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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#A\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we cross the Bay Area’s bridges and stroll along its shoreline, we pass many islands. In fact there are more than 15 of them within 20 miles of San Francisco. Some are big or famous, like Alcatraz or Alameda, but others are uninhabited and bare, and as we go about our lives they fade into the backdrop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Bay Curious listener David Stein, one lesser-known island kept grabbing his attention. During his daily walk along the Bay Trail in Richmond he kept noticing a smallish island that rose to a low peak, about half a mile offshore — Brooks Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How do you get out there?” Stein wondered. “Could I paddle out there in a kayak maybe? Would I get turned away?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s also noticed a small house on the island and is curious if anybody lives there — like a caretaker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s got to be one of the loneliest jobs in the city,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A journey to the island\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024363\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024363\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A boat sails near Brooks Island Regional Preserve, a 373-acre bird sanctuary and habitat for native plants and wildlife in San Francisco Bay near Richmond, on Jan. 27, 2025, with the San Francisco skyline in the background. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It turns out you \u003cem>can\u003c/em> visit, but only on a guided tour with the East Bay Regional Parks District. The boat and kayak tours are infrequent, and get canceled often due to bad weather, so it can take a couple of tries to get out there. But it’s worth it. The seemingly quiet little scrap of land has an active series of past lives and is home to hundreds of species of native plants and birds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The kayak tour starts at the Richmond Marina and after about half an hour of paddling, nears the island’s shore. Rotting pilings and bits of rebar jut up from the bay floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of debris in the water that’ll slice a boat open,” said Brooks Island caretaker Matthew Steven Allen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024632\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1575px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024632\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_1915-e1738182588726.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1575\" height=\"976\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_1915-e1738182588726.jpg 1575w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_1915-e1738182588726-800x496.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_1915-e1738182588726-1020x632.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_1915-e1738182588726-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_1915-e1738182588726-1536x952.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1575px) 100vw, 1575px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A kayak tour to Brooks Island is about to set off from Richmond Marina. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Toby Fray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Allen is the island’s sole resident. A Navy veteran and former motorcycle mechanic, he lives with his pitbull Honey in the tan, rectangular house just above the landing area. It has solar power, a compost toilet and well water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allen regularly turns away kayakers and boaters who try to come to the island on their own. He said the tides and the debris make it dangerous to land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My job is to make sure people are protected and safe,” said Allen, “and keep the island as rural as possible so that it stays the way it was 4,000 years ago.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indigenous Ohlone people lived here first, at least seasonally. They fished, gathered shellfish and hunted birds. Along a 2-mile loop that wraps around Brooks Island, you can spot many of the native plants the Ohlone used, like buckeye and soap root.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reaching the island’s 160-foot rocky peak, you’ll find a 360-degree view of the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024361\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024361\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of Brooks Island Regional Preserve, a 373-acre bird sanctuary and habitat for native plants and wildlife in San Francisco Bay near Richmond, on Jan. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC4382592108\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The former lives of Brooks Island\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When the Spanish mapped the region in the 1700s, they called the island “Isla de Carmen.” By 1850 (by which time California was American territory), it was called Brooks Island on maps, but no record of who Brooks was remains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the late 1800s, a Croatian man called Luccas Gargurevich settled on the island with his wife and raised 10 children. They grew grapes and raised goats. In something of an inside joke, Gargurevich called the place Sheep Island because somebody was raising sheep on Treasure Island at the time and calling it Goat Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the back side of the island there’s a rocky beach where strange objects wash ashore from all over the Pacific. There’s an entire gray whale skeleton — baleen and all — and all manner of garbage, from plastic dinosaurs to coolers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Anything that floats will show up here,” said East Bay Regional Parks District recreation leader Tony Mistretta. “It just collects.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024627\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024627\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The skeleton of a gray whale that has washed ashore on Brooks Island. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of John Sappington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024650\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024650\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4-800x267.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4-1020x340.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4-2048x682.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4-1920x640.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A tour group led by East Bay Recreation and Parks Department naturalist Erin Blackwell (left) explores Brooks Island. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Toby Fray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Brooks Island wasn’t always this deserted and quiet. Continuing along the hiking loop, you’ll see a massive crescent-shaped scar on the south face of the island. It’s an old rock quarry where workers blasted out stone and hauled it off to build San Francisco’s great seawall around the Embarcadero, and later the Carquinez Bridge, Bay Bridge toll plaza, and the Berkeley Marina.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During World War I there were plans to connect the island to Point Isabel, to make a battleship harbor, but the Navy chose Hunter’s Point instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in the 1960s some famous people turned this island into a private bird hunting reserve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singer Bing Crosby was one of the members of the exclusive Sheep Island Gun Club, and so was Trader Vic — the self-proclaimed inventor of the mai tai. They kept a houseboat docked here. They’d boat over from Richmond, release pheasants and other exotic birds, and shoot them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024358\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024358\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of Brooks Island Regional Preserve, a 373-acre bird sanctuary and habitat for native plants and wildlife in San Francisco Bay near Richmond, on Jan. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They probably cooked them right up right there,” said EBRPD naturalist Erin Blackwell, pointing at an old barbecue grill tucked behind one of Brooks Island’s freshwater ponds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The island’s current incarnation kicked off in 1968 when the East Bay Regional Parks District bought it, promising residents a new public park with swimming and boating and camping facilities. But the district kept leasing the island to the gun club for another 20 years. Finally, in 1988, it bowed to public pressure and told the rich and famous hunters it was time to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two years later this became Brooks Island Regional Preserve: a sanctuary for birds and native plants. Nowhere is that more visible than at the last stop on the tour, a sandspit that extends from the island’s northern tip. It’s a nesting site for the Caspian tern, a mostly white bird with a bright orange beak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These are birds that were eating a lot of salmon up in Oregon and Washington,” said Blackwell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024357\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024357\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of Brooks Island Regional Preserve, a 373-acre bird sanctuary and habitat for native plants and wildlife in San Francisco Bay near Richmond, on Jan. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To protect the salmon, wildlife officials up there slowly chased off the terns. The birds eventually made their way here, where they started eating local salmon but still enjoyed some protections. They’re one of the many species that find a home on Brooks Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Allen, the sole human inhabitant, the island’s natural beauty and timeless feeling make living there well worth the isolation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything is a little different and it’s just a little special,” he said. “And so I like protecting it. So I’ll be there for a while.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"A\">\u003c/a>Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Let’s start today’s episode in the East Bay with our question-asker…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Stein:\u003c/strong> My name is David Stein and I live in Richmond, California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> David loves spending time along the Richmond shoreline, overlooking the San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Stein:\u003c/strong> I do a daily walk along the Bay Trail, and every day, sometimes twice a day, I always see this island that’s right offshore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> The island is wide — more than a mile from end to end at low tide. But it’s low, reaching a little more than 100 feet tall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Stein:\u003c/strong> And there’s one house on it. I never see any people out there. Maybe there’s a caretaker. It’s got to be like one of the loneliest jobs in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> This island, the little house — It’s all got David wondering…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Stein:\u003c/strong> How do you get out there? Are people allowed to go out there? Could I paddle out there in a kayak maybe? [Laughs] Would I get turned away?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> This is Bay Curious, the podcast that answers listener questions about the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Today we’ll find out about how this seemingly quiet little scrap of land has an active series of past lives. And we’ll meet the guy with one of the loneliest jobs in the Bay Area. Stick with us…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[Sponsor message]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> So, spoiler alert — you can paddle to Brooks Island. But it has to be on a guided tour with the East Bay Regional Parks District. The tours get canceled a lot due to bad weather, so it took a couple of tries for us to get out there. But finally, a calm, sunny day came along, and Bay Curious reporter Katherine Monahan put her microphone in a dry bag and climbed into a kayak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Sounds of paddling kayaks on the water “Yeah, it’s a little tippy right now. There you go.”] \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> About 20 of us are launching out from the Richmond Marina towards this long, low island. It’s beautiful. Just a strip of grey and green against a fresh blue sky. After paddling about half a mile, we’re close to the shore where some wicked rotting pilings and bits of rebar are jutting out of the bay bottom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Paddling continues, “I see how it is. Oh!”]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> We steer carefully through them, into the narrow landing area, and climb onto Brooks Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[People walking on shore, birds chirping]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Above us is a rectangular, tan-colored house — the one our question-asker David has spotted from shore. It’s the only home on the island, which has a population of one: caretaker Matthew Steven Allen. He says those pilings we just passed are dangerous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> There’s a lot of debris in the water that’ll slice a boat open, slice your leg open, that you can run your boat into and then crash your boat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> So, part of his job is to turn away kayakers who try to come on their own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> COVID was bad. Every single group of people I talked to: “I just got this three days ago. I didn’t know.” Well, that’s why I’m here. My job is to make sure people are protected and safe and keep the island as rural as possible so that it stays the way it was 4,000 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Allen likes it like that. He says he applied for this job with the East Bay Regional Parks District in 2011 after a motorcycle accident left him too injured to continue working as a mechanic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> They came out and showed me the island and the house. And the only question they asked me was, uh, ‘Have we scared you off yet?’ And I said, nope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> [Laughing] That sounds like a great job interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> Yeah\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> He was told that the previous caretakers had had mental health issues — presumably made worse by the isolation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> When I got the job, like everybody all the way up to the board members, “You’re doing great. Don’t go crazy,” Verbatim. “Don’t go crazy.” I’m like, OK.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> And so far so good. He lives out here with his pit bull Honey. He’s got well water and solar power and a compost toilet. He boats over to Richmond when it’s time for groceries, and he finds all kinds of strange objects on the shores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To kick off our tour, naturalist Erin Blackwood with the East Bay Regional Parks District leads us to where Allen has laid out some of those curiosities — on a picnic table next to a big buckeye tree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> Including this message in the bottle, which, who knows where this came from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> She pulls out a mildewed sheet of paper and starts to read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> [Reading letter] “To the seeker. Love is like a UFO traveling faster than the speed of light. Don’t hide in the shadows.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> …OK. There’s also buoys on the table and bones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> This is a harbor seal skull. This one, however, is a California sea lion skull, male.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> There’s the skull of a young deer — one of three that swam out to the island together a few years ago. Raccoons sometimes swim ashore, and there’s a resident population of voles — basically field mice — that escaped from a scientific study. And that’s about it for land mammals on the island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there are over a hundred different species of birds that come through. And while Blackwood talks, a swallowtail butterfly flutters down and lands on her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> Oh, look at that iridescence on the back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> …And then takes off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> There she goes! Alright, we’ll follow her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> We set off on the hike — a 2-mile loop to the top of the island and then down the other side and back around. It’s a narrow, rocky trail, and Blackwood points out the native plants around us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> Oh, here’s a soap root. And there’s another buckeye.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> The indigenous Ohlone people used these plants while living here, at least seasonally, for thousands of years. Fishing, gathering shellfish, and hunting birds. The top, when we reach it, is about 160 feet above sea level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> Oh man, another great view! Look at this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> There are no trees up here, so you can see 360 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, Marin Headlands…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> This island has had different names over the years. When the Spanish arrived in the 1700s, they called it Isla de Carmen. By 1850, it was called Brooks Island on the maps, but…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> I still haven’t found any information about why it was called Brooks Island. Who’s Brooks?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> And as we look out at Yerba Buena Island, Blackwell tells us about another old name — kind of a weird historical inside joke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> In the 1800s, there were sheep on Yerba Buena Island and it was called Goat Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Around then a Croatian man called Luccas Gargurevich settled here and raised 10 children with his wife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> And he had goats on this island. What do you think he called this island? \u003cem>[“Sheep Island?”]\u003c/em> Sheep Island. See?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> OK, it’s a little steep right here, watch your step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> We head down the other side, to where the trail levels out and runs along the south shore. And as we walk, we see, right next to us in the grass … an entire whale skeleton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> This was from 2020. This is recent. Yeah. So it’s been, it’s been, it’s decayed, decayed quite well. Oh, there’s a little bit. You can see there’s a little bit of stuff on that rib right there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> It’s over 30 feet long with a full chain of vertebrae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Sounds of people examining the skeleton, “These fissures are so beautiful.”]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> We find a piece of baleen — the whale’s equivalent of teeth — it looks kind of like a comb, but as big as your arm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> Oh, there’s a little bit of baleen! Oh! Wow! [People ooh and ahh]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Recreation coordinator Stuart Reed remembers when the whale first washed ashore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Stuart Reed:\u003c/strong> The smell was just horrible. But when you paddled to the other side, you could, like, get a great view of it and not smell any of it because the wind was coming from your back. So every week I was like seeing it decay and it was just, like, really cool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Nowadays, that’s about as big as the action gets here on Brooks Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Sound of waves crashing on the shore] \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> That and the weird garbage that washes up. We head out on the rocky beach to take a look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> What you got? \u003cem>[“Something gooey.”] \u003c/em>Gooey? Yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tony Mistretta:\u003c/strong> Anything that floats will show up here. Yeah. Because there’s nobody here to pick it up. It just collects\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Recreation leader Tony Mistretta points at one of those playmate coolers — the ones with the rotating top. And as we amble down the beach we find a plastic triceratops … a needle … plenty of trash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tony Mistretta:\u003c/strong> Like normally, there would be people on the other shores, and they pick up, you know, like all the cool shells and all the cool stuff, or they’re doing a cleanup. But because there’s no one on the island, it just collects unless Matt’s picking it up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> But Brooks Island wasn’t always this deserted and quiet. As we continue our loop, naturalist Erin Blackwell points out a massive crescent-shaped scar in the south face of the island. It’s an old rock quarry — mostly grown over now with coyote brush and fennel, but greywacke boulders are still scattered around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> Looks like a lot of the quarried rocks were just like, left behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> In the late 1800s this was a major industrial operation. Workers blasted out stone and hauled it off to build San Francisco’s great seawall around the Embarcadero, and later the Carquinez Bridge and the Bay Bridge toll plaza and the Berkeley Marina.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> Also a part of San Quentin was used, uh, from this rock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> There was also an oyster farm out here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> They imported oysters from Washington State. So it was not the native oysters, it was the larger oysters that most people are familiar with eating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> That lasted until the early 1900s when the bay got too dirty. And then the world wars began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> There were plans to make this into a naval base. And so they were basically going to level the island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea was to connect it to Point Isabel to make a battleship harbor. But the Navy chose Hunter’s Point instead. And then things took a recreational turn in the 1960s, when some famous people turned this island into a private bird hunting reserve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Bing Crosby’s “Mr. Meadowlark” plays: “I’m out in the country but I don’t know why. Cause I’m strictly a city-lovin’ guy. Just sittin’ there when a little bird flies my way…]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Singer Bing Crosby was one of the members of the exclusive Sheep Island Gun Club. and so was Trader Vic — the self-proclaimed inventor of the mai tai. They kept a houseboat on the island, and they’d boat over from Richmond, release pheasants and other exotic birds, and shoot them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> I don’t know, you might see some shotgun shells around, so keep your eye out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Blackwell shows us what looks kind of like a Boy Scouts fire ring, with an old barbecue grill, tucked behind one of Brooks Island’s freshwater ponds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> They probably, you know, cooked them right up right there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> And then Bing Crosby usually wanted to go get a drink at the Hotel Mac in Point Richmond around 2 p.m. Apparently, they tried to stock the island with deer as well, but the deer kept swimming back to shore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Bing Crosby’s “Mr. Meadowlark” plays:\u003c/em> \u003cem>“(whistling) That’s where you come in. Mr. Meadowlark, now you should cop a gander when I’m kissing my chick”]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> The island’s current incarnation kicked off in 1968 when the East Bay Regional Parks District bought it, promising residents a new public park with swimming and boating and camping facilities. But the district kept leasing the island to the gun club for another 20 years. Finally, it bowed to public pressure and told the rich and famous hunters it was time to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> They were finally evicted in 1988.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> And in 1990, Brooks Island became a public park. By then, the parks district had changed the vision from recreation to conservation: The island would be a bird sanctuary and a place for native plants to thrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which brings us to our final stop on the tour — a long sand spit that extends out from the northwest tip of the island. It’s a nesting site for the Caspian tern — a mostly white bird with a bright orange beak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> These are birds that were eating a lot of salmon up in Oregon and Washington.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> So to protect the salmon, wildlife officials slowly chased off the terns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> And then they eventually made their way here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Where they started eating the local salmon. But they still enjoy some protection. Matthew Steven Allen, the caretaker, says the tip of the spit is the one part of the island where people are allowed to come ashore on their own. But only in the winter, when the Caspian terns aren’t nesting there. And even then, he says, it’s really not a good idea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> The silt has no bottom. So if you get out of your boat and say the water line’s like a hundred feet away, that hundred foot of silt is quicksand and it’ll just take you, until your waist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> As we reach the end of our tour and paddle back toward the mainland, we pass a flock of pelicans and a seal. And it feels right that Brooks Island stays pretty untouched by humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> Everything is a little different, and it’s just a little special, and so I like, I like protecting it. So I’ll be there for a while.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Sounds of water flowing, gentle music] \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> That story was reported by KQED’s Katherine Monahan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you want to take a boat or kayak tour out to Brooks Island, head to the Brooks Island page on the East Bay Parks website for details. We’ll put a link in our show notes too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our colleagues at The Bay are working on a podcast episode about dating in the Bay Area — the good, the bad, and everything in between — and we’d love to hear from you. What’s your experience been like? What’s dating like in your city? Do you have a wild story? Leave a voicemail at 415-710-9223, or send a voice memo to thebay@kqed.org. Tell them your name, your city, and your story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Stein:\u003c/strong> Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Our show is produced by Amanda Font, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Extra Support From Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Senad, Holly Kernan, Alana Walker and everyone at Team KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a great week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#A\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we cross the Bay Area’s bridges and stroll along its shoreline, we pass many islands. In fact there are more than 15 of them within 20 miles of San Francisco. Some are big or famous, like Alcatraz or Alameda, but others are uninhabited and bare, and as we go about our lives they fade into the backdrop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Bay Curious listener David Stein, one lesser-known island kept grabbing his attention. During his daily walk along the Bay Trail in Richmond he kept noticing a smallish island that rose to a low peak, about half a mile offshore — Brooks Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How do you get out there?” Stein wondered. “Could I paddle out there in a kayak maybe? Would I get turned away?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s also noticed a small house on the island and is curious if anybody lives there — like a caretaker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s got to be one of the loneliest jobs in the city,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A journey to the island\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024363\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024363\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-42-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A boat sails near Brooks Island Regional Preserve, a 373-acre bird sanctuary and habitat for native plants and wildlife in San Francisco Bay near Richmond, on Jan. 27, 2025, with the San Francisco skyline in the background. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It turns out you \u003cem>can\u003c/em> visit, but only on a guided tour with the East Bay Regional Parks District. The boat and kayak tours are infrequent, and get canceled often due to bad weather, so it can take a couple of tries to get out there. But it’s worth it. The seemingly quiet little scrap of land has an active series of past lives and is home to hundreds of species of native plants and birds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The kayak tour starts at the Richmond Marina and after about half an hour of paddling, nears the island’s shore. Rotting pilings and bits of rebar jut up from the bay floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of debris in the water that’ll slice a boat open,” said Brooks Island caretaker Matthew Steven Allen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024632\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1575px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024632\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_1915-e1738182588726.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1575\" height=\"976\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_1915-e1738182588726.jpg 1575w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_1915-e1738182588726-800x496.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_1915-e1738182588726-1020x632.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_1915-e1738182588726-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_1915-e1738182588726-1536x952.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1575px) 100vw, 1575px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A kayak tour to Brooks Island is about to set off from Richmond Marina. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Toby Fray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Allen is the island’s sole resident. A Navy veteran and former motorcycle mechanic, he lives with his pitbull Honey in the tan, rectangular house just above the landing area. It has solar power, a compost toilet and well water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allen regularly turns away kayakers and boaters who try to come to the island on their own. He said the tides and the debris make it dangerous to land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My job is to make sure people are protected and safe,” said Allen, “and keep the island as rural as possible so that it stays the way it was 4,000 years ago.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indigenous Ohlone people lived here first, at least seasonally. They fished, gathered shellfish and hunted birds. Along a 2-mile loop that wraps around Brooks Island, you can spot many of the native plants the Ohlone used, like buckeye and soap root.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reaching the island’s 160-foot rocky peak, you’ll find a 360-degree view of the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024361\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024361\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-33-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of Brooks Island Regional Preserve, a 373-acre bird sanctuary and habitat for native plants and wildlife in San Francisco Bay near Richmond, on Jan. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC4382592108\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The former lives of Brooks Island\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When the Spanish mapped the region in the 1700s, they called the island “Isla de Carmen.” By 1850 (by which time California was American territory), it was called Brooks Island on maps, but no record of who Brooks was remains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the late 1800s, a Croatian man called Luccas Gargurevich settled on the island with his wife and raised 10 children. They grew grapes and raised goats. In something of an inside joke, Gargurevich called the place Sheep Island because somebody was raising sheep on Treasure Island at the time and calling it Goat Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the back side of the island there’s a rocky beach where strange objects wash ashore from all over the Pacific. There’s an entire gray whale skeleton — baleen and all — and all manner of garbage, from plastic dinosaurs to coolers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Anything that floats will show up here,” said East Bay Regional Parks District recreation leader Tony Mistretta. “It just collects.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024627\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024627\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/IMG_7244-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The skeleton of a gray whale that has washed ashore on Brooks Island. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of John Sappington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024650\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024650\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4-800x267.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4-1020x340.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4-2048x682.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-4-1920x640.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A tour group led by East Bay Recreation and Parks Department naturalist Erin Blackwell (left) explores Brooks Island. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Toby Fray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Brooks Island wasn’t always this deserted and quiet. Continuing along the hiking loop, you’ll see a massive crescent-shaped scar on the south face of the island. It’s an old rock quarry where workers blasted out stone and hauled it off to build San Francisco’s great seawall around the Embarcadero, and later the Carquinez Bridge, Bay Bridge toll plaza, and the Berkeley Marina.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During World War I there were plans to connect the island to Point Isabel, to make a battleship harbor, but the Navy chose Hunter’s Point instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in the 1960s some famous people turned this island into a private bird hunting reserve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singer Bing Crosby was one of the members of the exclusive Sheep Island Gun Club, and so was Trader Vic — the self-proclaimed inventor of the mai tai. They kept a houseboat docked here. They’d boat over from Richmond, release pheasants and other exotic birds, and shoot them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024358\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024358\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-13-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of Brooks Island Regional Preserve, a 373-acre bird sanctuary and habitat for native plants and wildlife in San Francisco Bay near Richmond, on Jan. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They probably cooked them right up right there,” said EBRPD naturalist Erin Blackwell, pointing at an old barbecue grill tucked behind one of Brooks Island’s freshwater ponds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The island’s current incarnation kicked off in 1968 when the East Bay Regional Parks District bought it, promising residents a new public park with swimming and boating and camping facilities. But the district kept leasing the island to the gun club for another 20 years. Finally, in 1988, it bowed to public pressure and told the rich and famous hunters it was time to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two years later this became Brooks Island Regional Preserve: a sanctuary for birds and native plants. Nowhere is that more visible than at the last stop on the tour, a sandspit that extends from the island’s northern tip. It’s a nesting site for the Caspian tern, a mostly white bird with a bright orange beak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These are birds that were eating a lot of salmon up in Oregon and Washington,” said Blackwell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12024357\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12024357\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250127-BrooksIsland-08-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial view of Brooks Island Regional Preserve, a 373-acre bird sanctuary and habitat for native plants and wildlife in San Francisco Bay near Richmond, on Jan. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To protect the salmon, wildlife officials up there slowly chased off the terns. The birds eventually made their way here, where they started eating local salmon but still enjoyed some protections. They’re one of the many species that find a home on Brooks Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Allen, the sole human inhabitant, the island’s natural beauty and timeless feeling make living there well worth the isolation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything is a little different and it’s just a little special,” he said. “And so I like protecting it. So I’ll be there for a while.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"A\">\u003c/a>Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Let’s start today’s episode in the East Bay with our question-asker…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Stein:\u003c/strong> My name is David Stein and I live in Richmond, California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> David loves spending time along the Richmond shoreline, overlooking the San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Stein:\u003c/strong> I do a daily walk along the Bay Trail, and every day, sometimes twice a day, I always see this island that’s right offshore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> The island is wide — more than a mile from end to end at low tide. But it’s low, reaching a little more than 100 feet tall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Stein:\u003c/strong> And there’s one house on it. I never see any people out there. Maybe there’s a caretaker. It’s got to be like one of the loneliest jobs in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> This island, the little house — It’s all got David wondering…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Stein:\u003c/strong> How do you get out there? Are people allowed to go out there? Could I paddle out there in a kayak maybe? [Laughs] Would I get turned away?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> This is Bay Curious, the podcast that answers listener questions about the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Today we’ll find out about how this seemingly quiet little scrap of land has an active series of past lives. And we’ll meet the guy with one of the loneliest jobs in the Bay Area. Stick with us…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[Sponsor message]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> So, spoiler alert — you can paddle to Brooks Island. But it has to be on a guided tour with the East Bay Regional Parks District. The tours get canceled a lot due to bad weather, so it took a couple of tries for us to get out there. But finally, a calm, sunny day came along, and Bay Curious reporter Katherine Monahan put her microphone in a dry bag and climbed into a kayak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Sounds of paddling kayaks on the water “Yeah, it’s a little tippy right now. There you go.”] \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> About 20 of us are launching out from the Richmond Marina towards this long, low island. It’s beautiful. Just a strip of grey and green against a fresh blue sky. After paddling about half a mile, we’re close to the shore where some wicked rotting pilings and bits of rebar are jutting out of the bay bottom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Paddling continues, “I see how it is. Oh!”]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> We steer carefully through them, into the narrow landing area, and climb onto Brooks Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[People walking on shore, birds chirping]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Above us is a rectangular, tan-colored house — the one our question-asker David has spotted from shore. It’s the only home on the island, which has a population of one: caretaker Matthew Steven Allen. He says those pilings we just passed are dangerous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> There’s a lot of debris in the water that’ll slice a boat open, slice your leg open, that you can run your boat into and then crash your boat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> So, part of his job is to turn away kayakers who try to come on their own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> COVID was bad. Every single group of people I talked to: “I just got this three days ago. I didn’t know.” Well, that’s why I’m here. My job is to make sure people are protected and safe and keep the island as rural as possible so that it stays the way it was 4,000 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Allen likes it like that. He says he applied for this job with the East Bay Regional Parks District in 2011 after a motorcycle accident left him too injured to continue working as a mechanic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> They came out and showed me the island and the house. And the only question they asked me was, uh, ‘Have we scared you off yet?’ And I said, nope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> [Laughing] That sounds like a great job interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> Yeah\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> He was told that the previous caretakers had had mental health issues — presumably made worse by the isolation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> When I got the job, like everybody all the way up to the board members, “You’re doing great. Don’t go crazy,” Verbatim. “Don’t go crazy.” I’m like, OK.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> And so far so good. He lives out here with his pit bull Honey. He’s got well water and solar power and a compost toilet. He boats over to Richmond when it’s time for groceries, and he finds all kinds of strange objects on the shores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To kick off our tour, naturalist Erin Blackwood with the East Bay Regional Parks District leads us to where Allen has laid out some of those curiosities — on a picnic table next to a big buckeye tree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> Including this message in the bottle, which, who knows where this came from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> She pulls out a mildewed sheet of paper and starts to read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> [Reading letter] “To the seeker. Love is like a UFO traveling faster than the speed of light. Don’t hide in the shadows.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> …OK. There’s also buoys on the table and bones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> This is a harbor seal skull. This one, however, is a California sea lion skull, male.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> There’s the skull of a young deer — one of three that swam out to the island together a few years ago. Raccoons sometimes swim ashore, and there’s a resident population of voles — basically field mice — that escaped from a scientific study. And that’s about it for land mammals on the island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there are over a hundred different species of birds that come through. And while Blackwood talks, a swallowtail butterfly flutters down and lands on her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> Oh, look at that iridescence on the back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> …And then takes off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> There she goes! Alright, we’ll follow her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> We set off on the hike — a 2-mile loop to the top of the island and then down the other side and back around. It’s a narrow, rocky trail, and Blackwood points out the native plants around us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> Oh, here’s a soap root. And there’s another buckeye.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> The indigenous Ohlone people used these plants while living here, at least seasonally, for thousands of years. Fishing, gathering shellfish, and hunting birds. The top, when we reach it, is about 160 feet above sea level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> Oh man, another great view! Look at this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> There are no trees up here, so you can see 360 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, Marin Headlands…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> This island has had different names over the years. When the Spanish arrived in the 1700s, they called it Isla de Carmen. By 1850, it was called Brooks Island on the maps, but…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> I still haven’t found any information about why it was called Brooks Island. Who’s Brooks?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> And as we look out at Yerba Buena Island, Blackwell tells us about another old name — kind of a weird historical inside joke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> In the 1800s, there were sheep on Yerba Buena Island and it was called Goat Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Around then a Croatian man called Luccas Gargurevich settled here and raised 10 children with his wife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> And he had goats on this island. What do you think he called this island? \u003cem>[“Sheep Island?”]\u003c/em> Sheep Island. See?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> OK, it’s a little steep right here, watch your step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> We head down the other side, to where the trail levels out and runs along the south shore. And as we walk, we see, right next to us in the grass … an entire whale skeleton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> This was from 2020. This is recent. Yeah. So it’s been, it’s been, it’s decayed, decayed quite well. Oh, there’s a little bit. You can see there’s a little bit of stuff on that rib right there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> It’s over 30 feet long with a full chain of vertebrae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Sounds of people examining the skeleton, “These fissures are so beautiful.”]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> We find a piece of baleen — the whale’s equivalent of teeth — it looks kind of like a comb, but as big as your arm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwood:\u003c/strong> Oh, there’s a little bit of baleen! Oh! Wow! [People ooh and ahh]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Recreation coordinator Stuart Reed remembers when the whale first washed ashore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Stuart Reed:\u003c/strong> The smell was just horrible. But when you paddled to the other side, you could, like, get a great view of it and not smell any of it because the wind was coming from your back. So every week I was like seeing it decay and it was just, like, really cool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Nowadays, that’s about as big as the action gets here on Brooks Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Sound of waves crashing on the shore] \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> That and the weird garbage that washes up. We head out on the rocky beach to take a look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> What you got? \u003cem>[“Something gooey.”] \u003c/em>Gooey? Yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tony Mistretta:\u003c/strong> Anything that floats will show up here. Yeah. Because there’s nobody here to pick it up. It just collects\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Recreation leader Tony Mistretta points at one of those playmate coolers — the ones with the rotating top. And as we amble down the beach we find a plastic triceratops … a needle … plenty of trash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tony Mistretta:\u003c/strong> Like normally, there would be people on the other shores, and they pick up, you know, like all the cool shells and all the cool stuff, or they’re doing a cleanup. But because there’s no one on the island, it just collects unless Matt’s picking it up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> But Brooks Island wasn’t always this deserted and quiet. As we continue our loop, naturalist Erin Blackwell points out a massive crescent-shaped scar in the south face of the island. It’s an old rock quarry — mostly grown over now with coyote brush and fennel, but greywacke boulders are still scattered around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> Looks like a lot of the quarried rocks were just like, left behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> In the late 1800s this was a major industrial operation. Workers blasted out stone and hauled it off to build San Francisco’s great seawall around the Embarcadero, and later the Carquinez Bridge and the Bay Bridge toll plaza and the Berkeley Marina.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> Also a part of San Quentin was used, uh, from this rock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> There was also an oyster farm out here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> They imported oysters from Washington State. So it was not the native oysters, it was the larger oysters that most people are familiar with eating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> That lasted until the early 1900s when the bay got too dirty. And then the world wars began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> There were plans to make this into a naval base. And so they were basically going to level the island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea was to connect it to Point Isabel to make a battleship harbor. But the Navy chose Hunter’s Point instead. And then things took a recreational turn in the 1960s, when some famous people turned this island into a private bird hunting reserve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Bing Crosby’s “Mr. Meadowlark” plays: “I’m out in the country but I don’t know why. Cause I’m strictly a city-lovin’ guy. Just sittin’ there when a little bird flies my way…]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Singer Bing Crosby was one of the members of the exclusive Sheep Island Gun Club. and so was Trader Vic — the self-proclaimed inventor of the mai tai. They kept a houseboat on the island, and they’d boat over from Richmond, release pheasants and other exotic birds, and shoot them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> I don’t know, you might see some shotgun shells around, so keep your eye out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Blackwell shows us what looks kind of like a Boy Scouts fire ring, with an old barbecue grill, tucked behind one of Brooks Island’s freshwater ponds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> They probably, you know, cooked them right up right there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> And then Bing Crosby usually wanted to go get a drink at the Hotel Mac in Point Richmond around 2 p.m. Apparently, they tried to stock the island with deer as well, but the deer kept swimming back to shore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Bing Crosby’s “Mr. Meadowlark” plays:\u003c/em> \u003cem>“(whistling) That’s where you come in. Mr. Meadowlark, now you should cop a gander when I’m kissing my chick”]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> The island’s current incarnation kicked off in 1968 when the East Bay Regional Parks District bought it, promising residents a new public park with swimming and boating and camping facilities. But the district kept leasing the island to the gun club for another 20 years. Finally, it bowed to public pressure and told the rich and famous hunters it was time to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> They were finally evicted in 1988.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> And in 1990, Brooks Island became a public park. By then, the parks district had changed the vision from recreation to conservation: The island would be a bird sanctuary and a place for native plants to thrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which brings us to our final stop on the tour — a long sand spit that extends out from the northwest tip of the island. It’s a nesting site for the Caspian tern — a mostly white bird with a bright orange beak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> These are birds that were eating a lot of salmon up in Oregon and Washington.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> So to protect the salmon, wildlife officials slowly chased off the terns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Erin Blackwell:\u003c/strong> And then they eventually made their way here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> Where they started eating the local salmon. But they still enjoy some protection. Matthew Steven Allen, the caretaker, says the tip of the spit is the one part of the island where people are allowed to come ashore on their own. But only in the winter, when the Caspian terns aren’t nesting there. And even then, he says, it’s really not a good idea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> The silt has no bottom. So if you get out of your boat and say the water line’s like a hundred feet away, that hundred foot of silt is quicksand and it’ll just take you, until your waist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katherine Monahan:\u003c/strong> As we reach the end of our tour and paddle back toward the mainland, we pass a flock of pelicans and a seal. And it feels right that Brooks Island stays pretty untouched by humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Matthew Steven Allen:\u003c/strong> Everything is a little different, and it’s just a little special, and so I like, I like protecting it. So I’ll be there for a while.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Sounds of water flowing, gentle music] \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> That story was reported by KQED’s Katherine Monahan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you want to take a boat or kayak tour out to Brooks Island, head to the Brooks Island page on the East Bay Parks website for details. We’ll put a link in our show notes too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our colleagues at The Bay are working on a podcast episode about dating in the Bay Area — the good, the bad, and everything in between — and we’d love to hear from you. What’s your experience been like? What’s dating like in your city? Do you have a wild story? Leave a voicemail at 415-710-9223, or send a voice memo to thebay@kqed.org. Tell them your name, your city, and your story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>David Stein:\u003c/strong> Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Our show is produced by Amanda Font, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Extra Support From Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Senad, Holly Kernan, Alana Walker and everyone at Team KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a great week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "West Contra Costa Unified Struggles to Stay Solvent Amid Looming Threat of State Takeover",
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"content": "\u003cp>West Contra Costa Unified School District is on the cusp of a new and uncertain era following the retirement of its superintendent, Chris Hurst, who \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007378/west-contra-costa-school-district-to-appoint-interim-leader-after-superintendent-announces-retirement\">stepped down in December\u003c/a> after just over three years on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whoever is chosen to permanently replace him will face a daunting set of concerns, including ensuring that the district is not placed under state control. For now, that job is in the hands of interim Superintendent Kim Moses, who, until December, was the district’s associate superintendent for business services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With an enrollment of just under 30,000 students, more than half from lower-income families, the district comprises 54 schools in El Cerrito, Richmond and other East Bay communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chief among the issues the district faces are declining enrollment, persistent budget deficits, a sluggish improvement in post-COVID test scores, teacher shortages, and meeting the multiple needs of a diverse and largely lower-income student body, along with a sometimes-contentious school board not always in alignment with its superintendent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To a greater or lesser extent, these are problems facing many urban districts across California, including some larger neighbors around the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Unified also got a new superintendent last month and is grappling with \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2024/san-francisco-schools-must-avoid-state-takeover-at-all-costs-education-veteran-warns/720851\">severe budget deficits\u003c/a> and intense pressure to close schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Oakland Unified’s superintendent, Kyla Johnson-Trammell, is still in her job after seven years, surviving a teacher strike, the pandemic, and other travails, the district is dealing with similar \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/ousd-budget-deficit-oakland-unified-schools/15438418/\">profound challenges\u003c/a>. Both San Francisco and Oakland also face the prospect \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2024/12/12/oakland-school-board-mergers-vote-budget/\">of a state takeover\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last Wednesday, at West Contra Costa’s first board meeting of 2025, Moses issued a blunt warning about the need to make further budget cuts to avoid insolvency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After making $19 million in cuts during the current year, the district still has a “significant structural deficit,” she said, and warned that under current scenarios, its budget reserves “will be exhausted within three years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without further reductions in the next two school years, the district would be “placed under (state) receivership, which means we’ll no longer be in charge of making financial decisions for our district,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1991, the district had the unfortunate distinction of being the \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/west-contra-costa-school-district-pays-off-debt-3603036.php\">first in the state\u003c/a> to go insolvent. To rescue it, the district received a $29 million bailout loan, which took 21 years to pay off. Now, it is trying to head off a similar fate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, the West Contra Costa school board passed a budget that members said met the standard to receive a “positive certification,” which, under state regulations, means it would not spend its entire reserve over the next three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the county office of education has refused to approve that certification without the district providing a multiyear deficit-reduction plan. That is what Moses \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030499&MID=35548&Tab=Agenda&enIID=RHWWplusB2gtQOQVppslshZ6fPAw%3D%3D\">presented to the board \u003c/a>on Wednesday night, involving cuts of $7 million next year and an additional $6 million the following year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Declining enrollment — by 8% over the past four years alone — is perhaps West Contra Costa’s primary concern, according to Michael Fine, CEO of California’s \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.fcmat.org/\">Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team\u003c/a>, an agency created by the state to help districts resolve financial and management problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fine largely attributes the decline — which is mirrored in many other districts and the \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.the74million.org/article/california-lost-420k-public-school-kids-in-4-years-may-drop-1m-more-by-2031/\">state as a whole\u003c/a> — to lower birth rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a long-term problem” for schools, he said. “Right now, schools are feeling it most in kindergarten and elementary school. In 10 years, it will be middle school, then high school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem translates directly into money. In California, schools have a variety of sources of funds, but they are primarily based on “average daily attendance,” that is, the number of kids in the classroom each day. In 2022-23, the district received \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://ed-data.org/ShareData/Html/120187\">nearly $24,000\u003c/a> per student from various sources, most of it from the state based on actual attendance, according to Ed-Data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As enrollment declines — either through lower birth rates or families leaving the expensive Bay Area — so, too, does the district’s revenues. Another factor reducing income is the end of the federal government’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund, designed to help with COVID-19 recovery. The fund brought the district some $53 million by 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of which has had an effect on West Contra Costa Unified’s budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One approach the district is examining to reduce its deficit is so-called “purpose-based budgeting.” The method, designed to more tightly control expenses, is to evaluate how well specific funds match the district’s priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that may not be enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look, I understand. No one joins a school board to lay off people,” Fine said. “But your revenue is going away, and they’re overstaffed compared to their enrollment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Francisco Ortiz, president of United Teachers of Richmond, the union representing teachers, said there are already too many unfilled positions in West Contra Costa, and the district cannot afford to save more by further reducing staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In secondary schools alone, we have 27 vacant FTEs — full-time equivalent (positions),” he said. “And in elementary, it’s 30.8 vacancies and 22 in special ed. The majority of these folks are teachers, some counselors, in elementary, but the majority are classroom teachers.” Most schools, he said, have to use substitutes on a daily basis.[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12007378,news_11996607,news_11806638\"]At the board meeting this week, interim Superintendent Moses argued that increasing student attendance and enrollment is the only realistic way to reduce the district’s deficits without making further cuts. For every 1% increase in attendance, the district would generate $2.75 million in additional state funding. To that end, the district is launching what it calls its “Why We Show Up” campaign. “It’s really cut and dried,” Moses said. “We only get revenue based upon the number of children we have in a seat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At last week’s board meeting, many parents and teachers expressed concerns that there would be cuts in district offerings like its International Baccalaureate and bilingual and dual immersion programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Moses tried to reassure the school community that no programs would be cut. A big chunk of reductions she is proposing would come from central office reductions, moving teachers out of classrooms with small numbers of students, and so on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Part of the problem, union leader Ortiz said, is that the district has done a poor job of budgeting for how many teachers it will need each year. As for covering the district’s deficit — to pay for more teachers — he said the district should draw further on its reserve. “The reserve is for a rainy day, and right now, it’s flooding. Our most vulnerable students are the ones receiving the blunt end of this. Cutting classroom teachers is not the answer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, FCMAT’s Fine argues that it has to be part of the equation. “Lots of school boards say cut as far away from the classroom as you can, but when you have declining enrollment, you cut at the classroom level. But it’s really tough. It’s difficult as heck. It is horrendous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fine argues that the issue of teacher vacancies is a nuanced one and that there may be possible solutions. There may, for example, may be too many English teachers and not enough math teachers or too many PE teachers and not enough special education teachers. He suggests that districts consider offering programs to re-credential teachers, even though this is not a short-term strategy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The solution doesn’t work for everyone, but why don’t we pay, say, English teachers, to get credentialed to teach the sixth grade? Or invest in someone to get a special ed credential?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before his departure, outgoing superintendent Hurst outlined several of the district’s recent accomplishments in his \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.wccusd.net/cms/lib/CA01001466/Centricity/Domain/77/State%20of%20Our%20District_Presentation_9_30.pdf\">State of Our District (PDF)\u003c/a> report — a reminder that putting all the attention on finances can obscure progress in other areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among those is the return to 100% in-person learning in the district after the pandemic. Another is “improved staff recruitment, development and retention,” with teacher vacancies declining from 143 two years ago to 64 in the current school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Test scores have also improved somewhat in the district, according to \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://caaspp.edsource.org/sbac/west-contra-costa-unified-07617960000000\">results of the Smarter Balanced assessments\u003c/a> students took last spring, though they still lag statewide averages and, like almost all districts in the state, are not yet up to pre-pandemic levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board recently hired David Hart as chief business manager, at least through the remainder of the school year. He’s the highly regarded former chief financial officer of the massive Los Angeles Unified, a district 20 times the size of West Contra Costa. Fine is hopeful Hart’s experience with a vastly more complex district will accelerate the district’s path to recovery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They are hiring a very skilled interim CBO,” he said. “I hope they listen to him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Louis Freedberg contributed to this report, \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2025/west-contra-costa-unified-struggles-to-stay-solvent-avoid-state-takeover/725039\">which originally appeared in EdSource.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>West Contra Costa Unified School District is on the cusp of a new and uncertain era following the retirement of its superintendent, Chris Hurst, who \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007378/west-contra-costa-school-district-to-appoint-interim-leader-after-superintendent-announces-retirement\">stepped down in December\u003c/a> after just over three years on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whoever is chosen to permanently replace him will face a daunting set of concerns, including ensuring that the district is not placed under state control. For now, that job is in the hands of interim Superintendent Kim Moses, who, until December, was the district’s associate superintendent for business services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With an enrollment of just under 30,000 students, more than half from lower-income families, the district comprises 54 schools in El Cerrito, Richmond and other East Bay communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chief among the issues the district faces are declining enrollment, persistent budget deficits, a sluggish improvement in post-COVID test scores, teacher shortages, and meeting the multiple needs of a diverse and largely lower-income student body, along with a sometimes-contentious school board not always in alignment with its superintendent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To a greater or lesser extent, these are problems facing many urban districts across California, including some larger neighbors around the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Unified also got a new superintendent last month and is grappling with \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2024/san-francisco-schools-must-avoid-state-takeover-at-all-costs-education-veteran-warns/720851\">severe budget deficits\u003c/a> and intense pressure to close schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Oakland Unified’s superintendent, Kyla Johnson-Trammell, is still in her job after seven years, surviving a teacher strike, the pandemic, and other travails, the district is dealing with similar \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/ousd-budget-deficit-oakland-unified-schools/15438418/\">profound challenges\u003c/a>. Both San Francisco and Oakland also face the prospect \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2024/12/12/oakland-school-board-mergers-vote-budget/\">of a state takeover\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last Wednesday, at West Contra Costa’s first board meeting of 2025, Moses issued a blunt warning about the need to make further budget cuts to avoid insolvency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After making $19 million in cuts during the current year, the district still has a “significant structural deficit,” she said, and warned that under current scenarios, its budget reserves “will be exhausted within three years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without further reductions in the next two school years, the district would be “placed under (state) receivership, which means we’ll no longer be in charge of making financial decisions for our district,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1991, the district had the unfortunate distinction of being the \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/west-contra-costa-school-district-pays-off-debt-3603036.php\">first in the state\u003c/a> to go insolvent. To rescue it, the district received a $29 million bailout loan, which took 21 years to pay off. Now, it is trying to head off a similar fate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, the West Contra Costa school board passed a budget that members said met the standard to receive a “positive certification,” which, under state regulations, means it would not spend its entire reserve over the next three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the county office of education has refused to approve that certification without the district providing a multiyear deficit-reduction plan. That is what Moses \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030499&MID=35548&Tab=Agenda&enIID=RHWWplusB2gtQOQVppslshZ6fPAw%3D%3D\">presented to the board \u003c/a>on Wednesday night, involving cuts of $7 million next year and an additional $6 million the following year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Declining enrollment — by 8% over the past four years alone — is perhaps West Contra Costa’s primary concern, according to Michael Fine, CEO of California’s \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.fcmat.org/\">Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team\u003c/a>, an agency created by the state to help districts resolve financial and management problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fine largely attributes the decline — which is mirrored in many other districts and the \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.the74million.org/article/california-lost-420k-public-school-kids-in-4-years-may-drop-1m-more-by-2031/\">state as a whole\u003c/a> — to lower birth rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a long-term problem” for schools, he said. “Right now, schools are feeling it most in kindergarten and elementary school. In 10 years, it will be middle school, then high school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem translates directly into money. In California, schools have a variety of sources of funds, but they are primarily based on “average daily attendance,” that is, the number of kids in the classroom each day. In 2022-23, the district received \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://ed-data.org/ShareData/Html/120187\">nearly $24,000\u003c/a> per student from various sources, most of it from the state based on actual attendance, according to Ed-Data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As enrollment declines — either through lower birth rates or families leaving the expensive Bay Area — so, too, does the district’s revenues. Another factor reducing income is the end of the federal government’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund, designed to help with COVID-19 recovery. The fund brought the district some $53 million by 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of which has had an effect on West Contra Costa Unified’s budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One approach the district is examining to reduce its deficit is so-called “purpose-based budgeting.” The method, designed to more tightly control expenses, is to evaluate how well specific funds match the district’s priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that may not be enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look, I understand. No one joins a school board to lay off people,” Fine said. “But your revenue is going away, and they’re overstaffed compared to their enrollment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Francisco Ortiz, president of United Teachers of Richmond, the union representing teachers, said there are already too many unfilled positions in West Contra Costa, and the district cannot afford to save more by further reducing staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In secondary schools alone, we have 27 vacant FTEs — full-time equivalent (positions),” he said. “And in elementary, it’s 30.8 vacancies and 22 in special ed. The majority of these folks are teachers, some counselors, in elementary, but the majority are classroom teachers.” Most schools, he said, have to use substitutes on a daily basis.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>At the board meeting this week, interim Superintendent Moses argued that increasing student attendance and enrollment is the only realistic way to reduce the district’s deficits without making further cuts. For every 1% increase in attendance, the district would generate $2.75 million in additional state funding. To that end, the district is launching what it calls its “Why We Show Up” campaign. “It’s really cut and dried,” Moses said. “We only get revenue based upon the number of children we have in a seat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At last week’s board meeting, many parents and teachers expressed concerns that there would be cuts in district offerings like its International Baccalaureate and bilingual and dual immersion programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Moses tried to reassure the school community that no programs would be cut. A big chunk of reductions she is proposing would come from central office reductions, moving teachers out of classrooms with small numbers of students, and so on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Part of the problem, union leader Ortiz said, is that the district has done a poor job of budgeting for how many teachers it will need each year. As for covering the district’s deficit — to pay for more teachers — he said the district should draw further on its reserve. “The reserve is for a rainy day, and right now, it’s flooding. Our most vulnerable students are the ones receiving the blunt end of this. Cutting classroom teachers is not the answer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, FCMAT’s Fine argues that it has to be part of the equation. “Lots of school boards say cut as far away from the classroom as you can, but when you have declining enrollment, you cut at the classroom level. But it’s really tough. It’s difficult as heck. It is horrendous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fine argues that the issue of teacher vacancies is a nuanced one and that there may be possible solutions. There may, for example, may be too many English teachers and not enough math teachers or too many PE teachers and not enough special education teachers. He suggests that districts consider offering programs to re-credential teachers, even though this is not a short-term strategy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The solution doesn’t work for everyone, but why don’t we pay, say, English teachers, to get credentialed to teach the sixth grade? Or invest in someone to get a special ed credential?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before his departure, outgoing superintendent Hurst outlined several of the district’s recent accomplishments in his \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.wccusd.net/cms/lib/CA01001466/Centricity/Domain/77/State%20of%20Our%20District_Presentation_9_30.pdf\">State of Our District (PDF)\u003c/a> report — a reminder that putting all the attention on finances can obscure progress in other areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among those is the return to 100% in-person learning in the district after the pandemic. Another is “improved staff recruitment, development and retention,” with teacher vacancies declining from 143 two years ago to 64 in the current school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Test scores have also improved somewhat in the district, according to \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://caaspp.edsource.org/sbac/west-contra-costa-unified-07617960000000\">results of the Smarter Balanced assessments\u003c/a> students took last spring, though they still lag statewide averages and, like almost all districts in the state, are not yet up to pre-pandemic levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board recently hired David Hart as chief business manager, at least through the remainder of the school year. He’s the highly regarded former chief financial officer of the massive Los Angeles Unified, a district 20 times the size of West Contra Costa. Fine is hopeful Hart’s experience with a vastly more complex district will accelerate the district’s path to recovery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They are hiring a very skilled interim CBO,” he said. “I hope they listen to him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Louis Freedberg contributed to this report, \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2025/west-contra-costa-unified-struggles-to-stay-solvent-avoid-state-takeover/725039\">which originally appeared in EdSource.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Despite a shoestring budget and a small staff, Kira Lee has faith that within six months, her organization’s unique approach to gun violence prevention will make the streets even safer in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/richmond\">Richmond\u003c/a>, a progressive city \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/justinphillips/article/richmond-crime-homicides-progressive-reform-18626585.php\">renowned\u003c/a> for its success in reducing gun deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond is California’s first city to \u003ca href=\"https://www.silencetheviolencenow.org/\">partner with Silence the Violence\u003c/a>, a nonprofit that seeks to create safer and more equitable communities. The national effort invites residents to tailor violence prevention efforts to the needs of the blocks, streets, and roads in their neighborhoods. The local collaboration is known as the Richmond Safety Stakeholder Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Think HOA with a safety component,” Lee, the executive director of Silence the Violence, told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Lee, the program is designed to help make safety accessible to all neighborhoods, regardless of affluence, by tapping community members intent on improving the lives of their neighbors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said Silence the Violence has had no trouble finding people in Richmond to participate because those closest to a problem are usually the most motivated to find solutions. According to Lee, 41 organizations have signed up, as well as hundreds of residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Violence changes people, and it drives them in a way that they will work for free. It changes the way you speak up for yourself. It will drive you in a way that a job or a career can’t,” she said. “When you need a change, when you need to know that when you wake up in the morning, something will be different by the time you go to bed, it’s different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Silence the Violence was given $50,000 by the city. The organization asks residents, referred to as safety stakeholders, to describe their skills — and their troubles. This could be a sister experiencing abuse or a parent worried a child is being recruited by gangs that commit violence, in addition to stressors such as struggles with mental health and the lack of employment options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next step is making the right resources accessible, such as an emergency mobile safety directory, funds for youth activities or crossing guards, and social programs like the Nosy Neighbor, where retired residents sit outside for safety and visibility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every Wednesday at 6 p.m., there’s a training session for safety stakeholders. From May 30 to June 1, 2025, the first Silence the Violence summit in Richmond will be held. It will focus, Lee said, on teaching residents the “full life cycle of safety at household, neighborhood and city levels.” Attendees will also discuss gun violence, domestic violence, poverty and education gaps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Essentially, what we do is connect the dots,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12012279\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12012279\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A drone view of Point Richmond is seen in Richmond. (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Richmond is no stranger to innovation when it comes to gun violence. In the early 2000s, a group of incarcerated men at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center began what \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10889015/other-cities-emulate-richmonds-innovative-approach-to-ending-gun-violence\">evolved into the city’s Office of Neighborhood Safety\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sam Vaughn was one of those men.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had elected officials come in. We had the pastors and church members and organization leaders. And we were just giving them the best we had — best advice, the best direction,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vaughn now helps run the office, which has provided job training, substance abuse treatment, mentorship and up to $1,000 a month for those who put down firearms. The process has become so successful at reducing homicides, UC Berkeley created a \u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/news-media/school-news/professor-sheds-light-on-gun-violence\">class\u003c/a> to study its model. But Vaughn said there’s still more to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We look at it like we’re a trauma center. We’re trying to just stop the death,” he said. “But where’s the aftercare? Where’s the family practitioners? Where’s the health centers to keep you from getting diabetes in the first place? So everybody has a role to play.”[aside postID=news_12011454 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/IMG_9984.JPG_qed.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That includes longtime community organizers like Elana Bolds. She’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/otisrtaylorjr/article/The-Funeral-Singer-15834463.php\">organized Put Down the Guns block parties\u003c/a> for 16 years and said her doors are always open for neighborhood kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They know that Miss Elana is always getting ready for the next event that will benefit them and spotlight them like they’re little stars because that’s how I treat them,” Bolds said. “I don’t want them to feel like they’re throwaways and they don’t matter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She remembers the peak of gun violence in Richmond when there were many more funerals. She sang at many of them. Last year, there were eight homicides \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4010/Crime-Stat-Reports\">recorded\u003c/a> in Richmond, an 83% drop since there were 47 in \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1457\">2007\u003c/a> when gun violence in Richmond spiked. This year, there have been 10 homicides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My overall wish is that it’s more,” Bolds said, referring to gun violence prevention in Richmond. “If I got me and them, and you and you and those over there — more help, more love, more solutions, more hands, more volunteers, more to where the community benefits. The kids can be kids again. That’s it. It’s all worth it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Despite a shoestring budget and a small staff, Kira Lee has faith that within six months, her organization’s unique approach to gun violence prevention will make the streets even safer in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/richmond\">Richmond\u003c/a>, a progressive city \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/justinphillips/article/richmond-crime-homicides-progressive-reform-18626585.php\">renowned\u003c/a> for its success in reducing gun deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond is California’s first city to \u003ca href=\"https://www.silencetheviolencenow.org/\">partner with Silence the Violence\u003c/a>, a nonprofit that seeks to create safer and more equitable communities. The national effort invites residents to tailor violence prevention efforts to the needs of the blocks, streets, and roads in their neighborhoods. The local collaboration is known as the Richmond Safety Stakeholder Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Think HOA with a safety component,” Lee, the executive director of Silence the Violence, told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Lee, the program is designed to help make safety accessible to all neighborhoods, regardless of affluence, by tapping community members intent on improving the lives of their neighbors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said Silence the Violence has had no trouble finding people in Richmond to participate because those closest to a problem are usually the most motivated to find solutions. According to Lee, 41 organizations have signed up, as well as hundreds of residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Violence changes people, and it drives them in a way that they will work for free. It changes the way you speak up for yourself. It will drive you in a way that a job or a career can’t,” she said. “When you need a change, when you need to know that when you wake up in the morning, something will be different by the time you go to bed, it’s different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Silence the Violence was given $50,000 by the city. The organization asks residents, referred to as safety stakeholders, to describe their skills — and their troubles. This could be a sister experiencing abuse or a parent worried a child is being recruited by gangs that commit violence, in addition to stressors such as struggles with mental health and the lack of employment options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next step is making the right resources accessible, such as an emergency mobile safety directory, funds for youth activities or crossing guards, and social programs like the Nosy Neighbor, where retired residents sit outside for safety and visibility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every Wednesday at 6 p.m., there’s a training session for safety stakeholders. From May 30 to June 1, 2025, the first Silence the Violence summit in Richmond will be held. It will focus, Lee said, on teaching residents the “full life cycle of safety at household, neighborhood and city levels.” Attendees will also discuss gun violence, domestic violence, poverty and education gaps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Essentially, what we do is connect the dots,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12012279\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12012279\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GettyImages-1302525833_qed-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A drone view of Point Richmond is seen in Richmond. (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Richmond is no stranger to innovation when it comes to gun violence. In the early 2000s, a group of incarcerated men at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center began what \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10889015/other-cities-emulate-richmonds-innovative-approach-to-ending-gun-violence\">evolved into the city’s Office of Neighborhood Safety\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sam Vaughn was one of those men.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had elected officials come in. We had the pastors and church members and organization leaders. And we were just giving them the best we had — best advice, the best direction,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vaughn now helps run the office, which has provided job training, substance abuse treatment, mentorship and up to $1,000 a month for those who put down firearms. The process has become so successful at reducing homicides, UC Berkeley created a \u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/news-media/school-news/professor-sheds-light-on-gun-violence\">class\u003c/a> to study its model. But Vaughn said there’s still more to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We look at it like we’re a trauma center. We’re trying to just stop the death,” he said. “But where’s the aftercare? Where’s the family practitioners? Where’s the health centers to keep you from getting diabetes in the first place? So everybody has a role to play.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That includes longtime community organizers like Elana Bolds. She’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/otisrtaylorjr/article/The-Funeral-Singer-15834463.php\">organized Put Down the Guns block parties\u003c/a> for 16 years and said her doors are always open for neighborhood kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They know that Miss Elana is always getting ready for the next event that will benefit them and spotlight them like they’re little stars because that’s how I treat them,” Bolds said. “I don’t want them to feel like they’re throwaways and they don’t matter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She remembers the peak of gun violence in Richmond when there were many more funerals. She sang at many of them. Last year, there were eight homicides \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4010/Crime-Stat-Reports\">recorded\u003c/a> in Richmond, an 83% drop since there were 47 in \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1457\">2007\u003c/a> when gun violence in Richmond spiked. This year, there have been 10 homicides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My overall wish is that it’s more,” Bolds said, referring to gun violence prevention in Richmond. “If I got me and them, and you and you and those over there — more help, more love, more solutions, more hands, more volunteers, more to where the community benefits. The kids can be kids again. That’s it. It’s all worth it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "If Proposition 33 Passes, These Bay Area Cities Would See Big Rent Control Changes",
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"content": "\u003cp>If Californians vote to approve \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007197/transcript-proposition-33-would-end-state-limits-on-rent-control\">a rent control measure on the ballot\u003c/a>, thousands of Berkeley tenants could immediately see new limits on how much their landlords can raise their rent each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Families who are living in units that aren’t right for them will have a chance to move without losing their affordability,” said Leah Simon-Weisberg, a longtime tenant lawyer and chair of the city’s rent board. “For some people, it will keep them housed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That same scenario, in which the city could cap rent increases on single-family homes and apartments more than 20 years old and units with new tenants, is a nightmare for Krista Gulbransen, who heads the Berkeley Property Owners Association, representing the city’s landlords. “We would revert back to the 1980s, and it wouldn’t just be roller skates or rainbow headbands. It would be a lot worse,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12008424]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Proposition 33 would repeal a state housing law limiting how cities can regulate rents, letting local governments make that decision. Most California cities wouldn’t see an immediate change. However, in a few cities like Berkeley, local laws already contain language, allowing much more sweeping regulation than current state law. In those cities and in others where left-leaning elected officials have expressed public support for expanding rent control, renters could see the soonest benefit from Proposition 33 — and landlords the soonest headaches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 30 cities in California already \u003ca href=\"https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/california-rent-control-law.html\">place some limits on rent increases\u003c/a>, with caps ranging from 3% to 10% annually for covered units, some pegged to inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the state level, California caps rent increases for apartments and corporate-owned houses more than 15 years old at 10% per year — a rate that tenant advocates have said can still place a significant burden on tenants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of those local ordinances were once much stricter. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, concern about soaring housing costs led a few cities to limit rent increases even when a new tenant moves in — known as vacancy control. However, the 1995 law that Proposition 33 would repeal, known as the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, put a stop to that, along with any rent control on single-family homes or those built after 1995.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the ban on rent control for single-family homes that most bothers Melvin Willis, a city council member in Richmond, one of the Bay Area’s few remaining solidly working-class cities. Many families in his district rent their houses, he said, and some complain to him about steep rent increases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a hard conversation to have with someone when they say, ‘My rent increased, but we have rent control,’ ” he said. Willis recalled explaining to one family whose rent had doubled that the city’s 3% cap on rent bumps doesn’t apply to single-family homes. “I’ve had that conversation multiple times and it doesn’t feel good,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond’s rent ordinance leaves out any housing “exempt from rent control pursuant to the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act.” Willis and other affordable housing advocates take that to mean that if Costa-Hawkins goes away, single-family homes and other dwellings that the state law excluded would automatically fall under rent control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nicolas Traylor, the executive director of Richmond’s rent program, was more cautious. The ordinance could be referring to units actually exempt under Costa-Hawkins, he said, or just the types of units, like single-family homes, that Costa-Hawkins excluded. If Proposition 33 passes, he said, the rent program’s general counsel would have to recommend how to move forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, city supervisors avoided that ambiguity by unanimously passing legislation that would kick in if Proposition 33 passes, bringing rent control to an estimated 16,000 additional units. Mayor London Breed has said \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/15/rent-control-san-francisco-prop-33-london-breed/\">she will sign it\u003c/a> if the proposition passes, the San Francisco Standard reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco belongs to a group of cities — along with Berkeley, Oakland, Los Angeles, and the southern California cities of West Hollywood and Santa Monica — with longstanding rent control that current state law especially constrains. That’s because Costa-Hawkins grandfathered in any exemptions they had for more newly built units. So, in San Francisco, apartments built after 1979 are considered “new construction” and exempt from rent control. In Los Angeles, it’s 1978.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"From the 2024 Voter Guide\" link1='https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california,Learn about the California Propositions' hero=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/80/2024/09/Aside-California-Propositions-2024-General-Election-1200x1200-1.png]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s completely arbitrary that we can create rent control for buildings from 1978, but we can’t do it for 1980,” said Los Angeles City Council member Hugo Soto-Martínez, pointing to the city’s homelessness crisis. “Every year, we continue to lose more of our rent-stabilized housing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The council last week passed a resolution, authored by Soto-Martínez, endorsing Proposition 33.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those kinds of actions by cities trouble landlords, who point out that their costs for utilities and insurance are rising, in some cases, outpacing inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email newsletter sent to housing providers Friday, real estate firm Bornstein Law warned its clients that “there is a real possibility that Proposition 33 will pass because of the widespread belief that the rents are too damn high.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The firm urged landlords, in preparation for the potential policy shift, “to raise the rents to market rate if landlords are able to do so” and to consider offering voluntary buyouts to tenants paying below-market rent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Proposition 33 opponents have also raised concerns that cities will enact rent control so strict it will stifle new housing construction at a time when the state desperately needs it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The state has done so much to remove barriers to building housing and to incentivize affordable housing construction, but Proposition 33 would give NIMBY cities a really powerful weapon to do an end run around those rules,” said Nathan Click, a spokesperson for the No on 33 campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, San Francisco shows that, given the flexibility to craft new policies, even cities with strong histories of tenant advocacy might opt for more modest changes to rent control that can win broad political support. Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin had originally proposed that the city expand rent control to cover housing built before 2024 but walked that back to 1994, an idea that won backing from both the city government’s progressive and moderate wings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local rent control expansion “is also going to depend on not just tenant and housing organizations but other civil society organizations in those communities,” said Shanti Singh, legislative director for Tenants Together. “Are they going to be ready to or willing to push for it?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Manuel Pastor, director of the University of Southern California’s Equity Research Institute, said his research shows that rent stabilization without vacancy control helps prevent displacement by keeping rents more affordable while avoiding slowing new construction since there are still incentives to build.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If cities start capping rent increases when new tenants move in, he said, the effects become more difficult to predict. That’s in part because the last time California cities experimented with vacancy control was more than 30 years ago — back when more multifamily housing was being built and before the tech boom put unprecedented pressure on Northern California’s housing market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing that is likely, he said: California would see geographic variation, with more progressive coastal cities putting in stricter rent caps while inland cities with moderate politics seek to lure development with looser rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the proponents of Prop. 33 think this will solve our housing crisis, they’re mistaken,” he said. “If the opponents of Prop. 33 think that this will result in housing armageddon, they’re mistaken as well.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If Californians vote to approve \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007197/transcript-proposition-33-would-end-state-limits-on-rent-control\">a rent control measure on the ballot\u003c/a>, thousands of Berkeley tenants could immediately see new limits on how much their landlords can raise their rent each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Families who are living in units that aren’t right for them will have a chance to move without losing their affordability,” said Leah Simon-Weisberg, a longtime tenant lawyer and chair of the city’s rent board. “For some people, it will keep them housed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That same scenario, in which the city could cap rent increases on single-family homes and apartments more than 20 years old and units with new tenants, is a nightmare for Krista Gulbransen, who heads the Berkeley Property Owners Association, representing the city’s landlords. “We would revert back to the 1980s, and it wouldn’t just be roller skates or rainbow headbands. It would be a lot worse,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Proposition 33 would repeal a state housing law limiting how cities can regulate rents, letting local governments make that decision. Most California cities wouldn’t see an immediate change. However, in a few cities like Berkeley, local laws already contain language, allowing much more sweeping regulation than current state law. In those cities and in others where left-leaning elected officials have expressed public support for expanding rent control, renters could see the soonest benefit from Proposition 33 — and landlords the soonest headaches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 30 cities in California already \u003ca href=\"https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/california-rent-control-law.html\">place some limits on rent increases\u003c/a>, with caps ranging from 3% to 10% annually for covered units, some pegged to inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the state level, California caps rent increases for apartments and corporate-owned houses more than 15 years old at 10% per year — a rate that tenant advocates have said can still place a significant burden on tenants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of those local ordinances were once much stricter. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, concern about soaring housing costs led a few cities to limit rent increases even when a new tenant moves in — known as vacancy control. However, the 1995 law that Proposition 33 would repeal, known as the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, put a stop to that, along with any rent control on single-family homes or those built after 1995.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the ban on rent control for single-family homes that most bothers Melvin Willis, a city council member in Richmond, one of the Bay Area’s few remaining solidly working-class cities. Many families in his district rent their houses, he said, and some complain to him about steep rent increases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a hard conversation to have with someone when they say, ‘My rent increased, but we have rent control,’ ” he said. Willis recalled explaining to one family whose rent had doubled that the city’s 3% cap on rent bumps doesn’t apply to single-family homes. “I’ve had that conversation multiple times and it doesn’t feel good,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond’s rent ordinance leaves out any housing “exempt from rent control pursuant to the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act.” Willis and other affordable housing advocates take that to mean that if Costa-Hawkins goes away, single-family homes and other dwellings that the state law excluded would automatically fall under rent control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nicolas Traylor, the executive director of Richmond’s rent program, was more cautious. The ordinance could be referring to units actually exempt under Costa-Hawkins, he said, or just the types of units, like single-family homes, that Costa-Hawkins excluded. If Proposition 33 passes, he said, the rent program’s general counsel would have to recommend how to move forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, city supervisors avoided that ambiguity by unanimously passing legislation that would kick in if Proposition 33 passes, bringing rent control to an estimated 16,000 additional units. Mayor London Breed has said \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/15/rent-control-san-francisco-prop-33-london-breed/\">she will sign it\u003c/a> if the proposition passes, the San Francisco Standard reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco belongs to a group of cities — along with Berkeley, Oakland, Los Angeles, and the southern California cities of West Hollywood and Santa Monica — with longstanding rent control that current state law especially constrains. That’s because Costa-Hawkins grandfathered in any exemptions they had for more newly built units. So, in San Francisco, apartments built after 1979 are considered “new construction” and exempt from rent control. In Los Angeles, it’s 1978.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s completely arbitrary that we can create rent control for buildings from 1978, but we can’t do it for 1980,” said Los Angeles City Council member Hugo Soto-Martínez, pointing to the city’s homelessness crisis. “Every year, we continue to lose more of our rent-stabilized housing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The council last week passed a resolution, authored by Soto-Martínez, endorsing Proposition 33.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those kinds of actions by cities trouble landlords, who point out that their costs for utilities and insurance are rising, in some cases, outpacing inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email newsletter sent to housing providers Friday, real estate firm Bornstein Law warned its clients that “there is a real possibility that Proposition 33 will pass because of the widespread belief that the rents are too damn high.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The firm urged landlords, in preparation for the potential policy shift, “to raise the rents to market rate if landlords are able to do so” and to consider offering voluntary buyouts to tenants paying below-market rent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Proposition 33 opponents have also raised concerns that cities will enact rent control so strict it will stifle new housing construction at a time when the state desperately needs it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The state has done so much to remove barriers to building housing and to incentivize affordable housing construction, but Proposition 33 would give NIMBY cities a really powerful weapon to do an end run around those rules,” said Nathan Click, a spokesperson for the No on 33 campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, San Francisco shows that, given the flexibility to craft new policies, even cities with strong histories of tenant advocacy might opt for more modest changes to rent control that can win broad political support. Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin had originally proposed that the city expand rent control to cover housing built before 2024 but walked that back to 1994, an idea that won backing from both the city government’s progressive and moderate wings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local rent control expansion “is also going to depend on not just tenant and housing organizations but other civil society organizations in those communities,” said Shanti Singh, legislative director for Tenants Together. “Are they going to be ready to or willing to push for it?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Manuel Pastor, director of the University of Southern California’s Equity Research Institute, said his research shows that rent stabilization without vacancy control helps prevent displacement by keeping rents more affordable while avoiding slowing new construction since there are still incentives to build.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If cities start capping rent increases when new tenants move in, he said, the effects become more difficult to predict. That’s in part because the last time California cities experimented with vacancy control was more than 30 years ago — back when more multifamily housing was being built and before the tech boom put unprecedented pressure on Northern California’s housing market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing that is likely, he said: California would see geographic variation, with more progressive coastal cities putting in stricter rent caps while inland cities with moderate politics seek to lure development with looser rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Annie’s Annuals in Richmond to Reopen as Employee-Owned Nursery After Abrupt Closure",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 2:05 p.m. Friday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A popular Richmond nursery that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007947/richmond-nursery-employees-allege-owners-bullying-abrupt-closure\">shut down abruptly last month\u003c/a> amid employees’ concerns about its management will reopen under a new name — but plans to get back to its roots, according to its new owner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colleen Wheeler, who was the head of research and development at Annie’s Annuals and Perennials when it shut down, has purchased the Richmond nursery and its stock of plants, she said. While other owners bought the name and online services, Wheeler said she and a team of about 15 former Annie’s employees plan to continue the legacy started by Annie Hayes three decades ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s such a lovely expression of the joy that [Hayes] imparted on everybody who walked through these gates, and all we can hope to do is do right by that legacy, continue it on inside of this space, and provide further inspiration to people,” Wheeler said. “And continue to fill Bay Area gardens with the plants that have really defined gardening and horticulture in the broader Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wheeler was one of a few employees held over after former owner Sarah Hundley announced earlier this month that she would close Annie’s due to medical issues. Multiple former employees, however, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007947/richmond-nursery-employees-allege-owners-bullying-abrupt-closure\">told KQED\u003c/a> that since Hundley took over the nursery from Hayes in 2021, she had berated and bullied managers as business went downhill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundley has denied the allegations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the closure, Wheeler was tasked with keeping the plants alive while Hundley worked out a sale of the space and stock. She and the other staff members still employed realized that by combining their assets — with the help of Wheeler’s mother, Penny Orland — they could purchase the space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything that we needed was here, and it was within our reach,” Wheeler said. She and her mother are co-owners of the new nursery, which will be called Curious Flora Nursery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008026\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12008026\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-800x1066.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1066\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-800x1066.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Annie’s Annuals, known for rare and beautiful plants, is certified as a wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Kaylan Segev)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s just been a roller coaster of three weeks, putting everything in place to do that,” Wheeler continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with Wheeler, Curious Flora will be led by Memo Galarza and Carlos Castillo, two of Hayes’ earliest employees. Together, they hope to get back to the Annie’s that Wheeler said she began making “pilgrimages up to” when she was first studying horticulture in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I heard about this wild and crazy nursery where they had to have these huge parties, and they would play these amazing games and people would dance,” Wheeler said. “There was like a ‘Supermarket Sweep’ where somebody would have 15 minutes with a little red wagon to fill up with as many plants as they could.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wheeler said people can expect more parties with gogo dancers, community events and rare plants in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Curious Flora plans to open Nov. 2, less than a month after Hundley announced Annie’s would close immediately — shocking and saddening longtime fans, some of whom had traveled from as far as Colorado to peruse the curated selection of rare and native plants over the years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others questioned whether Hundley was closing the beloved business fairly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gift cards were voided, and returns weren’t allowed upon the store’s closing — the same day it was announced. Employees said they only found out the day before, many through managers or other co-workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 10, including Melanie Williams, who started working at Annie’s in 2013, accused Hundley of bullying. Many said she did not run the business efficiently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12007947 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-1-1020x765.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, Hundley told KQED in an email that she “closed the business in a way that I could best take care of them one last time by providing them with severance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said Thursday that she was thrilled the business would now be owned by people who have loved Annie’s for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Having a group of employees who love the nursery continue its legacy is very special, and I am excited to see Annie’s live on for them and the community,” Hundley said via email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said she was “elated” for the future of the business under Wheeler and the others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Curious Flora will not be able to bring back all employees let go by Hundley, Wheeler said, since the business is not going to be doing mail orders just yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re going to have to be a little lean and just wait for the public to find their way back to us,” Wheeler said. “But we have every intention of offering all of the great elements that have defined this space.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Hageman family, who owns one of the largest independent organic farm and garden suppliers, has acquired Annie’s name, logos, website and online ordering, Wheeler said. According to an Instagram post, its collections will be available online for shipping again next spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a post on their site, people with outstanding gift cards, pending purchases or returns can file a claim with \u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/view/faqs-regarding-apisregina-inc\">ApisRegina\u003c/a>, which is doing business for Annie’s Annuals and Perennials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wheeler said building up Curious Flora isn’t going to be easy, but it will be guided by wisdom from Hayes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Through all of the years when they had struggles, and they didn’t know how they were going to make it work, she would just remind everybody that the nursery wants to live and that the nursery has always wanted to live,” Wheeler said. “Knowing that [Galarza] and [Castillo] are here to guide the nursery going forward … us doing this would allow the nursery to continue to live.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 2:05 p.m. Friday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A popular Richmond nursery that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007947/richmond-nursery-employees-allege-owners-bullying-abrupt-closure\">shut down abruptly last month\u003c/a> amid employees’ concerns about its management will reopen under a new name — but plans to get back to its roots, according to its new owner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colleen Wheeler, who was the head of research and development at Annie’s Annuals and Perennials when it shut down, has purchased the Richmond nursery and its stock of plants, she said. While other owners bought the name and online services, Wheeler said she and a team of about 15 former Annie’s employees plan to continue the legacy started by Annie Hayes three decades ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s such a lovely expression of the joy that [Hayes] imparted on everybody who walked through these gates, and all we can hope to do is do right by that legacy, continue it on inside of this space, and provide further inspiration to people,” Wheeler said. “And continue to fill Bay Area gardens with the plants that have really defined gardening and horticulture in the broader Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wheeler was one of a few employees held over after former owner Sarah Hundley announced earlier this month that she would close Annie’s due to medical issues. Multiple former employees, however, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007947/richmond-nursery-employees-allege-owners-bullying-abrupt-closure\">told KQED\u003c/a> that since Hundley took over the nursery from Hayes in 2021, she had berated and bullied managers as business went downhill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundley has denied the allegations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the closure, Wheeler was tasked with keeping the plants alive while Hundley worked out a sale of the space and stock. She and the other staff members still employed realized that by combining their assets — with the help of Wheeler’s mother, Penny Orland — they could purchase the space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything that we needed was here, and it was within our reach,” Wheeler said. She and her mother are co-owners of the new nursery, which will be called Curious Flora Nursery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008026\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12008026\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-800x1066.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1066\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-800x1066.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-4-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Annie’s Annuals, known for rare and beautiful plants, is certified as a wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Kaylan Segev)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s just been a roller coaster of three weeks, putting everything in place to do that,” Wheeler continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with Wheeler, Curious Flora will be led by Memo Galarza and Carlos Castillo, two of Hayes’ earliest employees. Together, they hope to get back to the Annie’s that Wheeler said she began making “pilgrimages up to” when she was first studying horticulture in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I heard about this wild and crazy nursery where they had to have these huge parties, and they would play these amazing games and people would dance,” Wheeler said. “There was like a ‘Supermarket Sweep’ where somebody would have 15 minutes with a little red wagon to fill up with as many plants as they could.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wheeler said people can expect more parties with gogo dancers, community events and rare plants in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Curious Flora plans to open Nov. 2, less than a month after Hundley announced Annie’s would close immediately — shocking and saddening longtime fans, some of whom had traveled from as far as Colorado to peruse the curated selection of rare and native plants over the years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others questioned whether Hundley was closing the beloved business fairly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gift cards were voided, and returns weren’t allowed upon the store’s closing — the same day it was announced. Employees said they only found out the day before, many through managers or other co-workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 10, including Melanie Williams, who started working at Annie’s in 2013, accused Hundley of bullying. Many said she did not run the business efficiently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, Hundley told KQED in an email that she “closed the business in a way that I could best take care of them one last time by providing them with severance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said Thursday that she was thrilled the business would now be owned by people who have loved Annie’s for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Having a group of employees who love the nursery continue its legacy is very special, and I am excited to see Annie’s live on for them and the community,” Hundley said via email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said she was “elated” for the future of the business under Wheeler and the others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Curious Flora will not be able to bring back all employees let go by Hundley, Wheeler said, since the business is not going to be doing mail orders just yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re going to have to be a little lean and just wait for the public to find their way back to us,” Wheeler said. “But we have every intention of offering all of the great elements that have defined this space.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Hageman family, who owns one of the largest independent organic farm and garden suppliers, has acquired Annie’s name, logos, website and online ordering, Wheeler said. According to an Instagram post, its collections will be available online for shipping again next spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a post on their site, people with outstanding gift cards, pending purchases or returns can file a claim with \u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/view/faqs-regarding-apisregina-inc\">ApisRegina\u003c/a>, which is doing business for Annie’s Annuals and Perennials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wheeler said building up Curious Flora isn’t going to be easy, but it will be guided by wisdom from Hayes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Through all of the years when they had struggles, and they didn’t know how they were going to make it work, she would just remind everybody that the nursery wants to live and that the nursery has always wanted to live,” Wheeler said. “Knowing that [Galarza] and [Castillo] are here to guide the nursery going forward … us doing this would allow the nursery to continue to live.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Richmond Nursery Employees Allege Owner Bullied Them Amid Abrupt Closure",
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"content": "\u003cp>After a famed Richmond nursery abruptly shut down Thursday, former and current employees are accusing its owner of being a “bully” and driving the business into the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarah Hundley took over Annie’s Annuals and Perennials when owner Annie Hayes retired in 2021 after 30 years of running the nursery known for rare and beautiful plant varietals, native plants and knowledgeable staff. In a note posted on the company’s social media on Thursday and attributed to her, Hundley said that health issues had played a significant role in needing to shut down the nursery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Despite my best efforts, the challenges — both personal and business-related — escalated much faster than I ever anticipated, and I could no longer maintain business operations,” the statement reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Melanie Williams, who began working at Annie’s Annuals and Perennials in 2013, said that since Hundley took over, the business has gone downhill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A shady person bought a wonderful business. She was able to convince [Hayes] that she was a great person and [Hayes] believed her,” Williams told KQED. “We’ve been fighting ever since to keep our sanity and keep the business productive. Now that’s all gone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008025\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008025\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sarah Hundley took over ownership of Annie’s Annuals and Perennials in 2021 after founder Annie Hayes’ 30-year tenure. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Kaylan Segev)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, after KQED’s story was published, Hundley denied the allegations made by her former employees, saying that she cares about her employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have tried since the day I purchased Annie’s to make changes that would improve the lives and safety of each team member, and I closed the business in a way that I could best take care of them one last time by providing them with severance,” Hundley said via email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said that a condition of that severance was to not speak negatively of Hundley or the business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beth VanTassell, who had also worked at Annie’s since 2013, shared a story similar to Williams’.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VanTassell, who a colleague described as one of the “matriarchs” of the nursery, told KQED that soon after Hundley took over, she began acting verbally abusive to managers, seemingly in an effort to drive them to quit. Two other former employees, who spoke to KQED on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation and litigation, corroborated this claim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Williams, only four of the roughly 10 managers on staff when Hundley became the owner remained by the time the business shut down this week, and three of those leaders had quit their managerial roles and come back on the condition that they would not have to interact with Hundley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have so many coworkers who have left under mental, emotional and physical duress,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12006203 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/017_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022_qed-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VanTassell said that despite Hundley’s behavior, she didn’t want to leave her job and stayed because of the relationships she had with other employees, including several who worked under her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said one of the final straws came after Hundley repeatedly reprimanded her for placing an order and accusing her of spending too much money and causing budgetary strain on the business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She would call me to her office and just belittle me and tell me how horrible I was and how I was ruining everything for the business,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After months of this, VanTassel said, Hundley yelled at her in front of coworkers during a managers’ meeting, kicked her out and told her she was no longer welcome at these high-level staff discussions. Williams and another coworker, Roxanne Seraphin, confirmed VanTassel’s telling of the events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I left the room, and I proceeded to fall on the ground and just burst into tears,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I continued to work until I knew that everybody that I cared about, and I was in charge of, was gone. And sure enough, they left,” VanTassell said. She left Annie’s in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundley said that VanTassell made the decision without consulting her, and it “cost the company a great deal of money that could not be recovered.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said that the business had been losing money for at least a few years, and there were signs that the nursery might close, but Wednesday’s announcement that they would be shutting down almost immediately came as a surprise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She found out about the closure on Wednesday when another employee shared a photo of a letter they received. On Thursday, a message went out on social media alerting the public that it would shut down the same day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staff gathered at the nursery on Friday for a meeting to discuss severance, according to Williams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundley said that current health issues she is experiencing needed to be addressed immediately, and made it impossible to run the nursery, which is a strenuous task. She said that she has not found a buyer for the business at this time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is unclear what will happen to the store’s current stock, though Williams said she believes a few employees might be retained to ensure the plants stay alive in the short term. Customers with gift cards or items to return were told they were not able to be accommodated, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://blog.anniesannuals.com/annies-annuals-closure_notice/\">frequently asked questions page\u003c/a> posted on the nursery’s website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She isn’t sure what she’ll do next but said she’s worried about her coworkers — especially at least two households that two of Annie’s employees support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love what I do, and that’s how everybody there feels. It’s a wonderful group of people, and we just couldn’t imagine it ending this way,” Williams said. “There were signs, but we didn’t see this coming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story has been updated to include Sarah Hundley’s responses to KQED’s questions. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Annie’s Annuals and Perennials, known for rare and beautiful plants, posted to social media on Thursday that it was closing after serving the East Bay community for more than 30 years.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After a famed Richmond nursery abruptly shut down Thursday, former and current employees are accusing its owner of being a “bully” and driving the business into the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarah Hundley took over Annie’s Annuals and Perennials when owner Annie Hayes retired in 2021 after 30 years of running the nursery known for rare and beautiful plant varietals, native plants and knowledgeable staff. In a note posted on the company’s social media on Thursday and attributed to her, Hundley said that health issues had played a significant role in needing to shut down the nursery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Despite my best efforts, the challenges — both personal and business-related — escalated much faster than I ever anticipated, and I could no longer maintain business operations,” the statement reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Melanie Williams, who began working at Annie’s Annuals and Perennials in 2013, said that since Hundley took over, the business has gone downhill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A shady person bought a wonderful business. She was able to convince [Hayes] that she was a great person and [Hayes] believed her,” Williams told KQED. “We’ve been fighting ever since to keep our sanity and keep the business productive. Now that’s all gone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008025\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008025\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Annies-Annuals-3-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sarah Hundley took over ownership of Annie’s Annuals and Perennials in 2021 after founder Annie Hayes’ 30-year tenure. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Kaylan Segev)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, after KQED’s story was published, Hundley denied the allegations made by her former employees, saying that she cares about her employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have tried since the day I purchased Annie’s to make changes that would improve the lives and safety of each team member, and I closed the business in a way that I could best take care of them one last time by providing them with severance,” Hundley said via email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said that a condition of that severance was to not speak negatively of Hundley or the business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beth VanTassell, who had also worked at Annie’s since 2013, shared a story similar to Williams’.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VanTassell, who a colleague described as one of the “matriarchs” of the nursery, told KQED that soon after Hundley took over, she began acting verbally abusive to managers, seemingly in an effort to drive them to quit. Two other former employees, who spoke to KQED on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation and litigation, corroborated this claim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Williams, only four of the roughly 10 managers on staff when Hundley became the owner remained by the time the business shut down this week, and three of those leaders had quit their managerial roles and come back on the condition that they would not have to interact with Hundley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have so many coworkers who have left under mental, emotional and physical duress,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VanTassell said that despite Hundley’s behavior, she didn’t want to leave her job and stayed because of the relationships she had with other employees, including several who worked under her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said one of the final straws came after Hundley repeatedly reprimanded her for placing an order and accusing her of spending too much money and causing budgetary strain on the business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She would call me to her office and just belittle me and tell me how horrible I was and how I was ruining everything for the business,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After months of this, VanTassel said, Hundley yelled at her in front of coworkers during a managers’ meeting, kicked her out and told her she was no longer welcome at these high-level staff discussions. Williams and another coworker, Roxanne Seraphin, confirmed VanTassel’s telling of the events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I left the room, and I proceeded to fall on the ground and just burst into tears,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I continued to work until I knew that everybody that I cared about, and I was in charge of, was gone. And sure enough, they left,” VanTassell said. She left Annie’s in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundley said that VanTassell made the decision without consulting her, and it “cost the company a great deal of money that could not be recovered.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said that the business had been losing money for at least a few years, and there were signs that the nursery might close, but Wednesday’s announcement that they would be shutting down almost immediately came as a surprise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She found out about the closure on Wednesday when another employee shared a photo of a letter they received. On Thursday, a message went out on social media alerting the public that it would shut down the same day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staff gathered at the nursery on Friday for a meeting to discuss severance, according to Williams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundley said that current health issues she is experiencing needed to be addressed immediately, and made it impossible to run the nursery, which is a strenuous task. She said that she has not found a buyer for the business at this time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is unclear what will happen to the store’s current stock, though Williams said she believes a few employees might be retained to ensure the plants stay alive in the short term. Customers with gift cards or items to return were told they were not able to be accommodated, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://blog.anniesannuals.com/annies-annuals-closure_notice/\">frequently asked questions page\u003c/a> posted on the nursery’s website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She isn’t sure what she’ll do next but said she’s worried about her coworkers — especially at least two households that two of Annie’s employees support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love what I do, and that’s how everybody there feels. It’s a wonderful group of people, and we just couldn’t imagine it ending this way,” Williams said. “There were signs, but we didn’t see this coming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story has been updated to include Sarah Hundley’s responses to KQED’s questions. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Richmond’s Plan to Spend $550 Million from Chevron Considers a Future Without the Oil Giant",
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"content": "\u003cp>Richmond leaders are marching ahead with a plan to spend $550 million that the city is slated to receive over the next decade from an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000170/richmond-drops-bid-for-chevron-refinery-tax-in-550-million-deal-with-company\">August settlement with Chevron\u003c/a>, eyeing upgrades to essential city services and preparations for a future less dependent on fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council voted 6–1 Tuesday night to approve a \u003ca href=\"https://pub-richmond.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=55168\">resolution\u003c/a> roughly outlining how funds would be distributed. In addition to prioritizing services like maintaining roads, improving parks and building affordable housing, the resolution aims to prepare the city to weather the potential loss of its largest taxpayer in Chevron’s Richmond refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Let us not be Detroit when the auto industry crashed,” said Councilmember Doria Robinson, who helped craft the resolution. “We know the state of California has a mandate to stop selling combustion-fueled cars. That is going to impact the fossil fuel industry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin and Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez worked with Robinson on the plan, which garnered significant support among those who publicly commented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The resolution emphasizes “community-led” decision-making in how the funds will be used and lays out a plan to spend the money to develop Richmond’s local economy and workforce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its settlement last month, Chevron agreed to pay $550 million if Richmond dropped a November ballot measure that would have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992910/richmond-oil-refining-tax-on-chevron-a-major-polluter-moves-closer-to-ballot\">imposed a new oil-refining tax on the company\u003c/a>. The measure appeared to be overwhelmingly popular among the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11998605 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/10/RS5929_008-lpr-1440x960.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Families living with the pollution of the Chevron refinery needed confirmation that hard-fought settlement funds would be invested in our health and well-being,” Richmond resident Sandy Saeteurn said in a statement. “With tonight’s vote, the city is committing to fund the services and infrastructure we need today while planning for a future beyond oil for Richmond when the refinery closes.” Saeteurn is Contra Costa’s political director for the environmental justice group Asian Pacific Environmental Network Action, which helped propose the initial oil-refining tax.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Soheila Bana introduced a competing resolution on Tuesday to hire outside consultants to help plan fund distributions. The resolution did not draw much support from the public or other council members.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the settlement, Chevron will pay the city $50 million annually for the next five years and $60 million annually for the next five years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As the City’s largest employer and taxpayer, we have been enabling human progress in Richmond for over 100 years and remain invested in the continued progress and prosperity of the Richmond community we share,” a Chevron spokesperson said in a statement to KQED. “Our recent agreement with the City builds on this partnership, and we hope the associated funding will be used responsibly and transparently to help our Richmond community flourish.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Payments to the city of Richmond will start July 30, 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Richmond leaders are marching ahead with a plan to spend $550 million that the city is slated to receive over the next decade from an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000170/richmond-drops-bid-for-chevron-refinery-tax-in-550-million-deal-with-company\">August settlement with Chevron\u003c/a>, eyeing upgrades to essential city services and preparations for a future less dependent on fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council voted 6–1 Tuesday night to approve a \u003ca href=\"https://pub-richmond.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=55168\">resolution\u003c/a> roughly outlining how funds would be distributed. In addition to prioritizing services like maintaining roads, improving parks and building affordable housing, the resolution aims to prepare the city to weather the potential loss of its largest taxpayer in Chevron’s Richmond refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Let us not be Detroit when the auto industry crashed,” said Councilmember Doria Robinson, who helped craft the resolution. “We know the state of California has a mandate to stop selling combustion-fueled cars. That is going to impact the fossil fuel industry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin and Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez worked with Robinson on the plan, which garnered significant support among those who publicly commented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The resolution emphasizes “community-led” decision-making in how the funds will be used and lays out a plan to spend the money to develop Richmond’s local economy and workforce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its settlement last month, Chevron agreed to pay $550 million if Richmond dropped a November ballot measure that would have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992910/richmond-oil-refining-tax-on-chevron-a-major-polluter-moves-closer-to-ballot\">imposed a new oil-refining tax on the company\u003c/a>. The measure appeared to be overwhelmingly popular among the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Families living with the pollution of the Chevron refinery needed confirmation that hard-fought settlement funds would be invested in our health and well-being,” Richmond resident Sandy Saeteurn said in a statement. “With tonight’s vote, the city is committing to fund the services and infrastructure we need today while planning for a future beyond oil for Richmond when the refinery closes.” Saeteurn is Contra Costa’s political director for the environmental justice group Asian Pacific Environmental Network Action, which helped propose the initial oil-refining tax.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Soheila Bana introduced a competing resolution on Tuesday to hire outside consultants to help plan fund distributions. The resolution did not draw much support from the public or other council members.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the settlement, Chevron will pay the city $50 million annually for the next five years and $60 million annually for the next five years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As the City’s largest employer and taxpayer, we have been enabling human progress in Richmond for over 100 years and remain invested in the continued progress and prosperity of the Richmond community we share,” a Chevron spokesperson said in a statement to KQED. “Our recent agreement with the City builds on this partnership, and we hope the associated funding will be used responsibly and transparently to help our Richmond community flourish.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Payments to the city of Richmond will start July 30, 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Thousands in Richmond Told to Get Licenses for Businesses Many Didn’t Even Know They Owned",
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"content": "\u003cp>Around 4,000 Richmond residents this month received letters from the city’s finance department saying they need to register their businesses and pay the appropriate taxes from last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that came as a surprise to many who were unaware that they were operating a business in Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letters — which the city said are part of a new approach to get “everyone to pay their fair share” — direct recipients to City Hall to get their business cleared and inspected by Sept. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letters say the city received information from the state Franchise Tax Board that shows business activity was conducted at a Richmond residence, most often people’s home address, without the appropriate business tax certificate. That requires paying a $39 application fee and annual taxes of between 0.075% to 1.395% on a business’ gross receipts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For someone making $40,000 a year, that could be between $70 and $600, depending on the type of industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the letters went out late last month, a steady stream of people have trickled into City Hall, letters and tax information in hand, wondering why the city thought they were running a business out of their homes. (Full disclosure: one of those people was this reporter’s spouse.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED spoke to nearly two dozen people who received a letter. The two things most had in common were that they lived in Richmond and that last year, they filed a version of Form 1099, a common document for independent contractors, freelance employees, gig workers or people who received one-time payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many said they felt confused and even fearful when they opened the letters, as they worried they could face penalties if they didn’t get a license. Some said they had tried to call the number on the letter but couldn’t reach anyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents who received letters and subsequent business applications from city staff included a full-time Uber driver, a landscaper, a handyman, and a housekeeper, all who said they don’t work in Richmond. One confused recipient was a mother who didn’t work at all in 2023 because she was caring for her newborn child. Another recipient said their only 1099 in 2023 was for $17.07.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond is one of many California cities participating in the state’s opt-in information-sharing program, which uses tax board information to help “identify unlicensed individuals or businesses.” In return, the state uses city and county data to “identify self-employed individuals or businesses who are not filing required state income tax returns.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katherine Gorringe, a documentary filmmaker, said receiving that letter “struck fear into my heart.” She has an accountant and has her business pay taxes as an \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed\">S Corporation,\u003c/a> where she’s the only employee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I like to think I’m really on top of those things. So it was shocking to get in the mail, and it had some wording on it that I would have to be approved or have an inspection, and so that just made me really nervous,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there was one thing that really stuck out to Gorringe: she got an extension on her 2023 taxes and her accountant hasn’t even filed them yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"more on Richmond\" tag=\"richmond\"]“In the letter, it indicated that it was for the calendar year 2023 that the Franchise Tax Board had informed them that I had reported business income, so that is just untrue,” Gorringe said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Andrew LePage, a spokesperson for the Franchise Tax Board, said the state doesn’t share 1099 filing information or business expenses or income with cities and counties. Instead, local governments submit \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/misc/909A.pdf\">their business tax licensee data\u003c/a>, which the tax board matches with tax returns. That process reveals “additional businesses or individuals who have indicated on their return that they conduct business in the participating city or county.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a FAQ on the back of the letter, the city states that businesses “both large and small” in Richmond are required to have the tax certificate and that “Most activities conducted within the city on a continuing and regular basis are considered engaging in business and subject to business license tax.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jeff Rogers, a handyman who has lived in Richmond for 17 years, was surprised and confused by the letter. “I work all over the place,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His business is based out of El Cerrito, where he has a business license, so he wonders what Richmond wants him to pay taxes on. \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/2913/Measure-U---Gross-Receipts-Ballot-Measur\">City rules\u003c/a> say taxes will be calculated based on gross receipts from sales in Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have no problem getting a business license, but if this is just a way for them to get their hands in my pockets and screw me over, that’s where I have a problem,” Rogers said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David James has been in real estate for 20 years. He works for an agency in Berkeley and doesn’t consider his Richmond home his office. Still, he got the letter and left City Hall Friday with a business license application form.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t understand what it was or what it was about, and now they’re telling me I have to pay for doing business in Richmond and have a business license, and I don’t have a business in Richmond,” James said after visiting the Finance Department. “If I knew how to fight it, I would be fighting it. I’m trying to figure it out. Right now, it makes no sense at all.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Antonio Banuelos — the city accounting manager whose signature appears on the letters — briefed the city council on the information-sharing agreement with the Franchise Tax Board at its Sept. 10 meeting. Banuelos told the council that many people who responded to the letters were not aware the city required them to have a business license. Some, he said, should not have received a letter, including people whose businesses are located outside the city or whose employer gave them a 1099 instead of a W-2.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12004517\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 928px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240910-Antonio-Banuelos-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12004517 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240910-Antonio-Banuelos-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"928\" height=\"619\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240910-Antonio-Banuelos-KQED.jpg 928w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240910-Antonio-Banuelos-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240910-Antonio-Banuelos-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 928px) 100vw, 928px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A screenshot of Antonio Banuelos, Richmond’s accounting manager, during a City Council meeting on Sept. 10, 2024. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the city of Richmond)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Banuelos said the city also mistakenly only included the name of one person on the letter when people were filing jointly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was an error on our part and has caused some confusion,” Banuelos told the council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banuelos said the data exchange program with the Franchise Tax Board has been in place since 2009, but the city doesn’t use it every year because “it’s very labor intensive and oftentimes doesn’t lead to a lot of revenue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to questions from KQED, Banuelos said via email that the Franchise Tax Board information provided a listing of all non-wage earners, both businesses and the self-employed. Of them, “most have 1099s.” The city reviewed what the state sent, matching the tax ID or Social Security number, and then sent out the letters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banuelos said when people come into City Hall, “we do not know if we are talking with someone that reported $600 or $1,000,000 in non-wage income.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banuelos said if people do not meet the Sept. 30 deadline listed on the letter, they’ll receive another notice from the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colisa McFadden, owner of \u003ca href=\"https://cmafinancial.com/\">CMA Financial Services\u003c/a> in the Hilltop neighborhood, said the city sending letters en masse was “quite ridiculous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s scary to get that letter,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McFadden said Richmond residents who are not doing business within Richmond’s borders do not need to get a business license. “If you work from home and file a 1099, you’re self-employed and need a business license,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letters are the latest in the city’s efforts to fund city critical services, which began in 2020 with \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/2913/Measure-U---Gross-Receipts-Ballot-Measur\">Measure U\u003c/a>, which changed the city’s business tax from a per-employee payroll fee to a tax on gross receipts. The change, which \u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Richmond,_California,_Measure_U,_Business_Tax_(November_2020)\">voters approved\u003c/a>, was expected to bring $6.2 million into the city’s general fund to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/54678/Agenda-Report-852020---Richmond-Business-Tax-Ordinance-FINAL\">address quality-of-life issues\u003c/a>, like 911 response times and potholes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Measure U took effect, the city sent registered businesses letters about the changes — \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/2913/Measure-U---Gross-Receipts-Ballot-Measur\">4,000 of them went out in January 2022\u003c/a>. But the people KQED spoke to for this story say this was the first time they’d received letters from the city about alleged business activity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shawn Dunning, a candidate for the District 6 city council seat that includes City Hall, has a business license with the city for his consulting job, even though he said he has no clients in Richmond. He said Measure U changed how businesses’ taxes are calculated but not the requirements for those who need a business license.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s confusing to me why there’s an entirely new approach going on right now,” Dunning said. “I would like to give the benefit of the doubt and hope that this is just an administrative error, but if they are literally just casting a wide net and fishing to see who will take the bait, that would be really sad to me.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Around 4,000 Richmond residents this month received letters from the city’s finance department saying they need to register their businesses and pay the appropriate taxes from last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that came as a surprise to many who were unaware that they were operating a business in Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letters — which the city said are part of a new approach to get “everyone to pay their fair share” — direct recipients to City Hall to get their business cleared and inspected by Sept. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letters say the city received information from the state Franchise Tax Board that shows business activity was conducted at a Richmond residence, most often people’s home address, without the appropriate business tax certificate. That requires paying a $39 application fee and annual taxes of between 0.075% to 1.395% on a business’ gross receipts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For someone making $40,000 a year, that could be between $70 and $600, depending on the type of industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the letters went out late last month, a steady stream of people have trickled into City Hall, letters and tax information in hand, wondering why the city thought they were running a business out of their homes. (Full disclosure: one of those people was this reporter’s spouse.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED spoke to nearly two dozen people who received a letter. The two things most had in common were that they lived in Richmond and that last year, they filed a version of Form 1099, a common document for independent contractors, freelance employees, gig workers or people who received one-time payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many said they felt confused and even fearful when they opened the letters, as they worried they could face penalties if they didn’t get a license. Some said they had tried to call the number on the letter but couldn’t reach anyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents who received letters and subsequent business applications from city staff included a full-time Uber driver, a landscaper, a handyman, and a housekeeper, all who said they don’t work in Richmond. One confused recipient was a mother who didn’t work at all in 2023 because she was caring for her newborn child. Another recipient said their only 1099 in 2023 was for $17.07.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond is one of many California cities participating in the state’s opt-in information-sharing program, which uses tax board information to help “identify unlicensed individuals or businesses.” In return, the state uses city and county data to “identify self-employed individuals or businesses who are not filing required state income tax returns.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katherine Gorringe, a documentary filmmaker, said receiving that letter “struck fear into my heart.” She has an accountant and has her business pay taxes as an \u003ca href=\"https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed\">S Corporation,\u003c/a> where she’s the only employee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I like to think I’m really on top of those things. So it was shocking to get in the mail, and it had some wording on it that I would have to be approved or have an inspection, and so that just made me really nervous,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there was one thing that really stuck out to Gorringe: she got an extension on her 2023 taxes and her accountant hasn’t even filed them yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“In the letter, it indicated that it was for the calendar year 2023 that the Franchise Tax Board had informed them that I had reported business income, so that is just untrue,” Gorringe said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Andrew LePage, a spokesperson for the Franchise Tax Board, said the state doesn’t share 1099 filing information or business expenses or income with cities and counties. Instead, local governments submit \u003ca href=\"https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/misc/909A.pdf\">their business tax licensee data\u003c/a>, which the tax board matches with tax returns. That process reveals “additional businesses or individuals who have indicated on their return that they conduct business in the participating city or county.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a FAQ on the back of the letter, the city states that businesses “both large and small” in Richmond are required to have the tax certificate and that “Most activities conducted within the city on a continuing and regular basis are considered engaging in business and subject to business license tax.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jeff Rogers, a handyman who has lived in Richmond for 17 years, was surprised and confused by the letter. “I work all over the place,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His business is based out of El Cerrito, where he has a business license, so he wonders what Richmond wants him to pay taxes on. \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/2913/Measure-U---Gross-Receipts-Ballot-Measur\">City rules\u003c/a> say taxes will be calculated based on gross receipts from sales in Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have no problem getting a business license, but if this is just a way for them to get their hands in my pockets and screw me over, that’s where I have a problem,” Rogers said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David James has been in real estate for 20 years. He works for an agency in Berkeley and doesn’t consider his Richmond home his office. Still, he got the letter and left City Hall Friday with a business license application form.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t understand what it was or what it was about, and now they’re telling me I have to pay for doing business in Richmond and have a business license, and I don’t have a business in Richmond,” James said after visiting the Finance Department. “If I knew how to fight it, I would be fighting it. I’m trying to figure it out. Right now, it makes no sense at all.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Antonio Banuelos — the city accounting manager whose signature appears on the letters — briefed the city council on the information-sharing agreement with the Franchise Tax Board at its Sept. 10 meeting. Banuelos told the council that many people who responded to the letters were not aware the city required them to have a business license. Some, he said, should not have received a letter, including people whose businesses are located outside the city or whose employer gave them a 1099 instead of a W-2.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12004517\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 928px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240910-Antonio-Banuelos-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12004517 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240910-Antonio-Banuelos-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"928\" height=\"619\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240910-Antonio-Banuelos-KQED.jpg 928w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240910-Antonio-Banuelos-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240910-Antonio-Banuelos-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 928px) 100vw, 928px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A screenshot of Antonio Banuelos, Richmond’s accounting manager, during a City Council meeting on Sept. 10, 2024. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the city of Richmond)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Banuelos said the city also mistakenly only included the name of one person on the letter when people were filing jointly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was an error on our part and has caused some confusion,” Banuelos told the council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banuelos said the data exchange program with the Franchise Tax Board has been in place since 2009, but the city doesn’t use it every year because “it’s very labor intensive and oftentimes doesn’t lead to a lot of revenue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to questions from KQED, Banuelos said via email that the Franchise Tax Board information provided a listing of all non-wage earners, both businesses and the self-employed. Of them, “most have 1099s.” The city reviewed what the state sent, matching the tax ID or Social Security number, and then sent out the letters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banuelos said when people come into City Hall, “we do not know if we are talking with someone that reported $600 or $1,000,000 in non-wage income.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banuelos said if people do not meet the Sept. 30 deadline listed on the letter, they’ll receive another notice from the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colisa McFadden, owner of \u003ca href=\"https://cmafinancial.com/\">CMA Financial Services\u003c/a> in the Hilltop neighborhood, said the city sending letters en masse was “quite ridiculous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s scary to get that letter,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McFadden said Richmond residents who are not doing business within Richmond’s borders do not need to get a business license. “If you work from home and file a 1099, you’re self-employed and need a business license,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letters are the latest in the city’s efforts to fund city critical services, which began in 2020 with \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/2913/Measure-U---Gross-Receipts-Ballot-Measur\">Measure U\u003c/a>, which changed the city’s business tax from a per-employee payroll fee to a tax on gross receipts. The change, which \u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Richmond,_California,_Measure_U,_Business_Tax_(November_2020)\">voters approved\u003c/a>, was expected to bring $6.2 million into the city’s general fund to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/54678/Agenda-Report-852020---Richmond-Business-Tax-Ordinance-FINAL\">address quality-of-life issues\u003c/a>, like 911 response times and potholes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Measure U took effect, the city sent registered businesses letters about the changes — \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/2913/Measure-U---Gross-Receipts-Ballot-Measur\">4,000 of them went out in January 2022\u003c/a>. But the people KQED spoke to for this story say this was the first time they’d received letters from the city about alleged business activity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shawn Dunning, a candidate for the District 6 city council seat that includes City Hall, has a business license with the city for his consulting job, even though he said he has no clients in Richmond. He said Measure U changed how businesses’ taxes are calculated but not the requirements for those who need a business license.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, the Richmond City Council scrapped a November ballot measure that would have imposed a new oil-refining tax on the nearby Chevron refinery. Instead, the council voted unanimously to approve a $550 million settlement with the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED’s Dan Brekke explains why city leaders chose to strike a deal instead of taking the issue to the ballot box.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC6602217575&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the bay. Local news to keep you rooted. The city of Richmond has ditched a Chevron refinery tax that it planned to let voters weigh on this November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Instead, Chevron will pay the city more than half $1 billion over the next ten years as part of an agreement to prove it wants to be a good neighbor. And city officials say they want Chevron to pay up not just for past harms, but to help build a future that relies less on the oil refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>We are all ready to wait. We’re already doing too little. We need to start to work through just transition now, not in ten years. We need to make those investments now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, Richmond’s long standing battle to get Chevron to pay up. And what’s in this deal?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>There’s a natural conflict between industry and residential areas. It’s been played out in many places.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Dan Brekke is a reporter and editor for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Refineries produce lots of things that people shouldn’t be breathing. They put lots of things in the water that people shouldn’t be drinking. And Chevron does all of that stuff. The city has become more and more conscious and more and more aggressive about trying to get Chevron to respond to community concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And, you know, Richmond, like many cities and especially many cities with large minority populations. People are in the lower income brackets. They have a chronic financial problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And so they’ve turned to Chevron, which is the largest employer in town, is a. Fabulously wealthy company. I mean, they made more than $21 billion in profit last year. That’s not revenue. That’s profit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And Chevron is already the largest taxpayer in the city of Richmond by far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>They account for about one sixth of the city’s total revenue every year. So they entered into an agreement about ten years ago for Chevron to start making payments, you know, to try to pay for some of the things the city has to pay for it. So this agreement from ten years ago was running out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>It was a ten year settlement. And mindful of that, the city council and community activists, especially a group called Communities for a Better Environment, started to think about, well, how do we go forward?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So one idea was a November ballot measure. What would it have done?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The idea they came up with was to pass a new tax. And it was a very ambitious tax. But, you know, in broad strokes, what it would do is for the next 50 years, it would bring in something like 60 to $90 million a year. If you multiply 50 by 60 million or 90 million, you get into the 3 billion to $4.5 billion range over the next half century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>That’s something that the city of Richmond sorely needs. And it would also allow it to to do things in terms of health programs, what they call just transition programs to start job training for people in the city who might be reliant on the refinery work in some way. And and the city was very committed to this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So it was on track for the November ballot, as you said. What happened to it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The city council went ahead in June and put this on the November ballot and immediately got sued by what appears to be a front group for Chevron. One of the attacks on the measure in the lawsuit was the ballot question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The Chevron Allied Group said that the way it was written, the only logical answer to the question as it was posed would be to vote yes. Right. And that’s a level of bias. They argue that’s not allowed under state law. The city had the option of moving ahead with this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>But, you know, what the judge found was that the ballot question was indeed in permissibly biased. And so the judge, even though he only issued a tentative ruling on this, was signaling to all the parties this wording is not what you’re going to see on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So a superior court judge’s preliminary ruling sort of signaled to the city of Richmond that maybe there might be more legal fights ahead for this ballot measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Yeah, that’s absolutely right. So the city council was getting caution from the city attorney that there was going to be litigation ahead. Chevron had already said, look, you know, we’ll sue to stop this. And the city attorney was very concerned about what that might mean for the city going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And what he pointed to was the city of Carson down near Los Angeles that passed a tax on its resident refinery in 2017, but hasn’t been able to spend a dime from the revenue because they’ve been tied up in court the whole time. So what the city attorney’s warning was essentially was, look, we could pass this and maybe we’re going to go and win the vote in November, but it may be years before we see money from this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And so behind the scenes, an ad hoc committee of city council members negotiated behind closed doors with Chevron, and they came up with what they’re calling a settlement, settling this difference between them about how to go forward on this revenue question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up. Richmond And Chevron’s agreement and how it’s different from what would have been on the ballot. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So basically, the city of Richmond was afraid of having to spend millions and millions of dollars fighting this in court. So they set this ballot measure aside and instead struck a deal with Chevron. What was in this deal exactly, And how is it different from this failed ballot measure?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The main thing is the money, as we said, about the ballot measure. The estimate was it would bring in 60 to $90 million a year for 50 years. Now, the agreement that was on the table before the city council was a ten year agreement. Chevron would immediately start paying the city $50 million a year, no strings attached.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And after the first five years, $60 Million a year. And so it would come to a total of 550 million after a decade. Now, that’s money over and above what the city would expect through its normal taxes. Right? It has a payroll tax that Chevron pays their property taxes that Chevron pays, and the city gets money from that. Now, so that was a key part of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>This money is over and above everything that we’re already paying. The other thing is, if you decide you want to try to tax us again like you did with this measure, you can do that. The city is not ceding the right to to come back and try to do that again during this ten year agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And how were city leaders at this meeting like rationalizing this deal? Why did they say this was better than the ballot measure that would have been on the ballot in November?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Well, it was surprising to me for a city council that has a reputation of being somewhat fractious. They all seem to be like we’re doing the right thing here. I think it’s pretty simple. It’s a bird in the hand versus something that might be great, but also might be nothing going forward. So let’s go for what’s what we know we can get now because it’s substantial enough that it’s going to allow us to make a start on some of our priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>This has always been about money, about paying their fair share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Council member Doria Robinson: is a member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance, which is one of the factions on the Richmond City Council. And as its name suggests, I mean, they are pretty forward in terms of thinking about green issues and corporate responsibility and social justice, environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>We are absolutely committed to ensuring that these funds are used both to meet both immediate needs and to invest in just transition away from extractive, polluting fossil fuel economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>She talked about looking over, you know, toward the refinery as a child, seeing the smoke rising from it and thinking this is just something that I’ve always lived with and it’s about time we take care of things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>I live on these blocks. I see people in and in my grandparents church and in the schools, my neighbors. And they all when I talk to them, they’re like, Take the deal. Take the deal. We need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>I am accountable to the people of Richmond, to the people who actually suck in these fumes every every day, every day, including myself. I live here and I feel like we need to put this money to work now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Where is Chevron in all of this? How are they feeling about this deal?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>I think where Chevron is coming from, Chevron would like peace in the city of Richmond, Right? They don’t want people on their back. They don’t want people trying to pass taxes. Chevron is going. Look, I mean, this is a gesture from us that we’re serious about your concerns and we want to work with you. And that’s literally what the Chevron representative at the meeting, Bryan Hubinger, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryan Hubinger: \u003c/strong>This agreement will allow Chevron Richmond to continue to employ thousands of Bay Area residents and remain focused on providing affordable, reliable and ever cleaner energy that this region demands every day, while also supplying the city with much needed additional funding to support our communities needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What about the folks who I mean, organized to put the ballot measure forward in November? How are they responding to this deal that the city then cut with Chevron?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>There was a coalition that was campaigning for this make polluters pay. And a lot of the people who spoke at the meeting identify themselves as part of that coalition. And they had two things to say. One was, look, what’s happening today is because we organized. And then the other thread was, it’s really disappointing we’re not going forward because this is the right thing to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kerry Guerin: \u003c/strong>When our community members dreamt up this vision. It focused on a public campaign that empowered residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Kerry Guerin is an attorney for Communities for a Better Environment, the Richmond office. They have and was instrumental in writing the tax measure and coming up with the ballot language. By all accounts, and expressed really serious disappointment that for now this issue is going to end with this settlement with Chevron.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kerry Guerin: \u003c/strong>Our campaign did not approach the city with this concept just so that Chevron would cut a deal that is pennies to them. I did not write this ballot measure and tax ordinance so that the city could settle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Just so I understand, is the difference that with the ballot measure, Chevron would have been basically under this agreement for a much longer period than this deal that they just cut with the city. Are they getting less money this way? Like what? What really is at the heart You think of the disappointment, I guess, from from organizers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>I mean, I think there are two things that you just brought up that are really important. One is that this is a ten year agreement versus a tax that would have been in effect for 50 years. The amount of money is also really important. So they’ll get an average of $55 million a year over the next decade as opposed to 60 to $90 million a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Now, that larger figure, there is a caveat there that assumes that the Chevron’s Richmond refinery is going to continue operating for the next half century the way it has been. Right. And we don’t know that that’s true. There is going to be a transition. I won’t live to see it, but one can’t assume that things are going to continue the same way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The other thing that I think is more subtle is that people are really thinking about trying to find ways of getting the company to operate and fundamentally different ways by exacting a price from them. And I don’t think that the, you know, the tax measure in for those people is really the most important thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>I mean, I think regulatory and legal action is the most important thing. And trying to get Chevron and many other refineries to behave better, to be more responsible about their environmental impact. And and those kinds of things could be much more important in the long run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You know, you talked in the beginning about how love it or hate it. Chevron is the largest employer, the largest taxpayer in the city of Richmond. I mean, if if Chevron was gone from Richmond tomorrow, I mean, it seems like the city would be in a tough position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Like it feels like the city is just constantly walking this fine line between. Holding Chevron accountable, but also not pulling the rug out from underneath it entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Yeah, it is a conundrum for them and the city is thinking about that. City officials are thinking about, okay, how do we create the conditions for the time when Chevron is no longer here? I mean, people can conceive of that idea. It’s kind of difficult given, you know, what we see in our world every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Right. I mean, you and I happen to have taken public transit, and today most people got to work by driving. And the world is not shifting away from that at light speed. And so companies like Chevron are going to do what they do for a while. But in the long run, cities like Richmond are going to have to devise strategies for how to go forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>What what other things are there? What other things could that property be used for? For instance, because you’re right, if there’s a point where Chevron is processing zero barrels of crude petroleum a day at that facility, then the revenue stops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>You know, Richmond is a city of about 115,000 people, and it’s a city that needs services. It’s a population that has been neglected in many ways. There’s been a real lack of investment in Richmond over the years. And, you know, the city is going to need to find a way forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Thank you so much, Dan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>You’re welcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Dan Brekke, a reporter and editor for KQED. This 40 minute conversation with Dan was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. I produced this episode, scored it and added on the tape. Music courtesy of Audio Network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The Bay is a production of listener supported KQED in San Francisco. If you liked this episode, consider sharing it with a friend. I am Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the bay. Local news to keep you rooted. The city of Richmond has ditched a Chevron refinery tax that it planned to let voters weigh on this November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Instead, Chevron will pay the city more than half $1 billion over the next ten years as part of an agreement to prove it wants to be a good neighbor. And city officials say they want Chevron to pay up not just for past harms, but to help build a future that relies less on the oil refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>We are all ready to wait. We’re already doing too little. We need to start to work through just transition now, not in ten years. We need to make those investments now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, Richmond’s long standing battle to get Chevron to pay up. And what’s in this deal?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>There’s a natural conflict between industry and residential areas. It’s been played out in many places.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Dan Brekke is a reporter and editor for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Refineries produce lots of things that people shouldn’t be breathing. They put lots of things in the water that people shouldn’t be drinking. And Chevron does all of that stuff. The city has become more and more conscious and more and more aggressive about trying to get Chevron to respond to community concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And, you know, Richmond, like many cities and especially many cities with large minority populations. People are in the lower income brackets. They have a chronic financial problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And so they’ve turned to Chevron, which is the largest employer in town, is a. Fabulously wealthy company. I mean, they made more than $21 billion in profit last year. That’s not revenue. That’s profit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And Chevron is already the largest taxpayer in the city of Richmond by far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>They account for about one sixth of the city’s total revenue every year. So they entered into an agreement about ten years ago for Chevron to start making payments, you know, to try to pay for some of the things the city has to pay for it. So this agreement from ten years ago was running out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>It was a ten year settlement. And mindful of that, the city council and community activists, especially a group called Communities for a Better Environment, started to think about, well, how do we go forward?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So one idea was a November ballot measure. What would it have done?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The idea they came up with was to pass a new tax. And it was a very ambitious tax. But, you know, in broad strokes, what it would do is for the next 50 years, it would bring in something like 60 to $90 million a year. If you multiply 50 by 60 million or 90 million, you get into the 3 billion to $4.5 billion range over the next half century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>That’s something that the city of Richmond sorely needs. And it would also allow it to to do things in terms of health programs, what they call just transition programs to start job training for people in the city who might be reliant on the refinery work in some way. And and the city was very committed to this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So it was on track for the November ballot, as you said. What happened to it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The city council went ahead in June and put this on the November ballot and immediately got sued by what appears to be a front group for Chevron. One of the attacks on the measure in the lawsuit was the ballot question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The Chevron Allied Group said that the way it was written, the only logical answer to the question as it was posed would be to vote yes. Right. And that’s a level of bias. They argue that’s not allowed under state law. The city had the option of moving ahead with this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>But, you know, what the judge found was that the ballot question was indeed in permissibly biased. And so the judge, even though he only issued a tentative ruling on this, was signaling to all the parties this wording is not what you’re going to see on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So a superior court judge’s preliminary ruling sort of signaled to the city of Richmond that maybe there might be more legal fights ahead for this ballot measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Yeah, that’s absolutely right. So the city council was getting caution from the city attorney that there was going to be litigation ahead. Chevron had already said, look, you know, we’ll sue to stop this. And the city attorney was very concerned about what that might mean for the city going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And what he pointed to was the city of Carson down near Los Angeles that passed a tax on its resident refinery in 2017, but hasn’t been able to spend a dime from the revenue because they’ve been tied up in court the whole time. So what the city attorney’s warning was essentially was, look, we could pass this and maybe we’re going to go and win the vote in November, but it may be years before we see money from this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And so behind the scenes, an ad hoc committee of city council members negotiated behind closed doors with Chevron, and they came up with what they’re calling a settlement, settling this difference between them about how to go forward on this revenue question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up. Richmond And Chevron’s agreement and how it’s different from what would have been on the ballot. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So basically, the city of Richmond was afraid of having to spend millions and millions of dollars fighting this in court. So they set this ballot measure aside and instead struck a deal with Chevron. What was in this deal exactly, And how is it different from this failed ballot measure?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The main thing is the money, as we said, about the ballot measure. The estimate was it would bring in 60 to $90 million a year for 50 years. Now, the agreement that was on the table before the city council was a ten year agreement. Chevron would immediately start paying the city $50 million a year, no strings attached.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>And after the first five years, $60 Million a year. And so it would come to a total of 550 million after a decade. Now, that’s money over and above what the city would expect through its normal taxes. Right? It has a payroll tax that Chevron pays their property taxes that Chevron pays, and the city gets money from that. Now, so that was a key part of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>This money is over and above everything that we’re already paying. The other thing is, if you decide you want to try to tax us again like you did with this measure, you can do that. The city is not ceding the right to to come back and try to do that again during this ten year agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And how were city leaders at this meeting like rationalizing this deal? Why did they say this was better than the ballot measure that would have been on the ballot in November?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Well, it was surprising to me for a city council that has a reputation of being somewhat fractious. They all seem to be like we’re doing the right thing here. I think it’s pretty simple. It’s a bird in the hand versus something that might be great, but also might be nothing going forward. So let’s go for what’s what we know we can get now because it’s substantial enough that it’s going to allow us to make a start on some of our priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>This has always been about money, about paying their fair share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Council member Doria Robinson: is a member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance, which is one of the factions on the Richmond City Council. And as its name suggests, I mean, they are pretty forward in terms of thinking about green issues and corporate responsibility and social justice, environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>We are absolutely committed to ensuring that these funds are used both to meet both immediate needs and to invest in just transition away from extractive, polluting fossil fuel economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>She talked about looking over, you know, toward the refinery as a child, seeing the smoke rising from it and thinking this is just something that I’ve always lived with and it’s about time we take care of things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>I live on these blocks. I see people in and in my grandparents church and in the schools, my neighbors. And they all when I talk to them, they’re like, Take the deal. Take the deal. We need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Councilmember Doria Robinson: \u003c/strong>I am accountable to the people of Richmond, to the people who actually suck in these fumes every every day, every day, including myself. I live here and I feel like we need to put this money to work now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Where is Chevron in all of this? How are they feeling about this deal?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>I think where Chevron is coming from, Chevron would like peace in the city of Richmond, Right? They don’t want people on their back. They don’t want people trying to pass taxes. Chevron is going. Look, I mean, this is a gesture from us that we’re serious about your concerns and we want to work with you. And that’s literally what the Chevron representative at the meeting, Bryan Hubinger, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryan Hubinger: \u003c/strong>This agreement will allow Chevron Richmond to continue to employ thousands of Bay Area residents and remain focused on providing affordable, reliable and ever cleaner energy that this region demands every day, while also supplying the city with much needed additional funding to support our communities needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What about the folks who I mean, organized to put the ballot measure forward in November? How are they responding to this deal that the city then cut with Chevron?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>There was a coalition that was campaigning for this make polluters pay. And a lot of the people who spoke at the meeting identify themselves as part of that coalition. And they had two things to say. One was, look, what’s happening today is because we organized. And then the other thread was, it’s really disappointing we’re not going forward because this is the right thing to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kerry Guerin: \u003c/strong>When our community members dreamt up this vision. It focused on a public campaign that empowered residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Kerry Guerin is an attorney for Communities for a Better Environment, the Richmond office. They have and was instrumental in writing the tax measure and coming up with the ballot language. By all accounts, and expressed really serious disappointment that for now this issue is going to end with this settlement with Chevron.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kerry Guerin: \u003c/strong>Our campaign did not approach the city with this concept just so that Chevron would cut a deal that is pennies to them. I did not write this ballot measure and tax ordinance so that the city could settle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Just so I understand, is the difference that with the ballot measure, Chevron would have been basically under this agreement for a much longer period than this deal that they just cut with the city. Are they getting less money this way? Like what? What really is at the heart You think of the disappointment, I guess, from from organizers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>I mean, I think there are two things that you just brought up that are really important. One is that this is a ten year agreement versus a tax that would have been in effect for 50 years. The amount of money is also really important. So they’ll get an average of $55 million a year over the next decade as opposed to 60 to $90 million a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Now, that larger figure, there is a caveat there that assumes that the Chevron’s Richmond refinery is going to continue operating for the next half century the way it has been. Right. And we don’t know that that’s true. There is going to be a transition. I won’t live to see it, but one can’t assume that things are going to continue the same way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>The other thing that I think is more subtle is that people are really thinking about trying to find ways of getting the company to operate and fundamentally different ways by exacting a price from them. And I don’t think that the, you know, the tax measure in for those people is really the most important thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>I mean, I think regulatory and legal action is the most important thing. And trying to get Chevron and many other refineries to behave better, to be more responsible about their environmental impact. And and those kinds of things could be much more important in the long run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You know, you talked in the beginning about how love it or hate it. Chevron is the largest employer, the largest taxpayer in the city of Richmond. I mean, if if Chevron was gone from Richmond tomorrow, I mean, it seems like the city would be in a tough position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Like it feels like the city is just constantly walking this fine line between. Holding Chevron accountable, but also not pulling the rug out from underneath it entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Yeah, it is a conundrum for them and the city is thinking about that. City officials are thinking about, okay, how do we create the conditions for the time when Chevron is no longer here? I mean, people can conceive of that idea. It’s kind of difficult given, you know, what we see in our world every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>Right. I mean, you and I happen to have taken public transit, and today most people got to work by driving. And the world is not shifting away from that at light speed. And so companies like Chevron are going to do what they do for a while. But in the long run, cities like Richmond are going to have to devise strategies for how to go forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>What what other things are there? What other things could that property be used for? For instance, because you’re right, if there’s a point where Chevron is processing zero barrels of crude petroleum a day at that facility, then the revenue stops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>You know, Richmond is a city of about 115,000 people, and it’s a city that needs services. It’s a population that has been neglected in many ways. There’s been a real lack of investment in Richmond over the years. And, you know, the city is going to need to find a way forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Thank you so much, Dan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke: \u003c/strong>You’re welcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Dan Brekke, a reporter and editor for KQED. This 40 minute conversation with Dan was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. I produced this episode, scored it and added on the tape. Music courtesy of Audio Network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The Bay is a production of listener supported KQED in San Francisco. If you liked this episode, consider sharing it with a friend. I am Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#anchor\">This story contains a correction.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Richmond City Council has killed a November ballot measure that would have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992910/richmond-oil-refining-tax-on-chevron-a-major-polluter-moves-closer-to-ballot\">imposed a new oil-refining tax on Chevron\u003c/a>, voting unanimously Wednesday to approve a $550 million settlement with the company instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under \u003ca href=\"https://pub-richmond.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=54987\">the settlement\u003c/a>, which was the product of a week of intensive negotiations, Chevron has agreed to pay the city $50 million a year for the next five years and $60 million a year for the five years after that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond officials said the agreement, confirmed in a 7–0 council vote, represents a victory in a long battle to get Chevron to compensate the community for the effects of pollution on the city’s 114,000 residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a historic moment,” Mayor Eduardo Martinez said. “… I say it’s a historic moment because we, the people of Richmond, have created a movement that will echo across the nation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company, whose Richmond refinery has operated for more than 120 years and is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11975650/bay-air-district-hails-decisive-victory-in-battle-to-cut-refinery-pollution\">a major source of air pollution\u003c/a>, will continue to pay other city taxes. Despite the settlement, the City Council and Richmond residents retain the right to impose new taxes on the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Claudia Jimenez, one of the sponsors of the tax measure, said the agreement will not change the city’s determination to hold Chevron accountable for its environmental impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Let me be clear: We are not settling with Chevron over the issue of pollution,” Jimenez said. “The fight goes on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A representative for Chevron, which had criticized the tax as “a hasty proposal, brought forward by one-sided interests,” praised the settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12000227\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12000227\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign directs visitors to the Chevron Refinery, a petroleum refinery, in Richmond on Jan. 13, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is what finding common ground is all about,” said Brian Hubinger, Chevron Richmond’s public and government affairs manager. “This agreement will allow Chevron Richmond to continue to employ thousands of Bay Area residents and remain focused on providing the affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner energy that this region demands every day while also supplying the city with much-needed additional funding to support our communities’ needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Doria Robinson said decades of campaigning by community and environmental groups led to Wednesday’s settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With all due respect to Chevron — I am actually happy we’re able to figure something out together — but you would not have offered your fair share without their work,” she said. “You just wouldn’t have. You haven’t in a hundred years, and you wouldn’t have without that push.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron, Richmond’s largest employer and taxpayer, recorded $21.3 billion in profits last year and paid $45.9 million in taxes to Richmond in the 2022–23 fiscal year, representing more than 15% of the city’s total revenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city estimated that the tax measure, proposed this year by a coalition called Make Polluters Pay and placed on the ballot by the City Council in June, would have resulted in annual revenue of $60 million to $90 million. The tax would have been in effect for 50 years, netting as much as $4.5 billion depending on future activity at the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID=news_11998605 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/10/RS5929_008-lpr-1440x960.jpg']\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The coalition issued a statement that took credit for compelling Chevron to negotiate the deal and celebrated it as a community victory, though its members appeared split on whether to accept it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Together, Richmond community groups, families, and workers have forced the city’s largest polluter to offer over half a billion dollars to fund the essential services Richmond communities need today, and plan ahead so that when big polluters close down, our families aren’t left to pay for their mess,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Kerry Guerin, an attorney with the Richmond office of coalition member Communities for a Better Environment, urged the council to reject the settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our campaign did not approach the city with this concept just so that Chevron would cut a deal that is pennies to them,” Guerin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before voting, the council heard from more than two dozen members of the public, many of whom expressed disappointment the measure would not be on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Richmond voters deserve the opportunity to vote on their own future this November and hold Chevron accountable,” said Martine Johannesen, a city planning graduate student at UC Berkeley. “But if the City Council approves the tax deal, we ask that the council establish a community oversight board to allocate these settlement funds and reserve the use of the funds to advance a just transition for Richmond.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal comes after a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge ruled last week that the city’s proposed wording for the tax measure was misleading and “impermissibly partisan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hastily organized Coalition for Richmond’s Future and a Chevron employee sued the city on June 28, arguing that the ballot description for the measure was both misleading and biased toward support of the tax.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friday’s tentative ruling from Superior Court Judge John P. Devine agreed on both counts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The language was misleading, he said, because it contains a laundry list of specific uses — to fund “clean air and water treatment, roads, parks, fire and emergency response, toxic land cleanup, and improving community health and youth services” — despite the fact the revenue will go into the city’s general fund, used primarily to pay employee wages and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Devine also noted that Communities for a Better Environment, one of the measure’s chief proponents, drafted the language, not the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a ballot label that was not only drafted by proponents of the measure but whose ballot label also echoes the same messages as advertisement campaigns in support of the measure,” Devine wrote. “…The use of such partisan language impermissibly falls outside the limits of substantial compliance” with the state elections code.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City Attorney Dave Aleshire said in a memo prepared for Wednesday’s council meeting that further legal challenges to the tax measure were likely. He noted that Chevron had already expressed its intention to sue and that a similar tax adopted by the Los Angeles County city of Carson in 2017 is still tied up in court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The city disagrees with Chevron’s legal critique but cannot deny that litigation is likely and may be long-lasting and expensive,” Aleshire said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several City Council members said they were moved to support the settlement because of the recent conservative turn of the federal courts, which might ultimately rule on the tax measure if Chevron sued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not heartened by what’s been happening in the courts, especially on the upper levels, in terms of judgments going, in my opinion, in blasphemous ways when it comes to protecting our environment,” Robinson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"anchor\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\t\u003cem>Correction: This story incorrectly identified a Chevron official who responded to the company’s agreement with the city of Richmond. His name is Brian Hubinger.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#anchor\">This story contains a correction.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Richmond City Council has killed a November ballot measure that would have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992910/richmond-oil-refining-tax-on-chevron-a-major-polluter-moves-closer-to-ballot\">imposed a new oil-refining tax on Chevron\u003c/a>, voting unanimously Wednesday to approve a $550 million settlement with the company instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under \u003ca href=\"https://pub-richmond.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=54987\">the settlement\u003c/a>, which was the product of a week of intensive negotiations, Chevron has agreed to pay the city $50 million a year for the next five years and $60 million a year for the five years after that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond officials said the agreement, confirmed in a 7–0 council vote, represents a victory in a long battle to get Chevron to compensate the community for the effects of pollution on the city’s 114,000 residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a historic moment,” Mayor Eduardo Martinez said. “… I say it’s a historic moment because we, the people of Richmond, have created a movement that will echo across the nation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company, whose Richmond refinery has operated for more than 120 years and is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11975650/bay-air-district-hails-decisive-victory-in-battle-to-cut-refinery-pollution\">a major source of air pollution\u003c/a>, will continue to pay other city taxes. Despite the settlement, the City Council and Richmond residents retain the right to impose new taxes on the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Claudia Jimenez, one of the sponsors of the tax measure, said the agreement will not change the city’s determination to hold Chevron accountable for its environmental impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Let me be clear: We are not settling with Chevron over the issue of pollution,” Jimenez said. “The fight goes on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A representative for Chevron, which had criticized the tax as “a hasty proposal, brought forward by one-sided interests,” praised the settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12000227\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12000227\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/002_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign directs visitors to the Chevron Refinery, a petroleum refinery, in Richmond on Jan. 13, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is what finding common ground is all about,” said Brian Hubinger, Chevron Richmond’s public and government affairs manager. “This agreement will allow Chevron Richmond to continue to employ thousands of Bay Area residents and remain focused on providing the affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner energy that this region demands every day while also supplying the city with much-needed additional funding to support our communities’ needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Doria Robinson said decades of campaigning by community and environmental groups led to Wednesday’s settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With all due respect to Chevron — I am actually happy we’re able to figure something out together — but you would not have offered your fair share without their work,” she said. “You just wouldn’t have. You haven’t in a hundred years, and you wouldn’t have without that push.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron, Richmond’s largest employer and taxpayer, recorded $21.3 billion in profits last year and paid $45.9 million in taxes to Richmond in the 2022–23 fiscal year, representing more than 15% of the city’s total revenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city estimated that the tax measure, proposed this year by a coalition called Make Polluters Pay and placed on the ballot by the City Council in June, would have resulted in annual revenue of $60 million to $90 million. The tax would have been in effect for 50 years, netting as much as $4.5 billion depending on future activity at the refinery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The coalition issued a statement that took credit for compelling Chevron to negotiate the deal and celebrated it as a community victory, though its members appeared split on whether to accept it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Together, Richmond community groups, families, and workers have forced the city’s largest polluter to offer over half a billion dollars to fund the essential services Richmond communities need today, and plan ahead so that when big polluters close down, our families aren’t left to pay for their mess,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Kerry Guerin, an attorney with the Richmond office of coalition member Communities for a Better Environment, urged the council to reject the settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our campaign did not approach the city with this concept just so that Chevron would cut a deal that is pennies to them,” Guerin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before voting, the council heard from more than two dozen members of the public, many of whom expressed disappointment the measure would not be on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Richmond voters deserve the opportunity to vote on their own future this November and hold Chevron accountable,” said Martine Johannesen, a city planning graduate student at UC Berkeley. “But if the City Council approves the tax deal, we ask that the council establish a community oversight board to allocate these settlement funds and reserve the use of the funds to advance a just transition for Richmond.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal comes after a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge ruled last week that the city’s proposed wording for the tax measure was misleading and “impermissibly partisan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hastily organized Coalition for Richmond’s Future and a Chevron employee sued the city on June 28, arguing that the ballot description for the measure was both misleading and biased toward support of the tax.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friday’s tentative ruling from Superior Court Judge John P. Devine agreed on both counts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The language was misleading, he said, because it contains a laundry list of specific uses — to fund “clean air and water treatment, roads, parks, fire and emergency response, toxic land cleanup, and improving community health and youth services” — despite the fact the revenue will go into the city’s general fund, used primarily to pay employee wages and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Devine also noted that Communities for a Better Environment, one of the measure’s chief proponents, drafted the language, not the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a ballot label that was not only drafted by proponents of the measure but whose ballot label also echoes the same messages as advertisement campaigns in support of the measure,” Devine wrote. “…The use of such partisan language impermissibly falls outside the limits of substantial compliance” with the state elections code.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City Attorney Dave Aleshire said in a memo prepared for Wednesday’s council meeting that further legal challenges to the tax measure were likely. He noted that Chevron had already expressed its intention to sue and that a similar tax adopted by the Los Angeles County city of Carson in 2017 is still tied up in court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The city disagrees with Chevron’s legal critique but cannot deny that litigation is likely and may be long-lasting and expensive,” Aleshire said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several City Council members said they were moved to support the settlement because of the recent conservative turn of the federal courts, which might ultimately rule on the tax measure if Chevron sued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not heartened by what’s been happening in the courts, especially on the upper levels, in terms of judgments going, in my opinion, in blasphemous ways when it comes to protecting our environment,” Robinson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"anchor\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\t\u003cem>Correction: This story incorrectly identified a Chevron official who responded to the company’s agreement with the city of Richmond. His name is Brian Hubinger.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Chevron will move its headquarters from the Bay Area to Texas, the company announced Friday, finalizing a move that many expected for years as California has sought to crack down on the burning of fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The energy giant, which traces its roots to 1870s San Francisco, sold its headquarters complex in San Ramon’s Bishop Ranch two years ago. Now, it reports that more than 7,000 of its workers are in the Houston area, while 2,000 remain in San Ramon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron’s top two executives will be the first to relocate to Texas by the end of the year, and all corporate functions are slated to move there over the next five years, the company said in a press release. It plans to keep employees supporting its California operations — including refineries, oil fields and gas stations — in the East Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists and other elected leaders have long blamed Chevron as a major contributor to climate change. It is one of several oil companies \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11961542/it-is-time-they-pay-california-sues-big-oil-over-decades-of-damage-and-deception\">the state sued\u003c/a> last year over climate-related issues, and its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981762/major-richmond-refinery-accidents-settled-as-part-of-chevron-deal\">Richmond refinery\u003c/a> is a continuing target of both official and unofficial air pollution complaints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Republicans blamed the company’s move on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s fight against the oil industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an entirely predictable consequence of Gavin Newsom’s constant demonization of the companies California depends on for energy, jobs and tax revenue,” Republican Assembly Leader James Gallagher said in a statement. “As Californians continue to struggle with the highest gas prices and unemployment of any state in the nation, they know they are paying the price for Newsom’s political stunts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Council, a regional group of business leaders, issued a statement accusing California elected leaders of driving industry away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Chasing jobs and employers out of California is no way to run the economy,” said Jim Wunderman, the council’s president and CEO. “It’s an embarrassment for California that we’ve lost so many global companies because of misguided policies that make it incredibly difficult to do business here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Chevron will move its headquarters from the Bay Area to Texas, the company announced Friday, finalizing a move that many expected for years as California has sought to crack down on the burning of fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The energy giant, which traces its roots to 1870s San Francisco, sold its headquarters complex in San Ramon’s Bishop Ranch two years ago. Now, it reports that more than 7,000 of its workers are in the Houston area, while 2,000 remain in San Ramon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron’s top two executives will be the first to relocate to Texas by the end of the year, and all corporate functions are slated to move there over the next five years, the company said in a press release. It plans to keep employees supporting its California operations — including refineries, oil fields and gas stations — in the East Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists and other elected leaders have long blamed Chevron as a major contributor to climate change. It is one of several oil companies \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11961542/it-is-time-they-pay-california-sues-big-oil-over-decades-of-damage-and-deception\">the state sued\u003c/a> last year over climate-related issues, and its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981762/major-richmond-refinery-accidents-settled-as-part-of-chevron-deal\">Richmond refinery\u003c/a> is a continuing target of both official and unofficial air pollution complaints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
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"order": 10
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
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"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"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 />",
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"meta": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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}
},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"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.",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"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.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"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",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"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": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"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": {
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"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": {
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"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"
}
},
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