Even Some Tech Workers Can’t Afford to Stay When the Bay is This Expensive
Didn’t Save Enough for Retirement? Here’s How to Afford Aging in the Bay Area
California Police Forces Are Becoming More Diverse. But Wages Have Declined
On CalFresh? What to Know About New June 1 Work Requirements
Officials Say Shoring Up California’s Oil Supply Will Come ‘At a Price’
After the One Big Beautiful Bill, Free Clinics Are Stepping Up
You Could Have Unclaimed Cash From the State — but Thursday Is Your Deadline
Driving in the Bay Area Is Essential for Many. It’s Only Gotten More Expensive
Want to Save on Groceries? You Can Grow Your Own Garden
Player sponsored by
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_12079648": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12079648",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12079648",
"found": true
},
"title": "260413-SILICON VALLEY CHURN-01-KQED",
"publishDate": 1776099644,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12085049,
"modified": 1779836995,
"caption": "Mark Wogulis and Melanie Bowden in front of their new home in Santa Fe, New Mexico in May of 2025. A layoff in biotech forced the couple to sell their home in Berkeley and retire early.",
"credit": "Courtesy of Danielle Wogulis",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-01-KQED-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-01-KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-01-KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-01-KQED-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-01-KQED-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-01-KQED.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12084764": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12084764",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12084764",
"found": true
},
"title": "IMG_1522",
"publishDate": 1779397447,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12084761,
"modified": 1779397507,
"caption": "Living in the Bay Area means spending more on everything from childcare to groceries to housing — leaving younger residents wondering if it’s possible to retire here. ",
"credit": "Anna Vignet/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/IMG_1522-2000x1500.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1500,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/IMG_1522-2000x1500.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1500,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/IMG_1522-160x120.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 120,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/IMG_1522-1536x1152.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1152,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/IMG_1522-2048x1536.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/IMG_1522-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/IMG_1522-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/IMG_1522-2000x1500.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1500,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/IMG_1522-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/IMG_1522-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/IMG_1522.jpg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1920
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12075899": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12075899",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12075899",
"found": true
},
"title": "250418-SFPDFile-02-BL_qed",
"publishDate": 1773159338,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12075894,
"modified": 1773159352,
"caption": "San Francisco Police Department headquarters in San Francisco on April 18, 2025.",
"credit": "Beth LaBerge/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/250418-SFPDFile-02-BL_qed-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/250418-SFPDFile-02-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/250418-SFPDFile-02-BL_qed-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/250418-SFPDFile-02-BL_qed-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/250418-SFPDFile-02-BL_qed-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/250418-SFPDFile-02-BL_qed.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12066124": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12066124",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12066124",
"found": true
},
"title": "Young woman shopping vegetables in supermarket",
"publishDate": 1764878539,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12066120,
"modified": 1779134143,
"caption": "A cropped photo of a female hand carrying a shopping basket while choosing vegetables at a supermarket. Grocery shopping concept.",
"credit": "Oscar Wong/Getty Images",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/CalFreshGetty-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/CalFreshGetty-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/CalFreshGetty-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/CalFreshGetty-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/CalFreshGetty-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/CalFreshGetty.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12081458": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12081458",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12081458",
"found": true
},
"title": "260424-COSTOFDRIVING00518_TV-KQED",
"publishDate": 1777308669,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12081471,
"modified": 1777316754,
"caption": "Motorcyclists wait at a stop light outside the Shell gas station on 598 Bryant Street in San Francisco on April 24, 2026.",
"credit": "Tâm Vũ/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260424-COSTOFDRIVING00518_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260424-COSTOFDRIVING00518_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260424-COSTOFDRIVING00518_TV-KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260424-COSTOFDRIVING00518_TV-KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260424-COSTOFDRIVING00518_TV-KQED-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260424-COSTOFDRIVING00518_TV-KQED-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260424-COSTOFDRIVING00518_TV-KQED.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12078941": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12078941",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12078941",
"found": true
},
"title": "033126Free Clinics Brentwood_GH_012_qed",
"publishDate": 1775580864,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1777931814,
"caption": "Dorina Salgado-Moraida, co-founder of Hijas del Campo, steps out of a Contra Costa Health Department mobile clinic used to deliver free medical services directly to underserved communities, on March 31, 2026, in Brentwood, California.",
"credit": "Gustavo Hernandez/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_012_qed-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_012_qed-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_012_qed-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_012_qed-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_012_qed-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_012_qed-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_012_qed.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12080500": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12080500",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12080500",
"found": true
},
"title": "Payment at checkout register. Customer using credit card at supermarket terminal.",
"publishDate": 1776467962,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12079868,
"modified": 1776469331,
"caption": "Close-up of a hand with jade and brown bracelets, inserting a credit card into a payment terminal at a store checkout. The person is making a purchase at a grocery store or supermarket. The payment device is mounted on a black stand, with other shoppers visible in the blurred background.",
"credit": "Julia Kozlov/Getty Images",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/MiddleClassStimulus-160x110.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 110,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/MiddleClassStimulus-1536x1059.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1059,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/MiddleClassStimulus-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/MiddleClassStimulus-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/MiddleClassStimulus-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/MiddleClassStimulus-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/MiddleClassStimulus.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1379
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12081459": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12081459",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12081459",
"found": true
},
"title": "260416-COSTOFDRIVING00282_TV-KQED",
"publishDate": 1777308877,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1777308888,
"caption": "Shekinah Samaya-Thomas drives herself and her husband to a food distribution center in Oakland on April 16, 2026.",
"credit": "Tâm Vũ/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00282_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00282_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00282_TV-KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00282_TV-KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00282_TV-KQED-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00282_TV-KQED-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00282_TV-KQED.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12080282": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12080282",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12080282",
"found": true
},
"title": "IMG_1441 (1)",
"publishDate": 1776366313,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12079852,
"modified": 1776366341,
"caption": "What does it take to start growing your own food in the Bay Area?",
"credit": "Anna Vignet/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/IMG_1441-1-2000x1500.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1500,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/IMG_1441-1-2000x1500.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1500,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/IMG_1441-1-160x120.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 120,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/IMG_1441-1-1536x1152.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1152,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/IMG_1441-1-2048x1536.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/IMG_1441-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/IMG_1441-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/IMG_1441-1-2000x1500.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1500,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/IMG_1441-1-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/IMG_1441-1-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/IMG_1441-1.jpg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1920
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_news_12084267": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12084267",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12084267",
"name": "Ella Jackson",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12082454": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12082454",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12082454",
"name": "Ella Jackson",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_news_12082251": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12082251",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12082251",
"name": "Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí and Gustavo Hernandez",
"isLoading": false
},
"rachael-myrow": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "251",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "251",
"found": true
},
"name": "Rachael Myrow",
"firstName": "Rachael",
"lastName": "Myrow",
"slug": "rachael-myrow",
"email": "rmyrow@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "Senior Editor of KQED's Silicon Valley News Desk",
"bio": "• I write and edit stories about how Silicon Valley power and policies shape everyday life in California. I’m also passionate about making Bay Area history and culture more accessible to a broad public. • I’ve been a journalist for most of my life, starting in high school with The Franklin Press in Los Angeles, where I grew up. While earning my first degree in English at UC Berkeley, I got my start in public radio at KALX-FM. After completing a second degree in journalism at Cal, I landed my first professional job at Marketplace, then moved on to KPCC (now LAist), and then KQED, where I hosted The California Report for more than seven years. • My reporting has appeared on NPR, The World, WBUR’s \u003ci>Here & Now\u003c/i>, and the BBC. I also guest host for KQED’s \u003ci>Forum\u003c/i>, as well as the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. • I speak periodically on media, democracy and technology issues, and do voiceover work for documentaries and educational video projects. • Outside of the studio, you'll find me hiking Bay Area trails and whipping up Insta-ready meals in my kitchen. • I do not accept gifts, money, or favors from anyone connected to my reporting, I don't pay people for information, and I do not support or donate to political causes. • I strive to treat the people I report on with fairness, honesty, and respect. I also recognize there are often multiple sides to a story and work to verify information through multiple sources and documentation. If I get something wrong, I correct it.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/87bf8cb5874e045cdff430523a6d48b1?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "rachaelmyrow",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaelmyrow/",
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"administrator"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"edit_others_posts",
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "futureofyou",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "bayareabites",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "food",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Rachael Myrow | KQED",
"description": "Senior Editor of KQED's Silicon Valley News Desk",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/87bf8cb5874e045cdff430523a6d48b1?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/87bf8cb5874e045cdff430523a6d48b1?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/rachael-myrow"
},
"ccabreralomeli": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11708",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11708",
"found": true
},
"name": "Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí",
"firstName": "Carlos",
"lastName": "Cabrera-Lomelí",
"slug": "ccabreralomeli",
"email": "ccabreralomeli@KQED.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "Community Reporter",
"bio": "Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí is a community reporter with KQED's digital engagement team. He also reports and co-produces for KQED's bilingual news hub KQED en Español. He grew up in San Francisco's Mission District and has previously worked with Univision, 48 Hills and REFORMA in Mexico City.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e95ff80bb2eaf18a8f2af4dcf7ffb54b?s=600&d=mm&r=g",
"twitter": "@LomeliCabrera",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "about",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "perspectives",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "elections",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí | KQED",
"description": "Community Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e95ff80bb2eaf18a8f2af4dcf7ffb54b?s=600&d=mm&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e95ff80bb2eaf18a8f2af4dcf7ffb54b?s=600&d=mm&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ccabreralomeli"
},
"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 who focuses on producing sound-rich audio features for KQED's Morning Edition segment and digital features for KQED's online audiences. He previously worked as the Weekend News Editor at KQED, responsible for overseeing radio and digital news on the weekends. He joined KQED in 2021 as an alumna of KALW's Audio Academy radio journalism training program. He was born and raised on Potrero Hill in San Francisco and holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/99c0cfc680078897572931b34e941e1e?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "@zuliemann",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman | KQED",
"description": "Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/99c0cfc680078897572931b34e941e1e?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/99c0cfc680078897572931b34e941e1e?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/adahlstromeckman"
},
"nkhan": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11867",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11867",
"found": true
},
"name": "Nisa Khan",
"firstName": "Nisa",
"lastName": "Khan",
"slug": "nkhan",
"email": "nkhan@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Nisa Khan is a reporter for KQED's Audience News Desk. She was formerly a data reporter at Michigan Radio. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Information from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts in Communication from Stanford University.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a3bf1efcfbe7658d13a434cc54d0b2e3?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "mnisakhan",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor",
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Nisa Khan | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a3bf1efcfbe7658d13a434cc54d0b2e3?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a3bf1efcfbe7658d13a434cc54d0b2e3?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/nkhan"
},
"sarahwright": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11956",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11956",
"found": true
},
"name": "Sarah Wright",
"firstName": "Sarah",
"lastName": "Wright",
"slug": "sarahwright",
"email": "swright@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "Outdoors Engagement Reporter",
"bio": "Sarah Wright is KQED's Outdoors Engagement Reporter. Originally from Lake Tahoe, she completed a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2019 and was a U.S. Fulbright Program grantee to Argentina in 2023. Her journalism has appeared in The Guardian, The San Francisco Standard, The Palo Alto Weekly and the Half Moon Bay Review.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/585b7a53f459b86d1d3ca1561541ab4b?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"contributor",
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Sarah Wright | KQED",
"description": "Outdoors Engagement Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/585b7a53f459b86d1d3ca1561541ab4b?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/585b7a53f459b86d1d3ca1561541ab4b?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/sarahwright"
}
},
"breakingNewsReducer": {},
"pagesReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"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_12085049": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12085049",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12085049",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1779897643000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "even-some-tech-workers-cant-afford-to-stay-when-the-bay-is-this-expensive",
"title": "Even Some Tech Workers Can’t Afford to Stay When the Bay is This Expensive",
"publishDate": 1779897643,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Even Some Tech Workers Can’t Afford to Stay When the Bay is This Expensive | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Since the California Gold Rush, economic opportunities have drawn people to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">the Bay Area\u003c/a> from all over the world. But for just as long, the region’s boom-and-bust economy has made it impossible for others to stay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the 1990s, the tech industry has driven costs higher, but for some who work in the industry and haven’t struck IPO or AI gold, life in the Bay Area is not adding up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ani and Alex Vecchi, both software engineers, live in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley with their orange cat, Mushu. They haven’t been in the Bay Area long, but already, both aged 30, they’re starting to worry that the city they love may be too expensive for raising a family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mark Wogulis and Melanie Bowden, both 62, raised their family in Northern California, but a layoff made it impossible for them to stay. Last spring, they put their house in Berkeley on the market and drove to Santa Fe with a cat, Molly, and a chihuahua, Felice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at Joint Venture Silicon Valley confirm what many already feel: the region’s economy is generating enormous wealth, but also growing impossibly unaffordable for most people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11970120\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2121px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11970120\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial view of a city, with a large body of water in the bakground.\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432.jpg 2121w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2121px) 100vw, 2121px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of Redwood City. \u003ccite>(Sundry Photography via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even well-paid tech workers are being forced to choose between the Bay Area and the rest of their lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It distills to a few key points,” said Russell Hancock, President and CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, at the organization’s annual State of the Valley conference in late February. “We have a very hot economy. It’s creating a lot of wealth. It’s not creating as many jobs. And our housing is too expensive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s creating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078615/how-skyrocketing-housing-costs-and-policy-choices-reshaped-the-bay-area\">demographic churn\u003c/a> — young people move in while older folks move out.\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ani and Alex\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ani and Alex Vecchi met about 10 years ago in physics class while studying software engineering at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She went into front-end, customer interface work. She’s now a senior software engineer for Banquet Health, a startup software platform for hospital meals. “Using tech for a good cause is huge for me,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They came to the Bay Area in June of 2024 because Alex’s weather monitoring startup Sorcerer landed a \u003ca href=\"https://tracxn.com/d/companies/sorcerer/__iyp8-DoCQBPMaBMs4MjSSHaiRmAA4xVBX44YQJARrto\">$500,000 grant\u003c/a> from Y Combinator, the Silicon Valley accelerator that launched Airbnb, Dropbox and DoorDash. It was, in startup terms, a golden ticket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12085149\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12085149\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Vecchi and Mushu enjoy a sunny day in San Francisco’s Alamo Square. Alex and his wife, Ani, came to the city two years ago to pursue careers in tech. Now 30, the unaffordable housing market raises uncomfortable questions about whether and how they plan to raise children in the years to come. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Ani and Alex Vecchi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Starting a company here, you have to do it here,” Alex said. The investors are here, or a short drive down the Peninsula. Scheduling a Zoom call? “It’s not the same,” he said. “Things spark here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sorcerer closed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2025/06/12/sorcerer-seed-weather-balloons\">$3.9 million seed round\u003c/a> last year. “That data is what powers, essentially, the forecasts on your phone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have been having the time of their lives in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of greenery,” Ani said. “There’s a lot of people out and about. You have that drive [to succeed in business], but it’s also peaceful, in some ways.” They love walking and picnics and meals with friends. “There’s a lot going on here,” Ani said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The thing is, the Vechhis are starting to think about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12075761/when-child-care-costs-half-a-paycheck-bay-area-parents-must-choose-kids-or-career\">having children\u003c/a>. But it’s complicated. They need both salaries, and both sets of parents, who could help them with childcare, live in Florida. And they’re not ready to make that move.[aside postID=news_12080289 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SLEEP-PODS-MD-01-KQED_1.jpg']\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12061802/how-are-child-care-costs-affecting-the-lives-of-bay-area-families-you-told-us\">Rising child care costs in the Bay Area\u003c/a> are forcing parents to make painful tradeoffs, either by passing up career opportunities, cutting back work hours, or quitting altogether. For families with multiple young children, these expenses can surpass a parent’s entire salary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Vecchis also shy away from the idea of leaving San Francisco for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081761/in-the-bay-area-raising-kids-comes-with-compromise\">Bay Area suburb with nominally cheaper real estate\u003c/a>. “If we were to move out of the city, we might as well move back to Florida.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you gave me the option and I had the money, I would stay here 100%,” Alex said. And the family back in Florida? “They understand. They want us to be happy where we are. They know that we’re doing a bunch of great things here. When we think about moving back, we think, ‘But we’re not going to be happy over there.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Research from \u003ca href=\"https://jointventure.org/news-and-media/blog/2790-a-region-in-motion-who-s-leaving-silicon-valley-and-why?mc_cid=4aada55384&mc_eid=9b006466f1\">Joint Venture Silicon Valley\u003c/a> provides statistical confirmation of personal experience. For years, the Bay Area has created jobs faster than it \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11755545/google-pledges-1-billion-to-help-fight-bay-area-housing-crisis-it-helped-create\">builds housing\u003c/a>, fueling relentless price pressure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Silicon Valley, just 28% of Millennials own homes, compared to 68% of Baby Boomers, giving older residents an asset to rely on even in tough times. The Vecchis, like most people their age here, are still scrambling for a financial foothold, even though they both work in tech.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All these things have implications for community, and now we’re seeing it. We’re living it,” Hancock told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Mark and Melanie\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In some ways, Ani and Alex Vecchi and Mark Wogulis and Melanie Bowden are living the same story twenty years apart. Young people arrive, fall in love with a place, build a life. Then something shifts, and the place that felt like home starts to feel like a problem to be solved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After decades in California, Mark Wogulis and Melanie Bowden felt the sting of leaving somewhere that felt like home. “It does hit differently,” Wogulis said, “when it’s not your choice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wogulis and Bowden met decades ago when they were teachers in San Francisco. He was teaching science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cj4-T9ovDc\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She was teaching math. They started a family. He pivoted from teaching to pharmaceuticals, then got a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pharmaceuticals and biotech are notoriously volatile, but he worked at Elan Pharmaceuticals in South San Francisco for nearly eight years, then at Novozymes in Davis for nearly 13.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From there, he moved to Amyris in Emeryville, which at the time specialized in developing sustainable alternatives for chemicals traditionally derived from petroleum or wildlife that were used in the beauty, flavor and fragrance industries. “Turned out everything they were selling, they were losing money on,” Wogulis said. “When the money ran out, they went bankrupt.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were three rounds of layoffs, but Wogulis remained optimistic. “I thought I had made it,” he said, because he hadn’t been laid off, even as the company went into and emerged from bankruptcy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then he got axed during a fourth round of layoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, Wogulis thought he’d find another job, like he always had. But now in his 60s, his experience and longevity made him more expensive relative to other prospective employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079650\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1333px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079650\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-02-KQED.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-02-KQED-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-02-KQED-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark Wogulis and Melanie Bowden in front of the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco in 2022. A layoff in biotech forced the couple to sell their home in Berkeley and move to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in May of 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Mark Wogulis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There’s no way to prove it, but there was no doubt in my mind that there was age discrimination involved,” Bowdon said. “He would be fully qualified for a job and hear nothing on many, many, many jobs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There were people older than me at Amyris,” Wogulis said, “but not very many.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was also true that, thanks to LinkedIn and artificial intelligence, Wogulis was competing with biochemists from all over the world, many of them willing to relocate to the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yeah, there just was nothing,” Wogulis said. “I applied for a bunch of stuff that either I was over- or under-qualified for. I mean, I got a couple of rejections. Most of them just went off into the void.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the layoff came, the couple was living in Berkeley, in a 1,570 square foot Craftsman-style home they bought after raising their family in Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We loved the location. So close to BART and bus stops, and lots of good restaurants within walking distance. I could bike to work. We also liked the charm of such an old house,” Wogulis said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they crunched the numbers and realized they didn’t have much financial runway before they’d have to take off for someplace cheaper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We needed to get out of there. We couldn’t afford that house,” Bowden said. That’s how they decided to retire early at age 62 and move to Santa Fe, with their cat and dog in tow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The couple, born on the tail end of the Baby Boom, had the benefit of owning homes for much of their working lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proceeds from the sale of their house in Davis became the down payment for the house in Berkeley, so their mortgage was only $3,000 a month. Still, their utilities and property taxes added up to about $19,000 per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They moved to Santa Fe knowing nobody but their real estate agents, who helped them find a house for $600,000— half what they paid in Berkeley, even though it’s roughly the same size. They don’t even have a mortgage, something that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11985468/map-what-you-need-to-earn-to-afford-a-median-priced-home-in-your-county-in-california\">seems wild\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911013/tech-layoffs-and-higher-than-average-unemployment-a-close-look-at-the-bay-areas-job-market\">most Bay Area homeowners\u003c/a> today. The property taxes are smaller, too: about $4,000 per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We did it out of necessity,” Wogulis said. “I would have felt a lot better if I’d totally chosen to come here, I didn’t feel \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11933511/mass-bay-area-tech-layoffs-thrust-thousands-of-h-1b-visa-holders-into-frantic-job-hunt\">under the gun\u003c/a> to do something. Yeah, that was difficult. It does hit differently when it’s…” he said, giving Bowden a chance to finish his sentence, the way longtime partners often do. “…When it’s not your choice. We had to move. We had to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12045711\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12045711\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250623-BerkeleyMiddleHousing-18-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250623-BerkeleyMiddleHousing-18-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250623-BerkeleyMiddleHousing-18-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250623-BerkeleyMiddleHousing-18-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A “For Rent” sign in Berkeley on June 23, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“You know, there’s people I miss, definitely,” Bowden said. “Our neighbors are very nice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just takes time,” Wogulis said. “It took time in Berkeley, too.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Luckily, Santa Fe is a very cultural and artistic city. There’s so many museums, plays, concerts,” Bowden said. Their grown kids came to visit at Christmas. She is keeping up with masters swimming and cat rescue. They got a second cat through Felines and Friends. His name is Cyrus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in the Bay Area, the AI revolution continues the region’s long tradition of minting new millionaires and billionaires. The question is whether everyone else can hold on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The Bay Area is generating enormous wealth and growing impossibly unaffordable, even for well-paid tech workers.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1779908341,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 48,
"wordCount": 1935
},
"headData": {
"title": "Even Some Tech Workers Can’t Afford to Stay When the Bay is This Expensive | KQED",
"description": "The Bay Area is generating enormous wealth and growing impossibly unaffordable, even for well-paid tech workers.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Even Some Tech Workers Can’t Afford to Stay When the Bay is This Expensive",
"datePublished": "2026-05-27T09:00:43-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-05-27T11:59:01-07:00",
"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/fb99a2bd-58f6-4fd3-9eff-b4570112483d/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12085049",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12085049/even-some-tech-workers-cant-afford-to-stay-when-the-bay-is-this-expensive",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Since the California Gold Rush, economic opportunities have drawn people to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">the Bay Area\u003c/a> from all over the world. But for just as long, the region’s boom-and-bust economy has made it impossible for others to stay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the 1990s, the tech industry has driven costs higher, but for some who work in the industry and haven’t struck IPO or AI gold, life in the Bay Area is not adding up.\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>\n\u003cp>Ani and Alex Vecchi, both software engineers, live in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley with their orange cat, Mushu. They haven’t been in the Bay Area long, but already, both aged 30, they’re starting to worry that the city they love may be too expensive for raising a family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mark Wogulis and Melanie Bowden, both 62, raised their family in Northern California, but a layoff made it impossible for them to stay. Last spring, they put their house in Berkeley on the market and drove to Santa Fe with a cat, Molly, and a chihuahua, Felice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at Joint Venture Silicon Valley confirm what many already feel: the region’s economy is generating enormous wealth, but also growing impossibly unaffordable for most people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11970120\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2121px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11970120\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432.jpg\" alt=\"An aerial view of a city, with a large body of water in the bakground.\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432.jpg 2121w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/GettyImages-1092771432-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2121px) 100vw, 2121px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of Redwood City. \u003ccite>(Sundry Photography via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even well-paid tech workers are being forced to choose between the Bay Area and the rest of their lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It distills to a few key points,” said Russell Hancock, President and CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, at the organization’s annual State of the Valley conference in late February. “We have a very hot economy. It’s creating a lot of wealth. It’s not creating as many jobs. And our housing is too expensive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s creating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078615/how-skyrocketing-housing-costs-and-policy-choices-reshaped-the-bay-area\">demographic churn\u003c/a> — young people move in while older folks move out.\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ani and Alex\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ani and Alex Vecchi met about 10 years ago in physics class while studying software engineering at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She went into front-end, customer interface work. She’s now a senior software engineer for Banquet Health, a startup software platform for hospital meals. “Using tech for a good cause is huge for me,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They came to the Bay Area in June of 2024 because Alex’s weather monitoring startup Sorcerer landed a \u003ca href=\"https://tracxn.com/d/companies/sorcerer/__iyp8-DoCQBPMaBMs4MjSSHaiRmAA4xVBX44YQJARrto\">$500,000 grant\u003c/a> from Y Combinator, the Silicon Valley accelerator that launched Airbnb, Dropbox and DoorDash. It was, in startup terms, a golden ticket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12085149\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12085149\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Vecchi and Mushu enjoy a sunny day in San Francisco’s Alamo Square. Alex and his wife, Ani, came to the city two years ago to pursue careers in tech. Now 30, the unaffordable housing market raises uncomfortable questions about whether and how they plan to raise children in the years to come. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Ani and Alex Vecchi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Starting a company here, you have to do it here,” Alex said. The investors are here, or a short drive down the Peninsula. Scheduling a Zoom call? “It’s not the same,” he said. “Things spark here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sorcerer closed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2025/06/12/sorcerer-seed-weather-balloons\">$3.9 million seed round\u003c/a> last year. “That data is what powers, essentially, the forecasts on your phone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have been having the time of their lives in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of greenery,” Ani said. “There’s a lot of people out and about. You have that drive [to succeed in business], but it’s also peaceful, in some ways.” They love walking and picnics and meals with friends. “There’s a lot going on here,” Ani said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The thing is, the Vechhis are starting to think about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12075761/when-child-care-costs-half-a-paycheck-bay-area-parents-must-choose-kids-or-career\">having children\u003c/a>. But it’s complicated. They need both salaries, and both sets of parents, who could help them with childcare, live in Florida. And they’re not ready to make that move.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12080289",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SLEEP-PODS-MD-01-KQED_1.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12061802/how-are-child-care-costs-affecting-the-lives-of-bay-area-families-you-told-us\">Rising child care costs in the Bay Area\u003c/a> are forcing parents to make painful tradeoffs, either by passing up career opportunities, cutting back work hours, or quitting altogether. For families with multiple young children, these expenses can surpass a parent’s entire salary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Vecchis also shy away from the idea of leaving San Francisco for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081761/in-the-bay-area-raising-kids-comes-with-compromise\">Bay Area suburb with nominally cheaper real estate\u003c/a>. “If we were to move out of the city, we might as well move back to Florida.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you gave me the option and I had the money, I would stay here 100%,” Alex said. And the family back in Florida? “They understand. They want us to be happy where we are. They know that we’re doing a bunch of great things here. When we think about moving back, we think, ‘But we’re not going to be happy over there.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Research from \u003ca href=\"https://jointventure.org/news-and-media/blog/2790-a-region-in-motion-who-s-leaving-silicon-valley-and-why?mc_cid=4aada55384&mc_eid=9b006466f1\">Joint Venture Silicon Valley\u003c/a> provides statistical confirmation of personal experience. For years, the Bay Area has created jobs faster than it \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11755545/google-pledges-1-billion-to-help-fight-bay-area-housing-crisis-it-helped-create\">builds housing\u003c/a>, fueling relentless price pressure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Silicon Valley, just 28% of Millennials own homes, compared to 68% of Baby Boomers, giving older residents an asset to rely on even in tough times. The Vecchis, like most people their age here, are still scrambling for a financial foothold, even though they both work in tech.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All these things have implications for community, and now we’re seeing it. We’re living it,” Hancock told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Mark and Melanie\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In some ways, Ani and Alex Vecchi and Mark Wogulis and Melanie Bowden are living the same story twenty years apart. Young people arrive, fall in love with a place, build a life. Then something shifts, and the place that felt like home starts to feel like a problem to be solved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After decades in California, Mark Wogulis and Melanie Bowden felt the sting of leaving somewhere that felt like home. “It does hit differently,” Wogulis said, “when it’s not your choice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wogulis and Bowden met decades ago when they were teachers in San Francisco. He was teaching science.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/6cj4-T9ovDc'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/6cj4-T9ovDc'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>She was teaching math. They started a family. He pivoted from teaching to pharmaceuticals, then got a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pharmaceuticals and biotech are notoriously volatile, but he worked at Elan Pharmaceuticals in South San Francisco for nearly eight years, then at Novozymes in Davis for nearly 13.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From there, he moved to Amyris in Emeryville, which at the time specialized in developing sustainable alternatives for chemicals traditionally derived from petroleum or wildlife that were used in the beauty, flavor and fragrance industries. “Turned out everything they were selling, they were losing money on,” Wogulis said. “When the money ran out, they went bankrupt.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were three rounds of layoffs, but Wogulis remained optimistic. “I thought I had made it,” he said, because he hadn’t been laid off, even as the company went into and emerged from bankruptcy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then he got axed during a fourth round of layoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, Wogulis thought he’d find another job, like he always had. But now in his 60s, his experience and longevity made him more expensive relative to other prospective employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079650\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1333px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079650\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-02-KQED.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-02-KQED-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260413-SILICON-VALLEY-CHURN-02-KQED-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark Wogulis and Melanie Bowden in front of the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco in 2022. A layoff in biotech forced the couple to sell their home in Berkeley and move to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in May of 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Mark Wogulis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There’s no way to prove it, but there was no doubt in my mind that there was age discrimination involved,” Bowdon said. “He would be fully qualified for a job and hear nothing on many, many, many jobs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There were people older than me at Amyris,” Wogulis said, “but not very many.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was also true that, thanks to LinkedIn and artificial intelligence, Wogulis was competing with biochemists from all over the world, many of them willing to relocate to the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yeah, there just was nothing,” Wogulis said. “I applied for a bunch of stuff that either I was over- or under-qualified for. I mean, I got a couple of rejections. Most of them just went off into the void.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the layoff came, the couple was living in Berkeley, in a 1,570 square foot Craftsman-style home they bought after raising their family in Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We loved the location. So close to BART and bus stops, and lots of good restaurants within walking distance. I could bike to work. We also liked the charm of such an old house,” Wogulis said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they crunched the numbers and realized they didn’t have much financial runway before they’d have to take off for someplace cheaper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We needed to get out of there. We couldn’t afford that house,” Bowden said. That’s how they decided to retire early at age 62 and move to Santa Fe, with their cat and dog in tow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The couple, born on the tail end of the Baby Boom, had the benefit of owning homes for much of their working lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proceeds from the sale of their house in Davis became the down payment for the house in Berkeley, so their mortgage was only $3,000 a month. Still, their utilities and property taxes added up to about $19,000 per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They moved to Santa Fe knowing nobody but their real estate agents, who helped them find a house for $600,000— half what they paid in Berkeley, even though it’s roughly the same size. They don’t even have a mortgage, something that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11985468/map-what-you-need-to-earn-to-afford-a-median-priced-home-in-your-county-in-california\">seems wild\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911013/tech-layoffs-and-higher-than-average-unemployment-a-close-look-at-the-bay-areas-job-market\">most Bay Area homeowners\u003c/a> today. The property taxes are smaller, too: about $4,000 per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We did it out of necessity,” Wogulis said. “I would have felt a lot better if I’d totally chosen to come here, I didn’t feel \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11933511/mass-bay-area-tech-layoffs-thrust-thousands-of-h-1b-visa-holders-into-frantic-job-hunt\">under the gun\u003c/a> to do something. Yeah, that was difficult. It does hit differently when it’s…” he said, giving Bowden a chance to finish his sentence, the way longtime partners often do. “…When it’s not your choice. We had to move. We had to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12045711\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12045711\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250623-BerkeleyMiddleHousing-18-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250623-BerkeleyMiddleHousing-18-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250623-BerkeleyMiddleHousing-18-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250623-BerkeleyMiddleHousing-18-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A “For Rent” sign in Berkeley on June 23, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“You know, there’s people I miss, definitely,” Bowden said. “Our neighbors are very nice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just takes time,” Wogulis said. “It took time in Berkeley, too.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Luckily, Santa Fe is a very cultural and artistic city. There’s so many museums, plays, concerts,” Bowden said. Their grown kids came to visit at Christmas. She is keeping up with masters swimming and cat rescue. They got a second cat through Felines and Friends. His name is Cyrus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in the Bay Area, the AI revolution continues the region’s long tradition of minting new millionaires and billionaires. The question is whether everyone else can hold on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12085049/even-some-tech-workers-cant-afford-to-stay-when-the-bay-is-this-expensive",
"authors": [
"251"
],
"categories": [
"news_6266",
"news_8",
"news_248"
],
"tags": [
"news_1386",
"news_3651",
"news_18545",
"news_27626",
"news_2947",
"news_38",
"news_34586",
"news_6793",
"news_35940",
"news_1631"
],
"featImg": "news_12079648",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12084761": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12084761",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12084761",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1779804008000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "retiring-savings-retirement-planning-california-bay-area",
"title": "Didn’t Save Enough for Retirement? Here’s How to Afford Aging in the Bay Area",
"publishDate": 1779804008,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Didn’t Save Enough for Retirement? Here’s How to Afford Aging in the Bay Area | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>How We Get By\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At 74, Teresa Chan is still working.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When she started thinking about retirement about a decade ago, Chan realized that financially, she still didn’t feel ready to live without a regular income. “I did not prepare,” she said. “I had no money. If I had money, I would have bought a home, but that was not possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For more than 30 years, Chan has worked in various administrative jobs in San Francisco — most recently in a remote data entry role. Through it all, paying rent and healthcare — for her family, as well as herself— were always her biggest expenses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had nothing to save after paying my bills,” she said, even with her Social Security benefits, which she began receiving at 66 after she reached full retirement age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Chan moved from San Francisco to an apartment in Contra Costa County to save on housing costs. And she doesn’t plan to ever stop working. It’s her best way to support herself and hopefully save enough to one day visit her mother — who is now in her 90s — in Hong Kong, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While I can still have the job, then I want to work,” Chan said, although she said that she wishes she had another option. “Maybe I’ll quit if I win the lottery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11953002\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11953002\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A woman with white hair and a warm coat picks through a huge box of ears of corn in a paved outdoor area where lots of other people are also circulating.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers distribute food items at a San Francisco-Marin Food Bank pop-up pantry in the Richmond District of San Francisco on June 13, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chan is not alone. According to federal data from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/financial-security-older-americans\">Government Accountability Office\u003c/a> (GAO), about half of households nationwide with a worker aged 55 or older had no retirement savings. And like her, more seniors are \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/blog/older-americans-are-working-longer-how-do-we-support-them\">staying in the workforce longer\u003c/a>, downsizing and depending more than ever on family and social services to meet essential needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if you’re already approaching your 60s and don’t have much saved, what options are available for potentially changing that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to financial advisers and groups that serve seniors to better understand what older adults with fewer savings in the Bay Area are doing to make retirement possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>In the Bay Area, inequalities before and after retirement\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Planning for retirement is even more difficult for low-income older adults — \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-105342.pdf\">only 15%\u003c/a> of this group report having anything saved at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The GAO also found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-105342.pdf\">lower-income workers are effectively shut out\u003c/a> from workplace retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s. By contrast, higher earners consistently have greater access to these kinds of accounts and usually receive larger employer contributions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the Bay Area’s high cost of living makes preparing for retirement even more complicated, said Vanessa Merlano Sittauer, director of Santa Clara County’s Department of Aging and Adult Services. “We need to talk about retirement [in] the greater context of what it’s like to live in a place like the Bay Area,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986980\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11986980 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/PXL_20240520_185856861_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1446\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/PXL_20240520_185856861_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/PXL_20240520_185856861_qut-800x603.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/PXL_20240520_185856861_qut-1020x768.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/PXL_20240520_185856861_qut-160x121.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/PXL_20240520_185856861_qut-1536x1157.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People gathered at a rally on May 20, 2024, in support of a San Francisco proposal to expand funding for affordable housing for seniors and others with low incomes. \u003ccite>(Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sittauer points to data from the research publication \u003ca href=\"https://jointventure.org/images/stories/pdf/index2026-jvsv.pdf\">Silicon Valley Index\u003c/a> that shows that more that 40% of renters ages 18-64 across the South Bay and the Peninsula are severely rent burdened — meaning that at least half of their monthly income pays housing costs. For residents older than 65, that number climbs to 67%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if living in the Bay Area means spending more on housing — along with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12075761/when-child-care-costs-half-a-paycheck-bay-area-parents-must-choose-kids-or-career\">childcare\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081471/driving-in-the-bay-area-is-essential-for-many-its-only-gotten-more-expensive\">transportation\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082251/after-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-free-clinics-are-stepping-up\">healthcare\u003c/a> and almost everything else — younger people \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSF/comments/1t5or0s/retirement_in_sf_as_a_lifelong_renter_whats_the\">are asking\u003c/a> if it’s even \u003cem>possible \u003c/em>to retire here when not much is left over at the end of every month.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What does retirement planning with less time look like?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Starting to plan for retirement in your 50s can feel overwhelming, said Matt Gellene, head of Specialized Consumer Client Solutions for Bank of America. “But the first and most important step is to be honest about your full financial picture,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Take a full inventory: what you have saved, what you owe, what you expect from Social Security, and what you want retirement to look like,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Plan out your spending — and debt payments\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Think carefully about the debt you have \u003cem>now\u003c/em>, Gellene said. “High-interest debt can erode retirement readiness faster than many people realize,” he said. “Paying down that debt in the years before retirement reduces the monthly income you’ll need to cover fixed costs once you stop working.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even setting a realistic monthly budget now that limits lifestyle expenses can help down the road. Many Bay Area public libraries offer \u003ca href=\"https://advisersgiveback.org/sf-library/\">free workshops with financial advisers\u003c/a> who can help you figure out what you can start cutting back on now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11946480\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11946480 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/GettyImages-1400799758-scaled-e1779405949186.jpg\" alt=\"A woman sits at her kitchen table and sifts through documents, looking concerned. Next to her is her opened laptop.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">According to federal data from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), about half of households nationwide with a worker aged 55 or older had no retirement savings. \u003ccite>(MoMo Productions/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>United Way Bay Area, known by many in the region for its\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11909786/how-to-find-free-tax-help-near-you-and-prepare-everything-you-need-for-your-appointment\"> free tax filing services\u003c/a>, also runs a network of free financial coaching centers known as \u003ca href=\"https://uwba.org/what-we-do/sparkpoint-program/\">SparkPoint\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are centers in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Marin counties, where financial coaches can help with making plans to achieve long-term goals like reducing debt and growing savings.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Know your options if you need to continue working\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Seniors who feel they are not ready to leave the workforce but are looking for a job with more flexibility can also contact \u003ca href=\"https://www.selfhelpelderly.org/\">Self-Help for the Elderly\u003c/a>, a nonprofit organization that provides seniors in San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties with housing, food and other social services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We train older workers as home health aides, housekeepers and restaurant workers,” CEO Anni Chung said. Seniors who are trained as housekeepers, for example, can work a few hours a week for several different clients. Multiple trainings for \u003ca href=\"https://www.selfhelpelderly.org/our-services/employment-services/job-placements-and-employment-training\">this older worker program\u003c/a> are held throughout the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Remember healthcare costs\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Another huge retirement expense to consider is healthcare costs. Seniors with Medicare may still have to pay monthly premiums and deductibles, depending on what coverage plan they sign up for. Medicare Part A, which does not charge monthly premiums and covers major hospital bills, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles\">still comes with deductibles\u003c/a> that beneficiaries pay if they are admitted to the hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other Medicare options can cover additional medical expenses, like lab tests and medication, but those plans come with monthly premiums. And researchers have found that out-of-pocket healthcare expenses increase significantly \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3614143/\">for Medicare recipients\u003c/a> in the last years of life, and most individuals are considered \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2686318\">high-need, high-cost patients\u003c/a> prior to death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058933\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1829px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12058933 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/125841436_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1829\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/125841436_qed.jpg 1829w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/125841436_qed-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/125841436_qed-1536x1119.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1829px) 100vw, 1829px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protestors carry signs as they demonstrate against proposed cuts to Medi-Cal and Medicare outside San Francisco city hall on Sept. 21, 2011, in San Francisco, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You can start preparing for medical expenses now with a health savings account, or HSA. This kind of savings account “offers what we call triple tax savings,” said Gellene from Bank of America. “Your money goes in pre-tax, it can grow tax-free if you invest it and you can withdraw it tax-free for qualified medical expenses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you can save a little more in the next few years, there may still be some options to make what you have grow. If you have one, Gellene recommends maxing out your 401(k) — that is, contributing as much as the IRS allows you to — especially if your employer offers a match.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s essentially free money, and you don’t want to leave any of it on the table,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Think about where you’ll live\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DWlMAlHFX9N/\">affordable housing fair\u003c/a> in San Francisco, several seniors had the same question for Anni Chung, from Self-Help for the Elderly. “Either their spouse or other family members have passed away, and they can’t keep up with the rent just on their own.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the biggest expense is housing, Chung and her team help seniors apply for affordable housing via \u003ca href=\"https://housing.sfgov.org/\">San Francisco’s Dahlia portal\u003c/a>, where eligible residents can enter different lotteries for affordable apartments or studios. The available units listed can sometimes be smaller than where seniors lived when they had a full-time job, Chung said.[aside postID=news_12082251 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_012_qed.jpg']Some financial advisers shared with KQED that often, clients are able to bring their living expenses way down when they plan for retirement far from California. The state consistently ranks as one of the most expensive places for long-term care services. For example, the \u003ca href=\"https://assets.carescout.com/x/5c90319b6a/298701.pdf\">median monthly price\u003c/a> for a private room in a nursing home in California is about $15,000 — compared to roughly $10,000 in Ohio and $7,600 in Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another option for some seniors is moving in with their adult children. In many circumstances, this is an ideal arrangement for all parties. “They take care of each other, and it’s one big happy family,” Chung said. But even in these cases, she said it’s important to set up clear expectations about living together — especially if a family is already living in a smaller Bay Area apartment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even if actual cohabitation isn’t on the table, it’s still important to maintain family connections and support, Chung said. “If living with family is complicated, then the seniors would rather have their own place but still have a good relationship with the family,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If someone has little savings in the bank but was able to buy a home earlier in their life, they can also look into home-sharing programs like \u003ca href=\"https://frontporch.net/live/home-match/#request-info\">Home Match\u003c/a>. This program in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin counties connects homeowners with folks looking to rent a room or an accessory dwelling unit on their property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they figure out next steps, Bay Area seniors should remember they can consult — and lean on — groups like Self-Help for the Elderly, Chung said. “We need our seniors. We don’t want to see them have to move,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They worked hard here. They should enjoy their golden years here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Many older adults in the region are working longer, moving to smaller homes in cheaper places and depending more than ever on social services.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1780601112,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 37,
"wordCount": 1807
},
"headData": {
"title": "Didn’t Save Enough for Retirement? Here’s How to Afford Aging in the Bay Area | KQED",
"description": "Many older adults in the region are working longer, moving to smaller homes in cheaper places and depending more than ever on social services.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Didn’t Save Enough for Retirement? Here’s How to Afford Aging in the Bay Area",
"datePublished": "2026-05-26T07:00:08-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-06-04T12:25:12-07:00",
"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": 34168,
"slug": "guides-and-explainers",
"name": "Guides and Explainers"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12084761",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12084761/retiring-savings-retirement-planning-california-bay-area",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>How We Get By\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At 74, Teresa Chan is still working.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When she started thinking about retirement about a decade ago, Chan realized that financially, she still didn’t feel ready to live without a regular income. “I did not prepare,” she said. “I had no money. If I had money, I would have bought a home, but that was not possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For more than 30 years, Chan has worked in various administrative jobs in San Francisco — most recently in a remote data entry role. Through it all, paying rent and healthcare — for her family, as well as herself— were always her biggest expenses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had nothing to save after paying my bills,” she said, even with her Social Security benefits, which she began receiving at 66 after she reached full retirement age.\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>\n\u003cp>Last year, Chan moved from San Francisco to an apartment in Contra Costa County to save on housing costs. And she doesn’t plan to ever stop working. It’s her best way to support herself and hopefully save enough to one day visit her mother — who is now in her 90s — in Hong Kong, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While I can still have the job, then I want to work,” Chan said, although she said that she wishes she had another option. “Maybe I’ll quit if I win the lottery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11953002\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11953002\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A woman with white hair and a warm coat picks through a huge box of ears of corn in a paved outdoor area where lots of other people are also circulating.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS66300_230613-SFMarinFoodPantry-11-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers distribute food items at a San Francisco-Marin Food Bank pop-up pantry in the Richmond District of San Francisco on June 13, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chan is not alone. According to federal data from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/financial-security-older-americans\">Government Accountability Office\u003c/a> (GAO), about half of households nationwide with a worker aged 55 or older had no retirement savings. And like her, more seniors are \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/blog/older-americans-are-working-longer-how-do-we-support-them\">staying in the workforce longer\u003c/a>, downsizing and depending more than ever on family and social services to meet essential needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if you’re already approaching your 60s and don’t have much saved, what options are available for potentially changing that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to financial advisers and groups that serve seniors to better understand what older adults with fewer savings in the Bay Area are doing to make retirement possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>In the Bay Area, inequalities before and after retirement\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Planning for retirement is even more difficult for low-income older adults — \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-105342.pdf\">only 15%\u003c/a> of this group report having anything saved at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The GAO also found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-105342.pdf\">lower-income workers are effectively shut out\u003c/a> from workplace retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s. By contrast, higher earners consistently have greater access to these kinds of accounts and usually receive larger employer contributions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the Bay Area’s high cost of living makes preparing for retirement even more complicated, said Vanessa Merlano Sittauer, director of Santa Clara County’s Department of Aging and Adult Services. “We need to talk about retirement [in] the greater context of what it’s like to live in a place like the Bay Area,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986980\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11986980 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/PXL_20240520_185856861_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1446\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/PXL_20240520_185856861_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/PXL_20240520_185856861_qut-800x603.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/PXL_20240520_185856861_qut-1020x768.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/PXL_20240520_185856861_qut-160x121.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/PXL_20240520_185856861_qut-1536x1157.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People gathered at a rally on May 20, 2024, in support of a San Francisco proposal to expand funding for affordable housing for seniors and others with low incomes. \u003ccite>(Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sittauer points to data from the research publication \u003ca href=\"https://jointventure.org/images/stories/pdf/index2026-jvsv.pdf\">Silicon Valley Index\u003c/a> that shows that more that 40% of renters ages 18-64 across the South Bay and the Peninsula are severely rent burdened — meaning that at least half of their monthly income pays housing costs. For residents older than 65, that number climbs to 67%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if living in the Bay Area means spending more on housing — along with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12075761/when-child-care-costs-half-a-paycheck-bay-area-parents-must-choose-kids-or-career\">childcare\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081471/driving-in-the-bay-area-is-essential-for-many-its-only-gotten-more-expensive\">transportation\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082251/after-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-free-clinics-are-stepping-up\">healthcare\u003c/a> and almost everything else — younger people \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSF/comments/1t5or0s/retirement_in_sf_as_a_lifelong_renter_whats_the\">are asking\u003c/a> if it’s even \u003cem>possible \u003c/em>to retire here when not much is left over at the end of every month.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What does retirement planning with less time look like?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Starting to plan for retirement in your 50s can feel overwhelming, said Matt Gellene, head of Specialized Consumer Client Solutions for Bank of America. “But the first and most important step is to be honest about your full financial picture,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Take a full inventory: what you have saved, what you owe, what you expect from Social Security, and what you want retirement to look like,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Plan out your spending — and debt payments\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Think carefully about the debt you have \u003cem>now\u003c/em>, Gellene said. “High-interest debt can erode retirement readiness faster than many people realize,” he said. “Paying down that debt in the years before retirement reduces the monthly income you’ll need to cover fixed costs once you stop working.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even setting a realistic monthly budget now that limits lifestyle expenses can help down the road. Many Bay Area public libraries offer \u003ca href=\"https://advisersgiveback.org/sf-library/\">free workshops with financial advisers\u003c/a> who can help you figure out what you can start cutting back on now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11946480\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11946480 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/GettyImages-1400799758-scaled-e1779405949186.jpg\" alt=\"A woman sits at her kitchen table and sifts through documents, looking concerned. Next to her is her opened laptop.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">According to federal data from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), about half of households nationwide with a worker aged 55 or older had no retirement savings. \u003ccite>(MoMo Productions/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>United Way Bay Area, known by many in the region for its\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11909786/how-to-find-free-tax-help-near-you-and-prepare-everything-you-need-for-your-appointment\"> free tax filing services\u003c/a>, also runs a network of free financial coaching centers known as \u003ca href=\"https://uwba.org/what-we-do/sparkpoint-program/\">SparkPoint\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are centers in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Marin counties, where financial coaches can help with making plans to achieve long-term goals like reducing debt and growing savings.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Know your options if you need to continue working\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Seniors who feel they are not ready to leave the workforce but are looking for a job with more flexibility can also contact \u003ca href=\"https://www.selfhelpelderly.org/\">Self-Help for the Elderly\u003c/a>, a nonprofit organization that provides seniors in San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties with housing, food and other social services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We train older workers as home health aides, housekeepers and restaurant workers,” CEO Anni Chung said. Seniors who are trained as housekeepers, for example, can work a few hours a week for several different clients. Multiple trainings for \u003ca href=\"https://www.selfhelpelderly.org/our-services/employment-services/job-placements-and-employment-training\">this older worker program\u003c/a> are held throughout the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Remember healthcare costs\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Another huge retirement expense to consider is healthcare costs. Seniors with Medicare may still have to pay monthly premiums and deductibles, depending on what coverage plan they sign up for. Medicare Part A, which does not charge monthly premiums and covers major hospital bills, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles\">still comes with deductibles\u003c/a> that beneficiaries pay if they are admitted to the hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other Medicare options can cover additional medical expenses, like lab tests and medication, but those plans come with monthly premiums. And researchers have found that out-of-pocket healthcare expenses increase significantly \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3614143/\">for Medicare recipients\u003c/a> in the last years of life, and most individuals are considered \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2686318\">high-need, high-cost patients\u003c/a> prior to death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058933\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1829px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12058933 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/125841436_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1829\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/125841436_qed.jpg 1829w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/125841436_qed-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/125841436_qed-1536x1119.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1829px) 100vw, 1829px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protestors carry signs as they demonstrate against proposed cuts to Medi-Cal and Medicare outside San Francisco city hall on Sept. 21, 2011, in San Francisco, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You can start preparing for medical expenses now with a health savings account, or HSA. This kind of savings account “offers what we call triple tax savings,” said Gellene from Bank of America. “Your money goes in pre-tax, it can grow tax-free if you invest it and you can withdraw it tax-free for qualified medical expenses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you can save a little more in the next few years, there may still be some options to make what you have grow. If you have one, Gellene recommends maxing out your 401(k) — that is, contributing as much as the IRS allows you to — especially if your employer offers a match.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s essentially free money, and you don’t want to leave any of it on the table,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Think about where you’ll live\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DWlMAlHFX9N/\">affordable housing fair\u003c/a> in San Francisco, several seniors had the same question for Anni Chung, from Self-Help for the Elderly. “Either their spouse or other family members have passed away, and they can’t keep up with the rent just on their own.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the biggest expense is housing, Chung and her team help seniors apply for affordable housing via \u003ca href=\"https://housing.sfgov.org/\">San Francisco’s Dahlia portal\u003c/a>, where eligible residents can enter different lotteries for affordable apartments or studios. The available units listed can sometimes be smaller than where seniors lived when they had a full-time job, Chung said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12082251",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_012_qed.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Some financial advisers shared with KQED that often, clients are able to bring their living expenses way down when they plan for retirement far from California. The state consistently ranks as one of the most expensive places for long-term care services. For example, the \u003ca href=\"https://assets.carescout.com/x/5c90319b6a/298701.pdf\">median monthly price\u003c/a> for a private room in a nursing home in California is about $15,000 — compared to roughly $10,000 in Ohio and $7,600 in Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another option for some seniors is moving in with their adult children. In many circumstances, this is an ideal arrangement for all parties. “They take care of each other, and it’s one big happy family,” Chung said. But even in these cases, she said it’s important to set up clear expectations about living together — especially if a family is already living in a smaller Bay Area apartment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even if actual cohabitation isn’t on the table, it’s still important to maintain family connections and support, Chung said. “If living with family is complicated, then the seniors would rather have their own place but still have a good relationship with the family,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If someone has little savings in the bank but was able to buy a home earlier in their life, they can also look into home-sharing programs like \u003ca href=\"https://frontporch.net/live/home-match/#request-info\">Home Match\u003c/a>. This program in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin counties connects homeowners with folks looking to rent a room or an accessory dwelling unit on their property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they figure out next steps, Bay Area seniors should remember they can consult — and lean on — groups like Self-Help for the Elderly, Chung said. “We need our seniors. We don’t want to see them have to move,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They worked hard here. They should enjoy their golden years here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12084761/retiring-savings-retirement-planning-california-bay-area",
"authors": [
"11708"
],
"categories": [
"news_1758",
"news_34168",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_26598",
"news_32707",
"news_18538",
"news_3651",
"news_18545",
"news_35888",
"news_27626",
"news_35118",
"news_3735"
],
"featImg": "news_12084764",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12084267": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12084267",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12084267",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1779232898000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "california-police-forces-are-becoming-more-diverse-but-wages-have-declined",
"title": "California Police Forces Are Becoming More Diverse. But Wages Have Declined",
"publishDate": 1779232898,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "California Police Forces Are Becoming More Diverse. But Wages Have Declined | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Police forces across \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> are becoming more diverse, but overall officer salaries are falling — with strained staffing levels contributing to officer burnout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/understanding-trends-in-law-enforcement-staffing/\">report\u003c/a> on law enforcement staffing from the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, found that California police force demographics have been steadily shifting over the last 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 2005 and 2024, the percentage of female officers jumped from 12.8% to 15.3%, with Latino officers also seeing a rise, increasing from 22% to 40% over the same time period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for what has been driving these changes, PPIC’s report pointed to the national “30×30” campaign — a program focused on increasing female recruits to 30% by 2030 — and cited “changing demographics” as the engine behind the growth in Latino officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as diversity steadily increases, the report found that salaries have been tumbling. It said that between 2011 and 2023, the average “base pay” for a California police officer declined from $116,000 to $110,000 — after adjusting for inflation. Although significantly higher pay than the national average for police officers, the report noted that salaries are still not keeping pace with California’s steep cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conversely, overtime pay grew from $10,000 to $25,000 per officer. One of the report’s authors and a senior research associate at PPIC, Brandon Martin, said at an event on Tuesday that this contrast likely comes from departments’ attempts to cover staffing shortages.[aside postID=news_12070600 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250702-JOSEPHHUFFAKERTRIAL-11-BL-KQED.jpg']“While there is research out there that shows a relationship between hiring additional officers and a reduction in crime, there’s not research out there that shows what the optimal level of staffing might be,” Martin said. “That might vary for a number of reasons across communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco has been making a concerted effort to boost police numbers. Evan Sernoffsky, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department, identified several reasons for low headcount, saying that the “COVID pandemic coupled with the climate generally around policing in the United States made for very difficult recruiting and retention for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But from where Sernoffsky is sitting, that trend “has turned around completely.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Support from the public has been at the highest we’ve seen in probably a decade,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s last four police academies have met their 50 cadet capacity. In 2025, they saw their first net positive increase in officers since the pandemic, and in early May, the police union signed a new contract that offered increased pay and bonuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco still needs to hire over 650 more officers to meet the levels recommended by Proposition E, which voters in 2020 approved to enact regular evaluations of police presence and community needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of our patrol is being supplemented with overtime, so that’s leading to officer burnout: working conditions that are not sustainable for a staff of our size,” Sernoffsky said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "A new analysis found that law enforcement in California is seeing salaries decline and officer burnout on the rise.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1779234173,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 14,
"wordCount": 535
},
"headData": {
"title": "California Police Forces Are Becoming More Diverse. But Wages Have Declined | KQED",
"description": "A new analysis found that law enforcement in California is seeing salaries decline and officer burnout on the rise.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "California Police Forces Are Becoming More Diverse. But Wages Have Declined",
"datePublished": "2026-05-19T16:21:38-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-05-19T16:42:53-07:00",
"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": 6188,
"slug": "law-and-justice",
"name": "Law and Justice"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Ella Jackson",
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12084267",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12084267/california-police-forces-are-becoming-more-diverse-but-wages-have-declined",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Police forces across \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> are becoming more diverse, but overall officer salaries are falling — with strained staffing levels contributing to officer burnout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/understanding-trends-in-law-enforcement-staffing/\">report\u003c/a> on law enforcement staffing from the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, found that California police force demographics have been steadily shifting over the last 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 2005 and 2024, the percentage of female officers jumped from 12.8% to 15.3%, with Latino officers also seeing a rise, increasing from 22% to 40% over the same time period.\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>\n\u003cp>As for what has been driving these changes, PPIC’s report pointed to the national “30×30” campaign — a program focused on increasing female recruits to 30% by 2030 — and cited “changing demographics” as the engine behind the growth in Latino officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as diversity steadily increases, the report found that salaries have been tumbling. It said that between 2011 and 2023, the average “base pay” for a California police officer declined from $116,000 to $110,000 — after adjusting for inflation. Although significantly higher pay than the national average for police officers, the report noted that salaries are still not keeping pace with California’s steep cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conversely, overtime pay grew from $10,000 to $25,000 per officer. One of the report’s authors and a senior research associate at PPIC, Brandon Martin, said at an event on Tuesday that this contrast likely comes from departments’ attempts to cover staffing shortages.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12070600",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250702-JOSEPHHUFFAKERTRIAL-11-BL-KQED.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“While there is research out there that shows a relationship between hiring additional officers and a reduction in crime, there’s not research out there that shows what the optimal level of staffing might be,” Martin said. “That might vary for a number of reasons across communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco has been making a concerted effort to boost police numbers. Evan Sernoffsky, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department, identified several reasons for low headcount, saying that the “COVID pandemic coupled with the climate generally around policing in the United States made for very difficult recruiting and retention for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But from where Sernoffsky is sitting, that trend “has turned around completely.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Support from the public has been at the highest we’ve seen in probably a decade,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s last four police academies have met their 50 cadet capacity. In 2025, they saw their first net positive increase in officers since the pandemic, and in early May, the police union signed a new contract that offered increased pay and bonuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco still needs to hire over 650 more officers to meet the levels recommended by Proposition E, which voters in 2020 approved to enact regular evaluations of police presence and community needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of our patrol is being supplemented with overtime, so that’s leading to officer burnout: working conditions that are not sustainable for a staff of our size,” Sernoffsky said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12084267/california-police-forces-are-becoming-more-diverse-but-wages-have-declined",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12084267"
],
"categories": [
"news_6188",
"news_28250",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_18538",
"news_18545",
"news_19903",
"news_27660",
"news_116"
],
"featImg": "news_12075899",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12083922": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12083922",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12083922",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1779199210000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "calfresh-snap-new-work-requirements-rules-2026-hr1-eligibility-who-is-exempt-food-stamps",
"title": "On CalFresh? What to Know About New June 1 Work Requirements",
"publishDate": 1779199210,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "On CalFresh? What to Know About New June 1 Work Requirements | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, California will begin enforcing new and expanded federal guidelines that require some CalFresh recipients to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/services/jobs/keep-benefits\">work 20 hours a week, or an average of 80 hours a month\u003c/a> — with a stark reduction in food benefits for those who don’t fulfill the requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Approximately \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5126\">5.5 million people\u003c/a> use CalFresh in California. And since 2020, California, like several other states, has exempted its residents from the federal government’s longstanding (and \u003ca href=\"https://frac.org/blog/history-shows-congress-should-end-snap-time-limits\">contentious) “time limit” policy\u003c/a>, which mandates that any Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who don’t meet federal work requirements can only receive three months of food benefits in three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, due to H.R. 1 — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101910533/what-the-big-beautiful-bill-means-for-california\">the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill\u003c/a>” authored by President Donald Trump’s administration — California’s ability to waive work requirements for the entire state has been limited to only seven counties, none of them in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The work requirements also now apply nationally to a wider range of people, including people up to 64 years old and parents with children 14 and older.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using data from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083881/heres-what-newsoms-revised-budget-means-for-education-in-california\">Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised state budget\u003c/a> released in May, the California Department of Social Services estimates that 2.6 million Californians will be subject to these work requirements starting June 1 — and that as many as 562,000 CalFresh users could ultimately lose access to their food benefits after the new time limit rules are put in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump to: \u003ca href=\"#ImonCalFreshWhatdoIneedtoknowaboutthenewworkrequirements\"> I’m on CalFresh. What do I need to know about the new work requirements?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073668\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073668\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/RamadanGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/RamadanGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/RamadanGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/RamadanGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Close-up shot of hands holding food. \u003ccite>(Tashdique Mehtaj Ahmed/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The changes that go into effect on June 1 make several unprecedented changes to this policy, which was already incredibly cruel, and decades of research have shown that it’s ineffectual,” said Andrew Cheyne, managing director at the County Welfare Directors Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has already started rolling out directives from the Trump administration that have impacted eligibility for CalFresh. For example, in April, California began to enforce a requirement that barred \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078168/april-1-snap-food-stamps-cal-fresh-eligibility-change-2026-immigrants-refugees-asylum-seekers-recertify-where-to-find-food-bank\">some humanitarian immigrants from signing up for food benefits\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates like Cheyne have expressed alarm about the barriers to food access that are being increased by these directives — additional “burdens for recipients who are experiencing poverty-related hunger,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing in other states’ data just devastating drops in the SNAP caseload,” he said. “Not because people are ineligible. Not because they are getting good jobs with good wages. But because of the inability to navigate the red tape that Congress enacted in H.R. 1.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cheyne warned that without significant investment in county workers to support residents through these changes, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/Additional-Resources/Fiscal-and-Financial-Information/LOcal-Assistance-Estimates/2026-27/Revisions/2026-may-revision-estimate-methodologies.pdf\">hundreds of thousands of recipients could lose access to CalFresh\u003c/a> after the H.R. 1 updates.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The coming impact of CalFresh changes in June\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California’s SNAP changes in June will not apply to everyone. And some people, like those who are pregnant, may be exempt from the work hours guidelines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trent Rhorer, executive director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency, said 112,000 people in the city receive CalFresh benefits. He estimated these new work requirements may apply to 18% of them: about 19,300 people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078496\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078496\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GroceriesAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GroceriesAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GroceriesAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GroceriesAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A California SNAP benefits shopper pushes a cart through a supermarket in Bellflower, California, on Feb. 13, 2023. \u003ccite>(Allison Dinner/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rhorer said his office is aiming to reach out to SNAP users who might be impacted through community organizations, to provide them more information about the changes in eligibility and “make this requirement as easy as possible to fulfill for CalFresh recipients.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Safety net supports, such as food or healthcare, should be provided to low-income people unconditionally,” he said. “There shouldn’t be additional bureaucratic hoops to jump through. There shouldn’t be work requirements ascribed to services that we provide that meet basic human needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what \u003cem>are \u003c/em>these new CalFresh work requirements — and who will be most affected starting in June?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for what we know. KQED also has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078168/april-1-snap-food-stamps-cal-fresh-eligibility-change-2026-immigrants-refugees-asylum-seekers-recertify-where-to-find-food-bank\">an FAQ on the restrictions announced in April\u003c/a>, which barred some humanitarian immigrants from receiving CalFresh benefits, and a thorough \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12061440/calfresh-snap-ebt-shutdown-find-food-banks-near-me-san-francisco-bay-area-alameda-oakland-contra-costa-newsom-national-guard\">guide on using food banks or food pantries\u003c/a> near you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also jump straight to:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#HowcanIfulfillthenewworkrequirements\">How can I fulfill the new work requirements?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#Whowillbeexemptfromworkrequirements\">Who will be exempt from work requirements?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"ImonCalFreshWhatdoIneedtoknowaboutthenewworkrequirements\">\u003c/a>What are the new CalFresh work requirements, and who will be affected?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The major change: Starting June 1, CalFresh recipients between the ages of 18 and 64 who do \u003cem>not\u003c/em> live with a child under the age of 14 are required to fulfill a certain number of work hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(Nationally, the age threshold for federal SNAP work requirements was previously 55. Parents or caregivers with a child age 17 or younger were also exempt.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12064446\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12064446\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE00936_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE00936_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE00936_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE00936_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shopping carts are parked around the Alameda Food Bank on Nov. 14, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>CalFresh recipients who are subject to work requirements must complete 20 hours of work-related activities a week, or an average of 80 hours a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re not exempt (see below) and you’re not working or participating in the eligible work activities outlined below, you can only receive CalFresh benefits for three months out of 36 months, i.e., three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An important detail on timing: The eligibility guidelines will first apply to \u003cem>new\u003c/em> CalFresh applicants starting June 1. Current SNAP recipients in California will only be subject to these rules once they recertify their benefits, said Rhorer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if you’re \u003cem>applying \u003c/em>for CalFresh before June 1? “Applications that are submitted now are applied under the current rules,” Cheyne said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This means that if you’re one of the people eligible for the CalFresh work requirements starting June 1, applying for SNAP before that date would mean you’d receive a year of food benefits \u003cem>without \u003c/em>being subject to the work rules, before you eventually recertify. (For most people, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/services/food/calfresh/keep-calfresh\">recertifying is an annual process\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"HowcanIfulfillthenewworkrequirements\">\u003c/a>How do I fulfill the new CalFresh work requirements?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/services/jobs/keep-benefits\">the San Francisco HSA’s website\u003c/a>, work-related activities that satisfy these requirements include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Working at a job\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Volunteering or doing community service\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Participating in a job training or employment program (in San Francisco, this could be through SFHSA)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Enrolled in school less than half-time or in a training program (which in San Francisco could include City College classes like GED or English as a second language, according to Rhorer).\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>On its website, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/services/jobs/keep-benefits\">SFHSA said\u003c/a> that the “work activities also need to be documented and can be combined from different activities for a total of 80 hours per month.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are some positions — like a job at a nonprofit — where recipients can work \u003cem>fewer\u003c/em> than 80 hours per month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12064448\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12064448\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE01284_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE01284_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE01284_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE01284_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A person stands across advertisements for CalFresh as she holds her groceries from the Alameda Food Bank at the 12th Street BART Station in Oakland on Nov. 14, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>However, a CalFresh recipient would need to check with \u003ca href=\"https://calfresh.dss.ca.gov/food/officelocator/\">their Benefits Program\u003c/a> to see if they still qualify with these reduced work hours. A list of county offices can be found on \u003ca href=\"https://calfresh.dss.ca.gov/food/officelocator/\">an interactive map on CalFresh’s website\u003c/a>, and you can also call CalFresh at 1-877-847-3663.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re on CalFresh, your county may have opportunities or referrals for work or job training. For example, San Francisco is “expanding available community work slots for our CalFresh clients,” according to Rhorer, and has \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/services/jobs/jobsnow\">a JobsNOW! Program to connect recipients to workplaces\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco is partnering with community-based organizations to provide employment training for CalFresh users — from resume preparation to home healthcare for seniors — and pinpointing job opportunities in sectors that are hiring, like tech, construction, hospitality and home care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is also developing “a community works program, which is really a way for nonprofit organizations to get volunteers who are on CalFresh to go ahead and work in their nonprofit agencies,” Rhorer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Whowillbeexemptfromworkrequirements\">\u003c/a>Which CalFresh recipients are exempt from work requirements?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>CalFresh recipients should \u003ca href=\"https://calfresh.dss.ca.gov/food/officelocator/\">check with the Benefits Program\u003c/a> to make sure the exceptions apply to them, but broadly, exemptions from the federal government include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Being younger than 18\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Being older than 64\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Pregnancy\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Having a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/services/jobs/keep-benefits\">“physical or mental health condition that prevents you from working”\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Receiving other benefits, like unemployment insurance or Supplemental Security Income\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>In a substance use disorder program\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Caregiving for a person with a disability\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Member of a federally recognized tribe\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Participating in a program like CalWORKS\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Going to school at least part-time (and adhering to student eligibility requirements).\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Veterans, some people experiencing homelessness and\u003ca href=\"https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/california-lawmakers-looking-to-avoid-foster-youth-going-hungry/274537\"> former foster youth\u003c/a> were previously also \u003ca href=\"https://www.cafoodbanks.org/what-we-do/policy/calfresh-changes-hr1/#work\">exempt \u003c/a>from federal work requirements to access SNAP, but may be newly subject to these rules starting June 1.[aside postID=news_12078168 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251031-SFMARINFOODBANK-11-BL-KQED.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What about those California counties that are still exempt from CalFresh work requirements?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Both states and Congress have worked to waive benefit limits related to work requirements in times of economic distress, including the Great Recession of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And before the Trump administration’s H.R.1 bill, \u003ca href=\"https://frac.org/blog/qa-how-does-the-new-snap-time-limits-policy-affect-you-what-states-and-families-need-to-know\">some states, including California, were able to get waivers\u003c/a> exempting some or all SNAP recipients from work requirements due to an insufficient number of job opportunities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These waivers are now restricted to California counties with \u003ca href=\"https://frac.org/blog/qa-how-does-the-new-snap-time-limits-policy-affect-you-what-states-and-families-need-to-know\">an unemployment rate of 10% and greater\u003c/a> — which only applies to “very few areas,” Cheyne said. None of them is in the nine-county Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until Oct. 31 this year, SNAP recipients in these California counties will remain exempt from work requirements:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Alpine\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Colusa\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Imperial\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Merced\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Monterey\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Plumas\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Tulare.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Where can CalFresh recipients go for more information or support?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Cheyne reminded current CalFresh users that these new work requirements won’t apply to them until they recertify their SNAP benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once their case is up for renewal, people should look for information from their county on how to continue their food benefits. A list of county offices can be found on \u003ca href=\"https://calfresh.dss.ca.gov/food/officelocator/\">an interactive map on CalFresh’s website\u003c/a>. You can also call CalFresh at 1-877-847-3663.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Cheyne warned CalFresh users that county workers likely see a higher volume of cases and paperwork, which could impact their ability to serve SNAP recipients like this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078659\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078659\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers sort fresh produce into boxes at the San Francisco‑Marin Food Bank warehouse in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He recommended that CalFresh users call their usual SNAP office when the time for recertification is coming up. Because of California’s yearslong waiver on work requirements, “this is going to be new for everyone, all of the recipients and all of the workers,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cheyne pointed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/01/metro/snap-benefits-lost-calls-disconnected/\">Massachusetts\u003c/a>, which has already implemented the new eligibility guidelines and has seen “a dramatic drop-off in eligible households … families who are trying to get through, who need assistance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But the workers are simply overwhelmed by the volume of workload and can’t keep up with the cases.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Starting in June, California will start enforcing new federal guidelines that require some SNAP recipients to work 20 hours a week — or see their food benefits cut. Here’s what you need to know.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1780416873,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 45,
"wordCount": 1925
},
"headData": {
"title": "On CalFresh? What to Know About New June 1 Work Requirements | KQED",
"description": "Starting in June, California will start enforcing new federal guidelines that require some SNAP recipients to work 20 hours a week — or see their food benefits cut. Here’s what you need to know.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "On CalFresh? What to Know About New June 1 Work Requirements",
"datePublished": "2026-05-19T07:00:10-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-06-02T09:14:33-07:00",
"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": 34168,
"slug": "guides-and-explainers",
"name": "Guides and Explainers"
},
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/70c89ce9-e4c1-4867-bac9-b45c01102405/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12083922",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12083922/calfresh-snap-new-work-requirements-rules-2026-hr1-eligibility-who-is-exempt-food-stamps",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, California will begin enforcing new and expanded federal guidelines that require some CalFresh recipients to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/services/jobs/keep-benefits\">work 20 hours a week, or an average of 80 hours a month\u003c/a> — with a stark reduction in food benefits for those who don’t fulfill the requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Approximately \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5126\">5.5 million people\u003c/a> use CalFresh in California. And since 2020, California, like several other states, has exempted its residents from the federal government’s longstanding (and \u003ca href=\"https://frac.org/blog/history-shows-congress-should-end-snap-time-limits\">contentious) “time limit” policy\u003c/a>, which mandates that any Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who don’t meet federal work requirements can only receive three months of food benefits in three years.\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>\n\u003cp>But now, due to H.R. 1 — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101910533/what-the-big-beautiful-bill-means-for-california\">the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill\u003c/a>” authored by President Donald Trump’s administration — California’s ability to waive work requirements for the entire state has been limited to only seven counties, none of them in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The work requirements also now apply nationally to a wider range of people, including people up to 64 years old and parents with children 14 and older.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using data from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083881/heres-what-newsoms-revised-budget-means-for-education-in-california\">Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised state budget\u003c/a> released in May, the California Department of Social Services estimates that 2.6 million Californians will be subject to these work requirements starting June 1 — and that as many as 562,000 CalFresh users could ultimately lose access to their food benefits after the new time limit rules are put in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump to: \u003ca href=\"#ImonCalFreshWhatdoIneedtoknowaboutthenewworkrequirements\"> I’m on CalFresh. What do I need to know about the new work requirements?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073668\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073668\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/RamadanGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/RamadanGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/RamadanGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/RamadanGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Close-up shot of hands holding food. \u003ccite>(Tashdique Mehtaj Ahmed/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The changes that go into effect on June 1 make several unprecedented changes to this policy, which was already incredibly cruel, and decades of research have shown that it’s ineffectual,” said Andrew Cheyne, managing director at the County Welfare Directors Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has already started rolling out directives from the Trump administration that have impacted eligibility for CalFresh. For example, in April, California began to enforce a requirement that barred \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078168/april-1-snap-food-stamps-cal-fresh-eligibility-change-2026-immigrants-refugees-asylum-seekers-recertify-where-to-find-food-bank\">some humanitarian immigrants from signing up for food benefits\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates like Cheyne have expressed alarm about the barriers to food access that are being increased by these directives — additional “burdens for recipients who are experiencing poverty-related hunger,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing in other states’ data just devastating drops in the SNAP caseload,” he said. “Not because people are ineligible. Not because they are getting good jobs with good wages. But because of the inability to navigate the red tape that Congress enacted in H.R. 1.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cheyne warned that without significant investment in county workers to support residents through these changes, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/Additional-Resources/Fiscal-and-Financial-Information/LOcal-Assistance-Estimates/2026-27/Revisions/2026-may-revision-estimate-methodologies.pdf\">hundreds of thousands of recipients could lose access to CalFresh\u003c/a> after the H.R. 1 updates.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The coming impact of CalFresh changes in June\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California’s SNAP changes in June will not apply to everyone. And some people, like those who are pregnant, may be exempt from the work hours guidelines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trent Rhorer, executive director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency, said 112,000 people in the city receive CalFresh benefits. He estimated these new work requirements may apply to 18% of them: about 19,300 people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078496\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078496\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GroceriesAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GroceriesAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GroceriesAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GroceriesAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A California SNAP benefits shopper pushes a cart through a supermarket in Bellflower, California, on Feb. 13, 2023. \u003ccite>(Allison Dinner/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rhorer said his office is aiming to reach out to SNAP users who might be impacted through community organizations, to provide them more information about the changes in eligibility and “make this requirement as easy as possible to fulfill for CalFresh recipients.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Safety net supports, such as food or healthcare, should be provided to low-income people unconditionally,” he said. “There shouldn’t be additional bureaucratic hoops to jump through. There shouldn’t be work requirements ascribed to services that we provide that meet basic human needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what \u003cem>are \u003c/em>these new CalFresh work requirements — and who will be most affected starting in June?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for what we know. KQED also has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078168/april-1-snap-food-stamps-cal-fresh-eligibility-change-2026-immigrants-refugees-asylum-seekers-recertify-where-to-find-food-bank\">an FAQ on the restrictions announced in April\u003c/a>, which barred some humanitarian immigrants from receiving CalFresh benefits, and a thorough \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12061440/calfresh-snap-ebt-shutdown-find-food-banks-near-me-san-francisco-bay-area-alameda-oakland-contra-costa-newsom-national-guard\">guide on using food banks or food pantries\u003c/a> near you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also jump straight to:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#HowcanIfulfillthenewworkrequirements\">How can I fulfill the new work requirements?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#Whowillbeexemptfromworkrequirements\">Who will be exempt from work requirements?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"ImonCalFreshWhatdoIneedtoknowaboutthenewworkrequirements\">\u003c/a>What are the new CalFresh work requirements, and who will be affected?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The major change: Starting June 1, CalFresh recipients between the ages of 18 and 64 who do \u003cem>not\u003c/em> live with a child under the age of 14 are required to fulfill a certain number of work hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(Nationally, the age threshold for federal SNAP work requirements was previously 55. Parents or caregivers with a child age 17 or younger were also exempt.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12064446\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12064446\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE00936_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE00936_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE00936_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE00936_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shopping carts are parked around the Alameda Food Bank on Nov. 14, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>CalFresh recipients who are subject to work requirements must complete 20 hours of work-related activities a week, or an average of 80 hours a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re not exempt (see below) and you’re not working or participating in the eligible work activities outlined below, you can only receive CalFresh benefits for three months out of 36 months, i.e., three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An important detail on timing: The eligibility guidelines will first apply to \u003cem>new\u003c/em> CalFresh applicants starting June 1. Current SNAP recipients in California will only be subject to these rules once they recertify their benefits, said Rhorer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if you’re \u003cem>applying \u003c/em>for CalFresh before June 1? “Applications that are submitted now are applied under the current rules,” Cheyne said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This means that if you’re one of the people eligible for the CalFresh work requirements starting June 1, applying for SNAP before that date would mean you’d receive a year of food benefits \u003cem>without \u003c/em>being subject to the work rules, before you eventually recertify. (For most people, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/services/food/calfresh/keep-calfresh\">recertifying is an annual process\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"HowcanIfulfillthenewworkrequirements\">\u003c/a>How do I fulfill the new CalFresh work requirements?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/services/jobs/keep-benefits\">the San Francisco HSA’s website\u003c/a>, work-related activities that satisfy these requirements include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Working at a job\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Volunteering or doing community service\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Participating in a job training or employment program (in San Francisco, this could be through SFHSA)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Enrolled in school less than half-time or in a training program (which in San Francisco could include City College classes like GED or English as a second language, according to Rhorer).\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>On its website, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/services/jobs/keep-benefits\">SFHSA said\u003c/a> that the “work activities also need to be documented and can be combined from different activities for a total of 80 hours per month.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are some positions — like a job at a nonprofit — where recipients can work \u003cem>fewer\u003c/em> than 80 hours per month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12064448\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12064448\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE01284_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE01284_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE01284_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251113-SNAPDELAYSFEATURE01284_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A person stands across advertisements for CalFresh as she holds her groceries from the Alameda Food Bank at the 12th Street BART Station in Oakland on Nov. 14, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>However, a CalFresh recipient would need to check with \u003ca href=\"https://calfresh.dss.ca.gov/food/officelocator/\">their Benefits Program\u003c/a> to see if they still qualify with these reduced work hours. A list of county offices can be found on \u003ca href=\"https://calfresh.dss.ca.gov/food/officelocator/\">an interactive map on CalFresh’s website\u003c/a>, and you can also call CalFresh at 1-877-847-3663.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re on CalFresh, your county may have opportunities or referrals for work or job training. For example, San Francisco is “expanding available community work slots for our CalFresh clients,” according to Rhorer, and has \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/services/jobs/jobsnow\">a JobsNOW! Program to connect recipients to workplaces\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco is partnering with community-based organizations to provide employment training for CalFresh users — from resume preparation to home healthcare for seniors — and pinpointing job opportunities in sectors that are hiring, like tech, construction, hospitality and home care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is also developing “a community works program, which is really a way for nonprofit organizations to get volunteers who are on CalFresh to go ahead and work in their nonprofit agencies,” Rhorer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Whowillbeexemptfromworkrequirements\">\u003c/a>Which CalFresh recipients are exempt from work requirements?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>CalFresh recipients should \u003ca href=\"https://calfresh.dss.ca.gov/food/officelocator/\">check with the Benefits Program\u003c/a> to make sure the exceptions apply to them, but broadly, exemptions from the federal government include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Being younger than 18\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Being older than 64\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Pregnancy\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Having a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/services/jobs/keep-benefits\">“physical or mental health condition that prevents you from working”\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Receiving other benefits, like unemployment insurance or Supplemental Security Income\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>In a substance use disorder program\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Caregiving for a person with a disability\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Member of a federally recognized tribe\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Participating in a program like CalWORKS\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Going to school at least part-time (and adhering to student eligibility requirements).\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Veterans, some people experiencing homelessness and\u003ca href=\"https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/california-lawmakers-looking-to-avoid-foster-youth-going-hungry/274537\"> former foster youth\u003c/a> were previously also \u003ca href=\"https://www.cafoodbanks.org/what-we-do/policy/calfresh-changes-hr1/#work\">exempt \u003c/a>from federal work requirements to access SNAP, but may be newly subject to these rules starting June 1.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12078168",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251031-SFMARINFOODBANK-11-BL-KQED.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What about those California counties that are still exempt from CalFresh work requirements?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Both states and Congress have worked to waive benefit limits related to work requirements in times of economic distress, including the Great Recession of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And before the Trump administration’s H.R.1 bill, \u003ca href=\"https://frac.org/blog/qa-how-does-the-new-snap-time-limits-policy-affect-you-what-states-and-families-need-to-know\">some states, including California, were able to get waivers\u003c/a> exempting some or all SNAP recipients from work requirements due to an insufficient number of job opportunities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These waivers are now restricted to California counties with \u003ca href=\"https://frac.org/blog/qa-how-does-the-new-snap-time-limits-policy-affect-you-what-states-and-families-need-to-know\">an unemployment rate of 10% and greater\u003c/a> — which only applies to “very few areas,” Cheyne said. None of them is in the nine-county Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until Oct. 31 this year, SNAP recipients in these California counties will remain exempt from work requirements:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Alpine\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Colusa\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Imperial\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Merced\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Monterey\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Plumas\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Tulare.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Where can CalFresh recipients go for more information or support?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Cheyne reminded current CalFresh users that these new work requirements won’t apply to them until they recertify their SNAP benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once their case is up for renewal, people should look for information from their county on how to continue their food benefits. A list of county offices can be found on \u003ca href=\"https://calfresh.dss.ca.gov/food/officelocator/\">an interactive map on CalFresh’s website\u003c/a>. You can also call CalFresh at 1-877-847-3663.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Cheyne warned CalFresh users that county workers likely see a higher volume of cases and paperwork, which could impact their ability to serve SNAP recipients like this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078659\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078659\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers sort fresh produce into boxes at the San Francisco‑Marin Food Bank warehouse in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He recommended that CalFresh users call their usual SNAP office when the time for recertification is coming up. Because of California’s yearslong waiver on work requirements, “this is going to be new for everyone, all of the recipients and all of the workers,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cheyne pointed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/01/metro/snap-benefits-lost-calls-disconnected/\">Massachusetts\u003c/a>, which has already implemented the new eligibility guidelines and has seen “a dramatic drop-off in eligible households … families who are trying to get through, who need assistance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But the workers are simply overwhelmed by the volume of workload and can’t keep up with the cases.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12083922/calfresh-snap-new-work-requirements-rules-2026-hr1-eligibility-who-is-exempt-food-stamps",
"authors": [
"11867"
],
"categories": [
"news_24114",
"news_34168",
"news_34551",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_32707",
"news_36078",
"news_22578",
"news_18545",
"news_35888",
"news_333",
"news_21602",
"news_19904"
],
"featImg": "news_12066124",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12082454": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12082454",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12082454",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1778076018000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "officials-say-shoring-up-californias-oil-supply-will-come-at-a-price",
"title": "Officials Say Shoring Up California’s Oil Supply Will Come ‘At a Price’",
"publishDate": 1778076018,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Officials Say Shoring Up California’s Oil Supply Will Come ‘At a Price’ | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>While officials are not concerned about an immediate oil shortfall, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California consumers \u003c/a>are likely to see another price hike in the coming weeks as the war in Iran strains the global market, lawmakers said on Tuesday at a hearing about the uncertain future of the state’s fuel supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hearing came after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080093/as-some-oil-deliveries-to-us-stop-flowing-california-braces-for-an-energy-crisis\">the final oil tanker\u003c/a> to pass through the Strait of Hormuz arrived at the Port of Long Beach this week — the last shipment from the Middle East expected to reach California for the foreseeable future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When this tanker is empty, it’s unclear where the next replacement ship will be coming from,” said Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Irvine, and Utilities and Energy Committee chair at Tuesday’s hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Californians have been feeling the pain at the pump since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran spiked crude oil prices around the world. Today, drivers pay about $6.13 per gallon compared to the national average of $4.48, according to \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA\">AAA\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While officials do not foresee California running out of oil, consumers should brace for additional price increases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076853\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12076853 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/GettyImages-2265237194-scaled-e1778026995886.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1211\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">High gas prices are listed at a Chevron gas station in Los Angeles on March 9, 2026, as gasoline prices surge amid the ongoing war with Iran. \u003ccite>(Frederic J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Based on what we’re hearing from the industry and what we have heard, the pricing will move molecules towards California, but it will come at a price,” Siva Gunda, vice chair of the California Energy Commission, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gunda said the costs will come from a bidding war to divert oil from Asian markets to the West Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, a California Energy Commission spokesperson said in a statement that the price spike is due to “the rapid escalation of crude oil prices because of the Iran War. These elevated prices are not unique to California, and prices are continuing to rise globally.” [aside postID=news_12081471 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00282_TV-KQED.jpg']However, Jamie Court, the head of Consumer Watchdog, a consumer protection group, said that California legislators, along with the state’s oil refiners, should take more responsibility for high prices. In a \u003ca href=\"https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Re-supply-Rules.pdf\">statement\u003c/a>, Consumer Watchdog said oil refiners have been taking advantage of the current war to make record oil-refining profits, and Court said California Gov. Gavin Newsom “chickened out” of price gouging regulation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Trump can be responsible for about 70 cents of this because of the crude oil increase, but the rest of the two extra dollars we’re paying at the pump … are on Newsom,” Court said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Severin Borenstein, professor and faculty director of The Energy Institute, UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, said in the public hearing that the recent spike is just one part of a larger trend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While higher gasoline taxes and stronger environmental regulations in California play a role in the comparatively high prices — adding \u003ca href=\"https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65184\">about \u003c/a>$0.72 per gallon in taxes and $0.50 per gallon in environmental programs, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration — a refinery fire in Southern California in 2015 led to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2025-10/CEC-900-2025-001.pdf\">“mystery gasoline surcharge”\u003c/a> driving up prices. Bornstein said this adds about $0.50 per gallon, on top of oil and refining costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Commission’s Division of Petroleum Market Oversight said in the hearing that it’s also taken steps to deal with “branded” retailers like Chevron that have been overcharging California consumers at the pump.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everyone should be getting their gas at the generic brands,” Petrie-Norris said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">\u003cem>Sara Hossaini\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "While the state is not headed for an immediate oil shortfall, additional price increases are likely if the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran continues.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1778088930,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 16,
"wordCount": 635
},
"headData": {
"title": "Officials Say Shoring Up California’s Oil Supply Will Come ‘At a Price’ | KQED",
"description": "While the state is not headed for an immediate oil shortfall, additional price increases are likely if the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran continues.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Officials Say Shoring Up California’s Oil Supply Will Come ‘At a Price’",
"datePublished": "2026-05-06T07:00:18-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-05-06T10:35:30-07:00",
"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": 1758,
"slug": "economy",
"name": "Economy"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Ella Jackson",
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12082454",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12082454/officials-say-shoring-up-californias-oil-supply-will-come-at-a-price",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>While officials are not concerned about an immediate oil shortfall, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California consumers \u003c/a>are likely to see another price hike in the coming weeks as the war in Iran strains the global market, lawmakers said on Tuesday at a hearing about the uncertain future of the state’s fuel supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hearing came after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080093/as-some-oil-deliveries-to-us-stop-flowing-california-braces-for-an-energy-crisis\">the final oil tanker\u003c/a> to pass through the Strait of Hormuz arrived at the Port of Long Beach this week — the last shipment from the Middle East expected to reach California for the foreseeable future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When this tanker is empty, it’s unclear where the next replacement ship will be coming from,” said Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Irvine, and Utilities and Energy Committee chair at Tuesday’s hearing.\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>\n\u003cp>Californians have been feeling the pain at the pump since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran spiked crude oil prices around the world. Today, drivers pay about $6.13 per gallon compared to the national average of $4.48, according to \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA\">AAA\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While officials do not foresee California running out of oil, consumers should brace for additional price increases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076853\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12076853 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/GettyImages-2265237194-scaled-e1778026995886.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1211\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">High gas prices are listed at a Chevron gas station in Los Angeles on March 9, 2026, as gasoline prices surge amid the ongoing war with Iran. \u003ccite>(Frederic J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Based on what we’re hearing from the industry and what we have heard, the pricing will move molecules towards California, but it will come at a price,” Siva Gunda, vice chair of the California Energy Commission, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gunda said the costs will come from a bidding war to divert oil from Asian markets to the West Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, a California Energy Commission spokesperson said in a statement that the price spike is due to “the rapid escalation of crude oil prices because of the Iran War. These elevated prices are not unique to California, and prices are continuing to rise globally.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12081471",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00282_TV-KQED.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>However, Jamie Court, the head of Consumer Watchdog, a consumer protection group, said that California legislators, along with the state’s oil refiners, should take more responsibility for high prices. In a \u003ca href=\"https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Re-supply-Rules.pdf\">statement\u003c/a>, Consumer Watchdog said oil refiners have been taking advantage of the current war to make record oil-refining profits, and Court said California Gov. Gavin Newsom “chickened out” of price gouging regulation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Trump can be responsible for about 70 cents of this because of the crude oil increase, but the rest of the two extra dollars we’re paying at the pump … are on Newsom,” Court said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Severin Borenstein, professor and faculty director of The Energy Institute, UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, said in the public hearing that the recent spike is just one part of a larger trend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While higher gasoline taxes and stronger environmental regulations in California play a role in the comparatively high prices — adding \u003ca href=\"https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65184\">about \u003c/a>$0.72 per gallon in taxes and $0.50 per gallon in environmental programs, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration — a refinery fire in Southern California in 2015 led to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2025-10/CEC-900-2025-001.pdf\">“mystery gasoline surcharge”\u003c/a> driving up prices. Bornstein said this adds about $0.50 per gallon, on top of oil and refining costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Commission’s Division of Petroleum Market Oversight said in the hearing that it’s also taken steps to deal with “branded” retailers like Chevron that have been overcharging California consumers at the pump.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everyone should be getting their gas at the generic brands,” Petrie-Norris said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">\u003cem>Sara Hossaini\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12082454/officials-say-shoring-up-californias-oil-supply-will-come-at-a-price",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12082454"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_1758",
"news_8",
"news_13"
],
"tags": [
"news_18538",
"news_3651",
"news_1323",
"news_18545",
"news_27626",
"news_641",
"news_3273",
"news_339",
"news_36628",
"news_1741",
"news_17968"
],
"featImg": "news_12081458",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12082251": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12082251",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12082251",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1777989632000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "after-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-free-clinics-are-stepping-up",
"title": "After the One Big Beautiful Bill, Free Clinics Are Stepping Up",
"publishDate": 1777989632,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "After the One Big Beautiful Bill, Free Clinics Are Stepping Up | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>How We Get By\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Marisol, it’s not strange to feel aches and pains all over her body when she comes home after work. She picks and packages fruit for farms in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/contra-costa-county\">Contra Costa County\u003c/a>. Even when temperatures rise over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, she’s out in the field collecting cherries, peaches, nectarines and apricots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She knows it takes a toll on her body. “Sometimes you’re so exhausted that it feels like there’s something wrong with your body, and you don’t know if you’re actually sick or just tired,” she said in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As an undocumented immigrant without employer-provided health insurance, actually finding out if she’s sick is a luxury. KQED is withholding her full name because publishing it could expose her to potential immigration enforcement. “I either pay my rent or I go to the doctor,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the summer of 2023 — when she began to feel several bumps on her breasts — she decided her health could no longer wait. She went to the one place she knew she could get care at no cost: \u003ca href=\"https://www.hijasdelcampo.org/\">Hijas del Campo\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every Tuesday afternoon, the Contra Costa County Department of Public Health parks \u003ca href=\"https://www.cchealth.org/get-care/for-people-without-health-coverage/health-care-for-the-homeless\">a mobile clinic\u003c/a> outside the nonprofit’s Brentwood offices. The clinic offers limited free care to residents like Marisol who qualify. It’s one of dozens of free clinics across the Bay Area that serve low-income and undocumented immigrants who don’t have access to healthcare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078942\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12078942 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_016_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_016_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_016_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_016_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marisol, a farmworker in Brentwood, sits outside the Hijas del Campo offices, an organization that connects agricultural workers and their families to free health services, food assistance and legal support on March 31, 2026, in Brentwood, California. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Free clinics across California are bracing for a surge of uninsured patients as provisions in President Donald Trump’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073880/tax-credits-trump-2026-refund-tips-child-tax-credit-car-loan-interest-documents\">One Big Beautiful Bill\u003c/a>” take effect, eliminating federal subsidies for some Affordable Care Act plans and tightening Medicaid eligibility rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 160,000 Californians have already \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/blog/many-californians-are-paying-more-for-health-insurance-from-covered-california/\">lost federal subsidies\u003c/a> that made their premiums cheaper and in the coming years, state officials \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2026/5180/Changing_Landscape_Affects_Californias_Health_Care_System_050426.pdf\">estimate\u003c/a> that the number of Californians without health insurance — currently around 2 million — could double by 2030, leaving safety-net clinics to absorb the growing demand for care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The White House has \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2025/06/myth-vs-fact-the-one-big-beautiful-bill/\">defended\u003c/a> the OBBB, arguing that these changes will help eliminate “waste, fraud, and abuse” from the nation’s healthcare system. But doctors and volunteers who staff free clinics are already seeing people who have lost coverage and warn that a growing uninsured population could negatively impact care for all patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How free care works\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Free clinics have existed for decades across the Bay Area, offering primary care to those without health insurance. Many serve suburban and rural communities far from the medical infrastructure of the region’s larger cities. But even in San Francisco, free clinics serve thousands each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.clinicbythebay.org/\">Clinic by the Bay\u003c/a> — located in San Francisco’s Excelsior District, one of the most \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/demographic-map-san-francisco-21310100.php\">ethnically diverse neighborhoods\u003c/a> in the city — sees many patients who are experiencing a transition that left them uninsured, often a layoff, aging out of their parents’ insurance or migrating to the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079790\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079790\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_017-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_017-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_017-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_017-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katelyn McMeekin-Jackson, executive director of Clinic by the Bay, poses for a portrait inside the clinic in San Francisco on March 5, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“And there’s people who are working but cannot afford their healthcare premiums, so they have decided to go without health insurance,” said Katelyn McMeekin-Jackson, executive director of Clinic by the Bay. She knows many patients by their first name, greeting them warmly when they come through the front door.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are only a few requirements to get care there, McMeekin-Jackson said. A new patient must share a copy of an ID, proof of income and confirm they do not have health insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 200 volunteers — many of them retired doctors, resident physicians and medical students — help the clinic offer primary and ongoing care for those living with chronic conditions, like diabetes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079789\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079789\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_016-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_016-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_016-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_016-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteer Melissa Castillo, left, and executive director Katelyn McMeekin-Jackson walk through a hallway inside Clinic by the Bay in San Francisco on March 5, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When a patient needs a service that’s not available in-house, staff work with the clinic’s extended network of physicians who are willing to donate their time. Companies like LabCorp also provide a limited number of free screenings, and skilled nursing homes regularly donate surplus medication.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A big part of the puzzle is figuring out how we can get around the limitations to get free care,” McMeekin-Jackson said, adding that over the past year, volunteer numbers increased by about 30% to keep pace with the growing number of patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re anticipating that patient numbers will grow as premiums increase,” she said. “And there are Medi-Cal changes projected in the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Finding the limits\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As Congress raced to finalize the details of the OBBB last summer, lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-wsj-poll-tax-bill-support-ee51c67e\">sought to balance\u003c/a> the price tag of other Trump policy priorities — reshaping the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073880/tax-credits-trump-2026-refund-tips-child-tax-credit-car-loan-interest-documents\">nation’s tax system\u003c/a> and supercharging immigration enforcement — by freeing up funding elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Republicans moved to end the subsidies that lowered the costs of healthcare premiums for millions of people nationwide who bought their plan through an Affordable Care Act marketplace, which includes Covered California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079787\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079787\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_037-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_037-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_037-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_037-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Jewish Community Free Clinic building is seen on March 2, 2026, in Santa Rosa. The clinic provides free healthcare services to uninsured patients. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 2024, the federal government spent nearly $14 billion \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/medicaid/what-does-the-federal-government-spend-on-health-care/#Appendix-Table-3\">on subsidies\u003c/a>, which helped millions of Americans \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/01/22/what-the-data-says-about-affordable-care-act-health-insurance-exchanges/\">enroll in a plan\u003c/a>. According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/inflation-reduction-act-health-insurance-subsidies-what-is-their-impact-and-what-would-happen-if-they-expire/#:~:text=The%20enhanced%20subsidies%20in%20the%20Inflation%20Reduction%20Act%20reduce%20net%20premium%20costs%20by%2044%25%2C%20on%20average%2C%20for%20enrollees%20receiving%20premium%20tax%20credits%2C%20though%20the%20amount%20of%20savings%20varies%20by%20person.\">Kaiser Family Foundation\u003c/a>, a San Francisco-based public health research nonprofit, the subsidies lowered the annual premium payment in 2024 from about $1,600 to $900 — a difference of about 44%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Jan. 1, the majority of Covered California enrollees saw their \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/blog/many-californians-are-paying-more-for-health-insurance-from-covered-california/\">premiums rise\u003c/a> as the federal government pulled back subsidies. But people making above 400% of the federal poverty level — roughly $62,000 for a single person — began paying the full monthly premium for their health insurance. In the Bay Area, some residents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912612/how-are-you-coping-with-increased-health-insurance-premiums\">have shared\u003c/a> that their premiums have gone up by over 150%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re getting a lot of calls from people who lost their plan because they couldn’t pay these outrageous new premiums,” said Donna Waldman, the executive director of the Santa Rosa-based \u003ca href=\"https://www.jewishfreeclinic.org/\">Jewish Community Free Clinic\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079785\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079785\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_027-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_027-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_027-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_027-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Donna Waldman, executive director and one of the founders of the Jewish Community Free Clinic, listens during a conversation inside the clinic on March 2, 2026, in Santa Rosa. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Waldman, along with a handful of doctors and nurses, started the clinic in 2001. The majority of patients are immigrant farmworkers who power Sonoma County’s multimillion-dollar wine industry. Many are seeing a doctor for the first time in years and are coming in for a one-time check-in — a situation that the clinic is well-equipped for, Waldman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are not set up to do chronic disease maintenance,” she said. “Our system’s not set up to have you come back every three or four months to get your blood pressure checked — that’s not our type of practice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Higher premiums are not just forcing people to drop their plan, but also discouraging those who could qualify for a Covered California plan from signing up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079786\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079786\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_029-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_029-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_029-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_029-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rivka Vaughan, who works at the front desk and assists with grant writing, sits in the waiting area of the Jewish Community Free Clinic on March 2, 2026, in Santa Rosa. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In Sonoma County, new enrollment this year \u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/02/28/new-affordable-care-act-enrollment-declines-by-33-in-north-bay/\">decreased by 33%\u003c/a>, with officials reporting a \u003ca href=\"https://www.coveredca.com/newsroom/news-releases/2026/02/26/as-enhanced-federal-subsidies-expire-covered-california-ends-open-enrollment-with-state-subsidies-keeping-renewals-steady-for-now-and-new-signups-down/#:~:text=California%20allocated%20%24190%20million%20from,of%20the%20federal%20poverty%20level.\">similar drop statewide\u003c/a>. And according to \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2026/5180/Changing_Landscape_Affects_Californias_Health_Care_System_050426.pdf\">some researchers\u003c/a>, the first people to drop their Covered California plans are usually younger, healthier individuals who use fewer benefits. Those enrollees help lower the costs of care for everyone else. But with fewer healthier people in the marketplace, premiums could rise even higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When folks call in after dropping their plan, Waldman said the clinic can see them in the meantime, but they also work with the patient to see if they qualify for care at a \u003ca href=\"https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/\">federally qualified health center\u003c/a> — which serve patients on a sliding fee scale, but are subject to income limits and \u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/prwora-hhs-bans-illegal-aliens-accessing-taxpayer-funded-programs.html\">potential immigration rules\u003c/a> from the Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have nothing to lose monetarily from the federal government,” Waldman said. “Free clinics play a really important role in the resiliency of the community right now because we are independent organizations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Influenza doesn’t know if you have insurance or not’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The OBBB’s next big shock to healthcare is expected at the end of this year. By Dec. 31, states must implement stricter eligibility requirements for patients enrolled in Medicaid — known as Medi-Cal in California, which provides free or low-cost care to roughly 15 million lower-income residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2010, the Obama administration expanded Medicaid eligibility to include adults aged 19-64 with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level. In the decade that followed, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/blog/medi-cal-has-expanded-health-coverage-in-california/\">Medi-Cal enrollment soared\u003c/a>, with the biggest increase in that newly-eligible group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079783\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079783\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_009-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_009-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_009-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_009-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A hallway inside the San Francisco Free Clinic in the Richmond District on Feb. 27, 2026. The clinic provides free primary care and specialty services to patients without health insurance. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Under the OBBB, Medi-Cal recipients will need to renew their eligibility every six months, instead of annually, and those who are able-bodied and without dependents have to either work, go to school or do community service for at least 80 hours each month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/newsom-medicaid-impacts-memo.pdf\">estimated\u003c/a> the new requirements would result in up to 3.4 million Californians losing their Medi-Cal coverage. And because federal funding for Medi-Cal is dependent on how many people are enrolled, the state could lose over $30 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s unfortunate, said Ashley Tsang, medical director for the San Francisco Free Clinic, because more people on Medi-Cal means fewer people who are uninsured.[aside postID=news_12078480 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede.jpg']“We were hoping that there were going to be fewer people uninsured as Medi-Cal covered more people,” Tsang said. “At some point, our numbers would have actually dropped.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The clinic currently sees around 1,500 uninsured patients each year with the help of a few dozen physicians and medical students. Tsang — who helps run the Richmond District clinic along with her husband and fellow physician Ian Nelligan — said the team hasn’t yet needed to expand service hours, but that’s something they are thinking about given the political situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“COVID-19 taught us that [infectious diseases don’t] know if you have insurance or not, and people will end up at the emergency department one way or the other,” she said. “We all end up paying for patients who have no health insurance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2026/5180/Changing_Landscape_Affects_Californias_Health_Care_System_050426.pdf\">recent report\u003c/a> from the state Legislative Analyst’s Office predicts that care providers — including private and public hospitals that treat patients with coverage — may feel greater financial pressure as the uninsured population grows in the coming years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many providers, the report finds, “will still provide some care to these populations without receiving reimbursement,” and as these expenses go up, they may negotiate higher rates with private insurance plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Pushing back on closed doors\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>White House officials have argued that other parts of the OBBB — like larger tax deductibles and expanded flexible spending accounts — will make it easier for individuals to pay for health insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the administration has made clear the changes will limit access to low-cost care for one group of people in particular: undocumented immigrants. Blocking this group from Medicaid is necessary “to preserve it for hardworking Americans who need it,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said before the bill’s passage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The OBBB reduced federal funds that helped states provide emergency Medicaid coverage to undocumented immigrants — a \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/WFTCA-Illegal-Immigrant-Healthcare-Memo-FINAL.pdf\">White House memo\u003c/a> went as far as calling this move “closing the California loophole.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078937\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078937\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_001_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_001_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_001_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_001_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pro-farmworker posters adorn the walls inside the Hijas del Campo workspace. The group helps coordinate services including food distribution, healthcare access and legal aid for farmworkers and their families, on March 31, 2026, in Brentwood, California. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This change — along with other expected healthcare cuts from the federal government — prompted state lawmakers last year to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/06/california-budget-newsom-democrats/\">block new Medi-Cal enrollment\u003c/a> for undocumented immigrants aged 19 and older.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means Marisol can no longer sign up for Medi-Cal, leaving her with only the mobile clinic outside Hijas del Campo for care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an injustice,” the farmworker said. “Our work is very intense, and it’s what brings food to people’s tables. But this work is not valued.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078938\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078938\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_008_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_008_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_008_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_008_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dorina Salgado-Moraida, co-founder of Hijas del Campo, stands beside a Contra Costa Health Department mobile clinic used to provide free and low-cost medical services to farmworkers and underserved residents, on March 31, 2026, in Brentwood, California. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When she first felt those bumps on her breasts in 2023, a doctor at the clinic confirmed she had a tumor — but a benign one that was treated thanks to the county program. Marisol still comes to the mobile clinic for follow-ups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are still going to be sick,” said Hijas del Campo co-founder Dorina Salgado-Moraida, who pointed out that there are thousands of undocumented immigrants in other parts of the state who will be left with no options for care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had some learnings from the pandemic, but then at the same time, we didn’t really learn much,” she said. “We didn’t put systems in place to protect those who are the most essential.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story was updated to clarify medical terminology. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "After the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, many Californians no longer have access to healthcare because of higher premiums or their immigration status. Free clinics are rushing to fill the gaps in coverage.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1778542376,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 49,
"wordCount": 2448
},
"headData": {
"title": "After the One Big Beautiful Bill, Free Clinics Are Stepping Up | KQED",
"description": "After the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, many Californians no longer have access to healthcare because of higher premiums or their immigration status. Free clinics are rushing to fill the gaps in coverage.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "After the One Big Beautiful Bill, Free Clinics Are Stepping Up",
"datePublished": "2026-05-05T07:00:32-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-05-11T16:32:56-07:00",
"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": 457,
"slug": "health",
"name": "Health"
},
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/0275765c-a4b7-4de9-8a42-b442010dceca/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí and Gustavo Hernandez",
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12082251",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "Yes",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12082251/after-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-free-clinics-are-stepping-up",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>How We Get By\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Marisol, it’s not strange to feel aches and pains all over her body when she comes home after work. She picks and packages fruit for farms in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/contra-costa-county\">Contra Costa County\u003c/a>. Even when temperatures rise over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, she’s out in the field collecting cherries, peaches, nectarines and apricots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She knows it takes a toll on her body. “Sometimes you’re so exhausted that it feels like there’s something wrong with your body, and you don’t know if you’re actually sick or just tired,” she said in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As an undocumented immigrant without employer-provided health insurance, actually finding out if she’s sick is a luxury. KQED is withholding her full name because publishing it could expose her to potential immigration enforcement. “I either pay my rent or I go to the doctor,” she said.\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>\n\u003cp>But in the summer of 2023 — when she began to feel several bumps on her breasts — she decided her health could no longer wait. She went to the one place she knew she could get care at no cost: \u003ca href=\"https://www.hijasdelcampo.org/\">Hijas del Campo\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every Tuesday afternoon, the Contra Costa County Department of Public Health parks \u003ca href=\"https://www.cchealth.org/get-care/for-people-without-health-coverage/health-care-for-the-homeless\">a mobile clinic\u003c/a> outside the nonprofit’s Brentwood offices. The clinic offers limited free care to residents like Marisol who qualify. It’s one of dozens of free clinics across the Bay Area that serve low-income and undocumented immigrants who don’t have access to healthcare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078942\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12078942 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_016_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_016_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_016_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_016_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marisol, a farmworker in Brentwood, sits outside the Hijas del Campo offices, an organization that connects agricultural workers and their families to free health services, food assistance and legal support on March 31, 2026, in Brentwood, California. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Free clinics across California are bracing for a surge of uninsured patients as provisions in President Donald Trump’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073880/tax-credits-trump-2026-refund-tips-child-tax-credit-car-loan-interest-documents\">One Big Beautiful Bill\u003c/a>” take effect, eliminating federal subsidies for some Affordable Care Act plans and tightening Medicaid eligibility rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 160,000 Californians have already \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/blog/many-californians-are-paying-more-for-health-insurance-from-covered-california/\">lost federal subsidies\u003c/a> that made their premiums cheaper and in the coming years, state officials \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2026/5180/Changing_Landscape_Affects_Californias_Health_Care_System_050426.pdf\">estimate\u003c/a> that the number of Californians without health insurance — currently around 2 million — could double by 2030, leaving safety-net clinics to absorb the growing demand for care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The White House has \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2025/06/myth-vs-fact-the-one-big-beautiful-bill/\">defended\u003c/a> the OBBB, arguing that these changes will help eliminate “waste, fraud, and abuse” from the nation’s healthcare system. But doctors and volunteers who staff free clinics are already seeing people who have lost coverage and warn that a growing uninsured population could negatively impact care for all patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How free care works\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Free clinics have existed for decades across the Bay Area, offering primary care to those without health insurance. Many serve suburban and rural communities far from the medical infrastructure of the region’s larger cities. But even in San Francisco, free clinics serve thousands each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.clinicbythebay.org/\">Clinic by the Bay\u003c/a> — located in San Francisco’s Excelsior District, one of the most \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/demographic-map-san-francisco-21310100.php\">ethnically diverse neighborhoods\u003c/a> in the city — sees many patients who are experiencing a transition that left them uninsured, often a layoff, aging out of their parents’ insurance or migrating to the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079790\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079790\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_017-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_017-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_017-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_017-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katelyn McMeekin-Jackson, executive director of Clinic by the Bay, poses for a portrait inside the clinic in San Francisco on March 5, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“And there’s people who are working but cannot afford their healthcare premiums, so they have decided to go without health insurance,” said Katelyn McMeekin-Jackson, executive director of Clinic by the Bay. She knows many patients by their first name, greeting them warmly when they come through the front door.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are only a few requirements to get care there, McMeekin-Jackson said. A new patient must share a copy of an ID, proof of income and confirm they do not have health insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 200 volunteers — many of them retired doctors, resident physicians and medical students — help the clinic offer primary and ongoing care for those living with chronic conditions, like diabetes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079789\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079789\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_016-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_016-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_016-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/030526_FREECLINICS-_GH_016-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteer Melissa Castillo, left, and executive director Katelyn McMeekin-Jackson walk through a hallway inside Clinic by the Bay in San Francisco on March 5, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When a patient needs a service that’s not available in-house, staff work with the clinic’s extended network of physicians who are willing to donate their time. Companies like LabCorp also provide a limited number of free screenings, and skilled nursing homes regularly donate surplus medication.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A big part of the puzzle is figuring out how we can get around the limitations to get free care,” McMeekin-Jackson said, adding that over the past year, volunteer numbers increased by about 30% to keep pace with the growing number of patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re anticipating that patient numbers will grow as premiums increase,” she said. “And there are Medi-Cal changes projected in the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Finding the limits\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As Congress raced to finalize the details of the OBBB last summer, lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-wsj-poll-tax-bill-support-ee51c67e\">sought to balance\u003c/a> the price tag of other Trump policy priorities — reshaping the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073880/tax-credits-trump-2026-refund-tips-child-tax-credit-car-loan-interest-documents\">nation’s tax system\u003c/a> and supercharging immigration enforcement — by freeing up funding elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Republicans moved to end the subsidies that lowered the costs of healthcare premiums for millions of people nationwide who bought their plan through an Affordable Care Act marketplace, which includes Covered California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079787\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079787\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_037-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_037-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_037-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_037-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Jewish Community Free Clinic building is seen on March 2, 2026, in Santa Rosa. The clinic provides free healthcare services to uninsured patients. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 2024, the federal government spent nearly $14 billion \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/medicaid/what-does-the-federal-government-spend-on-health-care/#Appendix-Table-3\">on subsidies\u003c/a>, which helped millions of Americans \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/01/22/what-the-data-says-about-affordable-care-act-health-insurance-exchanges/\">enroll in a plan\u003c/a>. According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/inflation-reduction-act-health-insurance-subsidies-what-is-their-impact-and-what-would-happen-if-they-expire/#:~:text=The%20enhanced%20subsidies%20in%20the%20Inflation%20Reduction%20Act%20reduce%20net%20premium%20costs%20by%2044%25%2C%20on%20average%2C%20for%20enrollees%20receiving%20premium%20tax%20credits%2C%20though%20the%20amount%20of%20savings%20varies%20by%20person.\">Kaiser Family Foundation\u003c/a>, a San Francisco-based public health research nonprofit, the subsidies lowered the annual premium payment in 2024 from about $1,600 to $900 — a difference of about 44%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Jan. 1, the majority of Covered California enrollees saw their \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/blog/many-californians-are-paying-more-for-health-insurance-from-covered-california/\">premiums rise\u003c/a> as the federal government pulled back subsidies. But people making above 400% of the federal poverty level — roughly $62,000 for a single person — began paying the full monthly premium for their health insurance. In the Bay Area, some residents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912612/how-are-you-coping-with-increased-health-insurance-premiums\">have shared\u003c/a> that their premiums have gone up by over 150%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re getting a lot of calls from people who lost their plan because they couldn’t pay these outrageous new premiums,” said Donna Waldman, the executive director of the Santa Rosa-based \u003ca href=\"https://www.jewishfreeclinic.org/\">Jewish Community Free Clinic\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079785\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079785\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_027-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_027-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_027-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_027-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Donna Waldman, executive director and one of the founders of the Jewish Community Free Clinic, listens during a conversation inside the clinic on March 2, 2026, in Santa Rosa. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Waldman, along with a handful of doctors and nurses, started the clinic in 2001. The majority of patients are immigrant farmworkers who power Sonoma County’s multimillion-dollar wine industry. Many are seeing a doctor for the first time in years and are coming in for a one-time check-in — a situation that the clinic is well-equipped for, Waldman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are not set up to do chronic disease maintenance,” she said. “Our system’s not set up to have you come back every three or four months to get your blood pressure checked — that’s not our type of practice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Higher premiums are not just forcing people to drop their plan, but also discouraging those who could qualify for a Covered California plan from signing up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079786\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079786\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_029-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_029-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_029-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_029-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rivka Vaughan, who works at the front desk and assists with grant writing, sits in the waiting area of the Jewish Community Free Clinic on March 2, 2026, in Santa Rosa. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In Sonoma County, new enrollment this year \u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/02/28/new-affordable-care-act-enrollment-declines-by-33-in-north-bay/\">decreased by 33%\u003c/a>, with officials reporting a \u003ca href=\"https://www.coveredca.com/newsroom/news-releases/2026/02/26/as-enhanced-federal-subsidies-expire-covered-california-ends-open-enrollment-with-state-subsidies-keeping-renewals-steady-for-now-and-new-signups-down/#:~:text=California%20allocated%20%24190%20million%20from,of%20the%20federal%20poverty%20level.\">similar drop statewide\u003c/a>. And according to \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2026/5180/Changing_Landscape_Affects_Californias_Health_Care_System_050426.pdf\">some researchers\u003c/a>, the first people to drop their Covered California plans are usually younger, healthier individuals who use fewer benefits. Those enrollees help lower the costs of care for everyone else. But with fewer healthier people in the marketplace, premiums could rise even higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When folks call in after dropping their plan, Waldman said the clinic can see them in the meantime, but they also work with the patient to see if they qualify for care at a \u003ca href=\"https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/\">federally qualified health center\u003c/a> — which serve patients on a sliding fee scale, but are subject to income limits and \u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/prwora-hhs-bans-illegal-aliens-accessing-taxpayer-funded-programs.html\">potential immigration rules\u003c/a> from the Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have nothing to lose monetarily from the federal government,” Waldman said. “Free clinics play a really important role in the resiliency of the community right now because we are independent organizations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Influenza doesn’t know if you have insurance or not’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The OBBB’s next big shock to healthcare is expected at the end of this year. By Dec. 31, states must implement stricter eligibility requirements for patients enrolled in Medicaid — known as Medi-Cal in California, which provides free or low-cost care to roughly 15 million lower-income residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2010, the Obama administration expanded Medicaid eligibility to include adults aged 19-64 with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level. In the decade that followed, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/blog/medi-cal-has-expanded-health-coverage-in-california/\">Medi-Cal enrollment soared\u003c/a>, with the biggest increase in that newly-eligible group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079783\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079783\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_009-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_009-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_009-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/022726_FREE-CLINICS-_GH_009-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A hallway inside the San Francisco Free Clinic in the Richmond District on Feb. 27, 2026. The clinic provides free primary care and specialty services to patients without health insurance. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Under the OBBB, Medi-Cal recipients will need to renew their eligibility every six months, instead of annually, and those who are able-bodied and without dependents have to either work, go to school or do community service for at least 80 hours each month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/newsom-medicaid-impacts-memo.pdf\">estimated\u003c/a> the new requirements would result in up to 3.4 million Californians losing their Medi-Cal coverage. And because federal funding for Medi-Cal is dependent on how many people are enrolled, the state could lose over $30 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s unfortunate, said Ashley Tsang, medical director for the San Francisco Free Clinic, because more people on Medi-Cal means fewer people who are uninsured.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12078480",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We were hoping that there were going to be fewer people uninsured as Medi-Cal covered more people,” Tsang said. “At some point, our numbers would have actually dropped.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The clinic currently sees around 1,500 uninsured patients each year with the help of a few dozen physicians and medical students. Tsang — who helps run the Richmond District clinic along with her husband and fellow physician Ian Nelligan — said the team hasn’t yet needed to expand service hours, but that’s something they are thinking about given the political situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“COVID-19 taught us that [infectious diseases don’t] know if you have insurance or not, and people will end up at the emergency department one way or the other,” she said. “We all end up paying for patients who have no health insurance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2026/5180/Changing_Landscape_Affects_Californias_Health_Care_System_050426.pdf\">recent report\u003c/a> from the state Legislative Analyst’s Office predicts that care providers — including private and public hospitals that treat patients with coverage — may feel greater financial pressure as the uninsured population grows in the coming years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many providers, the report finds, “will still provide some care to these populations without receiving reimbursement,” and as these expenses go up, they may negotiate higher rates with private insurance plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Pushing back on closed doors\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>White House officials have argued that other parts of the OBBB — like larger tax deductibles and expanded flexible spending accounts — will make it easier for individuals to pay for health insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the administration has made clear the changes will limit access to low-cost care for one group of people in particular: undocumented immigrants. Blocking this group from Medicaid is necessary “to preserve it for hardworking Americans who need it,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said before the bill’s passage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The OBBB reduced federal funds that helped states provide emergency Medicaid coverage to undocumented immigrants — a \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/WFTCA-Illegal-Immigrant-Healthcare-Memo-FINAL.pdf\">White House memo\u003c/a> went as far as calling this move “closing the California loophole.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078937\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078937\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_001_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_001_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_001_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_001_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pro-farmworker posters adorn the walls inside the Hijas del Campo workspace. The group helps coordinate services including food distribution, healthcare access and legal aid for farmworkers and their families, on March 31, 2026, in Brentwood, California. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This change — along with other expected healthcare cuts from the federal government — prompted state lawmakers last year to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/06/california-budget-newsom-democrats/\">block new Medi-Cal enrollment\u003c/a> for undocumented immigrants aged 19 and older.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means Marisol can no longer sign up for Medi-Cal, leaving her with only the mobile clinic outside Hijas del Campo for care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an injustice,” the farmworker said. “Our work is very intense, and it’s what brings food to people’s tables. But this work is not valued.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078938\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078938\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_008_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_008_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_008_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/033126Free-Clinics-Brentwood_GH_008_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dorina Salgado-Moraida, co-founder of Hijas del Campo, stands beside a Contra Costa Health Department mobile clinic used to provide free and low-cost medical services to farmworkers and underserved residents, on March 31, 2026, in Brentwood, California. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When she first felt those bumps on her breasts in 2023, a doctor at the clinic confirmed she had a tumor — but a benign one that was treated thanks to the county program. Marisol still comes to the mobile clinic for follow-ups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are still going to be sick,” said Hijas del Campo co-founder Dorina Salgado-Moraida, who pointed out that there are thousands of undocumented immigrants in other parts of the state who will be left with no options for care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had some learnings from the pandemic, but then at the same time, we didn’t really learn much,” she said. “We didn’t put systems in place to protect those who are the most essential.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story was updated to clarify medical terminology. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12082251/after-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-free-clinics-are-stepping-up",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12082251"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_34168",
"news_457",
"news_28250"
],
"tags": [
"news_26598",
"news_2409",
"news_32707",
"news_1386",
"news_3651",
"news_1323",
"news_18545",
"news_36350",
"news_35888",
"news_27626",
"news_18543",
"news_35118",
"news_20202",
"news_19960"
],
"featImg": "news_12078941",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12079868": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12079868",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12079868",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1777479919000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "middle-class-tax-refund-california-when-is-deadline-april-30-mctr-replacement-debit-card",
"title": "You Could Have Unclaimed Cash From the State — but Thursday Is Your Deadline",
"publishDate": 1777479919,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "You Could Have Unclaimed Cash From the State — but Thursday Is Your Deadline | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Thursday is your last chance to claim any cash you qualify for with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11929137/california-gas-rebate-heres-what-you-need-to-know\">California’s Middle Class Tax Refund\u003c/a> — a one-time payment approved by state lawmakers back in 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the Franchise Tax Board — the California agency responsible for these funds — 32 million residents received a total of $9.2 billion in payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MCTR payments ranged from $200 to $1,050, and what you got depended on how you filed your 2020 tax return. For example, if you listed yourself as a single filer and made less than $75,000, you qualified for $350. If you filed jointly with your spouse and listed a dependent, and made less than $150,000, you were eligible for $1,050. The program even included taxpayers making up to $500,000 if they filed jointly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators approved MCTR payments \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/03/california-gas-tax-relief/\">as a response\u003c/a> to the jump in gasoline prices that came after the United States banned Russian oil imports at the start of 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 7 million Californians received the funds through direct deposit — but another 9.6 million people received the rebate through a debit card that was mailed to the address listed on their 2020 tax return.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#IthinkIlostmyMCTRdebitcardCanIrequestareplacement\">I think I lost my MCTR debit card. Can I request a replacement?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Recent data from the FTB shows that 90% of cards have been activated over the last four years. But around 57% of these activated cards still have some balance on them — meaning around $2.95 billion in total funds have yet to be used by Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve ever received a MCTR card in the mail, you have till Thursday — April 30 — before the card expires and you lose the funds it contains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for what to know about claiming your possible MCTR cash before the deadline this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How do I know if I qualified for this money?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you can find them, check your 2020 tax returns — because while the MCTR program began in 2022, what taxpayers received was based on how they filed back in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials set up \u003ca href=\"https://dcba.lacounty.gov/newsroom/middle-class-tax-refund/\">several tiers\u003c/a> that decide \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftb.ca.gov/help/state-managed-programs/middle-class-tax-refund/index.html\">how much taxpayers get\u003c/a> from MCTR, based on their income:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031205\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12031205 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1055\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed-800x422.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed-1020x538.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed-160x84.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed-1536x810.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed-1920x1013.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">April 30 is the deadline to claim any remaining funds from California’s 2022 Middle Class Tax Refund. The state’s Franchise Tax Board said 32 million residents have already received $9.2 billion in payments. \u003ccite>(Diego Cervo/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tier 1:\u003c/strong> If you \u003cstrong>filed single in 2020 and made up to $75,000\u003c/strong>, you qualified for $350 of MCTR money, plus an additional $350 if you had at least one dependent. If you \u003cstrong>filed jointly and made up to $150,000\u003c/strong> together, you qualified for $700 and an additional $350 if you had at least one dependent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tier 2:\u003c/strong> If you \u003cstrong>filed single in 2020 and made up to $125,000\u003c/strong>, you qualified for $250, plus an additional $250 if you had at least one dependent. If you \u003cstrong>filed jointly and made up to $250,000\u003c/strong> together, you qualified for $500 and an additional $250 if you had at least one dependent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tier 3:\u003c/strong> If you \u003cstrong>filed single in 2020 and made up to $250,000\u003c/strong>, you qualified for $200, plus an additional $200 if you had at least one dependent. If you \u003cstrong>filed jointly and made up to $500,000\u003c/strong> together, you qualified for $200 and an additional $400 if you had at least one dependent.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>If I qualified for an MCTR debit card, when did I receive it?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The FTB said it mailed out all debit cards between October 2022 and January 2023 — and that it then sent reminder letters in spring 2023 and spring 2024 to taxpayers who had not activated their cards yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080506\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12080506 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/MTC-e1776468641800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"499\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">After April 30, your card will no longer work anywhere, and you will no longer have access to this money. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Money Network)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Each card came in its own window envelope with “California Middle Class Tax Refund” printed on the return address.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state flag’s grizzly bear and the state seal are printed on the front side of all MCTR cards, and all have the same expiration date: “04/26”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cardholders are urged to spend their funds or transfer them to a bank account by April 30, 2026,” a spokesperson for the FTB told KQED in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Thursday, your card will no longer work anywhere, and you will no longer have access to this money.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How do I know how much money I have left on my card?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The MCTR cards are administered by a private company called Money Network. You can either call Money Network’s customer service line at 1-800-240-0223 or create an account at the \u003ca href=\"https://mctrpayment.com/\">MCTR website\u003c/a> set up by the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind that you will be asked to confirm the number on your card and your entire Social Security number. You can also register your debit card on Money Network’s app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If there are two names printed on your card — which usually happens for taxpayers who filed jointly — you can register your card using the name that appears above the other.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>I found my MCTR card, but I’m having trouble using it\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While the FTB tracks MCTR funds, Money Network — the private company that made the cards — is now responsible for helping cardholders. If you have never used your card, it’s possible that the security controls on the card placed it on hold.[aside postID=news_12077664 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/IRSGetty.jpg']“This is a standard fraud-prevention measure and does not mean the funds are unavailable,” the FTB said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To get rid of the hold and start using your card, you’ll have to contact Money Network’s customer service at 800-240-0223. Customer service representatives are available on weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Callers should have their personal information available to verify their identity,” the FTB wrote. “We advise people to call the Money Network Customer service line as early in the day as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There have been \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/act-quick-millions-californians-have-money-inflation-relief-debit-cards-expire-april-30/18853847/\">reported cases\u003c/a> of cardholders calling Money Network and not getting a hold of anyone. State officials did not provide specific information on what other options taxpayers have if they cannot reach Money Network staff. KQED also reached out to Fiserv, the parent company of Money Network, which declined an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"IthinkIlostmyMCTRdebitcardCanIrequestareplacement\">\u003c/a>I lost my MCTR debit card. Can I request a replacement?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, not any more, as April 8 was the last day to request a replacement card. State officials say this last day was chosen to ensure recipients would definitely get their new card before the program ends on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do know where your card is, but want to temporarily lock it to prevent anyone else from using it, you can prevent unauthorized transactions by logging into your card’s account at the \u003ca href=\"https://mctrpayment.com/\">MCTR website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you just never got a card, it’s possible that you received this money via direct deposit to the bank account you listed when filing your 2020 taxes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What will happen to all the money that’s not claimed?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>State law \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB192\">requires\u003c/a> that all unused funds still remaining on expired credit cards be transferred to the state’s General Fund, where the money for these payments originally came from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This will affect both activated and unactivated cards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Eligible California residents have till April 30 to claim cash made available by the Middle Class Tax Refund. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1777482165,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 32,
"wordCount": 1284
},
"headData": {
"title": "You Could Have Unclaimed Cash From the State — but Thursday Is Your Deadline | KQED",
"description": "Eligible California residents have till April 30 to claim cash made available by the Middle Class Tax Refund. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "You Could Have Unclaimed Cash From the State — but Thursday Is Your Deadline",
"datePublished": "2026-04-29T09:25:19-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-29T10:02:45-07:00",
"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": 34168,
"slug": "guides-and-explainers",
"name": "Guides and Explainers"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12079868",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12079868/middle-class-tax-refund-california-when-is-deadline-april-30-mctr-replacement-debit-card",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Thursday is your last chance to claim any cash you qualify for with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11929137/california-gas-rebate-heres-what-you-need-to-know\">California’s Middle Class Tax Refund\u003c/a> — a one-time payment approved by state lawmakers back in 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the Franchise Tax Board — the California agency responsible for these funds — 32 million residents received a total of $9.2 billion in payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MCTR payments ranged from $200 to $1,050, and what you got depended on how you filed your 2020 tax return. For example, if you listed yourself as a single filer and made less than $75,000, you qualified for $350. If you filed jointly with your spouse and listed a dependent, and made less than $150,000, you were eligible for $1,050. The program even included taxpayers making up to $500,000 if they filed jointly.\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>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators approved MCTR payments \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/03/california-gas-tax-relief/\">as a response\u003c/a> to the jump in gasoline prices that came after the United States banned Russian oil imports at the start of 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 7 million Californians received the funds through direct deposit — but another 9.6 million people received the rebate through a debit card that was mailed to the address listed on their 2020 tax return.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#IthinkIlostmyMCTRdebitcardCanIrequestareplacement\">I think I lost my MCTR debit card. Can I request a replacement?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Recent data from the FTB shows that 90% of cards have been activated over the last four years. But around 57% of these activated cards still have some balance on them — meaning around $2.95 billion in total funds have yet to be used by Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve ever received a MCTR card in the mail, you have till Thursday — April 30 — before the card expires and you lose the funds it contains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for what to know about claiming your possible MCTR cash before the deadline this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How do I know if I qualified for this money?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you can find them, check your 2020 tax returns — because while the MCTR program began in 2022, what taxpayers received was based on how they filed back in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials set up \u003ca href=\"https://dcba.lacounty.gov/newsroom/middle-class-tax-refund/\">several tiers\u003c/a> that decide \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftb.ca.gov/help/state-managed-programs/middle-class-tax-refund/index.html\">how much taxpayers get\u003c/a> from MCTR, based on their income:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031205\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12031205 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1055\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed-800x422.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed-1020x538.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed-160x84.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed-1536x810.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/iStock-915488206_qed-1920x1013.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">April 30 is the deadline to claim any remaining funds from California’s 2022 Middle Class Tax Refund. The state’s Franchise Tax Board said 32 million residents have already received $9.2 billion in payments. \u003ccite>(Diego Cervo/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tier 1:\u003c/strong> If you \u003cstrong>filed single in 2020 and made up to $75,000\u003c/strong>, you qualified for $350 of MCTR money, plus an additional $350 if you had at least one dependent. If you \u003cstrong>filed jointly and made up to $150,000\u003c/strong> together, you qualified for $700 and an additional $350 if you had at least one dependent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tier 2:\u003c/strong> If you \u003cstrong>filed single in 2020 and made up to $125,000\u003c/strong>, you qualified for $250, plus an additional $250 if you had at least one dependent. If you \u003cstrong>filed jointly and made up to $250,000\u003c/strong> together, you qualified for $500 and an additional $250 if you had at least one dependent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tier 3:\u003c/strong> If you \u003cstrong>filed single in 2020 and made up to $250,000\u003c/strong>, you qualified for $200, plus an additional $200 if you had at least one dependent. If you \u003cstrong>filed jointly and made up to $500,000\u003c/strong> together, you qualified for $200 and an additional $400 if you had at least one dependent.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>If I qualified for an MCTR debit card, when did I receive it?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The FTB said it mailed out all debit cards between October 2022 and January 2023 — and that it then sent reminder letters in spring 2023 and spring 2024 to taxpayers who had not activated their cards yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080506\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12080506 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/MTC-e1776468641800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"499\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">After April 30, your card will no longer work anywhere, and you will no longer have access to this money. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Money Network)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Each card came in its own window envelope with “California Middle Class Tax Refund” printed on the return address.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state flag’s grizzly bear and the state seal are printed on the front side of all MCTR cards, and all have the same expiration date: “04/26”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cardholders are urged to spend their funds or transfer them to a bank account by April 30, 2026,” a spokesperson for the FTB told KQED in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Thursday, your card will no longer work anywhere, and you will no longer have access to this money.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How do I know how much money I have left on my card?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The MCTR cards are administered by a private company called Money Network. You can either call Money Network’s customer service line at 1-800-240-0223 or create an account at the \u003ca href=\"https://mctrpayment.com/\">MCTR website\u003c/a> set up by the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind that you will be asked to confirm the number on your card and your entire Social Security number. You can also register your debit card on Money Network’s app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If there are two names printed on your card — which usually happens for taxpayers who filed jointly — you can register your card using the name that appears above the other.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>I found my MCTR card, but I’m having trouble using it\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While the FTB tracks MCTR funds, Money Network — the private company that made the cards — is now responsible for helping cardholders. If you have never used your card, it’s possible that the security controls on the card placed it on hold.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12077664",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/IRSGetty.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“This is a standard fraud-prevention measure and does not mean the funds are unavailable,” the FTB said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To get rid of the hold and start using your card, you’ll have to contact Money Network’s customer service at 800-240-0223. Customer service representatives are available on weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Callers should have their personal information available to verify their identity,” the FTB wrote. “We advise people to call the Money Network Customer service line as early in the day as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There have been \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/act-quick-millions-californians-have-money-inflation-relief-debit-cards-expire-april-30/18853847/\">reported cases\u003c/a> of cardholders calling Money Network and not getting a hold of anyone. State officials did not provide specific information on what other options taxpayers have if they cannot reach Money Network staff. KQED also reached out to Fiserv, the parent company of Money Network, which declined an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"IthinkIlostmyMCTRdebitcardCanIrequestareplacement\">\u003c/a>I lost my MCTR debit card. Can I request a replacement?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, not any more, as April 8 was the last day to request a replacement card. State officials say this last day was chosen to ensure recipients would definitely get their new card before the program ends on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do know where your card is, but want to temporarily lock it to prevent anyone else from using it, you can prevent unauthorized transactions by logging into your card’s account at the \u003ca href=\"https://mctrpayment.com/\">MCTR website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you just never got a card, it’s possible that you received this money via direct deposit to the bank account you listed when filing your 2020 taxes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What will happen to all the money that’s not claimed?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>State law \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB192\">requires\u003c/a> that all unused funds still remaining on expired credit cards be transferred to the state’s General Fund, where the money for these payments originally came from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This will affect both activated and unactivated cards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12079868/middle-class-tax-refund-california-when-is-deadline-april-30-mctr-replacement-debit-card",
"authors": [
"11708"
],
"categories": [
"news_1758",
"news_34168"
],
"tags": [
"news_32707",
"news_18538",
"news_18545",
"news_18143",
"news_397",
"news_423"
],
"featImg": "news_12080500",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12081471": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12081471",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12081471",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1777384839000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "driving-in-the-bay-area-is-essential-for-many-its-only-gotten-more-expensive",
"title": "Driving in the Bay Area Is Essential for Many. It’s Only Gotten More Expensive",
"publishDate": 1777384839,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Driving in the Bay Area Is Essential for Many. It’s Only Gotten More Expensive | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>How We Get By\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Running late between work and school, Naomi Rodriguez pulled her blue 2000 Nissan Quest minivan into one of the most expensive gas stations in the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Located in San Francisco’s SoMA neighborhood, the gas station is a last chance for commuters like Rodriguez to fill up before heading east on the Bay Bridge. During the afternoon rush hour in early April, the marquee of the Shell station displayed $6.80 for a gallon of regular gas, about $3 higher than the national average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rodriguez paid $17 for around two and a half gallons, just enough to make it across the bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ The gas is making it impossible to even survive,” said Rodriguez, a 32-year-old student who graduated with a degree in political science from UC Berkeley last May and is working on a separate degree there in legal studies. “ I can’t even focus on putting my money toward getting a place for myself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area and California have long had some of the country’s highest gas prices, and they’ve soared in recent weeks, driven in part by the war with Iran. But sky-high gas prices are only one piece of a broader surge in driving costs that is reshaping life in the Bay Area, where residents already endure grueling, car-dependent commutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081540\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081540\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Blue-Colorful-Illustrative-Buy-Used-Car-Tips-Infographic-Poster_1000px.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1889\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Blue-Colorful-Illustrative-Buy-Used-Car-Tips-Infographic-Poster_1000px.jpg 1000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Blue-Colorful-Illustrative-Buy-Used-Car-Tips-Infographic-Poster_1000px-160x302.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Blue-Colorful-Illustrative-Buy-Used-Car-Tips-Infographic-Poster_1000px-813x1536.jpg 813w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cost breakdown of owning and driving a new car in San Francisco includes multiple factors, such as gas, maintenance and insurance. \u003ccite>(\n\u003cp>Sources: \u003ca href=\"https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/average-cost-of-car-insurance-in-california/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bankrate\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.aaa.com/autorepair/drivingcosts/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AAA Driving Costs Calculator\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AAA Gas Prices\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.edmunds.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Edmunds\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://vitalsigns.mtc.ca.gov/indicators/daily-miles-traveled\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Metropolitan Transportation Commission\u003c/a>. Graphic: Marnette Federis/KQED\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>)\u003c/p>\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rising vehicle prices, insurance, maintenance and loan payments are forcing many drivers to make stark tradeoffs — stretching budgets, delaying major purchases or abandoning car ownership altogether.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The total expense of owning a car rose 40% from January 2020 to August 2025, with the sharpest increases associated with insurance, gasoline and repair costs, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.navyfederal.org/about/press-releases/2025-press-releases/coco-index-car-costs-rising.html\">index\u003c/a> from Navy Federal Credit Union. In 2025, the average cost to own and operate a new car in the U.S. was $11,577, or nearly $965 a month, according to \u003ca href=\"https://newsroom.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/UPDATE-AAA-Fact-Sheet-Your-Driving-Cost-9.2025-1.pdf\">AAA\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ The affordability crisis for cars right now is fairly intense,” said Jessica Caldwell, assistant vice president of insights at Edmunds, an automotive analytics company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outer reaches of the Bay Area have long had some of the country’s highest \u003ca href=\"https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=9fbef2021ab54de19615985df01ddb49\">populations \u003c/a>of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11706621/the-life-of-a-bay-area-on-demand-super-commuter\">super commuters\u003c/a>, people who travel more than 90 minutes one-way. Contra Costa County residents had the longest commutes, averaging over 40 minutes by car or more than an hour on public transit, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Low-income workers may be more affected by sudden spikes in transportation costs, said Michael Anderson, who researches transportation economics at UC Berkeley. He explained that people with low-income jobs are more likely to be required to work in person and outside of normal business hours, when public transportation is unavailable, forcing them to drive more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Rodriguez, the rising price of driving means she can’t save for other necessities, like housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She and her daughter had to move out of on-campus family housing in February and have since been living with friends in Albany, Walnut Creek and Oakland, while Rodriguez commutes into San Francisco for work at a social justice nonprofit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you can’t make it to places on time, you lose everything. I can’t lose my job. I can’t not finish school,” Rodriguez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rodriguez said her own car is having trouble, and the minivan she pulled into the station is on loan from a friend. If she went shopping for a replacement, she’d likely find a market geared toward selling her something less than ideal for a penny-pinched Bay Area commuter.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Bigger, more expensive cars\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>People shopping for a budget-friendly new car or truck don’t have a lot of options in today’s market, increasing costs across the entire auto industry, Caldwell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Cars are expensive because Americans want bigger vehicles with more amenities and more features, and automakers are happy to produce them because they make more money on them,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of vehicles priced at $60,000 or more has almost doubled since 2017, from 61 to 117, according to Sean Tucker, the managing editor at Kelley Blue Book. Meanwhile, the number of models priced at $25,000 or under has dropped from 36 to four, Tucker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12033975\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12033975 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-2207060270-scaled-e1777317412637.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1309\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brand new Toyota trucks are displayed on the sales lot at City Toyota on March 26, 2025, in Daly City, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The average age of a vehicle on American roads is now nearly 13 years old, a figure that has steadily increased since from almost 9 years in 2020, according to Kelley Blue Book and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Caldwell said this has, in part, led to shrinking inventory in the used car market, making it harder for used car shoppers to find a deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Bay Area drivers seeking shelter from the volatility of fuel prices, Tucker said a flood of lightly-used electric vehicles has hit the market, as three-year EV leases are running out for people who took advantage of a federal government tax credit. (Until last year, the federal government offered up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/credits-for-new-clean-vehicles-purchased-in-2023-or-after\">$7,500\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Higher prices for new cars and trucks are driving up insurance rates, repair costs and the length of auto loans.[aside postID=news_12080289 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SLEEP-PODS-MD-01-KQED_1.jpg']“ It used to be that if you and I were in a fender bender, we needed a new bumper. Now we need a new bumper, a new radar, a new lidar, and two new cameras. We’re seeing even minor accidents are now costing $10,000,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Insurance rates nationwide are up 12% on average annually over the past five years, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights/replay-available-cox-automotive-q1-2026-industry-insights-and-sales-forecast-call/\">Cox Automotive\u003c/a>, a technology services company for the automotive industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The average cost of full coverage auto insurance in California is $3,119 per year — or 16% more than the national average — and people in dense cities like San Francisco pay significantly more than the state average, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/average-cost-of-car-insurance-in-california/\">Bankrate\u003c/a>, a financial planning website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, drivers who opt for more expensive cars, or who have a tight budget, may decide to finance their purchase with auto loans over a longer period of time to reduce monthly payments, even if it means they will pay more interest overall, Caldwell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Right or wrong, when most people think about the price of their vehicle, they’re looking at the monthly payment,” she said. “If the average is 70, it’s not unusual to have a loan term of 84 months.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of March, buyers financing a new vehicle at an average 7% annual percentage rate over about 70 months would pay roughly $10,000 in interest, Caldwell said. For used cars, the average APR was higher, at 11% in March, Caldwell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Calculating the cost\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As costs associated with cars rise, drivers are keeping their vehicles on the road for longer, driving less or changing how they get around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erin Rabourn relies on her 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid to get her 11-year-old son to school, soccer practice and friend hangouts. The family moved from South Berkeley to Richmond in 2023, when she and her husband bought a home after years of saving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ We can’t be without a car. I can’t e-bike him from Richmond to South Berkeley. It’s not gonna happen,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081499\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081499\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/RichmondCaliforniaNewCarsGetty-scaled-e1777318176581.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1307\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A truck carries brand new cars on March 4, 2025, in Richmond, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rabourn said her car needs its 120,000-mile service and a new hybrid battery, and that her mechanic estimated it would cost $10,000 to keep it on the road over the next few years, suggesting it may be time to invest in a new vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Rabourn said she’s leaning toward keeping the Highlander, given the state of the market. Comparable SUVs, like a 2023 Toyota Rav4, would cost between $29,000 and $45,000, according to Kelley Blue Book, not to mention insurance and loan payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As maintenance costs on his 2011 Volkswagen Jetta grew, Albert Flynn DeSilver decided he had had enough. The resident of Woodacre in Marin County sold his car last year and now gets around on a Class 1 e-bike, though he still keeps a 2017 Honda Fit “mostly sitting in the driveway” for when he or his wife needs a car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It became too much. I realized I could be saving thousands of dollars every year by just letting go of that car,” DeSilver said, estimating he saves between $3,000 and $5,000 a year. DeSilver commutes eight miles to a coworking space in San Rafael, where he works as a publisher — a journey that takes him around 40 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081453\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081453\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00546_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00546_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00546_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00546_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shekinah Samaya-Thomas shows her gas log on her phone while she waits in line at a Costco gas station in Oakland on April 16, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For Shekinah Samaya-Thomas, 61, of East Oakland, the cost of driving is a matter of survival. On a recent March afternoon, she waited in line with other Bay Area drivers at a Costco gas station in San Leandro, where regular was $5.19 for a gallon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Every time I have to put an extra $25 or $30 into our car, that’s money I don’t have for food, utility bills, retirement or savings,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Samaya-Thomas, a substitute adult educator, described herself and her husband, who works in security, as “very much under-employed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081454\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081454\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00574_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00574_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00574_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00574_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shekinah Samaya-Thomas fills up her gas tank at a Costco gas station in Oakland on April 16, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She said they have both been searching for full-time work for years. Combined, they made just $34,000 last year, and low housing costs through a partnership with the Oakland Community Land Trust are what keep them from becoming homeless, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Samaya-Thomas said when she drives, she bundles her errands into one trip to save.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Driving is reserved for getting to and from work and getting our basic needs met. I don’t see friends. I don’t go out. I don’t do social things,” Samaya-Thomas said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081449\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081449\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00329_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00329_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00329_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00329_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shekinah Samaya-Thomas (left) and her husband Christopher Samaya-Thomas (right) walk into a food distribution center to pick up groceries in Oakland on April 16, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When she or her husband, who share a 2016 Toyota Prius, are offered job opportunities, she said the first consideration is the logistics of showing up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are some substitute opportunities that are just too far away from me to feel like I can drive to them with gas prices the way they are,” Samaya-Thomas said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other times, she said her husband has been unable to take a job because it required showing up at 6 a.m. on a weekend, before BART service begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081450\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081450\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00385_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00385_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00385_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00385_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christopher Samaya-Thomas (left) and his wife Shekinah Samaya-Thomas (right) pick up groceries at a food distribution center in Oakland on April 16, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Waiting to pump her gas at Costco, she said the line was longer than usual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a constant calculation trying to manage all this. It’s emotionally and physically exhausting, and it’s not easy on a marriage either,” she said, gripping her faded Mickey Mouse steering wheel cover, a reminder of her happy place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Faced with rising transportation costs and what she described as an already “bare bones” lifestyle, she said if prices kept rising, she’d be forced to cut one of the few things left that bring her and her husband joy: their streaming subscriptions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Other than that, I don’t know what’s left to cut,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Car ownership has gotten more expensive in recent years, and the rising costs have strained many Bay Area drivers who are already stretched thin.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1777411591,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 50,
"wordCount": 2116
},
"headData": {
"title": "Driving in the Bay Area Is Essential for Many. It’s Only Gotten More Expensive | KQED",
"description": "Car ownership has gotten more expensive in recent years, and the rising costs have strained many Bay Area drivers who are already stretched thin.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Driving in the Bay Area Is Essential for Many. It’s Only Gotten More Expensive",
"datePublished": "2026-04-28T07:00:39-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-28T14:26:31-07:00",
"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": 1758,
"slug": "economy",
"name": "Economy"
},
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/ba285bb7-c385-483e-914d-b43a010fea33/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12081471",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12081471/driving-in-the-bay-area-is-essential-for-many-its-only-gotten-more-expensive",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>How We Get By\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Running late between work and school, Naomi Rodriguez pulled her blue 2000 Nissan Quest minivan into one of the most expensive gas stations in the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Located in San Francisco’s SoMA neighborhood, the gas station is a last chance for commuters like Rodriguez to fill up before heading east on the Bay Bridge. During the afternoon rush hour in early April, the marquee of the Shell station displayed $6.80 for a gallon of regular gas, about $3 higher than the national average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rodriguez paid $17 for around two and a half gallons, just enough to make it across the bridge.\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>\n\u003cp>“ The gas is making it impossible to even survive,” said Rodriguez, a 32-year-old student who graduated with a degree in political science from UC Berkeley last May and is working on a separate degree there in legal studies. “ I can’t even focus on putting my money toward getting a place for myself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area and California have long had some of the country’s highest gas prices, and they’ve soared in recent weeks, driven in part by the war with Iran. But sky-high gas prices are only one piece of a broader surge in driving costs that is reshaping life in the Bay Area, where residents already endure grueling, car-dependent commutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081540\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081540\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Blue-Colorful-Illustrative-Buy-Used-Car-Tips-Infographic-Poster_1000px.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1889\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Blue-Colorful-Illustrative-Buy-Used-Car-Tips-Infographic-Poster_1000px.jpg 1000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Blue-Colorful-Illustrative-Buy-Used-Car-Tips-Infographic-Poster_1000px-160x302.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Blue-Colorful-Illustrative-Buy-Used-Car-Tips-Infographic-Poster_1000px-813x1536.jpg 813w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cost breakdown of owning and driving a new car in San Francisco includes multiple factors, such as gas, maintenance and insurance. \u003ccite>(\n\u003cp>Sources: \u003ca href=\"https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/average-cost-of-car-insurance-in-california/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bankrate\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.aaa.com/autorepair/drivingcosts/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AAA Driving Costs Calculator\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AAA Gas Prices\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.edmunds.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Edmunds\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://vitalsigns.mtc.ca.gov/indicators/daily-miles-traveled\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Metropolitan Transportation Commission\u003c/a>. Graphic: Marnette Federis/KQED\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>)\u003c/p>\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rising vehicle prices, insurance, maintenance and loan payments are forcing many drivers to make stark tradeoffs — stretching budgets, delaying major purchases or abandoning car ownership altogether.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The total expense of owning a car rose 40% from January 2020 to August 2025, with the sharpest increases associated with insurance, gasoline and repair costs, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.navyfederal.org/about/press-releases/2025-press-releases/coco-index-car-costs-rising.html\">index\u003c/a> from Navy Federal Credit Union. In 2025, the average cost to own and operate a new car in the U.S. was $11,577, or nearly $965 a month, according to \u003ca href=\"https://newsroom.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/UPDATE-AAA-Fact-Sheet-Your-Driving-Cost-9.2025-1.pdf\">AAA\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ The affordability crisis for cars right now is fairly intense,” said Jessica Caldwell, assistant vice president of insights at Edmunds, an automotive analytics company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outer reaches of the Bay Area have long had some of the country’s highest \u003ca href=\"https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=9fbef2021ab54de19615985df01ddb49\">populations \u003c/a>of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11706621/the-life-of-a-bay-area-on-demand-super-commuter\">super commuters\u003c/a>, people who travel more than 90 minutes one-way. Contra Costa County residents had the longest commutes, averaging over 40 minutes by car or more than an hour on public transit, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Low-income workers may be more affected by sudden spikes in transportation costs, said Michael Anderson, who researches transportation economics at UC Berkeley. He explained that people with low-income jobs are more likely to be required to work in person and outside of normal business hours, when public transportation is unavailable, forcing them to drive more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Rodriguez, the rising price of driving means she can’t save for other necessities, like housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She and her daughter had to move out of on-campus family housing in February and have since been living with friends in Albany, Walnut Creek and Oakland, while Rodriguez commutes into San Francisco for work at a social justice nonprofit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you can’t make it to places on time, you lose everything. I can’t lose my job. I can’t not finish school,” Rodriguez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rodriguez said her own car is having trouble, and the minivan she pulled into the station is on loan from a friend. If she went shopping for a replacement, she’d likely find a market geared toward selling her something less than ideal for a penny-pinched Bay Area commuter.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Bigger, more expensive cars\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>People shopping for a budget-friendly new car or truck don’t have a lot of options in today’s market, increasing costs across the entire auto industry, Caldwell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Cars are expensive because Americans want bigger vehicles with more amenities and more features, and automakers are happy to produce them because they make more money on them,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of vehicles priced at $60,000 or more has almost doubled since 2017, from 61 to 117, according to Sean Tucker, the managing editor at Kelley Blue Book. Meanwhile, the number of models priced at $25,000 or under has dropped from 36 to four, Tucker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12033975\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12033975 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-2207060270-scaled-e1777317412637.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1309\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brand new Toyota trucks are displayed on the sales lot at City Toyota on March 26, 2025, in Daly City, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The average age of a vehicle on American roads is now nearly 13 years old, a figure that has steadily increased since from almost 9 years in 2020, according to Kelley Blue Book and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Caldwell said this has, in part, led to shrinking inventory in the used car market, making it harder for used car shoppers to find a deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Bay Area drivers seeking shelter from the volatility of fuel prices, Tucker said a flood of lightly-used electric vehicles has hit the market, as three-year EV leases are running out for people who took advantage of a federal government tax credit. (Until last year, the federal government offered up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/credits-for-new-clean-vehicles-purchased-in-2023-or-after\">$7,500\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Higher prices for new cars and trucks are driving up insurance rates, repair costs and the length of auto loans.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12080289",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260420-SLEEP-PODS-MD-01-KQED_1.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“ It used to be that if you and I were in a fender bender, we needed a new bumper. Now we need a new bumper, a new radar, a new lidar, and two new cameras. We’re seeing even minor accidents are now costing $10,000,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Insurance rates nationwide are up 12% on average annually over the past five years, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights/replay-available-cox-automotive-q1-2026-industry-insights-and-sales-forecast-call/\">Cox Automotive\u003c/a>, a technology services company for the automotive industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The average cost of full coverage auto insurance in California is $3,119 per year — or 16% more than the national average — and people in dense cities like San Francisco pay significantly more than the state average, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/average-cost-of-car-insurance-in-california/\">Bankrate\u003c/a>, a financial planning website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, drivers who opt for more expensive cars, or who have a tight budget, may decide to finance their purchase with auto loans over a longer period of time to reduce monthly payments, even if it means they will pay more interest overall, Caldwell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Right or wrong, when most people think about the price of their vehicle, they’re looking at the monthly payment,” she said. “If the average is 70, it’s not unusual to have a loan term of 84 months.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of March, buyers financing a new vehicle at an average 7% annual percentage rate over about 70 months would pay roughly $10,000 in interest, Caldwell said. For used cars, the average APR was higher, at 11% in March, Caldwell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Calculating the cost\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As costs associated with cars rise, drivers are keeping their vehicles on the road for longer, driving less or changing how they get around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erin Rabourn relies on her 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid to get her 11-year-old son to school, soccer practice and friend hangouts. The family moved from South Berkeley to Richmond in 2023, when she and her husband bought a home after years of saving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ We can’t be without a car. I can’t e-bike him from Richmond to South Berkeley. It’s not gonna happen,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081499\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081499\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/RichmondCaliforniaNewCarsGetty-scaled-e1777318176581.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1307\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A truck carries brand new cars on March 4, 2025, in Richmond, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rabourn said her car needs its 120,000-mile service and a new hybrid battery, and that her mechanic estimated it would cost $10,000 to keep it on the road over the next few years, suggesting it may be time to invest in a new vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Rabourn said she’s leaning toward keeping the Highlander, given the state of the market. Comparable SUVs, like a 2023 Toyota Rav4, would cost between $29,000 and $45,000, according to Kelley Blue Book, not to mention insurance and loan payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As maintenance costs on his 2011 Volkswagen Jetta grew, Albert Flynn DeSilver decided he had had enough. The resident of Woodacre in Marin County sold his car last year and now gets around on a Class 1 e-bike, though he still keeps a 2017 Honda Fit “mostly sitting in the driveway” for when he or his wife needs a car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It became too much. I realized I could be saving thousands of dollars every year by just letting go of that car,” DeSilver said, estimating he saves between $3,000 and $5,000 a year. DeSilver commutes eight miles to a coworking space in San Rafael, where he works as a publisher — a journey that takes him around 40 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081453\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081453\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00546_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00546_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00546_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00546_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shekinah Samaya-Thomas shows her gas log on her phone while she waits in line at a Costco gas station in Oakland on April 16, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For Shekinah Samaya-Thomas, 61, of East Oakland, the cost of driving is a matter of survival. On a recent March afternoon, she waited in line with other Bay Area drivers at a Costco gas station in San Leandro, where regular was $5.19 for a gallon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Every time I have to put an extra $25 or $30 into our car, that’s money I don’t have for food, utility bills, retirement or savings,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Samaya-Thomas, a substitute adult educator, described herself and her husband, who works in security, as “very much under-employed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081454\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081454\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00574_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00574_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00574_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00574_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shekinah Samaya-Thomas fills up her gas tank at a Costco gas station in Oakland on April 16, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She said they have both been searching for full-time work for years. Combined, they made just $34,000 last year, and low housing costs through a partnership with the Oakland Community Land Trust are what keep them from becoming homeless, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Samaya-Thomas said when she drives, she bundles her errands into one trip to save.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Driving is reserved for getting to and from work and getting our basic needs met. I don’t see friends. I don’t go out. I don’t do social things,” Samaya-Thomas said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081449\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081449\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00329_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00329_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00329_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00329_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shekinah Samaya-Thomas (left) and her husband Christopher Samaya-Thomas (right) walk into a food distribution center to pick up groceries in Oakland on April 16, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When she or her husband, who share a 2016 Toyota Prius, are offered job opportunities, she said the first consideration is the logistics of showing up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are some substitute opportunities that are just too far away from me to feel like I can drive to them with gas prices the way they are,” Samaya-Thomas said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other times, she said her husband has been unable to take a job because it required showing up at 6 a.m. on a weekend, before BART service begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081450\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081450\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00385_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00385_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00385_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260416-COSTOFDRIVING00385_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christopher Samaya-Thomas (left) and his wife Shekinah Samaya-Thomas (right) pick up groceries at a food distribution center in Oakland on April 16, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Waiting to pump her gas at Costco, she said the line was longer than usual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a constant calculation trying to manage all this. It’s emotionally and physically exhausting, and it’s not easy on a marriage either,” she said, gripping her faded Mickey Mouse steering wheel cover, a reminder of her happy place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Faced with rising transportation costs and what she described as an already “bare bones” lifestyle, she said if prices kept rising, she’d be forced to cut one of the few things left that bring her and her husband joy: their streaming subscriptions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Other than that, I don’t know what’s left to cut,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12081471/driving-in-the-bay-area-is-essential-for-many-its-only-gotten-more-expensive",
"authors": [
"11785"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_1758",
"news_34551"
],
"tags": [
"news_26598",
"news_1386",
"news_18538",
"news_3651",
"news_17768",
"news_36371",
"news_18545",
"news_36350",
"news_27626",
"news_641",
"news_19904",
"news_30764"
],
"featImg": "news_12081459",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12079852": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12079852",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12079852",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1776434438000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "want-to-save-on-groceries-you-can-grow-your-own-garden",
"title": "Want to Save on Groceries? You Can Grow Your Own Garden",
"publishDate": 1776434438,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Want to Save on Groceries? You Can Grow Your Own Garden | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem> \u003cstrong>How We Get By\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem> full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve been feeling the sticker shock of grocery prices these days, it’s not just you. The cost of food at Bay Area grocery stores went up by almost 6% in the last year alone, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/regions/west/news-release/consumerpriceindex_sanfrancisco.htm\">according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scouring the shelves for deals, buying off-brand or purchasing items in bulk are some options for reducing your food bills. But here in the Bay Area, with our year-round good weather, you could consider growing your own food — even if you’ve never done it before, or don’t have a big yard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how can you get started growing your own garden, and what could you grow here in the Bay Area that might help reduce your grocery bill? We talked to the experts for their top tips and practical information for starting your own garden, no matter how small.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#ThreesimplefoodstogrowhereintheBayArea\">Three simple foods to grow here in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#Thebeginnermistakeseveryonemakesthatyoucanavoid\">The beginner mistakes everyone makes (that you can avoid)\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Why grow your own garden?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Take it from the experts: Growing your own food at home isn’t just beneficial to your wallet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Almost as important as saving money on your food is, what you grow is likely to be healthier,” said Maggie Mah, one of the University of California’s Master Gardeners who specialize in helping people grow their own food here in the Bay Area and nationwide. The food you grow is “going to be fresher,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080116\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080116\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_005-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_005-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_005-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_005-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maggie Mah, Marketing & Media Co-Chair and UC Master Gardener, stands beside her car with trays of tomato plants at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You can also have greater control over the food itself, she said, by growing a pesticide-free garden and producing the fruits and veggies you know you’ll eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But on top of that is really the sense of being empowered,” Mah said. “I find that it’s just great to be able to go out and pick big handfuls of green beans that I grew myself, or tomatoes or whatever it is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a sense of reclaiming yourself in this day and age,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Start small\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The first thing you should do, Mah said, is assess how much space you have and let that determine your gardening potential — and your path forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And don’t worry: You don’t need all that much space. All it takes is \u003cem>some \u003c/em>access to the outdoors, even if that’s just a windowsill or railing which can hold a pot big enough for basics like herbs, some lettuce, tomatoes or even potatoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, advised Mah, decide what you want to grow. If your square footage is small, consider plants that produce a lot of fruits or veggies relative to their size — like tomatoes, rather than a space-intensive plant like a watermelon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080118\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080118\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_007-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_007-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_007-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_007-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Helen Lew removes deep-rooted weeds while seated in a demonstration garden at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And if you’re really pressed for space, remember you can always utilize vertical space for crops like pole beans or squash. You could even try \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/blog/hort-coco-uc-master-gardener-program-contra-costa/article/companion-planting-vegetable-garden\">inter-cropping or companion planting,\u003c/a> which is pairing similar plants to make the most of your space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Start small, and then as you build success and you build learning about your particular location and what works and what doesn’t work, you can really build upon that,” Mah said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plants like tomatoes or broccoli thrive \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/container-gardening-basics\">even in somewhat small pots or buckets\u003c/a>. And lettuces need just a few inches of soil. Arugula in particular is a very quick, easy and nutritious crop, Mah said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You throw the seeds in the ground and a couple of days later, you’ve got arugula — and you can keep on harvesting it,” Mah said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Assess conditions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While you can work with different space limitations, one nonnegotiable when it comes to growing your own food is consistent access to sun, Mah said. “It takes six to eight hours of sun to be successful growing pretty much anything,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, “you don’t want to plant something that’s going to take a bunch of months to be able to harvest,” Mah said — so you’ll want to look for varieties that mature quickly, and that might depend on exactly where you’re located.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080117\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080117\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_006-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_006-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_006-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_006-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul Robeson tomato seedlings grow among dozens of varieties cultivated at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You can find that information on the seed packet itself — but be aware that how quickly your food will grow is entirely location-dependent. And the Bay Area’s fog and microclimates, which can create dramatically different temperatures just a few miles away, can heavily influence a plant’s timeline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before choosing a plant, you should also consult a \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/mgsmsf/edible-gardening-and-planting-calendars\">planting calendar\u003c/a>, Mah said, and make sure you’re planting something that can grow at this time of year. The calendars are \u003ca href=\"https://ecologycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/seed_chart.pdf\">location-specific\u003c/a> and often available where seeds and plants are sold or lent, so be sure you’re looking at information for your specific geographic region.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Prep your soil\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Once you’ve decided on a plant, make sure your soil is prepared. You can get soil and — more importantly — compost from many different sources. \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/ucce-master-gardeners-stanislaus-county/composting-basics\">Compost is decomposed organic material\u003c/a> that helps add nutrients to your soil and boosts its health, and as a result, boosts the growth potential for your plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For one, you can get free compost via giveaway programs like the one for Berkeley residents \u003ca href=\"https://berkeleyca.gov/city-services/trash-recycling/free-compost-program\">at the Berkeley Marina.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eddie Mendoza, who works at the marina, said the compost is usually delivered on Fridays from the Central Valley and that the supply lasts through the weekend. They sometimes also have \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/program/uc-master-gardener-program/mulch\">woodchips and mulch\u003c/a> available, which can also boost the health of your soil or help with drainage, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080270\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12080270 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/CompostFlickr.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1262\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/CompostFlickr.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/CompostFlickr-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/CompostFlickr-1536x969.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Velveteen Bean produces and sells small-batch compost and teaches people how to build and maintain their own compost piles. \u003ccite>(Brian Hicks/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But you have to bring your own tools to the marina — Mendoza suggested you pack a shovel and a few buckets — and it’s best to get there early, especially during peak weekends during the summer, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By Monday morning, it’s all gone,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can even make your own compost pile, although Mah warned it might take a few months if starting from scratch. It’s easier than many people imagine, said Maggie Owsley, whose East Bay group \u003ca href=\"https://www.thevelveteenbean.com/\">The Velveteen Bean\u003c/a> produces and sells small-batch compost and teaches people how to build and maintain their own compost piles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a myth that you need a huge bag of compost to start seeds, to start a garden,” Owsley said. “You actually can do a lot with what you’re making at home or what your neighbors are making.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Decide whether you’ll choose seeds or plants — and get to know your local resources\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Seeds are the least expensive option when it comes to starting your garden — but be aware that where they lack in cost, they more than make up in time. So only go the seed route if you’re not in a hurry to harvest, said Odette Pollar, executive director of the East Bay-based Plant Exchange.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you have the time, “seeds are always the easiest, the least expensive way to go,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While you can purchase seeds at a garden store, you could also head to your local seed lending library for free seeds, where you’ll be highly encouraged to then harvest seeds from whatever resulting plant you grow and donate them back to the library (more on this below). The San Francisco Public Library system maintains a \u003ca href=\"https://sfpl.org/locations/potrero/potrero-branch-seed-lending-library\">Seed Lending Library at its Potrero Branch\u003c/a>, as does the \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.org/seed-lending/\">Oakland Public Library\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://smcl.org/blogs/post/san-mateo-county-libraries-has-seed-libraries/\">many Peninsula libraries\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080123\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080123\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_018-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_018-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_018-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_018-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anne Blenman Hare, a UC Master Gardener since 2003, trims tomato plant stems at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Berkeley Ecology Center, too, now hosts the \u003ca href=\"https://ecologycenter.org/basil/\">Bay Area Seed Interchange Library\u003c/a>, which is open Wednesday through Saturday from 12 to 6 p.m. and also does periodic seed exchange events, where participants can come learn about seed saving and shop for free seeds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really cool to see these little things go in the dirt and you think, oh, this is never going to happen,” Mah said. “Then, all of a sudden, ‘boom.’ It’s really fun.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is one advantage to starting with a plant: “You know they were alive when you brought them home,” Pollar said. You can get plants for relatively cheap at nurseries or at large stores like Home Depot.[aside postID=news_12040961 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GettyImages-1312721999-1020x680.jpg']You can also find free (albeit mostly non-edible) plants at places like \u003ca href=\"https://theplantexchange.com/\">The Plant Exchange\u003c/a>, along with the pots to grow them in. While this East Bay group isn’t fully operational anymore since executive director Pollar retired in 2023, the group still promotes grassroots exchanges, cohosts events with other organizations and throws one-day plant sale events every few months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At sales like these, you can find an abundance of tools like rakes and shovels, soil, decorative rocks and pots — and they’re all priced to sell, Pollar said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our goal is for all neighborhoods to have exchanges,” Pollar said. “Just do it — throw it in your driveway. It’s a great way to get to know neighbors, but also to reuse and recycle and rehome.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pollar also suggested scouring thrift stores, secondhand stores and online forums like Craigslist for free or low-cost gardening supplies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the most effective way to lower your overall food costs at home, Pollar said, is to start growing plants like herbs that take up relatively little space but tend to be expensive at the grocery store.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And from there, you can graduate from herbs to experimenting with slightly bigger plants like tomatoes, and even dwarf citrus fruit trees in pots.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Lean on community\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The absolutely best free resource you’ll find, Pollar said, is people with experience in gardening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might find them at your local nursery or garden store, or even at your local gardening club, where Pollar suggested you can meet people with experience and get your questions answered immediately. “And then that keeps \u003cem>you \u003c/em>motivated as well,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You could also source expertise from your neighbors or your local \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040961/in-the-bay-area-community-gardens-can-help-you-make-the-most-of-spring\">community garden\u003c/a>, Owsley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080122\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080122\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_017-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_017-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_017-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_017-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Susan Patton-Fox and Kathy Fleming trim tomato plant stems among dense foliage at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Connect with people in your neighborhood,” Owsley said. “Connect with your community garden. Connect with someone who has nice pots outside their house. They are probably more than willing to talk to you about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Gardeners are also extremely generous, and they’ll generally give you a clipping if you ask for it,” Pollar said. “They’ll usually offer — ‘do you want some?’ That’s a great way to start.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alternatively, you could draw wisdom from a \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/mgsmsf\">UC Master Gardener\u003c/a> like Mah. She’s one of a whole staff that is available to help people grow their own food, for free. Their planting calendar, books and other no-cost resources are on hand to help anyone start a garden here in the Bay Area and beyond.[aside postID=news_12078915 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/012426_FREEOAKLANDUP_GH_011-KQED.jpg']The UC Master Gardeners’ best resource is their free help line, which “will give very detailed personal responses to people who call in with problems” about gardening, Mah said. You can reach the help line at 650-276-7430 for San Francisco and San Mateo counties, or 510-670-5645 for Alameda County. You can also reach the master gardeners via email or by \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/counties\">visiting their office in person.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the right advice, struggling gardeners often end up with the opposite problem: an overabundance of what they’ve grown. And soon, you’ll be the one giving back to the community, Mah said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Start small, and focus on what you and your family are going to eat reasonably,” she said. “Because it becomes kind of addictive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once you have one successfully producing plant, you can propagate it for your or others’ future use — or find out \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/seed-saving-basics\">how to save seeds\u003c/a> to use in the future or donate back to your local seed library.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If there’s one thing Rebecca Newburn, who founded the \u003ca href=\"https://www.richmondgrowsseeds.org/\">Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library\u003c/a>, has learned from growing her own garden and the gardening community, it’s generosity, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You plant a lettuce plant, and you’re gonna get 500 from one,” she said. “It’s the most generous part of the universe — just planting a seed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Thebeginnermistakeseveryonemakesthatyoucanavoid\">\u003c/a>What \u003cem>not\u003c/em> to do when gardening\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Mah said the key to gardening — and where many new gardeners get tripped up — is putting “the right plant in the right place.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means not only keeping your plant healthy, but also giving it the particular balance of sun, drainage and compost it needs to thrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pollar warned about over- and under-watering, especially for beginner gardeners. Bugs can also be a problem, she said, but growing a garden in a planter or on a deck can help mitigate pests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080121\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080121\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kathy Fleming, the UC Master Gardener Program’s first president, laughs as volunteers prepare plants for the Spring Garden Market sale at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Keep your expectations realistic and start slow, Pollar said: “What you want to do is have fun with this and not say, ‘OK, now half my vegetable intake I will be growing immediately,’” she said. “Maybe not so much.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if you’re really intent on making a dent in your food bill, you’ll need to plan ahead, Mah said. “There’s a rotation to pay attention to — what you’re planting and when,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-placer-county/article/vegetable-crop-rotation\">Rotating your crops\u003c/a> not only ensures you’ll have food all year round, but it is also critical to keeping your soil healthy. Luckily, even “\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-marin-master-gardeners/cover-crops-soil-enhancement\">cover crops\u003c/a>” — the ones intended to replenish the nutrients in your soil, like fava beans — can be delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"ThreesimplefoodstogrowhereintheBayArea\">\u003c/a>How to grow three simple produce staples at home in the Bay Area\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Broccoli\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can grow \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-marin-master-gardeners/document/broccoli\">broccoli\u003c/a> both in the spring and the fall, so no matter when you get your garden started, the planting season won’t be too far away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can even start your broccoli seeds indoors to avoid any near-freezing temperatures — which may stunt the growth of young plants — then transfer them outside after six weeks into a bucket or planter at least 1 foot deep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080267\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12080267 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BroccoliFlickr1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BroccoliFlickr1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BroccoliFlickr1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BroccoliFlickr1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Broccoli is a vegetable that can grow in the spring and fall. \u003ccite>(Ann Gahagen/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Make sure your plants are 12 inches apart (or maybe just start with one plant) and that your soil has adequate drainage and enough water, watering two to three times a week or less if leaves begin to turn yellow. And always harvest broccoli as soon as it’s mature and firm. You can keep harvesting even after you remove the main head, as smaller offshoots will start to form.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Be sure to rotate this crop — by planting something else or moving its location between seasons — to avoid pest buildups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Specific UC Master Gardener broccoli guides for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-marin-master-gardeners/document/broccoli\">Marin County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/broccoli\">Santa Clara County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/mg-sonoma/broccoli\">Sonoma County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tomatoes\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The big thing to know about \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardener-program-alameda-county/guide-growing-tomatoes\">tomatoes \u003c/a>is that they’re sun-lovers — they need at least 6 full hours of direct sunlight per day — so make sure you can provide that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can start your tomatoes as seeds or full plants, but wait to put them outside until daytime temperatures are regularly above 70 degrees and nights are above 50 degrees. Until then, keep them indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080273\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080273\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/TomatoesFlickr2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1227\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/TomatoesFlickr2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/TomatoesFlickr2-160x98.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/TomatoesFlickr2-1536x942.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tomatoes. \u003ccite>(Thomas Johnson/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tomatoes should be planted in at least 18 inches of soil to let them take root and need to be watered consistently, so don’t let them dry out. You may need stakes to support the plants if they’re especially tall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harvest tomatoes when they have a little bit of “give” to them and aren’t rock hard, but before they’re fully soft. The more you harvest them, the more fruit they produce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Specific UC Master Gardener tomato guides for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardener-program-alameda-county/guide-growing-tomatoes\">Alameda County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/tomatoes\">Santa Clara County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2025-06/5795_FactSheet_Growing%20Container%20Tomatoes%20in%20SF_v6.6.pdf\">San Francisco\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Potatoes\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps the most fun and easy staple to grow is the \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-marin-master-gardeners/document/potato\">potato\u003c/a>, which can be planted all the way through the spring and summer, depending on your local microclimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You don’t even need seeds for this one, as you can actually plant an entire potato or just a piece of it. Just make sure any potato chunk you plant has an “eye”: the discolored, pocked part of the potato.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080115\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_003-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_003-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_003-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_003-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A honeybee pollinates a flowering plant in the demonstration garden at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just dig about 8 inches down into a bucket or planter (it should be at least 18 inches deep with soil) and place your potato pieces around a foot apart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep adding soil once the plant starts to grow and water the tubers once or twice a week — but only lightly to avoid rot. Once the leaves of the plant have gone yellow, use your hands to dig up the potatoes and discard any green ones, as those are toxic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Specific UC Master Gardener potato guides for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-marin-master-gardeners/document/potato\">Marin County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/potatoes\">Santa Clara County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/blog/hort-coco-uc-master-gardener-program-contra-costa/article/growing-potatoes-grow-bags\">Contra Costa County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Not interested in any of these veggies? Take a look at the \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardener-program-alameda-county/your-alameda-county-garden-month-month\">Alameda County month-by-month planting calendar\u003c/a> for more ideas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Starting your own garden doesn’t have to cost much. Find out what you need to grow grocery staples.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1776833354,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 79,
"wordCount": 3198
},
"headData": {
"title": "Want to Save on Groceries? You Can Grow Your Own Garden | KQED",
"description": "Starting your own garden doesn’t have to cost much. Find out what you need to grow grocery staples.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Want to Save on Groceries? You Can Grow Your Own Garden",
"datePublished": "2026-04-17T07:00:38-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-21T21:49:14-07:00",
"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": 457,
"slug": "health",
"name": "Health"
},
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/683f56d2-cef2-49c3-bc92-b42f0135e0b0/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12079852",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12079852/want-to-save-on-groceries-you-can-grow-your-own-garden",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem> \u003cstrong>How We Get By\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem> full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve been feeling the sticker shock of grocery prices these days, it’s not just you. The cost of food at Bay Area grocery stores went up by almost 6% in the last year alone, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/regions/west/news-release/consumerpriceindex_sanfrancisco.htm\">according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scouring the shelves for deals, buying off-brand or purchasing items in bulk are some options for reducing your food bills. But here in the Bay Area, with our year-round good weather, you could consider growing your own food — even if you’ve never done it before, or don’t have a big yard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how can you get started growing your own garden, and what could you grow here in the Bay Area that might help reduce your grocery bill? We talked to the experts for their top tips and practical information for starting your own garden, no matter how small.\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>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#ThreesimplefoodstogrowhereintheBayArea\">Three simple foods to grow here in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#Thebeginnermistakeseveryonemakesthatyoucanavoid\">The beginner mistakes everyone makes (that you can avoid)\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Why grow your own garden?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Take it from the experts: Growing your own food at home isn’t just beneficial to your wallet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Almost as important as saving money on your food is, what you grow is likely to be healthier,” said Maggie Mah, one of the University of California’s Master Gardeners who specialize in helping people grow their own food here in the Bay Area and nationwide. The food you grow is “going to be fresher,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080116\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080116\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_005-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_005-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_005-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_005-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maggie Mah, Marketing & Media Co-Chair and UC Master Gardener, stands beside her car with trays of tomato plants at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You can also have greater control over the food itself, she said, by growing a pesticide-free garden and producing the fruits and veggies you know you’ll eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But on top of that is really the sense of being empowered,” Mah said. “I find that it’s just great to be able to go out and pick big handfuls of green beans that I grew myself, or tomatoes or whatever it is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a sense of reclaiming yourself in this day and age,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Start small\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The first thing you should do, Mah said, is assess how much space you have and let that determine your gardening potential — and your path forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And don’t worry: You don’t need all that much space. All it takes is \u003cem>some \u003c/em>access to the outdoors, even if that’s just a windowsill or railing which can hold a pot big enough for basics like herbs, some lettuce, tomatoes or even potatoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, advised Mah, decide what you want to grow. If your square footage is small, consider plants that produce a lot of fruits or veggies relative to their size — like tomatoes, rather than a space-intensive plant like a watermelon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080118\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080118\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_007-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_007-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_007-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_007-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Helen Lew removes deep-rooted weeds while seated in a demonstration garden at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And if you’re really pressed for space, remember you can always utilize vertical space for crops like pole beans or squash. You could even try \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/blog/hort-coco-uc-master-gardener-program-contra-costa/article/companion-planting-vegetable-garden\">inter-cropping or companion planting,\u003c/a> which is pairing similar plants to make the most of your space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Start small, and then as you build success and you build learning about your particular location and what works and what doesn’t work, you can really build upon that,” Mah said.\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>\n\u003cp>Plants like tomatoes or broccoli thrive \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/container-gardening-basics\">even in somewhat small pots or buckets\u003c/a>. And lettuces need just a few inches of soil. Arugula in particular is a very quick, easy and nutritious crop, Mah said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You throw the seeds in the ground and a couple of days later, you’ve got arugula — and you can keep on harvesting it,” Mah said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Assess conditions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While you can work with different space limitations, one nonnegotiable when it comes to growing your own food is consistent access to sun, Mah said. “It takes six to eight hours of sun to be successful growing pretty much anything,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, “you don’t want to plant something that’s going to take a bunch of months to be able to harvest,” Mah said — so you’ll want to look for varieties that mature quickly, and that might depend on exactly where you’re located.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080117\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080117\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_006-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_006-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_006-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_006-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul Robeson tomato seedlings grow among dozens of varieties cultivated at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You can find that information on the seed packet itself — but be aware that how quickly your food will grow is entirely location-dependent. And the Bay Area’s fog and microclimates, which can create dramatically different temperatures just a few miles away, can heavily influence a plant’s timeline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before choosing a plant, you should also consult a \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/mgsmsf/edible-gardening-and-planting-calendars\">planting calendar\u003c/a>, Mah said, and make sure you’re planting something that can grow at this time of year. The calendars are \u003ca href=\"https://ecologycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/seed_chart.pdf\">location-specific\u003c/a> and often available where seeds and plants are sold or lent, so be sure you’re looking at information for your specific geographic region.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Prep your soil\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Once you’ve decided on a plant, make sure your soil is prepared. You can get soil and — more importantly — compost from many different sources. \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/ucce-master-gardeners-stanislaus-county/composting-basics\">Compost is decomposed organic material\u003c/a> that helps add nutrients to your soil and boosts its health, and as a result, boosts the growth potential for your plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For one, you can get free compost via giveaway programs like the one for Berkeley residents \u003ca href=\"https://berkeleyca.gov/city-services/trash-recycling/free-compost-program\">at the Berkeley Marina.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eddie Mendoza, who works at the marina, said the compost is usually delivered on Fridays from the Central Valley and that the supply lasts through the weekend. They sometimes also have \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/program/uc-master-gardener-program/mulch\">woodchips and mulch\u003c/a> available, which can also boost the health of your soil or help with drainage, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080270\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12080270 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/CompostFlickr.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1262\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/CompostFlickr.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/CompostFlickr-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/CompostFlickr-1536x969.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Velveteen Bean produces and sells small-batch compost and teaches people how to build and maintain their own compost piles. \u003ccite>(Brian Hicks/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But you have to bring your own tools to the marina — Mendoza suggested you pack a shovel and a few buckets — and it’s best to get there early, especially during peak weekends during the summer, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By Monday morning, it’s all gone,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can even make your own compost pile, although Mah warned it might take a few months if starting from scratch. It’s easier than many people imagine, said Maggie Owsley, whose East Bay group \u003ca href=\"https://www.thevelveteenbean.com/\">The Velveteen Bean\u003c/a> produces and sells small-batch compost and teaches people how to build and maintain their own compost piles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a myth that you need a huge bag of compost to start seeds, to start a garden,” Owsley said. “You actually can do a lot with what you’re making at home or what your neighbors are making.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Decide whether you’ll choose seeds or plants — and get to know your local resources\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Seeds are the least expensive option when it comes to starting your garden — but be aware that where they lack in cost, they more than make up in time. So only go the seed route if you’re not in a hurry to harvest, said Odette Pollar, executive director of the East Bay-based Plant Exchange.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you have the time, “seeds are always the easiest, the least expensive way to go,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While you can purchase seeds at a garden store, you could also head to your local seed lending library for free seeds, where you’ll be highly encouraged to then harvest seeds from whatever resulting plant you grow and donate them back to the library (more on this below). The San Francisco Public Library system maintains a \u003ca href=\"https://sfpl.org/locations/potrero/potrero-branch-seed-lending-library\">Seed Lending Library at its Potrero Branch\u003c/a>, as does the \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.org/seed-lending/\">Oakland Public Library\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://smcl.org/blogs/post/san-mateo-county-libraries-has-seed-libraries/\">many Peninsula libraries\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080123\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080123\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_018-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_018-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_018-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_018-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anne Blenman Hare, a UC Master Gardener since 2003, trims tomato plant stems at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Berkeley Ecology Center, too, now hosts the \u003ca href=\"https://ecologycenter.org/basil/\">Bay Area Seed Interchange Library\u003c/a>, which is open Wednesday through Saturday from 12 to 6 p.m. and also does periodic seed exchange events, where participants can come learn about seed saving and shop for free seeds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really cool to see these little things go in the dirt and you think, oh, this is never going to happen,” Mah said. “Then, all of a sudden, ‘boom.’ It’s really fun.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is one advantage to starting with a plant: “You know they were alive when you brought them home,” Pollar said. You can get plants for relatively cheap at nurseries or at large stores like Home Depot.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12040961",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GettyImages-1312721999-1020x680.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>You can also find free (albeit mostly non-edible) plants at places like \u003ca href=\"https://theplantexchange.com/\">The Plant Exchange\u003c/a>, along with the pots to grow them in. While this East Bay group isn’t fully operational anymore since executive director Pollar retired in 2023, the group still promotes grassroots exchanges, cohosts events with other organizations and throws one-day plant sale events every few months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At sales like these, you can find an abundance of tools like rakes and shovels, soil, decorative rocks and pots — and they’re all priced to sell, Pollar said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our goal is for all neighborhoods to have exchanges,” Pollar said. “Just do it — throw it in your driveway. It’s a great way to get to know neighbors, but also to reuse and recycle and rehome.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pollar also suggested scouring thrift stores, secondhand stores and online forums like Craigslist for free or low-cost gardening supplies.\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>\n\u003cp>But the most effective way to lower your overall food costs at home, Pollar said, is to start growing plants like herbs that take up relatively little space but tend to be expensive at the grocery store.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And from there, you can graduate from herbs to experimenting with slightly bigger plants like tomatoes, and even dwarf citrus fruit trees in pots.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Lean on community\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The absolutely best free resource you’ll find, Pollar said, is people with experience in gardening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might find them at your local nursery or garden store, or even at your local gardening club, where Pollar suggested you can meet people with experience and get your questions answered immediately. “And then that keeps \u003cem>you \u003c/em>motivated as well,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You could also source expertise from your neighbors or your local \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040961/in-the-bay-area-community-gardens-can-help-you-make-the-most-of-spring\">community garden\u003c/a>, Owsley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080122\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080122\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_017-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_017-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_017-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_017-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Susan Patton-Fox and Kathy Fleming trim tomato plant stems among dense foliage at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Connect with people in your neighborhood,” Owsley said. “Connect with your community garden. Connect with someone who has nice pots outside their house. They are probably more than willing to talk to you about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Gardeners are also extremely generous, and they’ll generally give you a clipping if you ask for it,” Pollar said. “They’ll usually offer — ‘do you want some?’ That’s a great way to start.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alternatively, you could draw wisdom from a \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/mgsmsf\">UC Master Gardener\u003c/a> like Mah. She’s one of a whole staff that is available to help people grow their own food, for free. Their planting calendar, books and other no-cost resources are on hand to help anyone start a garden here in the Bay Area and beyond.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12078915",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/012426_FREEOAKLANDUP_GH_011-KQED.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The UC Master Gardeners’ best resource is their free help line, which “will give very detailed personal responses to people who call in with problems” about gardening, Mah said. You can reach the help line at 650-276-7430 for San Francisco and San Mateo counties, or 510-670-5645 for Alameda County. You can also reach the master gardeners via email or by \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/counties\">visiting their office in person.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the right advice, struggling gardeners often end up with the opposite problem: an overabundance of what they’ve grown. And soon, you’ll be the one giving back to the community, Mah said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Start small, and focus on what you and your family are going to eat reasonably,” she said. “Because it becomes kind of addictive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once you have one successfully producing plant, you can propagate it for your or others’ future use — or find out \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/seed-saving-basics\">how to save seeds\u003c/a> to use in the future or donate back to your local seed library.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If there’s one thing Rebecca Newburn, who founded the \u003ca href=\"https://www.richmondgrowsseeds.org/\">Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library\u003c/a>, has learned from growing her own garden and the gardening community, it’s generosity, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You plant a lettuce plant, and you’re gonna get 500 from one,” she said. “It’s the most generous part of the universe — just planting a seed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Thebeginnermistakeseveryonemakesthatyoucanavoid\">\u003c/a>What \u003cem>not\u003c/em> to do when gardening\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Mah said the key to gardening — and where many new gardeners get tripped up — is putting “the right plant in the right place.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means not only keeping your plant healthy, but also giving it the particular balance of sun, drainage and compost it needs to thrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pollar warned about over- and under-watering, especially for beginner gardeners. Bugs can also be a problem, she said, but growing a garden in a planter or on a deck can help mitigate pests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080121\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080121\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kathy Fleming, the UC Master Gardener Program’s first president, laughs as volunteers prepare plants for the Spring Garden Market sale at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Keep your expectations realistic and start slow, Pollar said: “What you want to do is have fun with this and not say, ‘OK, now half my vegetable intake I will be growing immediately,’” she said. “Maybe not so much.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if you’re really intent on making a dent in your food bill, you’ll need to plan ahead, Mah said. “There’s a rotation to pay attention to — what you’re planting and when,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-placer-county/article/vegetable-crop-rotation\">Rotating your crops\u003c/a> not only ensures you’ll have food all year round, but it is also critical to keeping your soil healthy. Luckily, even “\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-marin-master-gardeners/cover-crops-soil-enhancement\">cover crops\u003c/a>” — the ones intended to replenish the nutrients in your soil, like fava beans — can be delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"ThreesimplefoodstogrowhereintheBayArea\">\u003c/a>How to grow three simple produce staples at home in the Bay Area\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Broccoli\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can grow \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-marin-master-gardeners/document/broccoli\">broccoli\u003c/a> both in the spring and the fall, so no matter when you get your garden started, the planting season won’t be too far away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can even start your broccoli seeds indoors to avoid any near-freezing temperatures — which may stunt the growth of young plants — then transfer them outside after six weeks into a bucket or planter at least 1 foot deep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080267\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12080267 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BroccoliFlickr1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BroccoliFlickr1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BroccoliFlickr1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BroccoliFlickr1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Broccoli is a vegetable that can grow in the spring and fall. \u003ccite>(Ann Gahagen/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Make sure your plants are 12 inches apart (or maybe just start with one plant) and that your soil has adequate drainage and enough water, watering two to three times a week or less if leaves begin to turn yellow. And always harvest broccoli as soon as it’s mature and firm. You can keep harvesting even after you remove the main head, as smaller offshoots will start to form.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Be sure to rotate this crop — by planting something else or moving its location between seasons — to avoid pest buildups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Specific UC Master Gardener broccoli guides for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-marin-master-gardeners/document/broccoli\">Marin County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/broccoli\">Santa Clara County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/mg-sonoma/broccoli\">Sonoma County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tomatoes\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The big thing to know about \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardener-program-alameda-county/guide-growing-tomatoes\">tomatoes \u003c/a>is that they’re sun-lovers — they need at least 6 full hours of direct sunlight per day — so make sure you can provide that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can start your tomatoes as seeds or full plants, but wait to put them outside until daytime temperatures are regularly above 70 degrees and nights are above 50 degrees. Until then, keep them indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080273\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080273\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/TomatoesFlickr2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1227\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/TomatoesFlickr2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/TomatoesFlickr2-160x98.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/TomatoesFlickr2-1536x942.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tomatoes. \u003ccite>(Thomas Johnson/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tomatoes should be planted in at least 18 inches of soil to let them take root and need to be watered consistently, so don’t let them dry out. You may need stakes to support the plants if they’re especially tall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harvest tomatoes when they have a little bit of “give” to them and aren’t rock hard, but before they’re fully soft. The more you harvest them, the more fruit they produce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Specific UC Master Gardener tomato guides for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardener-program-alameda-county/guide-growing-tomatoes\">Alameda County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/tomatoes\">Santa Clara County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2025-06/5795_FactSheet_Growing%20Container%20Tomatoes%20in%20SF_v6.6.pdf\">San Francisco\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Potatoes\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps the most fun and easy staple to grow is the \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-marin-master-gardeners/document/potato\">potato\u003c/a>, which can be planted all the way through the spring and summer, depending on your local microclimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You don’t even need seeds for this one, as you can actually plant an entire potato or just a piece of it. Just make sure any potato chunk you plant has an “eye”: the discolored, pocked part of the potato.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12080115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12080115\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_003-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_003-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_003-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041526GROWN-YOUR-OWN-GARDEN_GH_003-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A honeybee pollinates a flowering plant in the demonstration garden at the Gardening Education Center on April 15, 2026, in San Mateo. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just dig about 8 inches down into a bucket or planter (it should be at least 18 inches deep with soil) and place your potato pieces around a foot apart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep adding soil once the plant starts to grow and water the tubers once or twice a week — but only lightly to avoid rot. Once the leaves of the plant have gone yellow, use your hands to dig up the potatoes and discard any green ones, as those are toxic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Specific UC Master Gardener potato guides for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-marin-master-gardeners/document/potato\">Marin County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/potatoes\">Santa Clara County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/blog/hort-coco-uc-master-gardener-program-contra-costa/article/growing-potatoes-grow-bags\">Contra Costa County\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Not interested in any of these veggies? Take a look at the \u003ca href=\"https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardener-program-alameda-county/your-alameda-county-garden-month-month\">Alameda County month-by-month planting calendar\u003c/a> for more ideas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12079852/want-to-save-on-groceries-you-can-grow-your-own-garden",
"authors": [
"11956"
],
"categories": [
"news_1758",
"news_24114",
"news_34168",
"news_457",
"news_28250"
],
"tags": [
"news_26598",
"news_32707",
"news_1386",
"news_18538",
"news_3651",
"news_18545",
"news_27626",
"news_333",
"news_5620",
"news_34418",
"news_18543"
],
"featImg": "news_12080282",
"label": "news"
}
},
"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": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/news?tag=economy": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 0,
"postsToRender": 9
},
"tag": null,
"vitalsOnly": true,
"totalRequested": 9,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 167,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"news_12085049",
"news_12084761",
"news_12084267",
"news_12083922",
"news_12082454",
"news_12082251",
"news_12079868",
"news_12081471",
"news_12079852"
]
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"subscriptionsReducer": {},
"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"
},
"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"
},
"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_18545": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18545",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18545",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Economy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Economy Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null,
"imageData": {
"ogImageSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"width": 1200,
"height": 630
},
"twImageSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
},
"twitterCard": "summary_large_image"
}
},
"ttid": 1771,
"slug": "economy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/economy"
},
"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_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_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_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_3651": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3651",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3651",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California economy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California economy Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3669,
"slug": "california-economy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california-economy"
},
"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_2947": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_2947",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "2947",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "marriage",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "marriage Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2965,
"slug": "marriage",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/marriage"
},
"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_34586": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34586",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34586",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Silicon Valley",
"slug": "silicon-valley",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Silicon Valley | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34603,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/silicon-valley"
},
"news_6793": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6793",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6793",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "STEM",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "STEM Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6817,
"slug": "stem",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/stem"
},
"news_35940": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_35940",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "35940",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "tech industry",
"slug": "tech-industry",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "tech industry | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 35957,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/tech-industry"
},
"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_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_33729": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33729",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33729",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33746,
"slug": "san-francisco",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/san-francisco"
},
"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_1758": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1758",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1758",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Economy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Full coverage of the economy",
"title": "Economy Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2648,
"slug": "economy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/economy"
},
"news_34168": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34168",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34168",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Guides and Explainers",
"slug": "guides-and-explainers",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Guides and Explainers Archives | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34185,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/guides-and-explainers"
},
"news_26598": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_26598",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "26598",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "affordability",
"slug": "affordability",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "affordability | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 26615,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/affordability"
},
"news_32707": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_32707",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "32707",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "audience-news",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "audience-news Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 32724,
"slug": "audience-news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/audience-news"
},
"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_35888": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_35888",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "35888",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "featured-audience-news",
"slug": "featured-audience-news",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "featured-audience-news | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 35905,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/featured-audience-news"
},
"news_35118": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_35118",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "35118",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "health care",
"slug": "health-care",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "health care | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 35135,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/health-care"
},
"news_3735": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3735",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3735",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "retirement",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "retirement Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3753,
"slug": "retirement",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/retirement"
},
"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_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_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_19903": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19903",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19903",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "law enforcement",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "law enforcement Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19920,
"slug": "law-enforcement",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/law-enforcement"
},
"news_27660": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_27660",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "27660",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "pandemic",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "pandemic Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 27677,
"slug": "pandemic",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/pandemic"
},
"news_116": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_116",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "116",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "police",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "police Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 120,
"slug": "police",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/police"
},
"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_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_34551": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34551",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34551",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Labor",
"slug": "labor",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": "We examine worker safety, workplace regulation, employment trends and union organizing.",
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Labor | KQED News",
"description": "We examine worker safety, workplace regulation, employment trends and union organizing.",
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34568,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/labor"
},
"news_36078": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36078",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36078",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Big Beautiful Bill",
"slug": "big-beautiful-bill",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Big Beautiful Bill | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36095,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/big-beautiful-bill"
},
"news_22578": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_22578",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "22578",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "CalFresh",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "CalFresh Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 22595,
"slug": "calfresh",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/calfresh"
},
"news_333": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_333",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "333",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Food Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 341,
"slug": "food",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/food"
},
"news_21602": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_21602",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "21602",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "food insecurity",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "food insecurity Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21619,
"slug": "food-insecurity",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/food-insecurity"
},
"news_19904": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19904",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19904",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Labor",
"slug": "labor",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Labor | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 19921,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/labor"
},
"news_33747": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33747",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33747",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33764,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/health"
},
"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_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_1323": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1323",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1323",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Donald Trump",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Donald Trump Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1335,
"slug": "donald-trump",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/donald-trump"
},
"news_641": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_641",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "641",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "gas prices",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "gas prices Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 650,
"slug": "gas-prices",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/gas-prices"
},
"news_3273": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3273",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3273",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "gasoline",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "gasoline Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3291,
"slug": "gasoline",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/gasoline"
},
"news_339": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_339",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "339",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Iran",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Iran Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 347,
"slug": "iran",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/iran"
},
"news_36628": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36628",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36628",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Iran war",
"slug": "iran-war",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Iran war | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36645,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/iran-war"
},
"news_1741": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1741",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1741",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Israel",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Israel Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1753,
"slug": "israel",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/israel"
},
"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_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_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_2409": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_2409",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "2409",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Affordable Care Act",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Affordable Care Act Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2424,
"slug": "affordable-care-act",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/affordable-care-act"
},
"news_36350": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36350",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36350",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "featured-affordability",
"slug": "featured-affordability",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "featured-affordability | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36367,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/featured-affordability"
},
"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_20202": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20202",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20202",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "immigration",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "immigration Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20219,
"slug": "immigration",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/immigration"
},
"news_19960": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19960",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19960",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "public health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "public health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19977,
"slug": "public-health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/public-health"
},
"news_18143": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18143",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18143",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "family",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "family Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18177,
"slug": "family",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/family"
},
"news_397": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_397",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "397",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "stimulus",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "stimulus Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 405,
"slug": "stimulus",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/stimulus"
},
"news_423": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_423",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "423",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "taxes",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "taxes Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 432,
"slug": "taxes",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/taxes"
},
"news_17768": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_17768",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "17768",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "commuting",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "commuting Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 17802,
"slug": "commuting",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/commuting"
},
"news_36371": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36371",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36371",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "drivers",
"slug": "drivers",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "drivers | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36388,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/drivers"
},
"news_30764": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_30764",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "30764",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "rising gas prices",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "rising gas prices Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 30781,
"slug": "rising-gas-prices",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/rising-gas-prices"
},
"news_5620": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_5620",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "5620",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "gardening",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "gardening Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5644,
"slug": "gardening",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/gardening"
},
"news_34418": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34418",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34418",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "grocery prices",
"slug": "grocery-prices",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "grocery prices | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34435,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/grocery-prices"
},
"news_33735": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33735",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33735",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Food and Drink",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Food and Drink Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33752,
"slug": "food-and-drink",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/food-and-drink"
}
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"localStorageReducer": {},
"browserHistoryReducer": [],
"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
},
"location": {
"pathname": "/news/tag/economy",
"previousPathname": "/"
}
}
