\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096025\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED.jpg 2295w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-2000x1421.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-1536x1092.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260819-Oak-Speed-Cameras-01-KQED-2048x1455.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2295px) 100vw, 2295px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot of data from Oakland’s Department of Transportation for the 18 speed camera locations in the city. (Oakland Department of Transportation)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp> ”In a pretty short amount of time, those were very positive results,” said Josh Rowan, director of Oakland’s Department of Transportation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s speed cameras began a two-month $0 warning period on Jan. 14, and began issuing citations on March 15. The cameras are the result of a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202320240ab645\">2023 state law\u003c/a> that authorized Oakland and five other cities — including San Francisco, San Jose, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Glendale — to pilot the speed enforcement technology for a five-year period. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For more than two decades, speeding has been involved in approximately \u003ca href=\"https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding\">one-third\u003c/a> of all motor vehicle fatalities nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In March, San Francisco \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/one-year-speeding-down-79-speed-safety-camera-locations\">reported \u003c/a>an 80% drop in speeding at camera locations after one year of enforcement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the first four months of issuing citations, Oakland’s cameras have generated well more than double the amount that San Francisco did in its first four months, according to data on San Francisco’s citations \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/speeding-trend-cameras-22229083.php?utm_campaign=trueanthem%2B3988&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawTy7YFwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAGJyaWQRMVViZzREOE5qekg1U3JEMVJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeiRQLCkbO4VFuua0b2pxwx7R0xuuebuuhuQmjPUaUSEfjkyK8RuqpwMSd_p4_aem_zozoz2yB246vvz8dcFBuuA\">analyzed\u003c/a> by the San Francisco Chronicle.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rowan said part of the reason for that is that many of Oakland’s streets are built in a way that encourages speeding.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ In Oakland we have a lot of local streets that are built to highway standards. They’re wide, straight and fast,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rowan’s theory is that Oakland is a “through” city: “that people use to get from point a to point b.” So his discovery that a majority of speeders have a registered address outside Oakland was an “aha” moment for him.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“My intuitive feeling has been that not all of our problems are us doing this to ourselves,” Rowan said. “Those not from Oakland, please don’t speed when you’re here.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Speeders are the vast minority of all drivers in the city, according to Oakland’s progress report. Across all camera locations combined, violations were issued to approximately 1.5% of all vehicles that passed by each camera, meaning most drivers were traveling close to the speed limit, the report noted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rowan said speed cameras are proving to be a valuable tool in the short term, but the technology is also pushing the city to have conversations about redesigning Oakland’s streets to be safer in the long term. He mulled over the prospect of a long-term roundabout installation program to “really get into the type of safety projects that start making a real change over time.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under California law, automated speeding cameras issue $50 citations to anyone traveling 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit, and the fine increases based on speed, with a maximum fine of $500 for a driver traveling more than 100 miles per hour over the speed limit. Under the law, the citations issued by the cameras are considered civil penalties and can’t be used against a driver to revoke or suspend their license. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ideally, if this is successful, we make no money off of it because now everyone’s complying with speed limit laws,” Rowan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12095997/oakland-speed-cameras-show-promise-more-than-half-of-tickets-go-to-non-residents",
"authors": [
"11785"
],
"categories": [
"news_28250",
"news_8",
"news_1397"
],
"tags": [
"news_260",
"news_36200",
"news_32939",
"news_18352",
"news_34054",
"news_412",
"news_416",
"news_1526",
"news_20517"
],
"featImg": "news_12070839",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12095863": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12095863",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12095863",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1787100716000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "contentious-east-bay-special-election-for-congress-comes-to-a-close",
"title": "Wahab Leads Hernandez in Contentious East Bay Special Election for Congress",
"publishDate": 1787100716,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Wahab Leads Hernandez in Contentious East Bay Special Election for Congress | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>State Sen. Aisha Wahab narrowly leads BART board director Melissa Hernandez in a fractious special election for Congress in the East Bay that will decide who will temporarily fill the seat formerly held by disgraced Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/eric-swalwell\">Eric Swalwell\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The race between \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/aisha-wahab\">Wahab\u003c/a> and Hernandez, both Democrats, interrupted the typically sleepy summer months for voters in Fremont, Hayward and the Tri-Valley. Though Wahab topped a June primary field by a wide margin, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">millions of dollars of outside spending\u003c/a> have poured into the district — throwing Democratic divisions over Israel and party leadership into stark relief.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In initial returns on Tuesday night, Wahab was ahead of Hernandez 51% to 49% — a lead of fewer than 2,000 votes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m very proud of this district for not listening to the hate-mongering and really knowing and believing the work that I’ve done,” Wahab told KQED. “We believe that the numbers and the lead will just only grow.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The infighting is unlikely to end with this week’s results. While the winner of the special election will complete Swalwell’s term through the end of the year, Wahab and Hernandez will again face off on the November general election ballot for a full two-year term. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1393\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095858\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-1536x1081.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Aisha Wahab attends a press conference with Gov. Gavin Newsom about new statewide accountability and funding for homelessness and mental health in Hayward, California, on March 2, 2026. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an interview, Hernandez said she was still looking forward to seeing more results — and was heartened by the gains she made since finishing well behind Wahab in the special election primary.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Initially we had a lot of folks in the race … now it’s only us two,” Hernandez said. “So it’s really folks getting to know who I am.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the nine-week sprint since the primary, the race has turned into a proxy war for larger divides between moderate and progressive Democrats, said David McCuan, political science professor at Sonoma State University. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You see a lot of outside money, a lot of outside influences, and you see a battle between two seasoned, smart politicians that isn’t settled this week,” McCuan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab, a former Hayward City Council member, has represented the area in the state Senate since 2023. In her run for Congress, she has the backing of the California Democratic Party, the California Federation of Labor Unions and the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before serving on BART’s board of directors, Hernandez was a councilmember in Dublin and mayor until 2024. She has been endorsed by NewDems, a political group that works to elect moderate Democrats, and nearly a dozen members of California’s Democratic congressional delegation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The chair of the delegation, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, criticized Wahab this week for her decision not to bow out of the special election in favor of a caretaker candidate. Lofgren said other Democrats had agreed to step aside and back a single candidate — who could have won a majority of votes in the June 16 special election primary and taken office immediately in the closely divided Congress. Wahab has derided the process of picking a caretaker as heavy-handed and out of touch with the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087582/polls-close-tonight-in-special-election-for-swalwells-former-seat\">special election primary\u003c/a>, Wahab received 43% of the vote, with Hernandez in second at 17%. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The runoff is much closer, in part the result of a torrent of outside spending in support of Hernandez, much of it from United Democracy Project, the political arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The pro-Israel group has become a flashpoint in Democratic primaries throughout the country. Neither Wahab nor Hernandez has focused their campaign on America’s relationship with Israel — although in a candidate forum this spring, Wahab said she believed what was happening to the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hernandez responded to the yes-or-no question by saying she believed that Israel had a right to defend itself after Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, but that the subsequent destruction in Gaza has gone too far. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095919\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART board director Melissa Hernandez. (Courtesy of Melissa Hernandez)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>United Democracy Project, which cannot coordinate directly with Hernandez’s campaign, has spent $2.4 million to boost Hernandez and sink Wahab. The group has also sent money to BOLD America, another super PAC that has spent over $2 million to help Hernandez. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As she cast her ballot on Tuesday in Castro Valley, Leslie Hall bemoaned the polarizing political moment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The divisiveness that we have right now is mind-blowing,” Hall said. “What happened to love?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Jose Velazquez contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State Sen. Aisha Wahab narrowly leads BART board director Melissa Hernandez in a fractious special election for Congress in the East Bay that will decide who will temporarily fill the seat formerly held by disgraced Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/eric-swalwell\">Eric Swalwell\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>State Sen. Aisha Wahab narrowly leads BART board director Melissa Hernandez in a fractious special election for Congress in the East Bay that will decide who will temporarily fill the seat formerly held by disgraced Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/eric-swalwell\">Eric Swalwell\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The race between \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/aisha-wahab\">Wahab\u003c/a> and Hernandez, both Democrats, interrupted the typically sleepy summer months for voters in Fremont, Hayward and the Tri-Valley. Though Wahab topped a June primary field by a wide margin, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">millions of dollars of outside spending\u003c/a> have poured into the district — throwing Democratic divisions over Israel and party leadership into stark relief.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The race between \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/aisha-wahab\">Wahab\u003c/a> and Hernandez, both Democrats, interrupted the typically sleepy summer months for voters in Fremont, Hayward and the Tri-Valley. Though Wahab topped a June primary field by a wide margin, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">millions of dollars of outside spending\u003c/a> have poured into the district — throwing Democratic divisions over Israel and party leadership into stark relief.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In initial returns on Tuesday night, Wahab was ahead of Hernandez 51% to 49% — a lead of fewer than 2,000 votes.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In initial returns on Tuesday night, Wahab was ahead of Hernandez 51% to 49% — a lead of fewer than 2,000 votes.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m very proud of this district for not listening to the hate-mongering and really knowing and believing the work that I’ve done,” Wahab told KQED. “We believe that the numbers and the lead will just only grow.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I’m very proud of this district for not listening to the hate-mongering and really knowing and believing the work that I’ve done,” Wahab told KQED. “We believe that the numbers and the lead will just only grow.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The infighting is unlikely to end with this week’s results. While the winner of the special election will complete Swalwell’s term through the end of the year, Wahab and Hernandez will again face off on the November general election ballot for a full two-year term. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The infighting is unlikely to end with this week’s results. While the winner of the special election will complete Swalwell’s term through the end of the year, Wahab and Hernandez will again face off on the November general election ballot for a full two-year term. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12095858,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-1536x1081.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095858\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-1536x1081.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Aisha Wahab attends a press conference with Gov. Gavin Newsom about new statewide accountability and funding for homelessness and mental health in Hayward, California, on March 2, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095858\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Aisha Wahab attends a press conference with Gov. Gavin Newsom about new statewide accountability and funding for homelessness and mental health in Hayward, California, on March 2, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an interview, Hernandez said she was still looking forward to seeing more results — and was heartened by the gains she made since finishing well behind Wahab in the special election primary.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Initially we had a lot of folks in the race … now it’s only us two,” Hernandez said. “So it’s really folks getting to know who I am.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In an interview, Hernandez said she was still looking forward to seeing more results — and was heartened by the gains she made since finishing well behind Wahab in the special election primary.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Initially we had a lot of folks in the race … now it’s only us two,” Hernandez said. “So it’s really folks getting to know who I am.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "fullwidth"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the nine-week sprint since the primary, the race has turned into a proxy war for larger divides between moderate and progressive Democrats, said David McCuan, political science professor at Sonoma State University. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In the nine-week sprint since the primary, the race has turned into a proxy war for larger divides between moderate and progressive Democrats, said David McCuan, political science professor at Sonoma State University. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You see a lot of outside money, a lot of outside influences, and you see a battle between two seasoned, smart politicians that isn’t settled this week,” McCuan said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“You see a lot of outside money, a lot of outside influences, and you see a battle between two seasoned, smart politicians that isn’t settled this week,” McCuan said. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wahab, a former Hayward City Council member, has represented the area in the state Senate since 2023. In her run for Congress, she has the backing of the California Democratic Party, the California Federation of Labor Unions and the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Wahab, a former Hayward City Council member, has represented the area in the state Senate since 2023. In her run for Congress, she has the backing of the California Democratic Party, the California Federation of Labor Unions and the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Before serving on BART’s board of directors, Hernandez was a councilmember in Dublin and mayor until 2024. She has been endorsed by NewDems, a political group that works to elect moderate Democrats, and nearly a dozen members of California’s Democratic congressional delegation. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Before serving on BART’s board of directors, Hernandez was a councilmember in Dublin and mayor until 2024. She has been endorsed by NewDems, a political group that works to elect moderate Democrats, and nearly a dozen members of California’s Democratic congressional delegation. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12095616"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/003_KQED_SanFrancisco_Muni_04062020_qed.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The chair of the delegation, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, criticized Wahab this week for her decision not to bow out of the special election in favor of a caretaker candidate. Lofgren said other Democrats had agreed to step aside and back a single candidate — who could have won a majority of votes in the June 16 special election primary and taken office immediately in the closely divided Congress. Wahab has derided the process of picking a caretaker as heavy-handed and out of touch with the district. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The chair of the delegation, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, criticized Wahab this week for her decision not to bow out of the special election in favor of a caretaker candidate. Lofgren said other Democrats had agreed to step aside and back a single candidate — who could have won a majority of votes in the June 16 special election primary and taken office immediately in the closely divided Congress. Wahab has derided the process of picking a caretaker as heavy-handed and out of touch with the district. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087582/polls-close-tonight-in-special-election-for-swalwells-former-seat\">special election primary\u003c/a>, Wahab received 43% of the vote, with Hernandez in second at 17%. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087582/polls-close-tonight-in-special-election-for-swalwells-former-seat\">special election primary\u003c/a>, Wahab received 43% of the vote, with Hernandez in second at 17%. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The runoff is much closer, in part the result of a torrent of outside spending in support of Hernandez, much of it from United Democracy Project, the political arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The runoff is much closer, in part the result of a torrent of outside spending in support of Hernandez, much of it from United Democracy Project, the political arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The pro-Israel group has become a flashpoint in Democratic primaries throughout the country. Neither Wahab nor Hernandez has focused their campaign on America’s relationship with Israel — although in a candidate forum this spring, Wahab said she believed what was happening to the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The pro-Israel group has become a flashpoint in Democratic primaries throughout the country. Neither Wahab nor Hernandez has focused their campaign on America’s relationship with Israel — although in a candidate forum this spring, Wahab said she believed what was happening to the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hernandez responded to the yes-or-no question by saying she believed that Israel had a right to defend itself after Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, but that the subsequent destruction in Gaza has gone too far. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Hernandez responded to the yes-or-no question by saying she believed that Israel had a right to defend itself after Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, but that the subsequent destruction in Gaza has gone too far. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12095919,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Courtesy of Melissa Hernandez",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095919\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART board director Melissa Hernandez.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095919\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART board director Melissa Hernandez.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>United Democracy Project, which cannot coordinate directly with Hernandez’s campaign, has spent $2.4 million to boost Hernandez and sink Wahab. The group has also sent money to BOLD America, another super PAC that has spent over $2 million to help Hernandez. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>United Democracy Project, which cannot coordinate directly with Hernandez’s campaign, has spent $2.4 million to boost Hernandez and sink Wahab. The group has also sent money to BOLD America, another super PAC that has spent over $2 million to help Hernandez. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As she cast her ballot on Tuesday in Castro Valley, Leslie Hall bemoaned the polarizing political moment. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>As she cast her ballot on Tuesday in Castro Valley, Leslie Hall bemoaned the polarizing political moment. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The divisiveness that we have right now is mind-blowing,” Hall said. “What happened to love?”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“The divisiveness that we have right now is mind-blowing,” Hall said. “What happened to love?”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "floatright"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Jose Velazquez contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Jose Velazquez contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "State Sen. Aisha Wahab and BART board director Melissa Hernandez face off in the 14th District race to complete Eric Swalwell’s term, which has divided Democrats. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1787116950,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 21,
"wordCount": 822
},
"headData": {
"title": "Wahab Leads Hernandez in Contentious East Bay Special Election for Congress | KQED",
"description": "State Sen. Aisha Wahab and BART board director Melissa Hernandez face off in the 14th District race to complete Eric Swalwell’s term, which has divided Democrats. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Wahab Leads Hernandez in Contentious East Bay Special Election for Congress",
"datePublished": "2026-08-18T17:51:56-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-08-18T22:22:30-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 13,
"slug": "politics",
"name": "Politics"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12095863",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12095863/contentious-east-bay-special-election-for-congress-comes-to-a-close",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>State Sen. Aisha Wahab narrowly leads BART board director Melissa Hernandez in a fractious special election for Congress in the East Bay that will decide who will temporarily fill the seat formerly held by disgraced Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/eric-swalwell\">Eric Swalwell\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The race between \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/aisha-wahab\">Wahab\u003c/a> and Hernandez, both Democrats, interrupted the typically sleepy summer months for voters in Fremont, Hayward and the Tri-Valley. Though Wahab topped a June primary field by a wide margin, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">millions of dollars of outside spending\u003c/a> have poured into the district — throwing Democratic divisions over Israel and party leadership into stark relief.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In initial returns on Tuesday night, Wahab was ahead of Hernandez 51% to 49% — a lead of fewer than 2,000 votes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m very proud of this district for not listening to the hate-mongering and really knowing and believing the work that I’ve done,” Wahab told KQED. “We believe that the numbers and the lead will just only grow.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The infighting is unlikely to end with this week’s results. While the winner of the special election will complete Swalwell’s term through the end of the year, Wahab and Hernandez will again face off on the November general election ballot for a full two-year term. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1393\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095858\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-1536x1081.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Aisha Wahab attends a press conference with Gov. Gavin Newsom about new statewide accountability and funding for homelessness and mental health in Hayward, California, on March 2, 2026. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an interview, Hernandez said she was still looking forward to seeing more results — and was heartened by the gains she made since finishing well behind Wahab in the special election primary.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Initially we had a lot of folks in the race … now it’s only us two,” Hernandez said. “So it’s really folks getting to know who I am.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the nine-week sprint since the primary, the race has turned into a proxy war for larger divides between moderate and progressive Democrats, said David McCuan, political science professor at Sonoma State University. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You see a lot of outside money, a lot of outside influences, and you see a battle between two seasoned, smart politicians that isn’t settled this week,” McCuan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab, a former Hayward City Council member, has represented the area in the state Senate since 2023. In her run for Congress, she has the backing of the California Democratic Party, the California Federation of Labor Unions and the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before serving on BART’s board of directors, Hernandez was a councilmember in Dublin and mayor until 2024. She has been endorsed by NewDems, a political group that works to elect moderate Democrats, and nearly a dozen members of California’s Democratic congressional delegation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The chair of the delegation, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, criticized Wahab this week for her decision not to bow out of the special election in favor of a caretaker candidate. Lofgren said other Democrats had agreed to step aside and back a single candidate — who could have won a majority of votes in the June 16 special election primary and taken office immediately in the closely divided Congress. Wahab has derided the process of picking a caretaker as heavy-handed and out of touch with the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087582/polls-close-tonight-in-special-election-for-swalwells-former-seat\">special election primary\u003c/a>, Wahab received 43% of the vote, with Hernandez in second at 17%. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The runoff is much closer, in part the result of a torrent of outside spending in support of Hernandez, much of it from United Democracy Project, the political arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The pro-Israel group has become a flashpoint in Democratic primaries throughout the country. Neither Wahab nor Hernandez has focused their campaign on America’s relationship with Israel — although in a candidate forum this spring, Wahab said she believed what was happening to the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hernandez responded to the yes-or-no question by saying she believed that Israel had a right to defend itself after Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, but that the subsequent destruction in Gaza has gone too far. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095919\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART board director Melissa Hernandez. (Courtesy of Melissa Hernandez)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>United Democracy Project, which cannot coordinate directly with Hernandez’s campaign, has spent $2.4 million to boost Hernandez and sink Wahab. The group has also sent money to BOLD America, another super PAC that has spent over $2 million to help Hernandez. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As she cast her ballot on Tuesday in Castro Valley, Leslie Hall bemoaned the polarizing political moment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The divisiveness that we have right now is mind-blowing,” Hall said. “What happened to love?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Jose Velazquez contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12095863/contentious-east-bay-special-election-for-congress-comes-to-a-close",
"authors": [
"227"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_8",
"news_13"
],
"tags": [
"news_34056",
"news_24191",
"news_1386",
"news_18538",
"news_20156",
"news_20251",
"news_18352",
"news_20910",
"news_27626",
"news_34377",
"news_17968",
"news_36045"
],
"featImg": "news_12095869",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12095551": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12095551",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12095551",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1787005800000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "kennedy-high-clears-toxic-vapor-test-in-time-for-first-day-back",
"title": "Kennedy High Clears Toxic-Vapor Test in Time for First Day Back",
"publishDate": 1787005800,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Kennedy High Clears Toxic-Vapor Test in Time for First Day Back | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/pollution\">carcinogenic dry-cleaning solvent\u003c/a> is not seeping into classrooms at John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond, state officials announced, clearing the way for the campus to begin a new school year on Tuesday as scheduled.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Had the air testing shown similar contamination to what was found in the soil, the school district \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094345/richmonds-kennedy-high-to-stay-closed-pending-test-for-toxic-chemical\">was prepared\u003c/a> to start the school year at Contra Costa College, the Craneway Pavilion or another district site.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The West Contra Costa Unified School District was notified on July 31 when tetrachloroethylene, a carcinogen commonly abbreviated as PCE, turned up in five of six soil-vapor samples drilled about 5 feet down on the east side of campus. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026, as school district officials await air-testing results from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. The campus has been under construction since 2025. (Brian Krans/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though now banned in California, \u003ca href=\"https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSp/PHS/PHS.aspx?phsid=263&toxid=48\">PCE\u003c/a> was once commonly used in dry cleaning. California officials have linked the underground contamination at Kennedy High to a broader plume that includes the Miraflores housing development and the former location of a dry cleaning business that operated at nearby San Pablo Avenue from 1959 to 2015. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In March, the current and former owners of Omo’s Fabricare Dry Cleaners paid $100,800 to \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/2026/03/26/dtsc-secures-more-than-100000-settlement-with-former-bay-area-dry-cleaner-for-cleanup-violations/\">settle\u003c/a> charges that they had failed to clean up the site.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When teachers learned the results of the air testing on Thursday morning, Principal David Luongo said the room broke into “loud cheers and excitement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Luongo said the campus opened Monday for anyone who wanted to walk through it, and that upperclassmen would show incoming freshmen around, making up for the fact that orientation had been moved off campus.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marikka Hughes, a licensed geologist who runs the site mitigation and restoration program at the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, told an Aug. 13 town hall that the agency is “confident that there is no vapor intrusion at Kennedy High School based off of the samples and data that have been collected to date.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Crews took indoor air, outdoor air and sub-slab samples, she said, and found almost nothing directly beneath the buildings, “which means that there is nothing to move from the ground into indoor spaces.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There were two exceptions to those findings — in the kitchen and in the metal welding shop. In a letter to the district on Thursday, scientists for the state stated that the source of detected PCE is expected to be consumer products rather than the plume underground.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hughes said the readings in both rooms fall below standards set by the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, as well as the state’s commercial screening level.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jeff Carter, the district’s interim associate superintendent of business services, said staff will inventory the chemicals stored in those rooms, “remove those consumer products that we believe are enhancing that level of PCE,” retest and then decide whether to reopen the spaces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094385\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026. The campus has been under construction since 2025. (Brian Krans/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hughes said the samples were collected under deliberately conservative conditions, with no ventilation running, and that the kitchen in particular needs to be sampled again “under typical working conditions.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dr. Gina Solomon, chief of occupational, environmental and climate medicine at UCSF, who was briefed by state investigators and has advised the district as a volunteer, said that she feels “extremely confident that the school is safe.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If she were the parent of a Kennedy student, she said, “I would feel totally comfortable sending my child to that high school.” In the district’s news release, Solomon called the results “truly the best case scenario.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hughes said her office has not identified the source of the contamination, nor has it mapped how far the plume extends, and that cleanup options cannot be evaluated until those determinations are made. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Asked whether the state could simply dig the chemical out, she said that would be ideal but that the agency expects to be working on it “in the coming years.” A schedule for future testing at Kennedy has not been set. Carter said the district hopes to test again during a school break, when results can be compared across seasons.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Addressing the town hall on Thursday, a woman who said she lives directly across from the school, at the corner of 45th Street and Cutting Boulevard, said she watches construction crews dig, and that “the dirt blows into my house” while her children play in the backyard. She pressed for regular retesting and for assurances about the welding teacher, who spends the day in one of the two rooms where PCE was detected. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094387\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026, as school district officials await air-testing results from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Soil samples detected the presence of PCE, a carcinogenic solvent that is used in dry cleaning. (Brian Krans/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hughes said the western side of the campus on Burke Avenue was not sampled because the plume, as mapped, has not reached that far, and that her office has found no PCE in indoor air in nearby homes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Richmond Swim Center, closed alongside the school, will reopen and start moving programs back during the week of Aug. 24, said LaShonda White, the city’s deputy city manager for community services.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Carter, the associate superintendent, put the cost of testing so far at “somewhere north of $100,000,” covered by bond and general fund money, along with air purifiers for classrooms and offices. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said the district’s involvement does not end Tuesday. “We would not bring our students back to a situation that was not safe,” she said. “We will continue to monitor the situation, so this is not the end of this process.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/pollution\">carcinogenic dry-cleaning solvent\u003c/a> is not seeping into classrooms at John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond, state officials announced, clearing the way for the campus to begin a new school year on Tuesday as scheduled.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/pollution\">carcinogenic dry-cleaning solvent\u003c/a> is not seeping into classrooms at John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond, state officials announced, clearing the way for the campus to begin a new school year on Tuesday as scheduled.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Had the air testing shown similar contamination to what was found in the soil, the school district \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094345/richmonds-kennedy-high-to-stay-closed-pending-test-for-toxic-chemical\">was prepared\u003c/a> to start the school year at Contra Costa College, the Craneway Pavilion or another district site.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Had the air testing shown similar contamination to what was found in the soil, the school district \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094345/richmonds-kennedy-high-to-stay-closed-pending-test-for-toxic-chemical\">was prepared\u003c/a> to start the school year at Contra Costa College, the Craneway Pavilion or another district site.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The West Contra Costa Unified School District was notified on July 31 when tetrachloroethylene, a carcinogen commonly abbreviated as PCE, turned up in five of six soil-vapor samples drilled about 5 feet down on the east side of campus. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The West Contra Costa Unified School District was notified on July 31 when tetrachloroethylene, a carcinogen commonly abbreviated as PCE, turned up in five of six soil-vapor samples drilled about 5 feet down on the east side of campus. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12094386,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Brian Krans/KQED",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026, as school district officials await air-testing results from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. The campus has been under construction since 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094386\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026, as school district officials await air-testing results from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. The campus has been under construction since 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Though now banned in California, \u003ca href=\"https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSp/PHS/PHS.aspx?phsid=263&toxid=48\">PCE\u003c/a> was once commonly used in dry cleaning. California officials have linked the underground contamination at Kennedy High to a broader plume that includes the Miraflores housing development and the former location of a dry cleaning business that operated at nearby San Pablo Avenue from 1959 to 2015. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Though now banned in California, \u003ca href=\"https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSp/PHS/PHS.aspx?phsid=263&toxid=48\">PCE\u003c/a> was once commonly used in dry cleaning. California officials have linked the underground contamination at Kennedy High to a broader plume that includes the Miraflores housing development and the former location of a dry cleaning business that operated at nearby San Pablo Avenue from 1959 to 2015. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In March, the current and former owners of Omo’s Fabricare Dry Cleaners paid $100,800 to \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/2026/03/26/dtsc-secures-more-than-100000-settlement-with-former-bay-area-dry-cleaner-for-cleanup-violations/\">settle\u003c/a> charges that they had failed to clean up the site.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In March, the current and former owners of Omo’s Fabricare Dry Cleaners paid $100,800 to \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/2026/03/26/dtsc-secures-more-than-100000-settlement-with-former-bay-area-dry-cleaner-for-cleanup-violations/\">settle\u003c/a> charges that they had failed to clean up the site.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "fullwidth"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When teachers learned the results of the air testing on Thursday morning, Principal David Luongo said the room broke into “loud cheers and excitement.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>When teachers learned the results of the air testing on Thursday morning, Principal David Luongo said the room broke into “loud cheers and excitement.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Luongo said the campus opened Monday for anyone who wanted to walk through it, and that upperclassmen would show incoming freshmen around, making up for the fact that orientation had been moved off campus.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Luongo said the campus opened Monday for anyone who wanted to walk through it, and that upperclassmen would show incoming freshmen around, making up for the fact that orientation had been moved off campus.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12095382"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-02-MC-KQED.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Marikka Hughes, a licensed geologist who runs the site mitigation and restoration program at the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, told an Aug. 13 town hall that the agency is “confident that there is no vapor intrusion at Kennedy High School based off of the samples and data that have been collected to date.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Marikka Hughes, a licensed geologist who runs the site mitigation and restoration program at the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, told an Aug. 13 town hall that the agency is “confident that there is no vapor intrusion at Kennedy High School based off of the samples and data that have been collected to date.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Crews took indoor air, outdoor air and sub-slab samples, she said, and found almost nothing directly beneath the buildings, “which means that there is nothing to move from the ground into indoor spaces.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Crews took indoor air, outdoor air and sub-slab samples, she said, and found almost nothing directly beneath the buildings, “which means that there is nothing to move from the ground into indoor spaces.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There were two exceptions to those findings — in the kitchen and in the metal welding shop. In a letter to the district on Thursday, scientists for the state stated that the source of detected PCE is expected to be consumer products rather than the plume underground.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>There were two exceptions to those findings — in the kitchen and in the metal welding shop. In a letter to the district on Thursday, scientists for the state stated that the source of detected PCE is expected to be consumer products rather than the plume underground.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hughes said the readings in both rooms fall below standards set by the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, as well as the state’s commercial screening level.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Hughes said the readings in both rooms fall below standards set by the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, as well as the state’s commercial screening level.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jeff Carter, the district’s interim associate superintendent of business services, said staff will inventory the chemicals stored in those rooms, “remove those consumer products that we believe are enhancing that level of PCE,” retest and then decide whether to reopen the spaces.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Jeff Carter, the district’s interim associate superintendent of business services, said staff will inventory the chemicals stored in those rooms, “remove those consumer products that we believe are enhancing that level of PCE,” retest and then decide whether to reopen the spaces.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12094385,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Brian Krans/KQED",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094385\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026. The campus has been under construction since 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094385\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026. The campus has been under construction since 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hughes said the samples were collected under deliberately conservative conditions, with no ventilation running, and that the kitchen in particular needs to be sampled again “under typical working conditions.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Hughes said the samples were collected under deliberately conservative conditions, with no ventilation running, and that the kitchen in particular needs to be sampled again “under typical working conditions.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dr. Gina Solomon, chief of occupational, environmental and climate medicine at UCSF, who was briefed by state investigators and has advised the district as a volunteer, said that she feels “extremely confident that the school is safe.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Dr. Gina Solomon, chief of occupational, environmental and climate medicine at UCSF, who was briefed by state investigators and has advised the district as a volunteer, said that she feels “extremely confident that the school is safe.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If she were the parent of a Kennedy student, she said, “I would feel totally comfortable sending my child to that high school.” In the district’s news release, Solomon called the results “truly the best case scenario.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If she were the parent of a Kennedy student, she said, “I would feel totally comfortable sending my child to that high school.” In the district’s news release, Solomon called the results “truly the best case scenario.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hughes said her office has not identified the source of the contamination, nor has it mapped how far the plume extends, and that cleanup options cannot be evaluated until those determinations are made. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Hughes said her office has not identified the source of the contamination, nor has it mapped how far the plume extends, and that cleanup options cannot be evaluated until those determinations are made. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Asked whether the state could simply dig the chemical out, she said that would be ideal but that the agency expects to be working on it “in the coming years.” A schedule for future testing at Kennedy has not been set. Carter said the district hopes to test again during a school break, when results can be compared across seasons.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Asked whether the state could simply dig the chemical out, she said that would be ideal but that the agency expects to be working on it “in the coming years.” A schedule for future testing at Kennedy has not been set. Carter said the district hopes to test again during a school break, when results can be compared across seasons.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Addressing the town hall on Thursday, a woman who said she lives directly across from the school, at the corner of 45th Street and Cutting Boulevard, said she watches construction crews dig, and that “the dirt blows into my house” while her children play in the backyard. She pressed for regular retesting and for assurances about the welding teacher, who spends the day in one of the two rooms where PCE was detected. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Addressing the town hall on Thursday, a woman who said she lives directly across from the school, at the corner of 45th Street and Cutting Boulevard, said she watches construction crews dig, and that “the dirt blows into my house” while her children play in the backyard. She pressed for regular retesting and for assurances about the welding teacher, who spends the day in one of the two rooms where PCE was detected. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12094387,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Brian Krans/KQED",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094387\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026, as school district officials await air-testing results from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Soil samples detected the presence of PCE, a carcinogenic solvent that is used in dry cleaning. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094387\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026, as school district officials await air-testing results from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Soil samples detected the presence of PCE, a carcinogenic solvent that is used in dry cleaning. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hughes said the western side of the campus on Burke Avenue was not sampled because the plume, as mapped, has not reached that far, and that her office has found no PCE in indoor air in nearby homes.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Hughes said the western side of the campus on Burke Avenue was not sampled because the plume, as mapped, has not reached that far, and that her office has found no PCE in indoor air in nearby homes.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Richmond Swim Center, closed alongside the school, will reopen and start moving programs back during the week of Aug. 24, said LaShonda White, the city’s deputy city manager for community services.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The Richmond Swim Center, closed alongside the school, will reopen and start moving programs back during the week of Aug. 24, said LaShonda White, the city’s deputy city manager for community services.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Carter, the associate superintendent, put the cost of testing so far at “somewhere north of $100,000,” covered by bond and general fund money, along with air purifiers for classrooms and offices. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Carter, the associate superintendent, put the cost of testing so far at “somewhere north of $100,000,” covered by bond and general fund money, along with air purifiers for classrooms and offices. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "floatright"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said the district’s involvement does not end Tuesday. “We would not bring our students back to a situation that was not safe,” she said. “We will continue to monitor the situation, so this is not the end of this process.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said the district’s involvement does not end Tuesday. “We would not bring our students back to a situation that was not safe,” she said. “We will continue to monitor the situation, so this is not the end of this process.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "State testing shows no sign that classroom air is polluted with a carcinogenic dry-cleaning solvent found in soil beneath the Richmond campus.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1787008977,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 24,
"wordCount": 1039
},
"headData": {
"title": "Kennedy High Clears Toxic-Vapor Test in Time for First Day Back | KQED",
"description": "State testing shows no sign that classroom air is polluted with a carcinogenic dry-cleaning solvent found in soil beneath the Richmond campus.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Kennedy High Clears Toxic-Vapor Test in Time for First Day Back",
"datePublished": "2026-08-17T15:30:00-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-08-17T16:22:57-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 18540,
"slug": "education",
"name": "Education"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12095551",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12095551/kennedy-high-clears-toxic-vapor-test-in-time-for-first-day-back",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/pollution\">carcinogenic dry-cleaning solvent\u003c/a> is not seeping into classrooms at John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond, state officials announced, clearing the way for the campus to begin a new school year on Tuesday as scheduled.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Had the air testing shown similar contamination to what was found in the soil, the school district \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094345/richmonds-kennedy-high-to-stay-closed-pending-test-for-toxic-chemical\">was prepared\u003c/a> to start the school year at Contra Costa College, the Craneway Pavilion or another district site.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The West Contra Costa Unified School District was notified on July 31 when tetrachloroethylene, a carcinogen commonly abbreviated as PCE, turned up in five of six soil-vapor samples drilled about 5 feet down on the east side of campus. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-03-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026, as school district officials await air-testing results from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. The campus has been under construction since 2025. (Brian Krans/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though now banned in California, \u003ca href=\"https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSp/PHS/PHS.aspx?phsid=263&toxid=48\">PCE\u003c/a> was once commonly used in dry cleaning. California officials have linked the underground contamination at Kennedy High to a broader plume that includes the Miraflores housing development and the former location of a dry cleaning business that operated at nearby San Pablo Avenue from 1959 to 2015. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In March, the current and former owners of Omo’s Fabricare Dry Cleaners paid $100,800 to \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/2026/03/26/dtsc-secures-more-than-100000-settlement-with-former-bay-area-dry-cleaner-for-cleanup-violations/\">settle\u003c/a> charges that they had failed to clean up the site.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When teachers learned the results of the air testing on Thursday morning, Principal David Luongo said the room broke into “loud cheers and excitement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Luongo said the campus opened Monday for anyone who wanted to walk through it, and that upperclassmen would show incoming freshmen around, making up for the fact that orientation had been moved off campus.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marikka Hughes, a licensed geologist who runs the site mitigation and restoration program at the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, told an Aug. 13 town hall that the agency is “confident that there is no vapor intrusion at Kennedy High School based off of the samples and data that have been collected to date.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Crews took indoor air, outdoor air and sub-slab samples, she said, and found almost nothing directly beneath the buildings, “which means that there is nothing to move from the ground into indoor spaces.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There were two exceptions to those findings — in the kitchen and in the metal welding shop. In a letter to the district on Thursday, scientists for the state stated that the source of detected PCE is expected to be consumer products rather than the plume underground.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hughes said the readings in both rooms fall below standards set by the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, as well as the state’s commercial screening level.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jeff Carter, the district’s interim associate superintendent of business services, said staff will inventory the chemicals stored in those rooms, “remove those consumer products that we believe are enhancing that level of PCE,” retest and then decide whether to reopen the spaces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094385\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026. The campus has been under construction since 2025. (Brian Krans/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hughes said the samples were collected under deliberately conservative conditions, with no ventilation running, and that the kitchen in particular needs to be sampled again “under typical working conditions.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dr. Gina Solomon, chief of occupational, environmental and climate medicine at UCSF, who was briefed by state investigators and has advised the district as a volunteer, said that she feels “extremely confident that the school is safe.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If she were the parent of a Kennedy student, she said, “I would feel totally comfortable sending my child to that high school.” In the district’s news release, Solomon called the results “truly the best case scenario.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hughes said her office has not identified the source of the contamination, nor has it mapped how far the plume extends, and that cleanup options cannot be evaluated until those determinations are made. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Asked whether the state could simply dig the chemical out, she said that would be ideal but that the agency expects to be working on it “in the coming years.” A schedule for future testing at Kennedy has not been set. Carter said the district hopes to test again during a school break, when results can be compared across seasons.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Addressing the town hall on Thursday, a woman who said she lives directly across from the school, at the corner of 45th Street and Cutting Boulevard, said she watches construction crews dig, and that “the dirt blows into my house” while her children play in the backyard. She pressed for regular retesting and for assurances about the welding teacher, who spends the day in one of the two rooms where PCE was detected. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094387\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-Kennedy-High-BK-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The campus of John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond is closed on Aug. 7, 2026, as school district officials await air-testing results from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Soil samples detected the presence of PCE, a carcinogenic solvent that is used in dry cleaning. (Brian Krans/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hughes said the western side of the campus on Burke Avenue was not sampled because the plume, as mapped, has not reached that far, and that her office has found no PCE in indoor air in nearby homes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Richmond Swim Center, closed alongside the school, will reopen and start moving programs back during the week of Aug. 24, said LaShonda White, the city’s deputy city manager for community services.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Carter, the associate superintendent, put the cost of testing so far at “somewhere north of $100,000,” covered by bond and general fund money, along with air purifiers for classrooms and offices. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said the district’s involvement does not end Tuesday. “We would not bring our students back to a situation that was not safe,” she said. “We will continue to monitor the situation, so this is not the end of this process.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12095551/kennedy-high-clears-toxic-vapor-test-in-time-for-first-day-back",
"authors": [
"11986"
],
"categories": [
"news_18540",
"news_457",
"news_28250",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_1467",
"news_18352",
"news_20013",
"news_18543"
],
"featImg": "news_12094384",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12095340": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12095340",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12095340",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1786960800000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "why-piedmont-is-a-separate-city-from-oakland",
"title": "Why Piedmont Isn't Part of Oakland",
"publishDate": 1786960800,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Why Piedmont Isn’t Part of Oakland | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>Piedmont in the East Bay is a bit of an oddity: a city less than 2 square miles large in the middle of Oakland — but not part of it. It’s now one of the wealthiest cities in the Bay Area, and some Oakland residents want to ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/cancel-piedmont-wealthy-city-22364459.php\">Cancel Piedmont’\u003c/a> in order to confront the region’s inequality.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Today, we’re sharing a 2019 episode from our friends at \u003cem>Bay Curious \u003c/em>about the city’s history. It’s a story about Piedmont, but it’s really a story that starts in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-megaphone wp-block-embed-megaphone\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC9429990093&light=true\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737575/why-is-piedmont-a-separate-city-from-oakland-2\">Why Is Piedmont a Separate City From Oakland? Bay Curious Explains\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Piedmont in the East Bay is a bit of an oddity: a city less than 2 square miles large in the middle of Oakland — but not part of it. It’s now one of the wealthiest cities in the Bay Area, and some Oakland residents want to ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/cancel-piedmont-wealthy-city-22364459.php\">Cancel Piedmont’\u003c/a> in order to confront the region’s inequality.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Piedmont in the East Bay is a bit of an oddity: a city less than 2 square miles large in the middle of Oakland — but not part of it. It’s now one of the wealthiest cities in the Bay Area, and some Oakland residents want to ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/cancel-piedmont-wealthy-city-22364459.php\">Cancel Piedmont’\u003c/a> in order to confront the region’s inequality.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Today, we’re sharing a 2019 episode from our friends at \u003cem>Bay Curious \u003c/em>about the city’s history. It’s a story about Piedmont, but it’s really a story that starts in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Today, we’re sharing a 2019 episode from our friends at \u003cem>Bay Curious \u003c/em>about the city’s history. It’s a story about Piedmont, but it’s really a story that starts in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/embed",
"attrs": {
"url": "https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC9429990093&light=true",
"type": "wp-embed",
"providerNameSlug": "megaphone",
"allowResponsive": true,
"responsive": false,
"previewable": true
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-megaphone wp-block-embed-megaphone\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC9429990093&light=true\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-megaphone wp-block-embed-megaphone\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC9429990093&light=true\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/list",
"attrs": {
"items": [
"Why Is Piedmont a Separate City From Oakland? Bay Curious Explains"
],
"ordered": false,
"values": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\u003c/ul>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">",
null,
"\u003c/ul>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/list-item",
"attrs": [],
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737575/why-is-piedmont-a-separate-city-from-oakland-2\">Why Is Piedmont a Separate City From Oakland? Bay Curious Explains\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737575/why-is-piedmont-a-separate-city-from-oakland-2\">Why Is Piedmont a Separate City From Oakland? Bay Curious Explains\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
]
}
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "fullwidth"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
}
],
"excerpt": "Today, we’re sharing a 2019 episode from our friends at Bay Curious about the city’s history.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1786730585,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 7,
"wordCount": 149
},
"headData": {
"title": "Why Piedmont Isn't Part of Oakland | KQED",
"description": "Today, we’re sharing a 2019 episode from our friends at Bay Curious about the city’s history.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialDescription": "Today, we’re sharing a 2019 episode from our friends at Bay Curious about the city’s history.",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Why Piedmont Isn't Part of Oakland",
"datePublished": "2026-08-17T03:00:00-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-08-14T11:03:05-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 33520,
"slug": "podcast",
"name": "Podcast"
},
"source": "The Bay",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/thebay",
"audioUrl": "https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC9429990093.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12094824",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12095340/why-piedmont-is-a-separate-city-from-oakland",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Piedmont in the East Bay is a bit of an oddity: a city less than 2 square miles large in the middle of Oakland — but not part of it. It’s now one of the wealthiest cities in the Bay Area, and some Oakland residents want to ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/cancel-piedmont-wealthy-city-22364459.php\">Cancel Piedmont’\u003c/a> in order to confront the region’s inequality.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Today, we’re sharing a 2019 episode from our friends at \u003cem>Bay Curious \u003c/em>about the city’s history. It’s a story about Piedmont, but it’s really a story that starts in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-megaphone wp-block-embed-megaphone\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC9429990093&light=true\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11737575/why-is-piedmont-a-separate-city-from-oakland-2\">Why Is Piedmont a Separate City From Oakland? Bay Curious Explains\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12095340/why-piedmont-is-a-separate-city-from-oakland",
"authors": [
"8654",
"11832"
],
"categories": [
"news_8",
"news_33520"
],
"tags": [
"news_1386",
"news_18538",
"news_18352",
"news_33812",
"news_34054",
"news_1573",
"news_17968",
"news_22598"
],
"featImg": "news_11737625",
"label": "source_news_12095340"
},
"news_12095492": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12095492",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12095492",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1786917600000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "some-oaklanders-opposed-to-proposed-data-center",
"title": "Some Oaklanders Opposed to Proposed Data Center",
"publishDate": 1786917600,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Some Oaklanders Opposed to Proposed Data Center | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Several Oaklanders say that Behring Companies can position \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095308/developer-councilmember-say-proposed-oakland-data-center-isnt-what-you-might-think\">its proposed data center\u003c/a> as an outlier to the larger-scale facilities that’ve come under fire for high energy and water usage, but their feelings won’t change for the most part.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s largely because of distrust in the developer’s intentions and environmental impacts that centers have had on communities in other states. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Keep data centers out of Oakland,” said Bryan Ortega, 30, who has been an Oakland resident for years. “I don’t like data centers. I don’t agree with them.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095475\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The location of a proposed data center at 415 20th St. in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2026. Residents and workers cite the environmental concerns associated with the centers and distrust of developers as reasons for their opposition to the project. (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Behring is in the early stages of what it calls an innovation hub on 20th Street that includes about 20,000 square feet dedicated to a data center. The project is a single piece in a four-building project that would provide housing, office space and parking. Its addition could help bring jobs to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12075755/as-kaisers-presence-in-downtown-oakland-dwindles-so-does-foot-traffic\">the struggling downtown area\u003c/a>, according to the developer and Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ortega doesn’t buy it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The intention is not good,” Ortega said. “I don’t think they’re opening data centers for any good reasons; it’s all capital gain.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ortega linked his opposition to other data centers popping up in the Bay Area that have drawn large pushback. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In some cases, like in Oakley, the plan has been stopped in its tracks. The developer of a project that included the possibility of a data center \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">pulled that suggestion after residents rallied against it\u003c/a>. Soon after, Oakley council members \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/bay-area-data-center-ban-22208938.php\">implemented the Bay Area’s first ban\u003c/a> on the centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Party for Socialism and Liberation, which has been active in organizing against projects in Oakley and Pittsburg, is pushing for a similar ban in Oakland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The group started a petition this week to call on the city council to ban all data centers in the city. Aditi Varshneya, an organizer with PSL who lives and works in Oakland, said the more than 3,500 signatures they’ve gathered show that residents don’t want a data center at all. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you ask most members of this community, they would want something that actually benefits our community in that space,” Varshneya said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Officials facing the possibility of a data center coming to their cities have usually opted to regulate the facilities instead of pursuing outright bans. Oakley’s ban is temporary, while Pittsburg and San Jose have instead suggested regulating proposed centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fife, who represents downtown Oakland where the data center would be, said at a Friday press conference that she was working toward developing regulations on what responsible AI looks like. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Colin Behring, CEO and founder of Behring Companies, addresses the media in front of 415 20th St. in Oakland on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, as Councilmember Carroll Fife, to the right, listens in. (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If part of the project in Oakland doesn’t happen, Behring Companies CEO Colin Behring said: “The whole picture falls apart.” Possibilities of high water and energy usage at the site, he said, are not a concern because newer technology for water cooling wouldn’t waste water and California produces plenty of energy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Areli Hernandez, an Oakland resident for about a decade, was alarmed to learn about the project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“No, no,” Hernandez said about Behring’s reasoning behind the proposal not using large amounts of water or energy. “There should be something citizens of Oakland can sign to contest the data center.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most people who KQED spoke with in the city weren’t aware of the proposal. Instead, they mentioned data centers in other states or, less so, others in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This issue of disclosure is a huge part of community concerns around data centers,” Varshneya said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Andrea Wash, who lives in Concord but works in Oakland, hadn’t heard of the proposal either. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In the suburban areas, it may be a better idea just because there’s more land, more area for development,” Wash, 38, said. “Here in Oakland, especially in this area, it is a bit more congested so I could see how that would pose a problem for a lot of the neighbors.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The council member said she’s working on an AI forum to ensure communities are aware of the impacts data centers could have on the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fife said Friday that the circulating petition and other similar ones often go out because some people are not clear on what is being proposed. That’s why she said more information is needed — for everyone. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Varshneya said PSL will continue to oppose the project while raising awareness about it in the community. On Friday at 7 p.m., the group will host an organizing meeting about the data center at the Oakland Liberation Center.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Several Oaklanders say that Behring Companies can position \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095308/developer-councilmember-say-proposed-oakland-data-center-isnt-what-you-might-think\">its proposed data center\u003c/a> as an outlier to the larger-scale facilities that’ve come under fire for high energy and water usage, but their feelings won’t change for the most part.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Several Oaklanders say that Behring Companies can position \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095308/developer-councilmember-say-proposed-oakland-data-center-isnt-what-you-might-think\">its proposed data center\u003c/a> as an outlier to the larger-scale facilities that’ve come under fire for high energy and water usage, but their feelings won’t change for the most part.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s largely because of distrust in the developer’s intentions and environmental impacts that centers have had on communities in other states. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That’s largely because of distrust in the developer’s intentions and environmental impacts that centers have had on communities in other states. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Keep data centers out of Oakland,” said Bryan Ortega, 30, who has been an Oakland resident for years. “I don’t like data centers. I don’t agree with them.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Keep data centers out of Oakland,” said Bryan Ortega, 30, who has been an Oakland resident for years. “I don’t like data centers. I don’t agree with them.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12095475,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Juan Carlos Lara/KQED",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095475\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The location of a proposed data center at 415 20th St. in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2026. Residents and workers cite the environmental concerns associated with the centers and distrust of developers as reasons for their opposition to the project.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095475\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The location of a proposed data center at 415 20th St. in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2026. Residents and workers cite the environmental concerns associated with the centers and distrust of developers as reasons for their opposition to the project.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Behring is in the early stages of what it calls an innovation hub on 20th Street that includes about 20,000 square feet dedicated to a data center. The project is a single piece in a four-building project that would provide housing, office space and parking. Its addition could help bring jobs to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12075755/as-kaisers-presence-in-downtown-oakland-dwindles-so-does-foot-traffic\">the struggling downtown area\u003c/a>, according to the developer and Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Behring is in the early stages of what it calls an innovation hub on 20th Street that includes about 20,000 square feet dedicated to a data center. The project is a single piece in a four-building project that would provide housing, office space and parking. Its addition could help bring jobs to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12075755/as-kaisers-presence-in-downtown-oakland-dwindles-so-does-foot-traffic\">the struggling downtown area\u003c/a>, according to the developer and Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ortega doesn’t buy it. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ortega doesn’t buy it. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "fullwidth"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The intention is not good,” Ortega said. “I don’t think they’re opening data centers for any good reasons; it’s all capital gain.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“The intention is not good,” Ortega said. “I don’t think they’re opening data centers for any good reasons; it’s all capital gain.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ortega linked his opposition to other data centers popping up in the Bay Area that have drawn large pushback. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ortega linked his opposition to other data centers popping up in the Bay Area that have drawn large pushback. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12093604"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251030-ATIOCHPITTSBURGFILE_01018_TV-KQED.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In some cases, like in Oakley, the plan has been stopped in its tracks. The developer of a project that included the possibility of a data center \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">pulled that suggestion after residents rallied against it\u003c/a>. Soon after, Oakley council members \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/bay-area-data-center-ban-22208938.php\">implemented the Bay Area’s first ban\u003c/a> on the centers. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In some cases, like in Oakley, the plan has been stopped in its tracks. The developer of a project that included the possibility of a data center \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">pulled that suggestion after residents rallied against it\u003c/a>. Soon after, Oakley council members \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/bay-area-data-center-ban-22208938.php\">implemented the Bay Area’s first ban\u003c/a> on the centers. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Party for Socialism and Liberation, which has been active in organizing against projects in Oakley and Pittsburg, is pushing for a similar ban in Oakland. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The Party for Socialism and Liberation, which has been active in organizing against projects in Oakley and Pittsburg, is pushing for a similar ban in Oakland. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The group started a petition this week to call on the city council to ban all data centers in the city. Aditi Varshneya, an organizer with PSL who lives and works in Oakland, said the more than 3,500 signatures they’ve gathered show that residents don’t want a data center at all. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The group started a petition this week to call on the city council to ban all data centers in the city. Aditi Varshneya, an organizer with PSL who lives and works in Oakland, said the more than 3,500 signatures they’ve gathered show that residents don’t want a data center at all. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If you ask most members of this community, they would want something that actually benefits our community in that space,” Varshneya said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“If you ask most members of this community, they would want something that actually benefits our community in that space,” Varshneya said. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Officials facing the possibility of a data center coming to their cities have usually opted to regulate the facilities instead of pursuing outright bans. Oakley’s ban is temporary, while Pittsburg and San Jose have instead suggested regulating proposed centers. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Officials facing the possibility of a data center coming to their cities have usually opted to regulate the facilities instead of pursuing outright bans. Oakley’s ban is temporary, while Pittsburg and San Jose have instead suggested regulating proposed centers. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fife, who represents downtown Oakland where the data center would be, said at a Friday press conference that she was working toward developing regulations on what responsible AI looks like. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Fife, who represents downtown Oakland where the data center would be, said at a Friday press conference that she was working toward developing regulations on what responsible AI looks like. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12095480,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Juan Carlos Lara/KQED ",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Colin Behring, CEO and founder of Behring Companies, addresses the media in front of 415 20th St. in Oakland on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, as Councilmember Carroll Fife, to the right, listens in. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095480\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Colin Behring, CEO and founder of Behring Companies, addresses the media in front of 415 20th St. in Oakland on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, as Councilmember Carroll Fife, to the right, listens in. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If part of the project in Oakland doesn’t happen, Behring Companies CEO Colin Behring said: “The whole picture falls apart.” Possibilities of high water and energy usage at the site, he said, are not a concern because newer technology for water cooling wouldn’t waste water and California produces plenty of energy. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If part of the project in Oakland doesn’t happen, Behring Companies CEO Colin Behring said: “The whole picture falls apart.” Possibilities of high water and energy usage at the site, he said, are not a concern because newer technology for water cooling wouldn’t waste water and California produces plenty of energy. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Areli Hernandez, an Oakland resident for about a decade, was alarmed to learn about the project. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Areli Hernandez, an Oakland resident for about a decade, was alarmed to learn about the project. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“No, no,” Hernandez said about Behring’s reasoning behind the proposal not using large amounts of water or energy. “There should be something citizens of Oakland can sign to contest the data center.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“No, no,” Hernandez said about Behring’s reasoning behind the proposal not using large amounts of water or energy. “There should be something citizens of Oakland can sign to contest the data center.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12095008"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-2285283677-scaled-e1786637636410.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Most people who KQED spoke with in the city weren’t aware of the proposal. Instead, they mentioned data centers in other states or, less so, others in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Most people who KQED spoke with in the city weren’t aware of the proposal. Instead, they mentioned data centers in other states or, less so, others in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This issue of disclosure is a huge part of community concerns around data centers,” Varshneya said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“This issue of disclosure is a huge part of community concerns around data centers,” Varshneya said. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Andrea Wash, who lives in Concord but works in Oakland, hadn’t heard of the proposal either. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Andrea Wash, who lives in Concord but works in Oakland, hadn’t heard of the proposal either. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In the suburban areas, it may be a better idea just because there’s more land, more area for development,” Wash, 38, said. “Here in Oakland, especially in this area, it is a bit more congested so I could see how that would pose a problem for a lot of the neighbors.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“In the suburban areas, it may be a better idea just because there’s more land, more area for development,” Wash, 38, said. “Here in Oakland, especially in this area, it is a bit more congested so I could see how that would pose a problem for a lot of the neighbors.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The council member said she’s working on an AI forum to ensure communities are aware of the impacts data centers could have on the city. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The council member said she’s working on an AI forum to ensure communities are aware of the impacts data centers could have on the city. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fife said Friday that the circulating petition and other similar ones often go out because some people are not clear on what is being proposed. That’s why she said more information is needed — for everyone. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Fife said Friday that the circulating petition and other similar ones often go out because some people are not clear on what is being proposed. That’s why she said more information is needed — for everyone. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "floatright"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Varshneya said PSL will continue to oppose the project while raising awareness about it in the community. On Friday at 7 p.m., the group will host an organizing meeting about the data center at the Oakland Liberation Center.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Varshneya said PSL will continue to oppose the project while raising awareness about it in the community. On Friday at 7 p.m., the group will host an organizing meeting about the data center at the Oakland Liberation Center.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "Residents and workers cite environmental concerns associated with the centers and distrust with developers as reasons for opposition. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1786996019,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 25,
"wordCount": 900
},
"headData": {
"title": "Some Oaklanders Opposed to Proposed Data Center | KQED",
"description": "Residents and workers cite environmental concerns associated with the centers and distrust with developers as reasons for opposition. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Some Oaklanders Opposed to Proposed Data Center",
"datePublished": "2026-08-16T15:00:00-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-08-17T12:46:59-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 28250,
"slug": "local",
"name": "Local"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12095492",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12095492/some-oaklanders-opposed-to-proposed-data-center",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Several Oaklanders say that Behring Companies can position \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095308/developer-councilmember-say-proposed-oakland-data-center-isnt-what-you-might-think\">its proposed data center\u003c/a> as an outlier to the larger-scale facilities that’ve come under fire for high energy and water usage, but their feelings won’t change for the most part.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s largely because of distrust in the developer’s intentions and environmental impacts that centers have had on communities in other states. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Keep data centers out of Oakland,” said Bryan Ortega, 30, who has been an Oakland resident for years. “I don’t like data centers. I don’t agree with them.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095475\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The location of a proposed data center at 415 20th St. in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2026. Residents and workers cite the environmental concerns associated with the centers and distrust of developers as reasons for their opposition to the project. (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Behring is in the early stages of what it calls an innovation hub on 20th Street that includes about 20,000 square feet dedicated to a data center. The project is a single piece in a four-building project that would provide housing, office space and parking. Its addition could help bring jobs to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12075755/as-kaisers-presence-in-downtown-oakland-dwindles-so-does-foot-traffic\">the struggling downtown area\u003c/a>, according to the developer and Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ortega doesn’t buy it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The intention is not good,” Ortega said. “I don’t think they’re opening data centers for any good reasons; it’s all capital gain.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ortega linked his opposition to other data centers popping up in the Bay Area that have drawn large pushback. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In some cases, like in Oakley, the plan has been stopped in its tracks. The developer of a project that included the possibility of a data center \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">pulled that suggestion after residents rallied against it\u003c/a>. Soon after, Oakley council members \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/bay-area-data-center-ban-22208938.php\">implemented the Bay Area’s first ban\u003c/a> on the centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Party for Socialism and Liberation, which has been active in organizing against projects in Oakley and Pittsburg, is pushing for a similar ban in Oakland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The group started a petition this week to call on the city council to ban all data centers in the city. Aditi Varshneya, an organizer with PSL who lives and works in Oakland, said the more than 3,500 signatures they’ve gathered show that residents don’t want a data center at all. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you ask most members of this community, they would want something that actually benefits our community in that space,” Varshneya said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Officials facing the possibility of a data center coming to their cities have usually opted to regulate the facilities instead of pursuing outright bans. Oakley’s ban is temporary, while Pittsburg and San Jose have instead suggested regulating proposed centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fife, who represents downtown Oakland where the data center would be, said at a Friday press conference that she was working toward developing regulations on what responsible AI looks like. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Colin Behring, CEO and founder of Behring Companies, addresses the media in front of 415 20th St. in Oakland on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, as Councilmember Carroll Fife, to the right, listens in. (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If part of the project in Oakland doesn’t happen, Behring Companies CEO Colin Behring said: “The whole picture falls apart.” Possibilities of high water and energy usage at the site, he said, are not a concern because newer technology for water cooling wouldn’t waste water and California produces plenty of energy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Areli Hernandez, an Oakland resident for about a decade, was alarmed to learn about the project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“No, no,” Hernandez said about Behring’s reasoning behind the proposal not using large amounts of water or energy. “There should be something citizens of Oakland can sign to contest the data center.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most people who KQED spoke with in the city weren’t aware of the proposal. Instead, they mentioned data centers in other states or, less so, others in the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This issue of disclosure is a huge part of community concerns around data centers,” Varshneya said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Andrea Wash, who lives in Concord but works in Oakland, hadn’t heard of the proposal either. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In the suburban areas, it may be a better idea just because there’s more land, more area for development,” Wash, 38, said. “Here in Oakland, especially in this area, it is a bit more congested so I could see how that would pose a problem for a lot of the neighbors.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The council member said she’s working on an AI forum to ensure communities are aware of the impacts data centers could have on the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fife said Friday that the circulating petition and other similar ones often go out because some people are not clear on what is being proposed. That’s why she said more information is needed — for everyone. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Varshneya said PSL will continue to oppose the project while raising awareness about it in the community. On Friday at 7 p.m., the group will host an organizing meeting about the data center at the Oakland Liberation Center.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12095492/some-oaklanders-opposed-to-proposed-data-center",
"authors": [
"11935"
],
"categories": [
"news_28250",
"news_8",
"news_248"
],
"tags": [
"news_36792",
"news_260",
"news_34755",
"news_37040",
"news_18352",
"news_17996",
"news_34054",
"news_1631"
],
"featImg": "news_12084344",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12095308": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12095308",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12095308",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1786833000000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "developer-councilmember-say-proposed-oakland-data-center-isnt-what-you-might-think",
"title": "Developer, Councilmember Say Proposed Oakland Data Center Isn’t What You Might Think",
"publishDate": 1786833000,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Developer, Councilmember Say Proposed Oakland Data Center Isn’t What You Might Think | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>A proposed data center in downtown \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is the latest artificial intelligence project to face backlash, but proponents say this one’s different. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Developer Behring Companies is planning to use a portion of an almost 83,000 square-foot 4-story building at 415 20th St. as a data center to complement a larger AI campus. About 20,000 square-foot would be used for the data center, according to Behring’s plans. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The building \u003ca href=\"https://www.nersc.gov/news-and-events/news/berkeley-lab-dedicates-first-oakland-city-facility\">used to be a supercomputing complex\u003c/a> for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Behring Companies’ CEO Colin Behring says those operations are not different from what the project proposes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Colin Behring, CEO and founder of Behring Companies, addresses the media in front of 415 20th St. in Oakland on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, as Councilmember Carroll Fife, to the right, listens in. (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Nothing has changed, and our proposal at this point is to use the same building doing what it used to do the same way,” said Behring, who spoke at a Friday press conference alongside Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife. “While it might be big headlines to talk about data centers, this project is very much different.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Behring said there are various definitions of what a “data center” is and the space is not like a typical data center that is made up of racks and computing for different outside parties in a dark place. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For us, the data center is effectively really strong computers in your office,” Behring said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project includes three neighboring buildings and would house a 39-story apartment complex directly above the 19th Street BART station, 20 stories of office space and a parking area. The site already supports up to 20 megawatts of computing capacity because of its past use, according to Behring. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For comparison, that’s about 15 times smaller than the \u003ca href=\"https://www.imperial.ca.gov/276/Data-Center-Info\">largest proposed data center\u003c/a> in the state, which would consume 330 megawatts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AI data centers popping up around the country have sparked concerns about water and energy usage, noise pollution and health effects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, data center proposals have not gone over well with residents. From \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">Oakley \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093604/theyve-been-very-quiet-pittsburg-residents-seek-answers-as-data-center-sets-up-shop-in-city\">Pittsburg \u003c/a>in the East Bay to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914179/bay-area-communities-resist-data-center-boom\">Gilroy in Silicon Valley\u003c/a>, advocates have cited a range of environmental and aesthetic concerns with facilities planned in their communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I wanted to be absolutely critically clear that this is not the large-scale mega-facility that people have expressed, and legitimately so, concerns,” Fife, who represents downtown Oakland where the project is proposed, said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The councilmember told reporters her goal is to revitalize the downtown area by bringing responsible development to the city, and that she’ll be communicating with Behring to keep an eye on the proposal and ensure the public is informed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opponents still aren’t so sure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Party for Socialism and Liberation has emerged as one of the project’s primary opponents, starting an online petition over concerns AI data centers “destroy jobs and the environment,” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As long as tech billionaires control AI, they’ll use the technology to raise profits by eliminating millions of jobs. And they don’t care if they have to destroy the planet to do so,” the website reads. “This fight is about who decides the future of Oakland: the people, or the ultra wealthy.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Behring said the project would provide up to 2,300 jobs, with neighboring businesses producing more. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposal, which was sent to city staff a week ago, is still in the beginning stages, so it hasn’t reached the City Council. Fife said it may not need additional approval if Behring’s uses conform with existing uses by the Lawrence lab. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Either way, Fife said she’s in the process of developing legislation that would define what responsible AI use is.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A proposed data center in downtown \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is the latest artificial intelligence project to face backlash, but proponents say this one’s different. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A proposed data center in downtown \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is the latest artificial intelligence project to face backlash, but proponents say this one’s different. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Developer Behring Companies is planning to use a portion of an almost 83,000 square-foot 4-story building at 415 20th St. as a data center to complement a larger AI campus. About 20,000 square-foot would be used for the data center, according to Behring’s plans. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Developer Behring Companies is planning to use a portion of an almost 83,000 square-foot 4-story building at 415 20th St. as a data center to complement a larger AI campus. About 20,000 square-foot would be used for the data center, according to Behring’s plans. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The building \u003ca href=\"https://www.nersc.gov/news-and-events/news/berkeley-lab-dedicates-first-oakland-city-facility\">used to be a supercomputing complex\u003c/a> for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Behring Companies’ CEO Colin Behring says those operations are not different from what the project proposes. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The building \u003ca href=\"https://www.nersc.gov/news-and-events/news/berkeley-lab-dedicates-first-oakland-city-facility\">used to be a supercomputing complex\u003c/a> for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Behring Companies’ CEO Colin Behring says those operations are not different from what the project proposes. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12095480,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Juan Carlos Lara/KQED ",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Colin Behring, CEO and founder of Behring Companies, addresses the media in front of 415 20th St. in Oakland on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, as Councilmember Carroll Fife, to the right, listens in. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095480\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Colin Behring, CEO and founder of Behring Companies, addresses the media in front of 415 20th St. in Oakland on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, as Councilmember Carroll Fife, to the right, listens in. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Nothing has changed, and our proposal at this point is to use the same building doing what it used to do the same way,” said Behring, who spoke at a Friday press conference alongside Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife. “While it might be big headlines to talk about data centers, this project is very much different.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Nothing has changed, and our proposal at this point is to use the same building doing what it used to do the same way,” said Behring, who spoke at a Friday press conference alongside Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife. “While it might be big headlines to talk about data centers, this project is very much different.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Behring said there are various definitions of what a “data center” is and the space is not like a typical data center that is made up of racks and computing for different outside parties in a dark place. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Behring said there are various definitions of what a “data center” is and the space is not like a typical data center that is made up of racks and computing for different outside parties in a dark place. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "fullwidth"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“For us, the data center is effectively really strong computers in your office,” Behring said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“For us, the data center is effectively really strong computers in your office,” Behring said. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The project includes three neighboring buildings and would house a 39-story apartment complex directly above the 19th Street BART station, 20 stories of office space and a parking area. The site already supports up to 20 megawatts of computing capacity because of its past use, according to Behring. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The project includes three neighboring buildings and would house a 39-story apartment complex directly above the 19th Street BART station, 20 stories of office space and a parking area. The site already supports up to 20 megawatts of computing capacity because of its past use, according to Behring. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For comparison, that’s about 15 times smaller than the \u003ca href=\"https://www.imperial.ca.gov/276/Data-Center-Info\">largest proposed data center\u003c/a> in the state, which would consume 330 megawatts. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For comparison, that’s about 15 times smaller than the \u003ca href=\"https://www.imperial.ca.gov/276/Data-Center-Info\">largest proposed data center\u003c/a> in the state, which would consume 330 megawatts. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12095008"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-2285283677-scaled-e1786637636410.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>AI data centers popping up around the country have sparked concerns about water and energy usage, noise pollution and health effects. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>AI data centers popping up around the country have sparked concerns about water and energy usage, noise pollution and health effects. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, data center proposals have not gone over well with residents. From \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">Oakley \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093604/theyve-been-very-quiet-pittsburg-residents-seek-answers-as-data-center-sets-up-shop-in-city\">Pittsburg \u003c/a>in the East Bay to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914179/bay-area-communities-resist-data-center-boom\">Gilroy in Silicon Valley\u003c/a>, advocates have cited a range of environmental and aesthetic concerns with facilities planned in their communities. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, data center proposals have not gone over well with residents. From \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">Oakley \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093604/theyve-been-very-quiet-pittsburg-residents-seek-answers-as-data-center-sets-up-shop-in-city\">Pittsburg \u003c/a>in the East Bay to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914179/bay-area-communities-resist-data-center-boom\">Gilroy in Silicon Valley\u003c/a>, advocates have cited a range of environmental and aesthetic concerns with facilities planned in their communities. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I wanted to be absolutely critically clear that this is not the large-scale mega-facility that people have expressed, and legitimately so, concerns,” Fife, who represents downtown Oakland where the project is proposed, said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I wanted to be absolutely critically clear that this is not the large-scale mega-facility that people have expressed, and legitimately so, concerns,” Fife, who represents downtown Oakland where the project is proposed, said. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The councilmember told reporters her goal is to revitalize the downtown area by bringing responsible development to the city, and that she’ll be communicating with Behring to keep an eye on the proposal and ensure the public is informed. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The councilmember told reporters her goal is to revitalize the downtown area by bringing responsible development to the city, and that she’ll be communicating with Behring to keep an eye on the proposal and ensure the public is informed. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Opponents still aren’t so sure. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Opponents still aren’t so sure. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Party for Socialism and Liberation has emerged as one of the project’s primary opponents, starting an online petition over concerns AI data centers “destroy jobs and the environment,” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The Party for Socialism and Liberation has emerged as one of the project’s primary opponents, starting an online petition over concerns AI data centers “destroy jobs and the environment,” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“As long as tech billionaires control AI, they’ll use the technology to raise profits by eliminating millions of jobs. And they don’t care if they have to destroy the planet to do so,” the website reads. “This fight is about who decides the future of Oakland: the people, or the ultra wealthy.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“As long as tech billionaires control AI, they’ll use the technology to raise profits by eliminating millions of jobs. And they don’t care if they have to destroy the planet to do so,” the website reads. “This fight is about who decides the future of Oakland: the people, or the ultra wealthy.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Behring said the project would provide up to 2,300 jobs, with neighboring businesses producing more. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Behring said the project would provide up to 2,300 jobs, with neighboring businesses producing more. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The proposal, which was sent to city staff a week ago, is still in the beginning stages, so it hasn’t reached the City Council. Fife said it may not need additional approval if Behring’s uses conform with existing uses by the Lawrence lab. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The proposal, which was sent to city staff a week ago, is still in the beginning stages, so it hasn’t reached the City Council. Fife said it may not need additional approval if Behring’s uses conform with existing uses by the Lawrence lab. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Either way, Fife said she’s in the process of developing legislation that would define what responsible AI use is.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Either way, Fife said she’s in the process of developing legislation that would define what responsible AI use is.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "floatright"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "The proposal from Behring Companies is part of a larger artificial intelligence campus that formerly housed a supercomputer facility. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1786832717,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 21,
"wordCount": 687
},
"headData": {
"title": "Developer, Councilmember Say Proposed Oakland Data Center Isn’t What You Might Think | KQED",
"description": "The proposal from Behring Companies is part of a larger artificial intelligence campus that formerly housed a supercomputer facility. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Developer, Councilmember Say Proposed Oakland Data Center Isn’t What You Might Think",
"datePublished": "2026-08-15T15:30:00-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-08-15T15:25:17-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 28250,
"slug": "local",
"name": "Local"
},
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12095308/developer-councilmember-say-proposed-oakland-data-center-isnt-what-you-might-think",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A proposed data center in downtown \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is the latest artificial intelligence project to face backlash, but proponents say this one’s different. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Developer Behring Companies is planning to use a portion of an almost 83,000 square-foot 4-story building at 415 20th St. as a data center to complement a larger AI campus. About 20,000 square-foot would be used for the data center, according to Behring’s plans. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The building \u003ca href=\"https://www.nersc.gov/news-and-events/news/berkeley-lab-dedicates-first-oakland-city-facility\">used to be a supercomputing complex\u003c/a> for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Behring Companies’ CEO Colin Behring says those operations are not different from what the project proposes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/OAK-Data-Center-Behring-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Colin Behring, CEO and founder of Behring Companies, addresses the media in front of 415 20th St. in Oakland on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, as Councilmember Carroll Fife, to the right, listens in. (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Nothing has changed, and our proposal at this point is to use the same building doing what it used to do the same way,” said Behring, who spoke at a Friday press conference alongside Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife. “While it might be big headlines to talk about data centers, this project is very much different.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Behring said there are various definitions of what a “data center” is and the space is not like a typical data center that is made up of racks and computing for different outside parties in a dark place. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For us, the data center is effectively really strong computers in your office,” Behring said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project includes three neighboring buildings and would house a 39-story apartment complex directly above the 19th Street BART station, 20 stories of office space and a parking area. The site already supports up to 20 megawatts of computing capacity because of its past use, according to Behring. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For comparison, that’s about 15 times smaller than the \u003ca href=\"https://www.imperial.ca.gov/276/Data-Center-Info\">largest proposed data center\u003c/a> in the state, which would consume 330 megawatts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AI data centers popping up around the country have sparked concerns about water and energy usage, noise pollution and health effects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, data center proposals have not gone over well with residents. From \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">Oakley \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093604/theyve-been-very-quiet-pittsburg-residents-seek-answers-as-data-center-sets-up-shop-in-city\">Pittsburg \u003c/a>in the East Bay to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914179/bay-area-communities-resist-data-center-boom\">Gilroy in Silicon Valley\u003c/a>, advocates have cited a range of environmental and aesthetic concerns with facilities planned in their communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I wanted to be absolutely critically clear that this is not the large-scale mega-facility that people have expressed, and legitimately so, concerns,” Fife, who represents downtown Oakland where the project is proposed, said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The councilmember told reporters her goal is to revitalize the downtown area by bringing responsible development to the city, and that she’ll be communicating with Behring to keep an eye on the proposal and ensure the public is informed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opponents still aren’t so sure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Party for Socialism and Liberation has emerged as one of the project’s primary opponents, starting an online petition over concerns AI data centers “destroy jobs and the environment,” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As long as tech billionaires control AI, they’ll use the technology to raise profits by eliminating millions of jobs. And they don’t care if they have to destroy the planet to do so,” the website reads. “This fight is about who decides the future of Oakland: the people, or the ultra wealthy.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Behring said the project would provide up to 2,300 jobs, with neighboring businesses producing more. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposal, which was sent to city staff a week ago, is still in the beginning stages, so it hasn’t reached the City Council. Fife said it may not need additional approval if Behring’s uses conform with existing uses by the Lawrence lab. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Either way, Fife said she’s in the process of developing legislation that would define what responsible AI use is.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12095308/developer-councilmember-say-proposed-oakland-data-center-isnt-what-you-might-think",
"authors": [
"11935"
],
"categories": [
"news_28250",
"news_8",
"news_248"
],
"tags": [
"news_260",
"news_36087",
"news_18352",
"news_27626",
"news_17996",
"news_34054",
"news_1631"
],
"featImg": "news_12095475",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12094957": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12094957",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12094957",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1786744265000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "oakland-sues-la-peralta-apartment-owners-over-elevator-outages-livability-issues",
"title": "Oakland Sues La Peralta Apartment Owners Over Elevator Outages, Livability Issues",
"publishDate": 1786744265,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Oakland Sues La Peralta Apartment Owners Over Elevator Outages, Livability Issues | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\n\u003cp>Unable to assist because of her own mobility issues, Kathy Vaquilar called 911 last summer when her husband fell in their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/housing\">Oakland apartment\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because there was no working elevator in their building, however, paramedics had to strap the 80-year-old Richard Johnson into something like a tarp to bring him down four flights of stairs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That elevator outage at La Peralta in downtown Oakland lasted 52 days, from June 28 to Aug. 18, 2025. In a complaint filed Aug. 11 against the building’s owners and operators, City Attorney Ryan Richardson notes that variations of Vaquilar and Johnson’s ordeal were experienced by many of the 93 residential units.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095132\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kathy Vaquilar holds a photo of her deceased husband, Rich Johnson, at the La Peralta building where the couple lived, in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You have the situation where there are people with mobility issues that are on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of this building, and they didn’t have easy ways to take care of their basic needs, to go outside, to do their laundry, to take their trash out,” Richardson said. “And if there was an emergency, they were at the mercy of folks getting to them, as opposed to them being able to evacuate easily.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Filed in Alameda County Superior Court, the suit by the city attorney notes that La Peralta’s elevator problems were so pervasive that the Oakland Fire Department had to free tenants trapped in elevators 14 times between 2024 and 2025. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the fire department called such frequency very uncommon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Summer 2025 elevator outage was not an isolated incident at La Peralta; it is part of Defendants’ dangerous pattern of refusing to conduct regular maintenance of their elevators, causing repeated emergency rescue events,” the complaint states.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Richardson’s suit names as defendants 184 13th Street Associates, which owns La Peralta; the Mosser Companies, which runs it; and CEO Neveo Mosser. The Mosser Companies is one of Northern California’s largest housing providers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The lawsuit alleges that Neveo Mosser runs both of the named companies and used the corporate ownership structure to “insulate himself from the liabilities connected to his failure to provide habitable living conditions.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mosser representatives did not return a request for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Residents said Mosser did not fix La Peralta’s broken passenger and freight elevators until it faced media attention and a city inquiry. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095130\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The La Peralta building in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Vaquilar, 68, noted in an interview that the elevator outage occurred while she was taking care of her gravely ill husband in what would be the last summer of his life. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was under a lot of stress, too,” Vaquilar said. “Because I had to work full-time and take care of him, as well. And I would come home at lunchtime and check on him.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because of her own mobility issues, Vaquilar said every trip home meant an exhausting and sometimes painful climb up to her four flights of stairs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you’re carrying groceries or garbage or laundry, it’s just extra hard. I’d have to take breaks at each of the levels,” Vaquilar said, adding that she’d sometimes have to make multiple trips. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Johnson \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/elevator-not-working-5-weeks-oakland-apartment-building-tenants-turn-team/17444876/\">told ABC7\u003c/a> at the time that he felt trapped in his apartment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He died this past April.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think he would have gone out a lot more… and he needed to go out and get some sunshine,” Vaquilar said. “It definitely impacted his health.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Counting other habitability issues, the lawsuit alleges that Mosser failed to fix fire damage, structural damage and pest infestations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095306\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kathy Vaquilar waits for the elevator at the La Peralta building, where she lives, in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026. The City of Oakland and tenants are suing La Peralta’s landlord, Mosser Living, over the unusable elevators. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland’s Elevator Maintenance Ordinance requires landlords to post a notice any time elevators are out of service and to estimate when they’ll be working again. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Repairs must be completed as soon as reasonably possible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If elevators are out of service for more than 24 hours, landlords are required to pay to temporarily relocate any tenants who are severely impacted, including those with disabilities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Richardson said his office is seeking assurances that the elevators will be regularly maintained, that the other habitability issues will be addressed, and that Mosser will offer compensation for the tenants, including any who may have moved out because of the elevator problems.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We also want to make sure the tenants who were … fulfilling their side of the bargain and paying their rent this entire time, but didn’t receive a habitable, dignified place to live, that they get some restitution,” Richardson said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Vaquilar is among a group of La Peralta residents who are also pursuing their own lawsuit against Mosser. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095164\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Panels that once displayed elevator-safety and maintenance credentials are now empty inside the elevator at the La Peralta building in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I know that people want compensation,” Vaquilar said. “The compensation would definitely help a lot because they keep raising the rent here … and that’s ridiculous because we’re not getting the kind of service that we should if we’re paying rent on a regular basis.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Mosser lawsuit comes a month after Oakland \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/07/17/oakland-lawsuit-mann-dodg-landlords-extended/\">extended its oversight\u003c/a> of landlords Baljit Singh Mann and Surinder Mann, members of a family known for owning dozens of properties across the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland first sued the Manns and their companies in 2021 for poor living conditions and illegal unit conversions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That oversight was meant to end this fall, but Richardson’s office accused the Manns of not keeping up with their agreement, and the two sides agreed to extend the arrangement for three years.\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Unable to assist because of her own mobility issues, Kathy Vaquilar called 911 last summer when her husband fell in their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/housing\">Oakland apartment\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Unable to assist because of her own mobility issues, Kathy Vaquilar called 911 last summer when her husband fell in their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/housing\">Oakland apartment\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Because there was no working elevator in their building, however, paramedics had to strap the 80-year-old Richard Johnson into something like a tarp to bring him down four flights of stairs.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Because there was no working elevator in their building, however, paramedics had to strap the 80-year-old Richard Johnson into something like a tarp to bring him down four flights of stairs.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That elevator outage at La Peralta in downtown Oakland lasted 52 days, from June 28 to Aug. 18, 2025. In a complaint filed Aug. 11 against the building’s owners and operators, City Attorney Ryan Richardson notes that variations of Vaquilar and Johnson’s ordeal were experienced by many of the 93 residential units.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That elevator outage at La Peralta in downtown Oakland lasted 52 days, from June 28 to Aug. 18, 2025. In a complaint filed Aug. 11 against the building’s owners and operators, City Attorney Ryan Richardson notes that variations of Vaquilar and Johnson’s ordeal were experienced by many of the 93 residential units.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12095132,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095132\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kathy Vaquilar holds a photo of her deceased husband, Rich Johnson, at the La Peralta building where the couple lived, in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095132\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kathy Vaquilar holds a photo of her deceased husband, Rich Johnson, at the La Peralta building where the couple lived, in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You have the situation where there are people with mobility issues that are on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of this building, and they didn’t have easy ways to take care of their basic needs, to go outside, to do their laundry, to take their trash out,” Richardson said. “And if there was an emergency, they were at the mercy of folks getting to them, as opposed to them being able to evacuate easily.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“You have the situation where there are people with mobility issues that are on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of this building, and they didn’t have easy ways to take care of their basic needs, to go outside, to do their laundry, to take their trash out,” Richardson said. “And if there was an emergency, they were at the mercy of folks getting to them, as opposed to them being able to evacuate easily.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Filed in Alameda County Superior Court, the suit by the city attorney notes that La Peralta’s elevator problems were so pervasive that the Oakland Fire Department had to free tenants trapped in elevators 14 times between 2024 and 2025. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Filed in Alameda County Superior Court, the suit by the city attorney notes that La Peralta’s elevator problems were so pervasive that the Oakland Fire Department had to free tenants trapped in elevators 14 times between 2024 and 2025. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"news_12094860"
],
"label": "Related Articles",
"maxPosts": 1,
"showImages": false,
"heroImage": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250123_RebuildingAfterWildfire_GC-4.jpg",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the fire department called such frequency very uncommon. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the fire department called such frequency very uncommon. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The Summer 2025 elevator outage was not an isolated incident at La Peralta; it is part of Defendants’ dangerous pattern of refusing to conduct regular maintenance of their elevators, causing repeated emergency rescue events,” the complaint states.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“The Summer 2025 elevator outage was not an isolated incident at La Peralta; it is part of Defendants’ dangerous pattern of refusing to conduct regular maintenance of their elevators, causing repeated emergency rescue events,” the complaint states.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Richardson’s suit names as defendants 184 13th Street Associates, which owns La Peralta; the Mosser Companies, which runs it; and CEO Neveo Mosser. The Mosser Companies is one of Northern California’s largest housing providers. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Richardson’s suit names as defendants 184 13th Street Associates, which owns La Peralta; the Mosser Companies, which runs it; and CEO Neveo Mosser. The Mosser Companies is one of Northern California’s largest housing providers. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The lawsuit alleges that Neveo Mosser runs both of the named companies and used the corporate ownership structure to “insulate himself from the liabilities connected to his failure to provide habitable living conditions.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The lawsuit alleges that Neveo Mosser runs both of the named companies and used the corporate ownership structure to “insulate himself from the liabilities connected to his failure to provide habitable living conditions.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mosser representatives did not return a request for comment. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Mosser representatives did not return a request for comment. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Residents said Mosser did not fix La Peralta’s broken passenger and freight elevators until it faced media attention and a city inquiry. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Residents said Mosser did not fix La Peralta’s broken passenger and freight elevators until it faced media attention and a city inquiry. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12095130,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095130\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The La Peralta building in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095130\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The La Peralta building in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Vaquilar, 68, noted in an interview that the elevator outage occurred while she was taking care of her gravely ill husband in what would be the last summer of his life. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Vaquilar, 68, noted in an interview that the elevator outage occurred while she was taking care of her gravely ill husband in what would be the last summer of his life. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was under a lot of stress, too,” Vaquilar said. “Because I had to work full-time and take care of him, as well. And I would come home at lunchtime and check on him.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I was under a lot of stress, too,” Vaquilar said. “Because I had to work full-time and take care of him, as well. And I would come home at lunchtime and check on him.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Because of her own mobility issues, Vaquilar said every trip home meant an exhausting and sometimes painful climb up to her four flights of stairs. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Because of her own mobility issues, Vaquilar said every trip home meant an exhausting and sometimes painful climb up to her four flights of stairs. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If you’re carrying groceries or garbage or laundry, it’s just extra hard. I’d have to take breaks at each of the levels,” Vaquilar said, adding that she’d sometimes have to make multiple trips. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“If you’re carrying groceries or garbage or laundry, it’s just extra hard. I’d have to take breaks at each of the levels,” Vaquilar said, adding that she’d sometimes have to make multiple trips. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Johnson \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/elevator-not-working-5-weeks-oakland-apartment-building-tenants-turn-team/17444876/\">told ABC7\u003c/a> at the time that he felt trapped in his apartment. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Johnson \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/elevator-not-working-5-weeks-oakland-apartment-building-tenants-turn-team/17444876/\">told ABC7\u003c/a> at the time that he felt trapped in his apartment. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He died this past April.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>He died this past April.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think he would have gone out a lot more… and he needed to go out and get some sunshine,” Vaquilar said. “It definitely impacted his health.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I think he would have gone out a lot more… and he needed to go out and get some sunshine,” Vaquilar said. “It definitely impacted his health.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Counting other habitability issues, the lawsuit alleges that Mosser failed to fix fire damage, structural damage and pest infestations. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Counting other habitability issues, the lawsuit alleges that Mosser failed to fix fire damage, structural damage and pest infestations. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12095306,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095306\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kathy Vaquilar waits for the elevator at the La Peralta building, where she lives, in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026. The City of Oakland and tenants are suing La Peralta’s landlord, Mosser Living, over the unusable elevators.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095306\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kathy Vaquilar waits for the elevator at the La Peralta building, where she lives, in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026. The City of Oakland and tenants are suing La Peralta’s landlord, Mosser Living, over the unusable elevators.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oakland’s Elevator Maintenance Ordinance requires landlords to post a notice any time elevators are out of service and to estimate when they’ll be working again. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Oakland’s Elevator Maintenance Ordinance requires landlords to post a notice any time elevators are out of service and to estimate when they’ll be working again. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Repairs must be completed as soon as reasonably possible. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Repairs must be completed as soon as reasonably possible. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If elevators are out of service for more than 24 hours, landlords are required to pay to temporarily relocate any tenants who are severely impacted, including those with disabilities.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If elevators are out of service for more than 24 hours, landlords are required to pay to temporarily relocate any tenants who are severely impacted, including those with disabilities.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Richardson said his office is seeking assurances that the elevators will be regularly maintained, that the other habitability issues will be addressed, and that Mosser will offer compensation for the tenants, including any who may have moved out because of the elevator problems.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Richardson said his office is seeking assurances that the elevators will be regularly maintained, that the other habitability issues will be addressed, and that Mosser will offer compensation for the tenants, including any who may have moved out because of the elevator problems.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We also want to make sure the tenants who were … fulfilling their side of the bargain and paying their rent this entire time, but didn’t receive a habitable, dignified place to live, that they get some restitution,” Richardson said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We also want to make sure the tenants who were … fulfilling their side of the bargain and paying their rent this entire time, but didn’t receive a habitable, dignified place to live, that they get some restitution,” Richardson said. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Vaquilar is among a group of La Peralta residents who are also pursuing their own lawsuit against Mosser. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Vaquilar is among a group of La Peralta residents who are also pursuing their own lawsuit against Mosser. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 12095164,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095164\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Panels that once displayed elevator-safety and maintenance credentials are now empty inside the elevator at the La Peralta building in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095164\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Panels that once displayed elevator-safety and maintenance credentials are now empty inside the elevator at the La Peralta building in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I know that people want compensation,” Vaquilar said. “The compensation would definitely help a lot because they keep raising the rent here … and that’s ridiculous because we’re not getting the kind of service that we should if we’re paying rent on a regular basis.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I know that people want compensation,” Vaquilar said. “The compensation would definitely help a lot because they keep raising the rent here … and that’s ridiculous because we’re not getting the kind of service that we should if we’re paying rent on a regular basis.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Mosser lawsuit comes a month after Oakland \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/07/17/oakland-lawsuit-mann-dodg-landlords-extended/\">extended its oversight\u003c/a> of landlords Baljit Singh Mann and Surinder Mann, members of a family known for owning dozens of properties across the city. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The Mosser lawsuit comes a month after Oakland \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/07/17/oakland-lawsuit-mann-dodg-landlords-extended/\">extended its oversight\u003c/a> of landlords Baljit Singh Mann and Surinder Mann, members of a family known for owning dozens of properties across the city. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oakland first sued the Manns and their companies in 2021 for poor living conditions and illegal unit conversions. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Oakland first sued the Manns and their companies in 2021 for poor living conditions and illegal unit conversions. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That oversight was meant to end this fall, but Richardson’s office accused the Manns of not keeping up with their agreement, and the two sides agreed to extend the arrangement for three years.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That oversight was meant to end this fall, but Richardson’s office accused the Manns of not keeping up with their agreement, and the two sides agreed to extend the arrangement for three years.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "The Oakland city attorney alleges repeated elevator failures, fire and structural damage and pests at the six-story building.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1788284050,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 29,
"wordCount": 1004
},
"headData": {
"title": "Oakland Sues La Peralta Apartment Owners Over Elevator Outages, Livability Issues | KQED",
"description": "The Oakland city attorney alleges repeated elevator failures, fire and structural damage and pests at the six-story building.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Oakland Sues La Peralta Apartment Owners Over Elevator Outages, Livability Issues",
"datePublished": "2026-08-14T14:51:05-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-09-01T10:34:10-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 6266,
"slug": "housing",
"name": "Housing"
},
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/81172cc9-05bd-486d-bfbf-b4b8011786b9/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12094957",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12094957/oakland-sues-la-peralta-apartment-owners-over-elevator-outages-livability-issues",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Unable to assist because of her own mobility issues, Kathy Vaquilar called 911 last summer when her husband fell in their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/housing\">Oakland apartment\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because there was no working elevator in their building, however, paramedics had to strap the 80-year-old Richard Johnson into something like a tarp to bring him down four flights of stairs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That elevator outage at La Peralta in downtown Oakland lasted 52 days, from June 28 to Aug. 18, 2025. In a complaint filed Aug. 11 against the building’s owners and operators, City Attorney Ryan Richardson notes that variations of Vaquilar and Johnson’s ordeal were experienced by many of the 93 residential units.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095132\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kathy Vaquilar holds a photo of her deceased husband, Rich Johnson, at the La Peralta building where the couple lived, in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You have the situation where there are people with mobility issues that are on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of this building, and they didn’t have easy ways to take care of their basic needs, to go outside, to do their laundry, to take their trash out,” Richardson said. “And if there was an emergency, they were at the mercy of folks getting to them, as opposed to them being able to evacuate easily.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Filed in Alameda County Superior Court, the suit by the city attorney notes that La Peralta’s elevator problems were so pervasive that the Oakland Fire Department had to free tenants trapped in elevators 14 times between 2024 and 2025. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the fire department called such frequency very uncommon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Summer 2025 elevator outage was not an isolated incident at La Peralta; it is part of Defendants’ dangerous pattern of refusing to conduct regular maintenance of their elevators, causing repeated emergency rescue events,” the complaint states.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Richardson’s suit names as defendants 184 13th Street Associates, which owns La Peralta; the Mosser Companies, which runs it; and CEO Neveo Mosser. The Mosser Companies is one of Northern California’s largest housing providers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The lawsuit alleges that Neveo Mosser runs both of the named companies and used the corporate ownership structure to “insulate himself from the liabilities connected to his failure to provide habitable living conditions.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mosser representatives did not return a request for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Residents said Mosser did not fix La Peralta’s broken passenger and freight elevators until it faced media attention and a city inquiry. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095130\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-02-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The La Peralta building in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Vaquilar, 68, noted in an interview that the elevator outage occurred while she was taking care of her gravely ill husband in what would be the last summer of his life. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was under a lot of stress, too,” Vaquilar said. “Because I had to work full-time and take care of him, as well. And I would come home at lunchtime and check on him.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because of her own mobility issues, Vaquilar said every trip home meant an exhausting and sometimes painful climb up to her four flights of stairs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you’re carrying groceries or garbage or laundry, it’s just extra hard. I’d have to take breaks at each of the levels,” Vaquilar said, adding that she’d sometimes have to make multiple trips. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Johnson \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/elevator-not-working-5-weeks-oakland-apartment-building-tenants-turn-team/17444876/\">told ABC7\u003c/a> at the time that he felt trapped in his apartment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He died this past April.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think he would have gone out a lot more… and he needed to go out and get some sunshine,” Vaquilar said. “It definitely impacted his health.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Counting other habitability issues, the lawsuit alleges that Mosser failed to fix fire damage, structural damage and pest infestations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095306\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-10-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kathy Vaquilar waits for the elevator at the La Peralta building, where she lives, in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026. The City of Oakland and tenants are suing La Peralta’s landlord, Mosser Living, over the unusable elevators. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland’s Elevator Maintenance Ordinance requires landlords to post a notice any time elevators are out of service and to estimate when they’ll be working again. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Repairs must be completed as soon as reasonably possible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If elevators are out of service for more than 24 hours, landlords are required to pay to temporarily relocate any tenants who are severely impacted, including those with disabilities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Richardson said his office is seeking assurances that the elevators will be regularly maintained, that the other habitability issues will be addressed, and that Mosser will offer compensation for the tenants, including any who may have moved out because of the elevator problems.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We also want to make sure the tenants who were … fulfilling their side of the bargain and paying their rent this entire time, but didn’t receive a habitable, dignified place to live, that they get some restitution,” Richardson said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Vaquilar is among a group of La Peralta residents who are also pursuing their own lawsuit against Mosser. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095164\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-OAK-LANDLORD-SUIT-MD-09-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Panels that once displayed elevator-safety and maintenance credentials are now empty inside the elevator at the La Peralta building in Oakland on Aug. 13, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I know that people want compensation,” Vaquilar said. “The compensation would definitely help a lot because they keep raising the rent here … and that’s ridiculous because we’re not getting the kind of service that we should if we’re paying rent on a regular basis.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Mosser lawsuit comes a month after Oakland \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/07/17/oakland-lawsuit-mann-dodg-landlords-extended/\">extended its oversight\u003c/a> of landlords Baljit Singh Mann and Surinder Mann, members of a family known for owning dozens of properties across the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland first sued the Manns and their companies in 2021 for poor living conditions and illegal unit conversions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That oversight was meant to end this fall, but Richardson’s office accused the Manns of not keeping up with their agreement, and the two sides agreed to extend the arrangement for three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12094957/oakland-sues-la-peralta-apartment-owners-over-elevator-outages-livability-issues",
"authors": [
"11761"
],
"categories": [
"news_6266",
"news_6188",
"news_28250",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_3921",
"news_260",
"news_18352",
"news_1775",
"news_28957",
"news_34054",
"news_36360",
"news_27707"
],
"featImg": "news_12095131",
"label": "news"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"racesGeneralEl2026Reducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/news?tag=east-bay": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 36,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 362,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"news_12098277",
"news_12097809",
"news_12097353",
"news_12097506",
"news_12096141",
"news_12095997",
"news_12095863",
"news_12095551",
"news_12095340",
"news_12095492",
"news_12095308",
"news_12094957"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news_tag_east-bay": {
"isLoading": true
},
"news_18352": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18352",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18352",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "East Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "East Bay Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18386,
"slug": "east-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/east-bay"
},
"source_news_12098277": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_news_12098277",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "K Onda KQED",
"link": "https://next.kqed.org/newsletters/k-onda",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_news_12097809": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_news_12097809",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Bay Curious",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/baycurious",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_news_12095340": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_news_12095340",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Bay",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/thebay",
"isLoading": false
},
"news_223": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_223",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "223",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Arts and Culture",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Arts and Culture Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 231,
"slug": "arts-and-culture",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/arts-and-culture"
},
"news_34169": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34169",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34169",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Cultural Commentary",
"slug": "cultural-commentary",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Cultural Commentary Archives | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34186,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/cultural-commentary"
},
"news_24114": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_24114",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "24114",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Food Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 24131,
"slug": "food",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/food"
},
"news_28250": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_28250",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "28250",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Local",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Local Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 28267,
"slug": "local",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/local"
},
"news_8": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_8",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "8",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/news"
},
"news_1386": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1386",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1386",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Bay Area",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Bay Area Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1398,
"slug": "bay-area",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/bay-area"
},
"news_22973": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_22973",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "22973",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "culture",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "culture Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 22990,
"slug": "culture",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/culture"
},
"news_34081": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34081",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34081",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "events",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "events Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 34098,
"slug": "events",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/events"
},
"news_27626": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_27626",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "27626",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-news",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-news Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 27643,
"slug": "featured-news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/featured-news"
},
"news_2968": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_2968",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "2968",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Hispanic",
"slug": "hispanic",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Hispanic | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 2986,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/hispanic"
},
"news_31420": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_31420",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "31420",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "latino community",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "latino community Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 31437,
"slug": "latino-community",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/latino-community"
},
"news_18142": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18142",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18142",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Latinos",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Latinos Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18176,
"slug": "latinos",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/latinos"
},
"news_25409": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_25409",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "25409",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Latinx",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Latinx Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 25426,
"slug": "latinx",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/latinx"
},
"news_6615": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6615",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6615",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "North Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "North Bay Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6639,
"slug": "north-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/north-bay"
},
"news_34054": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34054",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34054",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "oakland",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "oakland Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 34071,
"slug": "oakland",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/oakland"
},
"news_38": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_38",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "38",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 58,
"slug": "san-francisco",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/san-francisco"
},
"news_21285": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_21285",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "21285",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "South Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "South Bay Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21302,
"slug": "south-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/south-bay"
},
"news_33736": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33736",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33736",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Arts and Culture",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Arts and Culture Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33753,
"slug": "arts-and-culture",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/arts-and-culture"
},
"news_33740": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33740",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33740",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Events",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Events Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33757,
"slug": "events",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/events"
},
"news_33733": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33733",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33733",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33750,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/news"
},
"news_33523": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33523",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33523",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Bay Curious",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "program",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Bay Curious Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33540,
"slug": "bay-curious",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/program/bay-curious"
},
"news_34552": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34552",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34552",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "baycurious",
"slug": "baycurious",
"taxonomy": "program",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "baycurious | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34569,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/program/baycurious"
},
"news_17986": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_17986",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "17986",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2016/11/BayCuriousLogoFinal01-e1493662037229.png",
"name": "Bay Curious",
"description": "\u003ch2>A podcast exploring the Bay Area one question at a time\u003c/h2>\r\n\r\n\u003caside>\r\n\u003cdiv style=\"width: 100%; padding-right: 20px;\">\r\n\r\nKQED’s \u003cstrong>Bay Curious\u003c/strong> gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.\r\n\u003cbr />\r\n\u003cspan class=\"alignleft\">\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1172473406\">\u003cimg width=\"75px\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/11/DownloadOniTunes_100x100.png\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ipi2mc5aqfen4nr2daayiziiyuy?t%3DBay_Curious\">\u003cimg width=\"75px\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/11/Google_Play_100x100.png\">\u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003c/div>\r\n\u003c/aside> \r\n\u003ch2>What's your question?\u003c/h2>\r\n\u003cdiv id=\"huxq6\" class=\"curiosity-module\" data-pym-src=\"//modules.wearehearken.com/kqed/curiosity_modules/133\">\u003c/div>\r\n\u003cscript src=\"//assets.wearehearken.com/production/thirdparty/p.m.js\">\u003c/script>\r\n\u003ch2>Bay Curious monthly newsletter\u003c/h2>\r\nWe're launching it soon! \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEtzbyNbSQkRHCCAkKhoGiAl3Bd0zWxhk0ZseJ1KH_o_ZDjQ/viewform\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up\u003c/a> so you don't miss it when it drops.\r\n",
"taxonomy": "series",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "A podcast exploring the Bay Area one question at a time KQED’s Bay Curious gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers. What's your question? Bay Curious monthly newsletter We're launching it soon! Sign up so you don't miss it when it drops.",
"title": "Bay Curious Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18020,
"slug": "baycurious",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/series/baycurious"
},
"news_31795": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_31795",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "31795",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 31812,
"slug": "california",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/california"
},
"news_33520": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33520",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33520",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Podcast",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Podcast Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33537,
"slug": "podcast",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/podcast"
},
"news_3631": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3631",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3631",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Bay Area History",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Bay Area History Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3649,
"slug": "bay-area-history",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/bay-area-history"
},
"news_18426": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18426",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18426",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Bay Curious",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Bay Curious Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18460,
"slug": "bay-curious",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/bay-curious"
},
"news_4352": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_4352",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "4352",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "lights",
"slug": "lights",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "lights | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 4371,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/lights"
},
"news_579": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_579",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "579",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Richmond",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Richmond Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2717,
"slug": "richmond",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/richmond"
},
"news_1861": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1861",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1861",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Bay Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1876,
"slug": "san-francisco-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/san-francisco-bay"
},
"news_19990": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19990",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19990",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "San Pablo Bay",
"slug": "san-pablo-bay",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "San Pablo Bay | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 20007,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/san-pablo-bay"
},
"news_35611": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_35611",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "35611",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "ships",
"slug": "ships",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "ships | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 35628,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/ships"
},
"news_33741": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33741",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33741",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "East Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "East Bay Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33758,
"slug": "east-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/east-bay"
},
"news_34167": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34167",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34167",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Criminal Justice",
"slug": "criminal-justice",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Criminal Justice Archives | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34184,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/criminal-justice"
},
"news_6188": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6188",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6188",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Law and Justice",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Law and Justice Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6212,
"slug": "law-and-justice",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/law-and-justice"
},
"news_17725": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_17725",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "17725",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "criminal justice",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "criminal justice Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 17759,
"slug": "criminal-justice",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/criminal-justice"
},
"news_425": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_425",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "425",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "FBI",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "FBI Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 434,
"slug": "fbi",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/fbi"
},
"news_19954": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19954",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19954",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Law and Justice",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Law and Justice Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19971,
"slug": "law-and-justice",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/law-and-justice"
},
"news_34661": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34661",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34661",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Oakland Mayor",
"slug": "oakland-mayor",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Oakland Mayor | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34678,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/oakland-mayor"
},
"news_31962": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_31962",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "31962",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Sheng Thao",
"slug": "sheng-thao",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Sheng Thao Archives | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 31979,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/sheng-thao"
},
"news_37497": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_37497",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "37497",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Sheng Thao Trial",
"slug": "sheng-thao-trial",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Sheng Thao Trial | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 37514,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/sheng-thao-trial"
},
"news_33745": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33745",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33745",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Criminal Justice",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Criminal Justice Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33762,
"slug": "criminal-justice",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/criminal-justice"
},
"news_33730": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33730",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33730",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Oakland",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Oakland Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33747,
"slug": "oakland",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/oakland"
},
"news_248": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_248",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "248",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Technology",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Technology Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 256,
"slug": "technology",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/technology"
},
"news_36792": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36792",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36792",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "AI data centers",
"slug": "ai-data-centers",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "AI data centers | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36809,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/ai-data-centers"
},
"news_37381": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_37381",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "37381",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "artificial",
"slug": "artificial",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "artificial | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 37398,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/artificial"
},
"news_34755": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34755",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34755",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "artificial intelligence",
"slug": "artificial-intelligence",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "artificial intelligence | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34772,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/artificial-intelligence"
},
"news_37040": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_37040",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "37040",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "data center",
"slug": "data-center",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "data center | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 37057,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/data-center"
},
"news_17996": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_17996",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "17996",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18030,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/news"
},
"news_1631": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1631",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1631",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Technology",
"slug": "technology",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Technology | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 1643,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/technology"
},
"news_33732": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33732",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33732",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Technology",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Technology Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33749,
"slug": "technology",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/technology"
},
"news_13": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_13",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "13",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Politics",
"slug": "politics",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Politics | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 13,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/politics"
},
"news_24191": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_24191",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "24191",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Aisha Wahab",
"slug": "aisha-wahab",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Aisha Wahab | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 24208,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/aisha-wahab"
},
"news_18538": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18538",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18538",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 31,
"slug": "california",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california"
},
"news_20149": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20149",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20149",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Congress",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Congress Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20166,
"slug": "congress",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/congress"
},
"news_20910": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20910",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20910",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Eric Swalwell",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Eric Swalwell Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20927,
"slug": "eric-swalwell",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/eric-swalwell"
},
"news_34377": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34377",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34377",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "featured-politics",
"slug": "featured-politics",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "featured-politics Archives | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34394,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/featured-politics"
},
"news_152": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_152",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "152",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Government",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Government Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 159,
"slug": "government",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/government"
},
"news_17968": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_17968",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "17968",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Politics",
"slug": "politics",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Politics | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 18002,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/politics"
},
"news_36045": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36045",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36045",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Special Election",
"slug": "special-election",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Special Election | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36062,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/special-election"
},
"news_33738": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33738",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33738",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33755,
"slug": "california",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/california"
},
"news_33734": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33734",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33734",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Local Politics",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Local Politics Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33751,
"slug": "local-politics",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/local-politics"
},
"news_1397": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1397",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1397",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Transportation",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Transportation Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1409,
"slug": "transportation",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/transportation"
},
"news_260": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_260",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "260",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Alameda County",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Alameda County Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 268,
"slug": "alameda-county",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/alameda-county"
},
"news_36200": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36200",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36200",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "automated license plate readers",
"slug": "automated-license-plate-readers",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "automated license plate readers | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36217,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/automated-license-plate-readers"
},
"news_32939": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_32939",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "32939",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "automated speeding tickets",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "automated speeding tickets Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 32956,
"slug": "automated-speeding-tickets",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/automated-speeding-tickets"
},
"news_412": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_412",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "412",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Oakland police",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Oakland police Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 421,
"slug": "oakland-police",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/oakland-police"
},
"news_416": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_416",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "416",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Oakland Police Department",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Oakland Police Department Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 425,
"slug": "oakland-police-department",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/oakland-police-department"
},
"news_1526": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1526",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1526",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "OPD",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "OPD Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1538,
"slug": "opd",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/opd"
},
"news_20517": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20517",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20517",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "transportation",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "transportation Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20534,
"slug": "transportation",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/transportation"
},
"news_34056": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34056",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34056",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "AIPAC",
"slug": "aipac",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "AIPAC | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 34073,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/aipac"
},
"news_20156": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20156",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20156",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California Democratic Party",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Democratic Party Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20173,
"slug": "california-democratic-party",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california-democratic-party"
},
"news_20251": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20251",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20251",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California Democrats",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Democrats Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20268,
"slug": "california-democrats",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california-democrats"
},
"news_18540": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18540",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18540",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2595,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/education"
},
"news_457": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_457",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "457",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 16998,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/health"
},
"news_1467": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1467",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1467",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Contra Costa County",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Contra Costa County Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1479,
"slug": "contra-costa-county",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/contra-costa-county"
},
"news_20013": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20013",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20013",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20030,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/education"
},
"news_18543": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18543",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18543",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 466,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/health"
},
"news_33746": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33746",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33746",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33763,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/education"
},
"news_33812": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33812",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33812",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Interests",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Interests Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33829,
"slug": "interests",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/interests"
},
"news_1573": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1573",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1573",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Piedmont",
"slug": "piedmont",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Piedmont | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 1585,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/piedmont"
},
"news_22598": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_22598",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "22598",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "The Bay",
"description": "\u003cimg class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-11638190\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/02/TheBay_1200x6301.png\" alt=\"\" />\r\n\u003cbr/>\r\n\r\nEvery good story starts local. So that’s where we start. \u003ci>The Bay\u003c/i> is storytelling for daily news. KQED host Devin Katayama talks with reporters to help us make sense of what’s happening in the Bay Area. One story. One conversation. One idea.\r\n\r\n\u003cstrong>Subscribe to The Bay:\u003c/strong>\r\n\r\n\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452?mt=2\">\u003cimg src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Listen_on_Apple_Podcasts_sRGB_US-e1515635079510.png\" />\u003c/a>",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Every good story starts local. So that’s where we start. The Bay is storytelling for daily news. KQED host Devin Katayama talks with reporters to help us make sense of what’s happening in the Bay Area. One story. One conversation. One idea. Subscribe to The Bay:",
"title": "The Bay Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 22615,
"slug": "the-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/the-bay"
},
"news_36087": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36087",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36087",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "data centers",
"slug": "data-centers",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "data centers | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36104,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/data-centers"
},
"news_6266": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6266",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6266",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6290,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/housing"
},
"news_3921": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3921",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3921",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "affordable housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "affordable housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3940,
"slug": "affordable-housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/affordable-housing"
},
"news_1775": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1775",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1775",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1790,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/housing"
},
"news_28957": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_28957",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "28957",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "landlords",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "landlords Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 28974,
"slug": "landlords",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/landlords"
},
"news_36360": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36360",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36360",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "renter protections",
"slug": "renter-protections",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "renter protections | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36377,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/renter-protections"
},
"news_27707": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_27707",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "27707",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "tenants",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "tenants Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 27724,
"slug": "tenants",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/tenants"
},
"news_33739": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33739",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33739",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33756,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/housing"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"requestOutcomesReducer": {
"notFound": []
},
"navPromosReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": true,
"promos": {
"news": {
"name": "2026 Voter Guide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"imageURL": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Nav-News-Nov2026ElectionCoverage@2x-7bd4aad4.png",
"description": "Get informed in minutes with our Voter Guide for California’s November 3 election."
},
"podcasts-radio": {},
"video-tv": {},
"events": {},
"support": {}
}
}
}
