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"slug": "2026-san-francisco-chinese-new-year-sf-parade-map-route-closures-events-parking",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s the Year of the Fire Horse, and the Bay Area will be celebrating with a long-standing tradition: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027348/san-francisco-celebrates-the-lunar-new-year-with-iconic-chinatown-parade\">the Chinese New Year Parade\u003c/a> in San Francisco on Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many different cultures observe \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/lunar-new-year\">Lunar New Year\u003c/a>, and this year is the Year of the Fire Horse, representing \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/02/16/nx-s1-5713534/on-the-streets-of-beijing-many-wish-for-economic-stability-this-lunar-new-year\">action, risk-taking\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.elle.com/uk/horoscopes/a70327986/year-of-the-fire-horse/\">even financial positivity\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Past Fire Horse years \u003ca href=\"https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/horse.htm\">include\u003c/a> 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002 and 2014.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(And for some fun further reading, take a look at how \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/04/harry-potter-draco-malfoy-mascot-year-of-horse-china\">Harry Potter’s Draco Malfoy character\u003c/a> has somehow become a Year of the Horse \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/abc/status/2024084429493170330?s=46&t=7BBzFwo6eYLzJIVfAlumEQ\">meme mascot for 2026\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year’s Parade Grand Marshall will be San Francisco-born \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DU3W3fjiG-O/\">Eileen Gu\u003c/a>, an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12072038/2026-winter-olympics-how-to-watch-bay-area-athletes-tahoe-figure-skating-skiing-snowboarding-cortina\">Olympic gold medalist and freestyle skier.\u003c/a> The parade is always free, so you should expect large crowds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12027359\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12027359\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL.jpg\" alt=\"Fireworks are seen above a string of red lanterns.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fireworks go off in Chinatown during the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco on Feb. 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for what to know about the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade this weekend, including the parade route map and street closures that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For timely updates, you can follow the Chinese New Year Festival and Parade’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/chineseparade/\">official social media pages\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/faq/\">website.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#WhatstheSanFranciscoChineseNewYearparaderoute\"> What’s the San Francisco Chinese New Year parade route?\u003cbr>\n\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#Whatstreetswillbeclosedfortheparade\"> What streets will be closed for the parade?\u003cbr>\n\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"WhatstheSanFranciscoChineseNewYearparaderoute\">\u003c/a>What is the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade route?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The parade starts at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 7.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/faq/\">route\u003c/a> begins at Second and Market streets, goes around Union Square and ends at Kearny Street and Columbus Avenue. The total route is around 1.3 miles long.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Do I need tickets to the San Francisco Chinese New Year parade?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The parade is \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/faq/\">a free event\u003c/a>. However, if you want to sit on the bleachers, you’ll need paid tickets to be assigned a specific section (but not a specific seat).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are four bleacher sections, each on:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Washington and Jackson streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>California and Sacramento streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Kearny and Grant streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Stockton and Powell streets\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Tickets range from $45 to $75, and \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/tickets/\">can be bought online\u003c/a> for email delivery. The more expensive options include a gift bag. Bleacher seating is \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/tickets/\">free for children under two\u003c/a>, as long as they are sitting on the lap of a caregiver.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Organizers suggest that if you buy tickets, you’ll need to check in and be seated early on Saturday, close to 4 p.m., to be ready for the start of the parade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11977013\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11977013\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/240224-ChineseNYParade-60-BL_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/240224-ChineseNYParade-60-BL_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/240224-ChineseNYParade-60-BL_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/240224-ChineseNYParade-60-BL_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/240224-ChineseNYParade-60-BL_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/240224-ChineseNYParade-60-BL_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fireworks go off at the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco on Feb. 24, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All sections of the bleachers will have wheelchair seating, but you will need a ticket regardless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you need accessible spaces, you will also need a ticket. Portable restrooms will be available near the bleachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Whatstreetswillbeclosedfortheparade\">\u003c/a>How can I get to the San Francisco Chinese New Year parade? Are there street closures?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinese New Year Parade organizers \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/transportation/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">strongly encourage public transportation\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and all Muni rides (except for cable cars) will be \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/free-muni-march-7-chinese-new-year-parade-learn-details\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">free that day\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you are driving, there will \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/free-muni-march-7-chinese-new-year-parade-learn-details\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">also be street closures\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> around the area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if you’d like an idea of what to expect, last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12024779/2025-san-francisco-chinese-new-year-parade-map-route-closures-events\">the following areas\u003c/a> were closed:[aside postID=arts_13986607 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/020626GOLDEN-AGE-OF-ASIAN-STYLE-HIGH-TEA_GH_037-KQED.jpg']\u003cstrong>From 2 p.m. to around 9:30 p.m.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli> 2nd Street between Market and Mission streets\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>From 3 p.m. to around 9:30 p.m\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Market Street between 2nd and Geary streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Geary Street between Market and Powell streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Powell Street between Geary and Post streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Post Street between Kearny and Powell streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Kearny Street between Geary and Pacific streets.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/project-updates/chinese-new-year-parade-service-alert\">the 2025 SFMTA guidance\u003c/a>, the easiest way to get to the parade is through the Market Street Subway at Montgomery Station, near the beginning of the parade. However, SFMTA also recommends using nearby Powell Station, “just a few blocks from where the Parade goes around Union Square,” which is the transfer point between the Central Subway and the Market Street Subway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/free-muni-march-7-chinese-new-year-parade-learn-details\">The bus routes to the parade\u003c/a> are 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 14R, 15, 30, 31, 38R and 45. The metro and streetcar lines are F, J, K, L, M, N and T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can use \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/muni/routes-stops\">SFMTA’s website\u003c/a> or call 311 to plan out your route.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The closest BART stations are Montgomery Station (at Market and 2nd streets), Embarcadero and Powell St.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Is there any parking for the Chinese New Year parade?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There are \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/transportation/\">parking garages\u003c/a> at:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Portsmouth Square Garage at 733 Kearny Street in Chinatown, which will also provide\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/free-muni-march-7-chinese-new-year-parade-learn-details\"> one hour of free parking through Sunday\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Union Square at 123 O’Farrell St.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Chinatown at 250 Clay St. and 733 Kearny St.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>North Beach at 735 and 766 Vallejo St.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>You can also get \u003ca href=\"https://spothero.com/search?kind=destination&id=81237&%243p=a_hasoffers&%24affiliate_json=http%3A%2F%2Ftracking.spothero.com%2Faff_c%3Foffer_id%3D1%26aff_id%3D1391%26file_id%3D28%26source%3Dchinesenewyearfestival%26aff_sub2%3Dparkingpage%26aff_sub3%3Dlink%26format%3Djson&_branch_match_id=1553116847317693714&utm_source=Partnerships&utm_campaign=Tune_Platform&utm_medium=paid+advertising&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA42RTU%2FDMAyGf01z3NqEjQ0pQgjEkQviXLmpu4R1SUhSpl3223E66PgSQsohfu04j1%2FrlHy8ms%2Bjd0ljcDPwftYbu52nWHn%2B8PKI1fXGQc8lZwW%2FEF5CrSG6rsMQWVQadyh17sK2xrayxZiMhWScZUfVG7WtTSurklei5etlxUXJVwIWZYcNL0XZ8MWKRTcEhVJpYzGixf0BIXS50yv0bAj96YdC3BT8ns4PWtLOvIWgmkVmLcTdJ9qCL8cLAVGionACzPGfiGOxi6lWQwho1YFePD3eTTJxDkhamZWIytkWwqH2Q9ObSKiUokzUUEPXmd5AwndpHJ3uvw9PFaP7VMDZB72smIek5Zep2Vc%2BSXR5YdN39XN0dvRxsjEFULS0zWzyU7kd6fSmVuTiN7eyfArEOsfUGE8CX%2F1rktwgDk0exkPIP3vY4DkhKHHa5rJzYQeJ4kzNNE0mfyydfbJelox8WdHuLtkxIHEHal83we0jBnmrg9vhG20%2FjF%2FtAgAA&view=dl\">a parking pass on websites like SpotHero\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong style=\"font-size: 24px\">What will the weather be like on Saturday for the Chinese New Year parade?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parade will happen rain or shine, according to \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/faq/\">the Chinese New Year parade’s official website\u003c/a> — but luckily, \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=37.7800771&lon=-122.4201615\">the weather forecast for San Francisco\u003c/a> on Saturday promises sunshine, and highs of 78 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can keep an eye out for the weather on \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/mtr/\">the National Weather Service website\u003c/a>, but remember: it’s the Bay Area, and layers are always helpful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also adorn yourself in \u003ca href=\"https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/chinese-new-year-fashion-red-and-gold-runway-looks\">lucky colors like red and gold\u003c/a> to mark the Lunar New Year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>What should I not bring to the Chinese New Year parade?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The parade is a public event, so organizers say you should not bring things like weapons, firearms, explosives or drones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12027366\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12027366\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL.jpg\" alt=\"Several women dressed in dance costumes perform on the street.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of Xiaopei Chinese Dance perform in the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco on Feb. 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Out of consideration for others, we request that large items that may encroach on others’ space—such as oversized cushions, coolers, pets, selfie sticks or camera tripods—are not brought into the bleacher sections,” \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/faq/\">the website reads\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s the Year of the Fire Horse, and the Bay Area will be celebrating with a long-standing tradition: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027348/san-francisco-celebrates-the-lunar-new-year-with-iconic-chinatown-parade\">the Chinese New Year Parade\u003c/a> in San Francisco on Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many different cultures observe \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/lunar-new-year\">Lunar New Year\u003c/a>, and this year is the Year of the Fire Horse, representing \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/02/16/nx-s1-5713534/on-the-streets-of-beijing-many-wish-for-economic-stability-this-lunar-new-year\">action, risk-taking\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.elle.com/uk/horoscopes/a70327986/year-of-the-fire-horse/\">even financial positivity\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Past Fire Horse years \u003ca href=\"https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/horse.htm\">include\u003c/a> 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002 and 2014.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(And for some fun further reading, take a look at how \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/04/harry-potter-draco-malfoy-mascot-year-of-horse-china\">Harry Potter’s Draco Malfoy character\u003c/a> has somehow become a Year of the Horse \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/abc/status/2024084429493170330?s=46&t=7BBzFwo6eYLzJIVfAlumEQ\">meme mascot for 2026\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year’s Parade Grand Marshall will be San Francisco-born \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DU3W3fjiG-O/\">Eileen Gu\u003c/a>, an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12072038/2026-winter-olympics-how-to-watch-bay-area-athletes-tahoe-figure-skating-skiing-snowboarding-cortina\">Olympic gold medalist and freestyle skier.\u003c/a> The parade is always free, so you should expect large crowds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12027359\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12027359\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL.jpg\" alt=\"Fireworks are seen above a string of red lanterns.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-25-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fireworks go off in Chinatown during the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco on Feb. 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for what to know about the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade this weekend, including the parade route map and street closures that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For timely updates, you can follow the Chinese New Year Festival and Parade’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/chineseparade/\">official social media pages\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/faq/\">website.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#WhatstheSanFranciscoChineseNewYearparaderoute\"> What’s the San Francisco Chinese New Year parade route?\u003cbr>\n\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#Whatstreetswillbeclosedfortheparade\"> What streets will be closed for the parade?\u003cbr>\n\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"WhatstheSanFranciscoChineseNewYearparaderoute\">\u003c/a>What is the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade route?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The parade starts at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 7.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/faq/\">route\u003c/a> begins at Second and Market streets, goes around Union Square and ends at Kearny Street and Columbus Avenue. The total route is around 1.3 miles long.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Do I need tickets to the San Francisco Chinese New Year parade?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The parade is \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/faq/\">a free event\u003c/a>. However, if you want to sit on the bleachers, you’ll need paid tickets to be assigned a specific section (but not a specific seat).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are four bleacher sections, each on:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Washington and Jackson streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>California and Sacramento streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Kearny and Grant streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Stockton and Powell streets\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Tickets range from $45 to $75, and \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/tickets/\">can be bought online\u003c/a> for email delivery. The more expensive options include a gift bag. Bleacher seating is \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/tickets/\">free for children under two\u003c/a>, as long as they are sitting on the lap of a caregiver.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Organizers suggest that if you buy tickets, you’ll need to check in and be seated early on Saturday, close to 4 p.m., to be ready for the start of the parade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11977013\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11977013\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/240224-ChineseNYParade-60-BL_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/240224-ChineseNYParade-60-BL_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/240224-ChineseNYParade-60-BL_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/240224-ChineseNYParade-60-BL_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/240224-ChineseNYParade-60-BL_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/240224-ChineseNYParade-60-BL_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fireworks go off at the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco on Feb. 24, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All sections of the bleachers will have wheelchair seating, but you will need a ticket regardless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you need accessible spaces, you will also need a ticket. Portable restrooms will be available near the bleachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Whatstreetswillbeclosedfortheparade\">\u003c/a>How can I get to the San Francisco Chinese New Year parade? Are there street closures?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinese New Year Parade organizers \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/transportation/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">strongly encourage public transportation\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and all Muni rides (except for cable cars) will be \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/free-muni-march-7-chinese-new-year-parade-learn-details\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">free that day\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you are driving, there will \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/free-muni-march-7-chinese-new-year-parade-learn-details\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">also be street closures\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> around the area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if you’d like an idea of what to expect, last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12024779/2025-san-francisco-chinese-new-year-parade-map-route-closures-events\">the following areas\u003c/a> were closed:\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>From 2 p.m. to around 9:30 p.m.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli> 2nd Street between Market and Mission streets\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>From 3 p.m. to around 9:30 p.m\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Market Street between 2nd and Geary streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Geary Street between Market and Powell streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Powell Street between Geary and Post streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Post Street between Kearny and Powell streets\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Kearny Street between Geary and Pacific streets.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/project-updates/chinese-new-year-parade-service-alert\">the 2025 SFMTA guidance\u003c/a>, the easiest way to get to the parade is through the Market Street Subway at Montgomery Station, near the beginning of the parade. However, SFMTA also recommends using nearby Powell Station, “just a few blocks from where the Parade goes around Union Square,” which is the transfer point between the Central Subway and the Market Street Subway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/free-muni-march-7-chinese-new-year-parade-learn-details\">The bus routes to the parade\u003c/a> are 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 14R, 15, 30, 31, 38R and 45. The metro and streetcar lines are F, J, K, L, M, N and T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can use \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/muni/routes-stops\">SFMTA’s website\u003c/a> or call 311 to plan out your route.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The closest BART stations are Montgomery Station (at Market and 2nd streets), Embarcadero and Powell St.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Is there any parking for the Chinese New Year parade?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There are \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/transportation/\">parking garages\u003c/a> at:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Portsmouth Square Garage at 733 Kearny Street in Chinatown, which will also provide\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/free-muni-march-7-chinese-new-year-parade-learn-details\"> one hour of free parking through Sunday\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Union Square at 123 O’Farrell St.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Chinatown at 250 Clay St. and 733 Kearny St.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>North Beach at 735 and 766 Vallejo St.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>You can also get \u003ca href=\"https://spothero.com/search?kind=destination&id=81237&%243p=a_hasoffers&%24affiliate_json=http%3A%2F%2Ftracking.spothero.com%2Faff_c%3Foffer_id%3D1%26aff_id%3D1391%26file_id%3D28%26source%3Dchinesenewyearfestival%26aff_sub2%3Dparkingpage%26aff_sub3%3Dlink%26format%3Djson&_branch_match_id=1553116847317693714&utm_source=Partnerships&utm_campaign=Tune_Platform&utm_medium=paid+advertising&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA42RTU%2FDMAyGf01z3NqEjQ0pQgjEkQviXLmpu4R1SUhSpl3223E66PgSQsohfu04j1%2FrlHy8ms%2Bjd0ljcDPwftYbu52nWHn%2B8PKI1fXGQc8lZwW%2FEF5CrSG6rsMQWVQadyh17sK2xrayxZiMhWScZUfVG7WtTSurklei5etlxUXJVwIWZYcNL0XZ8MWKRTcEhVJpYzGixf0BIXS50yv0bAj96YdC3BT8ns4PWtLOvIWgmkVmLcTdJ9qCL8cLAVGionACzPGfiGOxi6lWQwho1YFePD3eTTJxDkhamZWIytkWwqH2Q9ObSKiUokzUUEPXmd5AwndpHJ3uvw9PFaP7VMDZB72smIek5Zep2Vc%2BSXR5YdN39XN0dvRxsjEFULS0zWzyU7kd6fSmVuTiN7eyfArEOsfUGE8CX%2F1rktwgDk0exkPIP3vY4DkhKHHa5rJzYQeJ4kzNNE0mfyydfbJelox8WdHuLtkxIHEHal83we0jBnmrg9vhG20%2FjF%2FtAgAA&view=dl\">a parking pass on websites like SpotHero\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong style=\"font-size: 24px\">What will the weather be like on Saturday for the Chinese New Year parade?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parade will happen rain or shine, according to \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/faq/\">the Chinese New Year parade’s official website\u003c/a> — but luckily, \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=37.7800771&lon=-122.4201615\">the weather forecast for San Francisco\u003c/a> on Saturday promises sunshine, and highs of 78 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can keep an eye out for the weather on \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/mtr/\">the National Weather Service website\u003c/a>, but remember: it’s the Bay Area, and layers are always helpful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also adorn yourself in \u003ca href=\"https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/chinese-new-year-fashion-red-and-gold-runway-looks\">lucky colors like red and gold\u003c/a> to mark the Lunar New Year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>What should I not bring to the Chinese New Year parade?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The parade is a public event, so organizers say you should not bring things like weapons, firearms, explosives or drones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12027366\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12027366\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL.jpg\" alt=\"Several women dressed in dance costumes perform on the street.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/250215-ChineseNewYear-09-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of Xiaopei Chinese Dance perform in the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco on Feb. 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Out of consideration for others, we request that large items that may encroach on others’ space—such as oversized cushions, coolers, pets, selfie sticks or camera tripods—are not brought into the bleacher sections,” \u003ca href=\"https://chineseparade.com/faq/\">the website reads\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "how-south-san-francisco-became-the-birthplace-of-biotechnology",
"title": "How South San Francisco Became the Birthplace of Biotechnology",
"publishDate": 1772708400,
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"headTitle": "How South San Francisco Became the Birthplace of Biotechnology | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long before sleek \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11933882/beyond-vaccines-biotech-is-booming-in-the-bay-area-despite-a-cooling-economy\">biotech campuses\u003c/a> and venture capital arrived, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/south-san-francisco\">South San Francisco\u003c/a> had a very different identity. For much of the 20th century, it absorbed the Bay Area’s mess — industries that were noisy, dirty, politically inconvenient, or simply unwanted elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Slaughterhouses. Steel mills. Shipyards. Freight terminals. Businesses that needed elbow room and cheap land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1923, the city declared its role in giant white letters on a hillside above town: “South San Francisco The Industrial City.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“South San Francisco, like Emeryville, were industrial suburbs,” said Richard Walker, a professor emeritus of economic and urban geography at the University of California, Berkeley. “These were set up expressly to shelter industry from taxes, from protest, from labor, and they worked very effectively.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Town councils limited housing, zoned big swaths for heavy industry, and kept taxes and rules light. The idea was to park loud, polluting businesses far from residential neighborhoods — and make them easy to operate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075369\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-South-San-Francisco-Archival-01-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075369\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-South-San-Francisco-Archival-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1473\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-South-San-Francisco-Archival-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-South-San-Francisco-Archival-01-KQED-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-South-San-Francisco-Archival-01-KQED-1536x1131.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aerial view of South San Francisco’s Sign Hill, circa 1930. \u003ccite>(Courtesy South San Francisco Public Library Local History Collection)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Beyond town borders, the Bay Area as a whole was comfortable with risk and experimentation, a mindset that goes all the way back to the Gold Rush.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You had a lot of young people, a lot of skilled workers, and a lot of capital,” Walker said of the Bay Area. “So this was an intellectual center, an industrial center, a capitalist center because of Bank of America.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>A risk-tolerant region meets a risky science\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Those conditions mattered when a new science arrived in the 1970s. Biotechnology required not just smart people and money, but a tolerance for uncertainty and perceived risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists were learning how to cut and paste genes — editing code, but for living things. The technique, called recombinant DNA, made it possible to insert genetic instructions into bacteria and harness them to manufacture human hormones and medicines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the early days, that power was both thrilling and unsettling. Scientists worried that engineered microbes could behave unpredictably — escape the lab, spread through air or water, or create entirely new biological risks they didn’t yet know how to contain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The concerns were serious enough that, in 1975, many molecular biologists took an extraordinary step: they voluntarily halted their own research. About 150 scientists gathered at an oceanside retreat in Pacific Grove called Asilomar. For four days, they debated the dangers, negotiated boundaries, and ultimately agreed on a set of guidelines for conducting recombinant DNA research safely.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Public backlash\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>But then the public learned about what was happening inside labs. To some, tinkering with DNA felt apocalyptic because scientists might create new life they couldn’t control. News headlines leaned into worst-case scenarios: superbugs and lab accidents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the era of the Andromeda Strain,” said Robin Wolfe Scheffler, historian of biology and medicine at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[aside postID=news_12074947 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00252_TV-KQED.jpg']Trust in science and government was low. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11861810/no-the-tuskegee-study-is-not-the-top-reason-some-black-americans-question-the-covid-19-vaccine\">Tuskegee syphilis study\u003c/a> had recently been exposed, revealing profound abuses. Americans were reckoning with the health impacts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11617827/this-vietnam-paratrooper-was-exposed-to-agent-orange-today-he-lives-with-parkinsons\">Agent Orange\u003c/a>. Nuclear anxiety lingered after the meltdown at \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/three/\">Three Mile Island\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Backlash spread quickly. Cities began debating whether they should regulate or ban genetic engineering. In Cambridge, Mass., officials considered outlawing it altogether. In Berkeley and San Francisco, protesters marched, chanting slogans like, “We will not be cloned.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For researchers hoping to commercialize their discoveries, this created a bottleneck. Biotech startups needed large laboratories, sewer hookups, industrial equipment, and stable local rules. They needed places without residential neighbors ready to revolt. A place like South San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Proof of concept\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>By the mid-1970s, South San Francisco’s leaders were actively searching for a new economic base. The steel mills were mostly gone. Meatpacking was shrinking. Shipping was slowing. When a young venture capitalist named Bob Swanson arrived with an idea that scared much of the country, they didn’t recoil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swanson was newly laid off from a venture capital firm and living in San Francisco, broke and uncertain about his future. Convinced biotechnology was poised to take off, he cold-called a scruffy, long-haired biochemist named Herbert Boyer at the University of California, San Francisco, who agreed to a 20-minute meeting on a Friday afternoon. The casual meeting was so successful that they decided to pool $1,000 and start a new company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074375\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SOUTHSF00325_TV-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074375\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SOUTHSF00325_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SOUTHSF00325_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SOUTHSF00325_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SOUTHSF00325_TV-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Genentech headquarters at 1 DNA Way in South San Francisco on Feb. 23, 2026. South San Francisco was historically an industrial area, housing shipyards, slaughterhouses and a steel mill. Now it’s a biotech hub. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Swanson floated the name Herbob — for Herb and Bob. Boyer vetoed it and suggested Genentech, short for Genetic Engineering and Technology. More marketable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They couldn’t afford office space in San Francisco. Plus, keeping a private company inside UCSF’s public labs raised thorny questions about who owned the science. (Those tensions would later surface in a long-running patent dispute between UCSF and Genentech tied to some of the earliest recombinant DNA research, \u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.com/1999/11/genentech-pays-off-ucsf/\">a case\u003c/a> the two sides settled in 1999.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They landed in South San Francisco. Genentech’s first office sat off East Grand Avenue, next door to a pornography studio. There were few residents to complain, and plenty of industrial space suitable for fermentation tanks and pipes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the national debate over genetic engineering raged, Genentech’s scientists worked quietly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1977, they produced the first synthetic human insulin using genetically engineered bacteria, a breakthrough that transformed diabetes care and proved biotechnology could work at scale. Until then, people with diabetes relied on insulin extracted from cows and pigs: lifesaving, but imperfect. Genentech’s insulin was identical to the human version.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The success triggered a cascade. Former Genentech scientists founded new companies nearby to develop drugs for HIV and cancer. Warehouses filled. A cluster emerged. Today, South San Francisco is one of the most valuable square miles in American science, with more than 250 biotechnology companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hey everyone. I’m Olivia Allen-Price, and this is Bay Curious.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today we head to South San Francisco. You pass it when you’re driving north from the airport along Highway 101– there are giant white letters carved into a hillside. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They read: “The Industrial City.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Faris Alikhan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It used to be meatpacking plants and steel foundries.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Faris Alikhan grew up in South San Francisco, went to high school there — and about half his graduating class went on to work in biotech. His mom did too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Faris Alikhan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why did it become this hub of biotechnology? People move here from all around the world to work in that one industry.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biotechnology is a process. Scientists take a living cell, like yeast or bacteria, and program them to make medicine. They grow those cells in massive tanks — like a brewery — and harvest what the cells produce to make vaccines, antibiotics, and cancer treatments. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today, there are more than 250 biotech companies in South San Francisco, including Genentech. Faris wondered why \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">South San Francisco\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and not closer to an educational hub, like Stanford or Berkeley? How and why did this stretch of waterfront become the birthplace of biotechnology? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Turns out he’s not alone in wondering this. Today’s question won a public voting round on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://baycurious.org\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">BayCurious.org\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">KQED health correspondent Lesley McClurg headed to South San Francisco to find out.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> When you drive down DNA way in South San Francisco it’s a little like a science fiction set. Shuttle buses glide between glass towers. Doctoral students sip matcha with CEOs. Researchers slip in workouts between experiments. Every amenity is available inside a self-contained city. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Low rumble of a freight train\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But 100 years ago this stretch of land was nicknamed the smokestack capital of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Peninsula\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Peninsula\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">… Freight terminals. Shipyards. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cb>Archival clip:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> By July 1944 nearly 16,000 men and women were employed in the shipyards all playing a role in the country’s victory.\u003c/span>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was a dirty, loud, industrial area. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Richard Walker:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> South San Francisco, like Emeryville, they were industrial suburbs.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Richard Walker is a professor emeritus of economic and urban geography at UC Berkeley.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Richard Walker:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> These were these were set up expressly to shelter industry from taxes, from protest, from labor and they worked very effectively. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the early and mid-20th century, local governments actively steered factories, warehouses, and refineries into these fringe cities. Town councils zoned big swaths of land for heavy industry. They limited housing, and kept taxes and rules light. The idea was to park the loud, dirty stuff far from residential neighborhoods — and make it easy for companies to operate. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beyond the town’s borders, Walker says the Bay Area as a region was also unusually comfortable with risk and experimentation, a mindset that goes all the way back to the Gold Rush.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Richard Walker: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">You had a lot of young people, a lot of skilled workers, and a lot of capital. So this was an intellectual center, an industrial center, a capitalist center because of Bank of America, lots of capital available through San Francisco.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">All of that mattered when a new science came along in the 70s. Biotech needed smart people and money — AND it needed places willing to tolerate risk. And that’s where South San Francisco stood apart. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Robin Wolfe Scheffler is a historian of biology and medicine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A community that was very used to dealing with potentially hazardous or unpleasant and industrial neighbors. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And those industries were already in flux. The steel mills were mostly gone. Meatpacking was shrinking. Shipping was slowing. South San Francisco had space, infrastructure that was up for grabs.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For people seeking to work with recombinant DNA in the late 1970s, that was actually perfect. Because many of the cities next to academic centers of molecular biology research were very concerned about its potential health hazards.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Genetic research was controversial. And in some cities, like Berkely or Palo Alto, very unwelcome.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>NewsHour clip:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The hottest scientific controversy since man learned to split the atom is now raging over a new branch of biology called genetic engineering. This tampering with the most basic ingredients of life raises moral and ethical problems as grave as nuclear fission did.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scientists had just learned how to cut and paste genes — kind of like editing code, but for living things. This technique, called recombinant DNA, allows researchers to use special enzymes to slip pieces of genetic material into bacteria. Suddenly it seemed possible to rewrite the instructions inside living things. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was both exciting and terrifying. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>NewsHour clip: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It might be a new drug of tremendous value in fighting disease, or it might be a new virus terribly dangerous to man. Some scientists want the research banned, and a large number want it controlled. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even molecular biologists were spooked by the possibilities. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The scientific community was divided over how hazardous this potential technique was.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They were so worried that they called a halt to their own work – and decided to convene a meeting. In 1975, about 150 scientists gathered in California at an oceanside retreat in Pacific Grove called Asilomar. For four days they argued, negotiated, and finally agreed on a set of guidelines for doing recombinant DNA research safely.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But then the public learned about what was happening inside labs. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is the era of the Andromeda strain, this is the era of Three Mile Island, this is a a moment when overall there’s a huge amount of social concern over the impact of technology and science on the environment. and trust in the institutions of science and technology to regulate themselves is at a low ebb.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Americans had learned that the government had secretly let Black men suffer and die in the Tuskegee syphilis study. They were also just beginning to reckon with the health fallout of Agent Orange from the Vietnam War. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To some, tinkering with DNA felt apocalyptic. People worried engineered bacteria could escape the lab — through the air, water, or sewers — and make people sick. Others feared scientists were crossing an ethical line, creating new life they couldn’t control. Headlines leaned into worst-case scenarios: superbugs and lab accidents.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">By 1975, there is a national conversation about what regulations should be placed on the use of recombinant DNA technology, and individual municipalities begin to consider whether or not they can regulate it as well. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Cambridge, Massachusetts, city officials considered banning the new technology altogether. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>News clip: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The debate over the new experiments has filled over into the streets. “We science for the people are here to try to bring the issues of this controversy to the public. To the people. Because the people are at risk and will benefit from the experiments that are being done with recombinant DNA.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The same was true in San Francisco and Berkeley. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">People marching down the street chanting, we will not be cloned. And so this is a concern for anybody seeking to move outside of an academic laboratory to set up a fledgling biotechnology company because these companies need laboratories, they need space to work. They want to connect to sewers, they want to have the assurance that they’re going to be able to sort of operate on a stable basis.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cue South San Francisco. It’s a community that was very used to dealing with potentially hazardous or unpleasant products. Plus, the 1970s were a time of deindustrialization and so…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The city leaders were very concerned to find a new economic base.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So when a young venture capitalist came knocking with an idea that could revive South San Francisco – city leaders welcomed him.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Music starts\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> When we return – a behemoth is born. Stay with us.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sponsor message\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 1970s, South San Francisco leaders were concerned about the dwindling industries that propped up its tax base. Little did they know the next big thing was waiting at their doorstep. KQED’s Lesley McClurg.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the time Bob Swanson was an unemployed MIT graduate living in San Francisco. He’d just been laid off by the venture capital firm Kleiner and Perkins. According to his wife Judy he was living on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Judy Swanson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He had no extra money, and he was really scared that what am I going to do next? I don’t want to be a failure in life.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He started reading about biotechnology. And was quickly convinced this was the moment it could take off. So, he called a scruffy long haired biochemist named Herb Boyer at UCSF, who agreed to a 20 minute meeting on a Friday afternoon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Judy Swanson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bob showed up in his you know three piece vests outfit and and they hit it off. They decided to go get a beer afterwards. So the two of them decided to put what money they had which was five hundred dollars each to create a company.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bob wanted to call it Herbob. For Herb and Bob. Herb thought that was a terrible idea. His suggestion was Genentech for Genetic Engineering and Technology. They couldn’t afford office space in San Francisco.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And keeping a private company inside UCSF’s public labs raised thorny questions about who owned the science. Those tensions would later surface in a long-running patent dispute between UCSF and Genentech tied to some of the earliest recombinant DNA research, a case the two sides settled in 1999. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Long before the lawyers got involved, Bob looked south of the city.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Judy Swanson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He rented the most inexpensive office space that he could rent, which was in South San Francisco.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The offices were in a nondescript building off East Grand Avenue.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Judy Swanson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">South San Francisco was nothing then really, and they were welcoming, you know, of any idea. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Genentech’s new office was next door to a pornography studio. Because there were so few residential areas – nobody griped about what was in their backyard. And most importantly — there were plenty of empty warehouses large enough to handle vats, pipes, and fermentation columns that are key to biotechnology.\u003c/span>\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, as the nation argued over the risks of genetic engineering. Scientists at Genentech were quietly at work in South San Francisco, on the verge of transforming diabetes care.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>NBC News clip from 1977: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scientists around the country today were paying close attention to reports from California that genetic engineering in a laboratory may be able to produce an insulin gene that could have all kinds of effects.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Until then, people with diabetes relied on insulin taken from cow and pig pancreases. It kept them alive, but it wasn’t an exact match for human insulin and could trigger immune reactions. Genentech made the first synthetic human insulin — identical to what our bodies produce, using genetically engineered bacteria. Production began in 1978. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cb>NBC News, 1977:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Genetic engineering has become big business\u003c/span>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Within a decade, companies founded by former Genentech scientists began filling nearby warehouses.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cb>NBC News, 1977: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nd entirely new firms have emerged solely devoted to genetic engineering.\u003c/span>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A cluster formed. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And over time, South San Francisco became one of the most valuable square miles in American science.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the years that followed, work done here led to HIV drugs that changed the course of the AIDS epidemic. And cancer treatments were developed that are now standard care.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While much of the country hesitated, South San Francisco made room. What had been noisy, polluted, and overlooked proved well suited for a risky new science — one that grew into a multibillion-dollar industry.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That was KQED Health Correspondent Lesley McClurg. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This question was part of a Bay Curious voting round. Did you know we have a new one up on our website every month? This month, here’s what’s up for consideration…\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Question 1: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why is there truly a taco truck on every corner in San Francisco and San Mateo?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Question 2: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why are there huge fans over the tunnels near the Golden Gate Bridge?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Question 3: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">What’s the story with the abandoned cop car in front of the airport off of 101? Everyone knows no actual cop is in it, so what’s the scoop with leaving there?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Voting takes just a click — no registering or drama, I promise. Do it at \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://baycurious.org\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">BayCurious.org\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED. You can become a member today, and enjoy all sorts of nice benefits — the biggest one though. Those warm fuzzies you get knowing you support shows like ours. Thanks!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey, Katherine Monahan, and everyone on Team KQED.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long before sleek \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11933882/beyond-vaccines-biotech-is-booming-in-the-bay-area-despite-a-cooling-economy\">biotech campuses\u003c/a> and venture capital arrived, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/south-san-francisco\">South San Francisco\u003c/a> had a very different identity. For much of the 20th century, it absorbed the Bay Area’s mess — industries that were noisy, dirty, politically inconvenient, or simply unwanted elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Slaughterhouses. Steel mills. Shipyards. Freight terminals. Businesses that needed elbow room and cheap land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1923, the city declared its role in giant white letters on a hillside above town: “South San Francisco The Industrial City.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“South San Francisco, like Emeryville, were industrial suburbs,” said Richard Walker, a professor emeritus of economic and urban geography at the University of California, Berkeley. “These were set up expressly to shelter industry from taxes, from protest, from labor, and they worked very effectively.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Town councils limited housing, zoned big swaths for heavy industry, and kept taxes and rules light. The idea was to park loud, polluting businesses far from residential neighborhoods — and make them easy to operate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075369\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-South-San-Francisco-Archival-01-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075369\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-South-San-Francisco-Archival-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1473\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-South-San-Francisco-Archival-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-South-San-Francisco-Archival-01-KQED-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-South-San-Francisco-Archival-01-KQED-1536x1131.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aerial view of South San Francisco’s Sign Hill, circa 1930. \u003ccite>(Courtesy South San Francisco Public Library Local History Collection)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Beyond town borders, the Bay Area as a whole was comfortable with risk and experimentation, a mindset that goes all the way back to the Gold Rush.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You had a lot of young people, a lot of skilled workers, and a lot of capital,” Walker said of the Bay Area. “So this was an intellectual center, an industrial center, a capitalist center because of Bank of America.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>A risk-tolerant region meets a risky science\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Those conditions mattered when a new science arrived in the 1970s. Biotechnology required not just smart people and money, but a tolerance for uncertainty and perceived risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists were learning how to cut and paste genes — editing code, but for living things. The technique, called recombinant DNA, made it possible to insert genetic instructions into bacteria and harness them to manufacture human hormones and medicines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the early days, that power was both thrilling and unsettling. Scientists worried that engineered microbes could behave unpredictably — escape the lab, spread through air or water, or create entirely new biological risks they didn’t yet know how to contain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The concerns were serious enough that, in 1975, many molecular biologists took an extraordinary step: they voluntarily halted their own research. About 150 scientists gathered at an oceanside retreat in Pacific Grove called Asilomar. For four days, they debated the dangers, negotiated boundaries, and ultimately agreed on a set of guidelines for conducting recombinant DNA research safely.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Public backlash\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>But then the public learned about what was happening inside labs. To some, tinkering with DNA felt apocalyptic because scientists might create new life they couldn’t control. News headlines leaned into worst-case scenarios: superbugs and lab accidents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the era of the Andromeda Strain,” said Robin Wolfe Scheffler, historian of biology and medicine at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Trust in science and government was low. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11861810/no-the-tuskegee-study-is-not-the-top-reason-some-black-americans-question-the-covid-19-vaccine\">Tuskegee syphilis study\u003c/a> had recently been exposed, revealing profound abuses. Americans were reckoning with the health impacts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11617827/this-vietnam-paratrooper-was-exposed-to-agent-orange-today-he-lives-with-parkinsons\">Agent Orange\u003c/a>. Nuclear anxiety lingered after the meltdown at \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/three/\">Three Mile Island\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Backlash spread quickly. Cities began debating whether they should regulate or ban genetic engineering. In Cambridge, Mass., officials considered outlawing it altogether. In Berkeley and San Francisco, protesters marched, chanting slogans like, “We will not be cloned.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For researchers hoping to commercialize their discoveries, this created a bottleneck. Biotech startups needed large laboratories, sewer hookups, industrial equipment, and stable local rules. They needed places without residential neighbors ready to revolt. A place like South San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Proof of concept\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>By the mid-1970s, South San Francisco’s leaders were actively searching for a new economic base. The steel mills were mostly gone. Meatpacking was shrinking. Shipping was slowing. When a young venture capitalist named Bob Swanson arrived with an idea that scared much of the country, they didn’t recoil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swanson was newly laid off from a venture capital firm and living in San Francisco, broke and uncertain about his future. Convinced biotechnology was poised to take off, he cold-called a scruffy, long-haired biochemist named Herbert Boyer at the University of California, San Francisco, who agreed to a 20-minute meeting on a Friday afternoon. The casual meeting was so successful that they decided to pool $1,000 and start a new company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074375\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SOUTHSF00325_TV-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074375\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SOUTHSF00325_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SOUTHSF00325_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SOUTHSF00325_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SOUTHSF00325_TV-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Genentech headquarters at 1 DNA Way in South San Francisco on Feb. 23, 2026. South San Francisco was historically an industrial area, housing shipyards, slaughterhouses and a steel mill. Now it’s a biotech hub. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Swanson floated the name Herbob — for Herb and Bob. Boyer vetoed it and suggested Genentech, short for Genetic Engineering and Technology. More marketable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They couldn’t afford office space in San Francisco. Plus, keeping a private company inside UCSF’s public labs raised thorny questions about who owned the science. (Those tensions would later surface in a long-running patent dispute between UCSF and Genentech tied to some of the earliest recombinant DNA research, \u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.com/1999/11/genentech-pays-off-ucsf/\">a case\u003c/a> the two sides settled in 1999.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They landed in South San Francisco. Genentech’s first office sat off East Grand Avenue, next door to a pornography studio. There were few residents to complain, and plenty of industrial space suitable for fermentation tanks and pipes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the national debate over genetic engineering raged, Genentech’s scientists worked quietly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1977, they produced the first synthetic human insulin using genetically engineered bacteria, a breakthrough that transformed diabetes care and proved biotechnology could work at scale. Until then, people with diabetes relied on insulin extracted from cows and pigs: lifesaving, but imperfect. Genentech’s insulin was identical to the human version.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The success triggered a cascade. Former Genentech scientists founded new companies nearby to develop drugs for HIV and cancer. Warehouses filled. A cluster emerged. Today, South San Francisco is one of the most valuable square miles in American science, with more than 250 biotechnology companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hey everyone. I’m Olivia Allen-Price, and this is Bay Curious.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today we head to South San Francisco. You pass it when you’re driving north from the airport along Highway 101– there are giant white letters carved into a hillside. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They read: “The Industrial City.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Faris Alikhan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It used to be meatpacking plants and steel foundries.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Faris Alikhan grew up in South San Francisco, went to high school there — and about half his graduating class went on to work in biotech. His mom did too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Faris Alikhan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why did it become this hub of biotechnology? People move here from all around the world to work in that one industry.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biotechnology is a process. Scientists take a living cell, like yeast or bacteria, and program them to make medicine. They grow those cells in massive tanks — like a brewery — and harvest what the cells produce to make vaccines, antibiotics, and cancer treatments. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today, there are more than 250 biotech companies in South San Francisco, including Genentech. Faris wondered why \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">South San Francisco\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and not closer to an educational hub, like Stanford or Berkeley? How and why did this stretch of waterfront become the birthplace of biotechnology? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Turns out he’s not alone in wondering this. Today’s question won a public voting round on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://baycurious.org\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">BayCurious.org\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">KQED health correspondent Lesley McClurg headed to South San Francisco to find out.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> When you drive down DNA way in South San Francisco it’s a little like a science fiction set. Shuttle buses glide between glass towers. Doctoral students sip matcha with CEOs. Researchers slip in workouts between experiments. Every amenity is available inside a self-contained city. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Low rumble of a freight train\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But 100 years ago this stretch of land was nicknamed the smokestack capital of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Peninsula\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Peninsula\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">… Freight terminals. Shipyards. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cb>Archival clip:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> By July 1944 nearly 16,000 men and women were employed in the shipyards all playing a role in the country’s victory.\u003c/span>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was a dirty, loud, industrial area. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Richard Walker:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> South San Francisco, like Emeryville, they were industrial suburbs.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Richard Walker is a professor emeritus of economic and urban geography at UC Berkeley.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Richard Walker:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> These were these were set up expressly to shelter industry from taxes, from protest, from labor and they worked very effectively. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the early and mid-20th century, local governments actively steered factories, warehouses, and refineries into these fringe cities. Town councils zoned big swaths of land for heavy industry. They limited housing, and kept taxes and rules light. The idea was to park the loud, dirty stuff far from residential neighborhoods — and make it easy for companies to operate. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beyond the town’s borders, Walker says the Bay Area as a region was also unusually comfortable with risk and experimentation, a mindset that goes all the way back to the Gold Rush.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Richard Walker: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">You had a lot of young people, a lot of skilled workers, and a lot of capital. So this was an intellectual center, an industrial center, a capitalist center because of Bank of America, lots of capital available through San Francisco.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">All of that mattered when a new science came along in the 70s. Biotech needed smart people and money — AND it needed places willing to tolerate risk. And that’s where South San Francisco stood apart. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Robin Wolfe Scheffler is a historian of biology and medicine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A community that was very used to dealing with potentially hazardous or unpleasant and industrial neighbors. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And those industries were already in flux. The steel mills were mostly gone. Meatpacking was shrinking. Shipping was slowing. South San Francisco had space, infrastructure that was up for grabs.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For people seeking to work with recombinant DNA in the late 1970s, that was actually perfect. Because many of the cities next to academic centers of molecular biology research were very concerned about its potential health hazards.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Genetic research was controversial. And in some cities, like Berkely or Palo Alto, very unwelcome.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>NewsHour clip:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The hottest scientific controversy since man learned to split the atom is now raging over a new branch of biology called genetic engineering. This tampering with the most basic ingredients of life raises moral and ethical problems as grave as nuclear fission did.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scientists had just learned how to cut and paste genes — kind of like editing code, but for living things. This technique, called recombinant DNA, allows researchers to use special enzymes to slip pieces of genetic material into bacteria. Suddenly it seemed possible to rewrite the instructions inside living things. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was both exciting and terrifying. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>NewsHour clip: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It might be a new drug of tremendous value in fighting disease, or it might be a new virus terribly dangerous to man. Some scientists want the research banned, and a large number want it controlled. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even molecular biologists were spooked by the possibilities. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The scientific community was divided over how hazardous this potential technique was.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They were so worried that they called a halt to their own work – and decided to convene a meeting. In 1975, about 150 scientists gathered in California at an oceanside retreat in Pacific Grove called Asilomar. For four days they argued, negotiated, and finally agreed on a set of guidelines for doing recombinant DNA research safely.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But then the public learned about what was happening inside labs. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is the era of the Andromeda strain, this is the era of Three Mile Island, this is a a moment when overall there’s a huge amount of social concern over the impact of technology and science on the environment. and trust in the institutions of science and technology to regulate themselves is at a low ebb.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Americans had learned that the government had secretly let Black men suffer and die in the Tuskegee syphilis study. They were also just beginning to reckon with the health fallout of Agent Orange from the Vietnam War. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To some, tinkering with DNA felt apocalyptic. People worried engineered bacteria could escape the lab — through the air, water, or sewers — and make people sick. Others feared scientists were crossing an ethical line, creating new life they couldn’t control. Headlines leaned into worst-case scenarios: superbugs and lab accidents.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">By 1975, there is a national conversation about what regulations should be placed on the use of recombinant DNA technology, and individual municipalities begin to consider whether or not they can regulate it as well. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Cambridge, Massachusetts, city officials considered banning the new technology altogether. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>News clip: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The debate over the new experiments has filled over into the streets. “We science for the people are here to try to bring the issues of this controversy to the public. To the people. Because the people are at risk and will benefit from the experiments that are being done with recombinant DNA.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The same was true in San Francisco and Berkeley. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">People marching down the street chanting, we will not be cloned. And so this is a concern for anybody seeking to move outside of an academic laboratory to set up a fledgling biotechnology company because these companies need laboratories, they need space to work. They want to connect to sewers, they want to have the assurance that they’re going to be able to sort of operate on a stable basis.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cue South San Francisco. It’s a community that was very used to dealing with potentially hazardous or unpleasant products. Plus, the 1970s were a time of deindustrialization and so…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robin Wolfe Scheffler: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The city leaders were very concerned to find a new economic base.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So when a young venture capitalist came knocking with an idea that could revive South San Francisco – city leaders welcomed him.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Music starts\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> When we return – a behemoth is born. Stay with us.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sponsor message\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 1970s, South San Francisco leaders were concerned about the dwindling industries that propped up its tax base. Little did they know the next big thing was waiting at their doorstep. KQED’s Lesley McClurg.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the time Bob Swanson was an unemployed MIT graduate living in San Francisco. He’d just been laid off by the venture capital firm Kleiner and Perkins. According to his wife Judy he was living on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Judy Swanson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He had no extra money, and he was really scared that what am I going to do next? I don’t want to be a failure in life.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He started reading about biotechnology. And was quickly convinced this was the moment it could take off. So, he called a scruffy long haired biochemist named Herb Boyer at UCSF, who agreed to a 20 minute meeting on a Friday afternoon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Judy Swanson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bob showed up in his you know three piece vests outfit and and they hit it off. They decided to go get a beer afterwards. So the two of them decided to put what money they had which was five hundred dollars each to create a company.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bob wanted to call it Herbob. For Herb and Bob. Herb thought that was a terrible idea. His suggestion was Genentech for Genetic Engineering and Technology. They couldn’t afford office space in San Francisco.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And keeping a private company inside UCSF’s public labs raised thorny questions about who owned the science. Those tensions would later surface in a long-running patent dispute between UCSF and Genentech tied to some of the earliest recombinant DNA research, a case the two sides settled in 1999. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Long before the lawyers got involved, Bob looked south of the city.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Judy Swanson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He rented the most inexpensive office space that he could rent, which was in South San Francisco.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The offices were in a nondescript building off East Grand Avenue.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Judy Swanson: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">South San Francisco was nothing then really, and they were welcoming, you know, of any idea. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Genentech’s new office was next door to a pornography studio. Because there were so few residential areas – nobody griped about what was in their backyard. And most importantly — there were plenty of empty warehouses large enough to handle vats, pipes, and fermentation columns that are key to biotechnology.\u003c/span>\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, as the nation argued over the risks of genetic engineering. Scientists at Genentech were quietly at work in South San Francisco, on the verge of transforming diabetes care.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>NBC News clip from 1977: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scientists around the country today were paying close attention to reports from California that genetic engineering in a laboratory may be able to produce an insulin gene that could have all kinds of effects.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Until then, people with diabetes relied on insulin taken from cow and pig pancreases. It kept them alive, but it wasn’t an exact match for human insulin and could trigger immune reactions. Genentech made the first synthetic human insulin — identical to what our bodies produce, using genetically engineered bacteria. Production began in 1978. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cb>NBC News, 1977:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Genetic engineering has become big business\u003c/span>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Within a decade, companies founded by former Genentech scientists began filling nearby warehouses.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cb>NBC News, 1977: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nd entirely new firms have emerged solely devoted to genetic engineering.\u003c/span>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley McClurg:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A cluster formed. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And over time, South San Francisco became one of the most valuable square miles in American science.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the years that followed, work done here led to HIV drugs that changed the course of the AIDS epidemic. And cancer treatments were developed that are now standard care.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While much of the country hesitated, South San Francisco made room. What had been noisy, polluted, and overlooked proved well suited for a risky new science — one that grew into a multibillion-dollar industry.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That was KQED Health Correspondent Lesley McClurg. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This question was part of a Bay Curious voting round. Did you know we have a new one up on our website every month? This month, here’s what’s up for consideration…\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cb>Question 1: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why is there truly a taco truck on every corner in San Francisco and San Mateo?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Question 2: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why are there huge fans over the tunnels near the Golden Gate Bridge?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Question 3: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">What’s the story with the abandoned cop car in front of the airport off of 101? Everyone knows no actual cop is in it, so what’s the scoop with leaving there?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Voting takes just a click — no registering or drama, I promise. Do it at \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://baycurious.org\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">BayCurious.org\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED. You can become a member today, and enjoy all sorts of nice benefits — the biggest one though. Those warm fuzzies you get knowing you support shows like ours. Thanks!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey, Katherine Monahan, and everyone on Team KQED.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/elon-musk\">Elon Musk\u003c/a> on Wednesday defended statements he made in the months leading up to the 2022 purchase of Twitter, saying he did not intend to intentionally manipulate stock prices before the deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a San Francisco federal court, Musk testified in a trial brought by former Twitter shareholders who alleged the world’s richest man committed securities fraud, attempting to bring down the value of the social media platform before he purchased and renamed it X.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On behalf of the investors, attorney Aaron Arnzen peppered Musk with questions regarding high-profile tweets he posted, casting doubt on the deal and questioning the number of spam accounts on the platform in the months preceding his purchase. Arnzen also asked if Musk believed he could renegotiate a lower price for the acquisition at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Musk deflected many of the inquiries, maintaining that his tweets were simply “speaking his mind,” and that changes in stock prices are “up to the market.” He repeatedly accused Twitter and its former executives of lying on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings about the percentage of bot accounts on its site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They had misrepresented the number of bots … they had lied,” Musk repeatedly said throughout his hourslong testimony.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the first three days of Musk’s civil trial, much of the testimony had focused on statements he made in May 2022, which alleged that he was misled about the number of spam and bot accounts on the platform.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075459\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12075459 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-04-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-04-KQED-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-04-KQED-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A courtroom sketch depicts Elon Musk (left) with his defense team on Mar. 4, 2026. Musk is expected to return to court on Thursday to continue his testimony. \u003ccite>(Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While Musk had signed a binding agreement to purchase the site for $54.20 a share in April, in the following months, Arnzen suggested, the billionaire seemed to believe he might be able to back out or renegotiate the terms of the deal based on the bot statistics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In social media posts dating back years, Musk has accused Twitter of being overrun by bot accounts. On the stand on Wednesday, he argued repeatedly that more than 50% of comments and responses to his posts were filled with spam accounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Anyone who used Twitter would realize there were a lot of bots and a lot of spam,” he said. “I definitely was complaining about bots for years; it was driving me crazy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Musk, he met with Twitter executives in early May — one month after they agreed to sell to him — and raised concerns about the company’s claims that less than 5% of the company’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62571733\">then-240 million\u003c/a> daily Twitter users were spam accounts.[aside postID=news_12071615 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/Tesla-Optimus-Getty.jpg']He told the jury that he was “flabbergasted” when CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal said they did not know how the company determined the 5% figure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Days later, Musk posted on Twitter that the deal was “temporarily on hold” pending evidence supporting how Twitter calculated that percentage. Hours later, he posted that he was “still committed to acquisition.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the initial post, Twitter stock took “the elevator to the basement,” dropping 18% over the following 48 hours, Arnzen told the jury.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Arnzen also asked Musk if, after the early May meeting, he “thought [he] could pay way less for Twitter — half the price?” He also asked the X-owner whether he was “looking at an opportunity to revisit price.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Musk said he believed there should have been an opportunity to renegotiate if there had been “material fraud” in calculating the numbers in Twitter’s SEC filings. Musk maintained, though, that he did not make any comments to intentionally depress stock prices or get a better deal on the purchase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tweets were intended to inform the public, he said, not sway stock prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve seen much bigger changes with no news,” Musk said on the stand. He did acknowledge that he knew the general public was closely attuned to his comments on social media.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12075461 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-05-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A courtroom sketch depicts the defense questioning Elon Musk on Mar. 4, 2026. The tech billionaire testified Wednesday, accused of defrauding former shareholders in a lawsuit. \u003ccite>(Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This was in contrast with testimony from former stakeholders, who told the court they sold shares at deflated prices amid Musk’s public waffling. If he’s found guilty, he could be forced to repay them for the money they lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Separately, Musk also faces charges related to the Twitter acquisition brought by the SEC, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26219\">alleged\u003c/a> he violated the law by not disclosing his stake in Twitter while the deal was being worked out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked directly whether he thought of shareholders who might have sold their stock based on his comments at a deflated price, he said he didn’t have control over whether people chose to sell, adding that in the end, he bought Twitter at his originally proposed price, which was a “premium.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Share prices go up and down, but if somebody had simply held on to their position … the vast number of people benefited greatly from the acquisition,” he told the courtroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Musk deflected many of the inquiries, maintaining that his tweets were simply “speaking his mind,” and that changes in stock prices are “up to the market.” He repeatedly accused Twitter and its former executives of lying on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings about the percentage of bot accounts on its site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They had misrepresented the number of bots … they had lied,” Musk repeatedly said throughout his hourslong testimony.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the first three days of Musk’s civil trial, much of the testimony had focused on statements he made in May 2022, which alleged that he was misled about the number of spam and bot accounts on the platform.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075459\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12075459 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-04-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-04-KQED-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-04-KQED-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A courtroom sketch depicts Elon Musk (left) with his defense team on Mar. 4, 2026. Musk is expected to return to court on Thursday to continue his testimony. \u003ccite>(Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While Musk had signed a binding agreement to purchase the site for $54.20 a share in April, in the following months, Arnzen suggested, the billionaire seemed to believe he might be able to back out or renegotiate the terms of the deal based on the bot statistics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In social media posts dating back years, Musk has accused Twitter of being overrun by bot accounts. On the stand on Wednesday, he argued repeatedly that more than 50% of comments and responses to his posts were filled with spam accounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Anyone who used Twitter would realize there were a lot of bots and a lot of spam,” he said. “I definitely was complaining about bots for years; it was driving me crazy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Musk, he met with Twitter executives in early May — one month after they agreed to sell to him — and raised concerns about the company’s claims that less than 5% of the company’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62571733\">then-240 million\u003c/a> daily Twitter users were spam accounts.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>He told the jury that he was “flabbergasted” when CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal said they did not know how the company determined the 5% figure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Days later, Musk posted on Twitter that the deal was “temporarily on hold” pending evidence supporting how Twitter calculated that percentage. Hours later, he posted that he was “still committed to acquisition.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the initial post, Twitter stock took “the elevator to the basement,” dropping 18% over the following 48 hours, Arnzen told the jury.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Arnzen also asked Musk if, after the early May meeting, he “thought [he] could pay way less for Twitter — half the price?” He also asked the X-owner whether he was “looking at an opportunity to revisit price.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Musk said he believed there should have been an opportunity to renegotiate if there had been “material fraud” in calculating the numbers in Twitter’s SEC filings. Musk maintained, though, that he did not make any comments to intentionally depress stock prices or get a better deal on the purchase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tweets were intended to inform the public, he said, not sway stock prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve seen much bigger changes with no news,” Musk said on the stand. He did acknowledge that he knew the general public was closely attuned to his comments on social media.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12075461 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260304-Elon-Musk-Trial-05-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A courtroom sketch depicts the defense questioning Elon Musk on Mar. 4, 2026. The tech billionaire testified Wednesday, accused of defrauding former shareholders in a lawsuit. \u003ccite>(Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This was in contrast with testimony from former stakeholders, who told the court they sold shares at deflated prices amid Musk’s public waffling. If he’s found guilty, he could be forced to repay them for the money they lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Separately, Musk also faces charges related to the Twitter acquisition brought by the SEC, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26219\">alleged\u003c/a> he violated the law by not disclosing his stake in Twitter while the deal was being worked out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked directly whether he thought of shareholders who might have sold their stock based on his comments at a deflated price, he said he didn’t have control over whether people chose to sell, adding that in the end, he bought Twitter at his originally proposed price, which was a “premium.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Share prices go up and down, but if somebody had simply held on to their position … the vast number of people benefited greatly from the acquisition,” he told the courtroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>No more cable cars. Double the wait times. No more regular service after 9 p.m. and the elimination of 20 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/muni\">Muni\u003c/a> bus routes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are the dire scenarios elected officials and public transit advocates in San Francisco are working to prevent as they kicked off the Stronger Muni For All campaign at the city’s Dolores Park on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The success of San Francisco’s economic recovery is dependent on safe, reliable, and affordable public transit. Without it, older adults can’t get to their appointments. Kids can’t get to school, and workers can’t get to their jobs,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The campaign aims to put a parcel tax measure on the November ballot that, if approved by voters, would generate around $160 million for Muni annually in order to help stave off those cuts. It’s one of two campaigns now underway to generate revenue for Bay Area transit agencies. The campaign for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070685/campaign-to-avert-bay-area-public-transit-death-spiral-gets-underway\">Connect Bay Area Act\u003c/a>, a regional sales tax measure that would generate around $1 billion annually for Muni, AC Transit, BART and Caltrain, among others, began gathering signatures in late January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measures come at a precarious time for public transit across the region, and Muni in particular, as the agencies stare down immense budget deficits that could force extreme reductions of their networks. Proponents of the measure include representatives from the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, organized labor and community advocacy groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ What’s the point of living in a city if you have to drive everywhere?” asked Mario Guerrieri, who plans to volunteer as a signature gatherer for the campaign. “I love San Francisco, and Muni is one of the things that makes it great.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs Muni, the city’s public train, cable car and bus provider, is still reeling from the pandemic. The economic downturn and shelter-in-place order that accompanied COVID-19 negatively impacted all of SFMTA’s funding sources, including tax revenue, parking fees, grants and Muni fares, all of which have not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075255\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075255\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-01-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-01-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-01-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-01-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The J Church Muni line at Church and Market streets in San Francisco on March 3, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Since that time, the SFMTA has relied on federal, state and regional pandemic relief funding to stay in the black, but that money is set to run out this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the measure makes it to the November ballot and passes, property owners would be billed annually based on the type of property and square footage. Owners of single-family properties would need to pay $129 annually, multifamily property owners would owe $249 and owners of non-residential parcels would have to shell out $799, with additional tax levied if the properties exceed a certain square footage limit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About $150 million of the revenue generated annually from this tax would be used to reduce Muni’s deficit, and about $10 million would pay for “marginal service quality improvements,” according to the SFMTA. The measure would expire in 15 years, and the tax amount would be annually adjusted for inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Certain property owners would be exempted. Parcels or units owned by seniors who occupy that space as their primary residence wouldn’t pay, nor would occupants or owners of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings. Non-profits, hospitals, museums and government-owned land would also be exempt under existing rules for property taxes.[aside postID=news_12073883 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_014-KQED.jpg']At a recent meeting of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill said he was “broadly very supportive of this, despite concerns about some of the details.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Seniors being exempted generally makes sense, but was there any thought given to seniors who can definitely afford this, say in the 5,000-square-foot mansion properties?” Sherrill asked SFMTA staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFMTA staff confirmed that all senior property owners, regardless of the extravagance of their property, would be exempt from the tax.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The language of the measure also allows a “pass-through,” where owners of single-family properties may pass up to 50% of the tax onto renters of rent-controlled units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sherrill noted that while senior property owners are exempt from the tax, senior renters could still be charged the pass-through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFMTA staff said they modeled this parcel tax off previous ones used by the San Francisco Unified School District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Throughout this process, what we were balancing was the need to avoid complexity,” SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum said. “This is already going to be a very complex task to administer and deliver, as well as trying to make sure that we were focusing on the people who needed [the exemptions] the most.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kat Siegal, one of the measure’s proponents, said the parcel tax is one of the best stable funding mechanisms for public transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075260\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075260\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-26-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-26-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-26-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-26-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A kickoff event for the “Stronger Muni for All” measure at Dolores Park in San Francisco on March 3, 2026. Supporters say the proposal would prevent major Muni service cuts as the transit system faces a budget shortfall. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It doesn’t fluctuate with the economic situation the same way that a sales tax or a gross receipts tax might,” Siegal said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Siegal acknowledged it is hard to ask voters to tax themselves twice in the November election to fund transit, but she said the costs would be far higher to everyone in the city if Muni reduced service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>”It’s a flat rate, $129 a year tax. So that’s pretty reasonable compared to the price of buying a car because your bus line isn’t there anymore,” Siegal said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If voters approve just one of the two proposed taxes, Muni officials say it won’t be enough to prevent service cuts. The agency’s budget deficit is projected to be $344 million in fiscal year 2027, growing to $435 million in fiscal year 2030.[aside postID=news_12070685 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-SIGNATUREKICKOFF00248_TV-KQED.jpg']\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070685/campaign-to-avert-bay-area-public-transit-death-spiral-gets-underway\">The Connect Bay Area Act\u003c/a> would levy a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, and a half-cent sales tax in four other Bay Area counties, providing $155 million per year for the agency, but even with that additional funding, it wouldn’t close the full funding gap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make up the difference, the SFMTA also plans to reduce costs by further cutting vacant positions, optimizing maintenance shifts to reduce premium pay and scaling back the work it requests from other city departments, among other policy shifts. The agency also plans to generate more revenue by increasing meter rates and citation late penalties, along with eliminating the Clipper card fare discount, to name a few. Combined, these efforts are expected to contribute up to $42.5 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dylan Fabris, the community and policy manager with the non-profit advocacy group San Francisco Transit Riders, said he would have preferred that the two ballot measures be merged into one, but the depth of Muni’s deficit, in particular, combined with that of other transit agencies, meant Muni also needs to “self-help.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not one or the other. At the end of the day, we need both of these measures to pass to prevent catastrophic cuts,” Fabris said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Stronger Muni For All campaign has until July 6 to collect and submit just over 10,600 valid signatures to get the measure on the November ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Structurally, we just need new funding, and it’s not coming from the federal government or the state government,” Siegal said. “We need to do it ourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Advocates kicked off a signature-gathering campaign on Tuesday for a parcel tax to fund Muni. It’s one of two ballot measures that will need to pass in November to avoid service cuts.",
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"title": "Amid Bid to Save Bay Area Transit, Muni Gets a Campaign of Its Own | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>No more cable cars. Double the wait times. No more regular service after 9 p.m. and the elimination of 20 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/muni\">Muni\u003c/a> bus routes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are the dire scenarios elected officials and public transit advocates in San Francisco are working to prevent as they kicked off the Stronger Muni For All campaign at the city’s Dolores Park on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The success of San Francisco’s economic recovery is dependent on safe, reliable, and affordable public transit. Without it, older adults can’t get to their appointments. Kids can’t get to school, and workers can’t get to their jobs,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The campaign aims to put a parcel tax measure on the November ballot that, if approved by voters, would generate around $160 million for Muni annually in order to help stave off those cuts. It’s one of two campaigns now underway to generate revenue for Bay Area transit agencies. The campaign for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070685/campaign-to-avert-bay-area-public-transit-death-spiral-gets-underway\">Connect Bay Area Act\u003c/a>, a regional sales tax measure that would generate around $1 billion annually for Muni, AC Transit, BART and Caltrain, among others, began gathering signatures in late January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measures come at a precarious time for public transit across the region, and Muni in particular, as the agencies stare down immense budget deficits that could force extreme reductions of their networks. Proponents of the measure include representatives from the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, organized labor and community advocacy groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ What’s the point of living in a city if you have to drive everywhere?” asked Mario Guerrieri, who plans to volunteer as a signature gatherer for the campaign. “I love San Francisco, and Muni is one of the things that makes it great.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs Muni, the city’s public train, cable car and bus provider, is still reeling from the pandemic. The economic downturn and shelter-in-place order that accompanied COVID-19 negatively impacted all of SFMTA’s funding sources, including tax revenue, parking fees, grants and Muni fares, all of which have not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075255\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075255\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-01-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-01-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-01-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-01-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The J Church Muni line at Church and Market streets in San Francisco on March 3, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Since that time, the SFMTA has relied on federal, state and regional pandemic relief funding to stay in the black, but that money is set to run out this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the measure makes it to the November ballot and passes, property owners would be billed annually based on the type of property and square footage. Owners of single-family properties would need to pay $129 annually, multifamily property owners would owe $249 and owners of non-residential parcels would have to shell out $799, with additional tax levied if the properties exceed a certain square footage limit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About $150 million of the revenue generated annually from this tax would be used to reduce Muni’s deficit, and about $10 million would pay for “marginal service quality improvements,” according to the SFMTA. The measure would expire in 15 years, and the tax amount would be annually adjusted for inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Certain property owners would be exempted. Parcels or units owned by seniors who occupy that space as their primary residence wouldn’t pay, nor would occupants or owners of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings. Non-profits, hospitals, museums and government-owned land would also be exempt under existing rules for property taxes.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>At a recent meeting of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill said he was “broadly very supportive of this, despite concerns about some of the details.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Seniors being exempted generally makes sense, but was there any thought given to seniors who can definitely afford this, say in the 5,000-square-foot mansion properties?” Sherrill asked SFMTA staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFMTA staff confirmed that all senior property owners, regardless of the extravagance of their property, would be exempt from the tax.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The language of the measure also allows a “pass-through,” where owners of single-family properties may pass up to 50% of the tax onto renters of rent-controlled units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sherrill noted that while senior property owners are exempt from the tax, senior renters could still be charged the pass-through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFMTA staff said they modeled this parcel tax off previous ones used by the San Francisco Unified School District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Throughout this process, what we were balancing was the need to avoid complexity,” SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum said. “This is already going to be a very complex task to administer and deliver, as well as trying to make sure that we were focusing on the people who needed [the exemptions] the most.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kat Siegal, one of the measure’s proponents, said the parcel tax is one of the best stable funding mechanisms for public transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075260\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075260\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-26-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-26-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-26-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-26-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A kickoff event for the “Stronger Muni for All” measure at Dolores Park in San Francisco on March 3, 2026. Supporters say the proposal would prevent major Muni service cuts as the transit system faces a budget shortfall. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It doesn’t fluctuate with the economic situation the same way that a sales tax or a gross receipts tax might,” Siegal said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Siegal acknowledged it is hard to ask voters to tax themselves twice in the November election to fund transit, but she said the costs would be far higher to everyone in the city if Muni reduced service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>”It’s a flat rate, $129 a year tax. So that’s pretty reasonable compared to the price of buying a car because your bus line isn’t there anymore,” Siegal said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If voters approve just one of the two proposed taxes, Muni officials say it won’t be enough to prevent service cuts. The agency’s budget deficit is projected to be $344 million in fiscal year 2027, growing to $435 million in fiscal year 2030.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070685/campaign-to-avert-bay-area-public-transit-death-spiral-gets-underway\">The Connect Bay Area Act\u003c/a> would levy a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, and a half-cent sales tax in four other Bay Area counties, providing $155 million per year for the agency, but even with that additional funding, it wouldn’t close the full funding gap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make up the difference, the SFMTA also plans to reduce costs by further cutting vacant positions, optimizing maintenance shifts to reduce premium pay and scaling back the work it requests from other city departments, among other policy shifts. The agency also plans to generate more revenue by increasing meter rates and citation late penalties, along with eliminating the Clipper card fare discount, to name a few. Combined, these efforts are expected to contribute up to $42.5 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dylan Fabris, the community and policy manager with the non-profit advocacy group San Francisco Transit Riders, said he would have preferred that the two ballot measures be merged into one, but the depth of Muni’s deficit, in particular, combined with that of other transit agencies, meant Muni also needs to “self-help.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not one or the other. At the end of the day, we need both of these measures to pass to prevent catastrophic cuts,” Fabris said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Stronger Muni For All campaign has until July 6 to collect and submit just over 10,600 valid signatures to get the measure on the November ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Structurally, we just need new funding, and it’s not coming from the federal government or the state government,” Siegal said. “We need to do it ourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "its-san-franciscos-most-delayed-bus-for-riders-a-frustrating-problem-may-get-worse",
"title": "It’s San Francisco’s Most Delayed Bus. For Riders, a Frustrating Problem May Get Worse",
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"headTitle": "It’s San Francisco’s Most Delayed Bus. For Riders, a Frustrating Problem May Get Worse | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Maria Castillo huddled under her umbrella on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>’s Cortland Street as she waited for her bus in the frigid rain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s so cold right now,” the 56-year-old told KQED in Spanish earlier this month, drawing her two-wheeled cart full of cleaning supplies close. “I’m dealing with a lot of cold.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Castillo, who lives in the Bayview neighborhood, relies on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-muni\">Muni\u003c/a>’s 67-Bernal Heights route to reach her house cleaning job by Precita Park. She often sees familiar faces on the squat, 30-foot bus, which snakes up and around Bernal Heights Park and down to the 24th Street Mission BART station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The friendliness of the passengers and drivers usually makes for a calm morning commute. But on days like these, she’s frustrated when the bus keeps her waiting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The only problem is the delay,” Castillo said. “Sometimes half an hour passes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Castillo’s experience on the 67 bus — a hilly loop that takes just 25 minutes to complete and serves public housing on Ellsworth Street as well as the Alemany Farmer’s Market — is not out of the ordinary. The route is the most likely to be delayed, with 1 in 5 buses departing “very late,” according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s on-time performance dashboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073742\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073742\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_015-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_015-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_015-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_015-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maria Castillo rides aboard the 67 Bernal Heights bus in San Francisco on Feb. 18, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact, only 40% of the route’s buses were on time between October 2024 and October 2025, according to the dashboard. That’s a far cry from the 85% goal set by a voter mandate in 1999 with \u003ca href=\"https://www.spur.org/publications/voter-guide/2007-11-01/proposition-muni-reform\">Proposition E\u003c/a>, which created SFMTA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I noticed there’s a gap between pickups,” said Gil Diaz, 42, who catches the bus from the same corner as Castillo to connect to 24th Street BART as part of his morning commute. “If I miss one bus, I could be waiting 20–30 minutes for the next one, maybe longer. I get that anxiety like, oh, every minute is counting, because it’s going to affect the next bus.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA attributed the delays to the sharp turns and treacherously tight streets that the 67 navigates as it inches along Bernal Heights Boulevard. More slowdowns come from traffic around 24th Street. The agency denied that operator shortages or vehicle availability were responsible for service issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re always trying to improve,” said Brent Jones, SFMTA’s director of transit. “People should know that we are always working to expand our service, to make it efficient. Even at times where we have budgetary constraints, we are already thinking about what building back better looks like.”[aside postID=news_12071026 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-023_qed.jpg']Those looming budget cuts threaten to make waits for the 67 \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/project-updates/approaches-possible-muni-service-cuts\">longer\u003c/a> or eliminate the route entirely. Because of exhausted state and federal funding, rising costs, and lower fare and parking revenue, the agency faces a $322 million budget deficit beginning in July, one that will continue to grow over the next five years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to a wide range of street safety, maintenance and staff reductions, SFMTA said it will be forced to reduce Muni service if that budget gap isn’t plugged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency’s worst-case scenario includes suspending up to \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/Muni_Funding_Working_Group_November_13_Meeting_Slides_-_Service_Cuts_Options.pdf\">12 low-ridership routes\u003c/a> without parallel service in hilly neighborhoods of the city, including the 67. While the route serves a modest \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/reports/average-daily-muni-boardings-route-and-month-pre-pandemic-present\">800 \u003c/a>daily riders, they represent a diverse swath of residents — many of whom live on the steep streets above Alemany Boulevard or near Bernal Heights Park, and who rely on the bus to navigate the area’s sharp grades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s the trade-off,” said Jaime Viloria, outreach manager for advocacy group SF Transit Riders. “Do you just put all the resources on your core services with the most usage, or do you spread it around a little bit more? You make those choices about which communities get their transit and which ones don’t. That’s the difficult part of what the SFMTA has to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As SFMTA looks to strike that balance, Jones said that for the most part, the agency has moved away from using schedules to measure the reliability of its service, especially for its busier trains and buses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the pandemic, about half of all city transit switched from tracking specific departure times to what transit agencies call “headway management” — a frequency-based system that prioritizes even space between buses, instead of keeping them on a schedule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073740\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073740\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_011-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_011-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_011-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_011-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Muni driver Hannibal Thompson is reflected in a rearview mirror as he operates the 67 Bernal Heights bus in San Francisco on Feb. 18, 2026. The route is among those with the most persistent delays, according to Muni performance data. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The idea is to create fewer gaps in service between buses and to avoid having buses bunch up at a stop at the same time, leaving future riders stranded. Passengers on high-volume lines should expect buses and trains to come at regular intervals, instead of at fixed times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the SFMTA, the agency averages an 85% to 87% headway adherence rate. Data for January 2026, the most recent made available to KQED, shows that the 38R-Geary, the 28R-19th Avenue and the 14R-Mission — all Rapid routes that served a combined 54,100 riders daily in December 2025 — averaged higher than 90% adherence to their headway targets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Headway Adherence by Route, January 2026\" aria-label=\"Table\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-a91bS\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/a91bS/4/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"600\" height=\"483\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By comparison, SFMTA’s lower-volume Muni buses, such as the 67, still run on the old schedule system. Collectively, only 56% of those buses departed on time between October 2024 and October 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency acknowledged that headway data is not included on the city’s public transit performance dashboard and that Muni’s “percentage of trips with service gaps” \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgov.org/scorecards/transportation/service-gaps\">data\u003c/a>, which formerly tracked headway arrivals, has not been published \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/reports/percentage-muni-trips-service-gaps-archived-metric\">publicly\u003c/a> since 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agency spokesperson Michael Roccaforte noted that SFMTA has other ways of sharing its results — including reporting to the Board of Directors and other public meetings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While SFMTA and city leaders are committed to avoiding service cuts, officials face a funding quagmire that’s growing each year. Although \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073891/newsom-signs-590-million-loan-to-avert-drastic-bay-area-transit-cuts\">Gov. Gavin Newsom authorized a $590 million bridge loan\u003c/a> to Bay Area transit agencies in early February, that money will be split between the region’s operators — and is only a stopgap before the coming fiscal cliff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073739\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073739\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_010-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_010-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_010-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_010-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mano Ram, a Belmont resident, stands beneath a 67 Bernal Heights bus shelter near the Alemany Apartments in Bernal Heights, San Francisco, on Feb. 18, 2026. Ram commutes by transit from Belmont to his job as a security guard at the Alemany Apartments. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>State officials have pushed for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032607/first-look-at-2026-tax-proposal-to-keep-bay-area-transit-running\">regional transit tax\u003c/a> to fund the Bay Area’s largest transit agencies — BART, Caltrain, Muni and AC Transit. The measure proposes a 1% sales tax increase in San Francisco and a 0.5% increase in Alameda, San Mateo, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties. SFMTA is expected to see about $155 million in revenue from that tax each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in November, San Francisco residents will vote on a parcel tax to shore up SFMTA funding, which is expected to generate more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/tl/media/44175/download?inline\">$180 million\u003c/a> yearly to address the deficit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If passed, the stabilizing effects of these measures would ripple across the Bay Area for some transit riders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mano Ram is the area director for security at the Alemany Apartments public housing complex. To reach his home in Belmont, he rides the 67 to 24th Street BART, which connects him to Caltrain through Millbrae. Sometimes, delays leave him stranded for 45 minutes to over an hour, resulting in a two-hour commute to travel 20 miles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, he said, without the bus, “I would be stuck. I would have to rent a car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Maria Castillo huddled under her umbrella on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>’s Cortland Street as she waited for her bus in the frigid rain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s so cold right now,” the 56-year-old told KQED in Spanish earlier this month, drawing her two-wheeled cart full of cleaning supplies close. “I’m dealing with a lot of cold.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Castillo, who lives in the Bayview neighborhood, relies on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-muni\">Muni\u003c/a>’s 67-Bernal Heights route to reach her house cleaning job by Precita Park. She often sees familiar faces on the squat, 30-foot bus, which snakes up and around Bernal Heights Park and down to the 24th Street Mission BART station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The friendliness of the passengers and drivers usually makes for a calm morning commute. But on days like these, she’s frustrated when the bus keeps her waiting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The only problem is the delay,” Castillo said. “Sometimes half an hour passes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Castillo’s experience on the 67 bus — a hilly loop that takes just 25 minutes to complete and serves public housing on Ellsworth Street as well as the Alemany Farmer’s Market — is not out of the ordinary. The route is the most likely to be delayed, with 1 in 5 buses departing “very late,” according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s on-time performance dashboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073742\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073742\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_015-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_015-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_015-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_015-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maria Castillo rides aboard the 67 Bernal Heights bus in San Francisco on Feb. 18, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact, only 40% of the route’s buses were on time between October 2024 and October 2025, according to the dashboard. That’s a far cry from the 85% goal set by a voter mandate in 1999 with \u003ca href=\"https://www.spur.org/publications/voter-guide/2007-11-01/proposition-muni-reform\">Proposition E\u003c/a>, which created SFMTA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I noticed there’s a gap between pickups,” said Gil Diaz, 42, who catches the bus from the same corner as Castillo to connect to 24th Street BART as part of his morning commute. “If I miss one bus, I could be waiting 20–30 minutes for the next one, maybe longer. I get that anxiety like, oh, every minute is counting, because it’s going to affect the next bus.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA attributed the delays to the sharp turns and treacherously tight streets that the 67 navigates as it inches along Bernal Heights Boulevard. More slowdowns come from traffic around 24th Street. The agency denied that operator shortages or vehicle availability were responsible for service issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re always trying to improve,” said Brent Jones, SFMTA’s director of transit. “People should know that we are always working to expand our service, to make it efficient. Even at times where we have budgetary constraints, we are already thinking about what building back better looks like.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Those looming budget cuts threaten to make waits for the 67 \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/project-updates/approaches-possible-muni-service-cuts\">longer\u003c/a> or eliminate the route entirely. Because of exhausted state and federal funding, rising costs, and lower fare and parking revenue, the agency faces a $322 million budget deficit beginning in July, one that will continue to grow over the next five years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to a wide range of street safety, maintenance and staff reductions, SFMTA said it will be forced to reduce Muni service if that budget gap isn’t plugged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency’s worst-case scenario includes suspending up to \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/Muni_Funding_Working_Group_November_13_Meeting_Slides_-_Service_Cuts_Options.pdf\">12 low-ridership routes\u003c/a> without parallel service in hilly neighborhoods of the city, including the 67. While the route serves a modest \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/reports/average-daily-muni-boardings-route-and-month-pre-pandemic-present\">800 \u003c/a>daily riders, they represent a diverse swath of residents — many of whom live on the steep streets above Alemany Boulevard or near Bernal Heights Park, and who rely on the bus to navigate the area’s sharp grades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s the trade-off,” said Jaime Viloria, outreach manager for advocacy group SF Transit Riders. “Do you just put all the resources on your core services with the most usage, or do you spread it around a little bit more? You make those choices about which communities get their transit and which ones don’t. That’s the difficult part of what the SFMTA has to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As SFMTA looks to strike that balance, Jones said that for the most part, the agency has moved away from using schedules to measure the reliability of its service, especially for its busier trains and buses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the pandemic, about half of all city transit switched from tracking specific departure times to what transit agencies call “headway management” — a frequency-based system that prioritizes even space between buses, instead of keeping them on a schedule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073740\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073740\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_011-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_011-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_011-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_011-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Muni driver Hannibal Thompson is reflected in a rearview mirror as he operates the 67 Bernal Heights bus in San Francisco on Feb. 18, 2026. The route is among those with the most persistent delays, according to Muni performance data. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The idea is to create fewer gaps in service between buses and to avoid having buses bunch up at a stop at the same time, leaving future riders stranded. Passengers on high-volume lines should expect buses and trains to come at regular intervals, instead of at fixed times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the SFMTA, the agency averages an 85% to 87% headway adherence rate. Data for January 2026, the most recent made available to KQED, shows that the 38R-Geary, the 28R-19th Avenue and the 14R-Mission — all Rapid routes that served a combined 54,100 riders daily in December 2025 — averaged higher than 90% adherence to their headway targets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Headway Adherence by Route, January 2026\" aria-label=\"Table\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-a91bS\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/a91bS/4/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"600\" height=\"483\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By comparison, SFMTA’s lower-volume Muni buses, such as the 67, still run on the old schedule system. Collectively, only 56% of those buses departed on time between October 2024 and October 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency acknowledged that headway data is not included on the city’s public transit performance dashboard and that Muni’s “percentage of trips with service gaps” \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgov.org/scorecards/transportation/service-gaps\">data\u003c/a>, which formerly tracked headway arrivals, has not been published \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/reports/percentage-muni-trips-service-gaps-archived-metric\">publicly\u003c/a> since 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agency spokesperson Michael Roccaforte noted that SFMTA has other ways of sharing its results — including reporting to the Board of Directors and other public meetings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While SFMTA and city leaders are committed to avoiding service cuts, officials face a funding quagmire that’s growing each year. Although \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073891/newsom-signs-590-million-loan-to-avert-drastic-bay-area-transit-cuts\">Gov. Gavin Newsom authorized a $590 million bridge loan\u003c/a> to Bay Area transit agencies in early February, that money will be split between the region’s operators — and is only a stopgap before the coming fiscal cliff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073739\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073739\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_010-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_010-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_010-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021826_LATEBUSES-_GH_010-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mano Ram, a Belmont resident, stands beneath a 67 Bernal Heights bus shelter near the Alemany Apartments in Bernal Heights, San Francisco, on Feb. 18, 2026. Ram commutes by transit from Belmont to his job as a security guard at the Alemany Apartments. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>State officials have pushed for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032607/first-look-at-2026-tax-proposal-to-keep-bay-area-transit-running\">regional transit tax\u003c/a> to fund the Bay Area’s largest transit agencies — BART, Caltrain, Muni and AC Transit. The measure proposes a 1% sales tax increase in San Francisco and a 0.5% increase in Alameda, San Mateo, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties. SFMTA is expected to see about $155 million in revenue from that tax each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in November, San Francisco residents will vote on a parcel tax to shore up SFMTA funding, which is expected to generate more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/tl/media/44175/download?inline\">$180 million\u003c/a> yearly to address the deficit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If passed, the stabilizing effects of these measures would ripple across the Bay Area for some transit riders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mano Ram is the area director for security at the Alemany Apartments public housing complex. To reach his home in Belmont, he rides the 67 to 24th Street BART, which connects him to Caltrain through Millbrae. Sometimes, delays leave him stranded for 45 minutes to over an hour, resulting in a two-hour commute to travel 20 miles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, he said, without the bus, “I would be stuck. I would have to rent a car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>As a fire at a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pge\">PG&E\u003c/a> substation plunged a third of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> into darkness on the evening of Dec. 20, one of the city’s 911 dispatchers sat on hold with Waymo’s first responder hotline for 53 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company’s systems had become overwhelmed with requests from the more than 1,500 confused robotaxis trying to navigate intersections without functioning traffic signals, rendering them inoperable for two minutes or more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How the stalled Waymos complicated the city’s emergency response efforts and what measures the company is putting in place to prevent service stoppages during a future emergency were the subject of a meeting of the city’s Land Use and Transportation Committee on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In it, representatives from city departments revealed the severity of Waymo’s service outage and its effect on the city, which lasted overnight and into the next day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Department of Emergency Management Executive Director Mary Ellen Carroll, whose department staffs the city’s 911 dispatch center, said she lost sleep over the incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I definitely stay awake at night thinking about things that could happen and how do we integrate this new technology into our emergency response,” Carroll told city supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075233\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075233\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WaymoOutageReport-24-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WaymoOutageReport-24-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WaymoOutageReport-24-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WaymoOutageReport-24-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mary Ellen Carroll, executive director of the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management, speaks during a Board of Supervisors hearing on Waymo’s emergency operations at City Hall in San Francisco on March 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Broadly, representatives from Waymo apologized for the inconveniences their vehicles caused that day and said they were putting in place safeguards to prevent a similar service outage from happening again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I want to be very clear that Waymo takes full responsibility for the communication gaps that occurred that evening,” said Sam Cooper, the program manager for incident response at Waymo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it did little to mollify some supervisors, who expressed ire over stalled Waymos blocking intersections and the path of emergency vehicles, a problem that sometimes required intervention by first responders. The hearing came just a day after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/03/02/waymo-vehicle-blocks-ems-austin-mass-shooting\">Waymo blocked an ambulance\u003c/a> responding to a mass shooting in Austin, Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patrick Rabbitt, the deputy chief of operations for the San Francisco Fire Department, said firefighters can call Waymo and request a remote operator to move a stalled vehicle, but they can’t always reach the company by phone, and sometimes the remote operators are unable to move the vehicle, requiring first responders to do it themselves.[aside postID=news_12074861 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/250730-waymofile_00306_TV_qed.jpg']Waymo spokesperson Ethan Teicher told KQED Waymo is aware of 62 manual retrievals of its stalled vehicles during the blackout, which were done by Waymo’s own roadside assistance or tow trucks. In two instances, he said, first responders had to manually move a Waymo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carroll and other city leaders lamented that when that happens, it forces valuable first responders to become “default roadside assistance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Anything that brings a high volume of calls to 911 can delay our response time for people that have true life-and-death situations,” Caroll said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The main reason for the service stoppage, according to Waymo, was a high number of remote assistance requests generated by the vehicles attempting to navigate intersections without functioning streetlights, although the company did note that its vehicles traversed 7,000 darkened intersections during the blackout without incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cars idled as they waited for their remote assistance requests to be fulfilled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remote assistance requests are handled by operators located in countries as far away as the Philippines, who can provide guidance to the autonomous vehicles. The company said it currently employs 70 remote operators, who are responsible for handling requests from its fleet of about 3,000 vehicles across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood was incredulous that Waymo representatives didn’t think the location or number of remote operators would be an issue in future emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we’re reliant in an emergency situation on operators in the Philippines to have to assess the condition here, how can you explain or justify that?” Mahmood asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075118\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075118\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-30-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-30-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-30-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-30-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chinmay Jain, director of product management at Waymo, speaks during a Board of Supervisors hearing on Waymo’s emergency operations at City Hall in San Francisco on March 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chinmay Jain, Waymo’s director of product management, said the location of the remote assistants “had no implications” in the San Francisco power outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ We do a very detailed analysis on the demand for such requests, and hence, have these dynamic systems where we can increase the supply of remote assistance accordingly,” Jain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Cooper said the company did change its practices in response to the December outage in other ways. Waymo rolled out fleet-wide updates that allow its vehicles to better navigate intersections without working traffic signals, revised how its operations team responds to power outage events, and improved its staffing capabilities during significant incidents, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the representatives largely dodged questions from supervisors seeking explicit commitments. Cooper said he could not provide numbers at the time on the number of additional staff the company had hired to handle surges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management and Fire Department recommended integrating their “avoid the area” notifications with Waymo software to prevent the driverless cars from entering emergency response zones, but Cooper said he couldn’t commit to that in the meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075116\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075116\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-13-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-13-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-13-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-13-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gig workers, union members and labor advocates fill a Board of Supervisors meeting at City Hall in San Francisco on March 2, 2026, to discuss Waymo’s emergency operations following a December power outage that left the company’s autonomous vehicles stalled on city streets. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“ We’re absolutely willing to have the conversations at the conclusion of this hearing to make sure that we are hearing everyone on the table,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local unions and gig workers for Uber and Lyft hosted a rally on the steps of City Hall before the meeting, calling for greater regulation of Waymo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ We just want to be part of the conversation and make sure that these vehicles operate safely in emergencies. We can’t have roads being blocked,” said Sam Gebler, the president of San Francisco Firefighters Local 798.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The meeting also featured lengthy public comment with many speakers largely expressing their opposition to Waymo over safety and other concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kristin Hardy, the regional vice president of SEIU 1021, read a statement written by her daughter, who said her dog, Leo, was hit and killed by a Waymo in the city’s Western Addition neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075120\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075120\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-42-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-42-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-42-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-42-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kristin Hardy, region vice president for SEIU 1021, speaks on behalf of her daughter, Kayla Craig, whose dog, Leo, had to be put down after being hit by a Waymo, during a Board of Supervisors hearing on Waymo’s emergency operations at City Hall in San Francisco on March 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When a self-driving car makes a mistake, who suffers? Not the company, not the executives, the community does. Safety should never come second. It should never be tested on real people in real time,” Hardy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Waymo said its vehicles have shown an 88% reduction in serious injury-or-worse crashes compared to human drivers in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That safety record, however, came into question last year when \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062777/san-francisco-supervisor-calls-for-robotaxi-reform-after-waymo-kills-neighborhood-cat\">one of its vehicles ran over a beloved bodega cat in the city’s Mission District\u003c/a>.[aside postID=news_12071764 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/WaymoLosAngelesGetty.jpg']The incident sparked calls by city Supervisor Jackie Fielder for more local control over autonomous vehicle regulations, but she has yet to introduce a resolution that could drive that process forward. Most of the jurisdiction for regulating Waymo currently sits with state agencies, not San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Casting a long shadow over the meeting is AB 1777, a 2024 state law that by July 1 of this year will require, among other things, that autonomous vehicle operators staff a phone line that allows first responders to reach a human operator within \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1777\">30 seconds\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The gulf between the 30 seconds that the law requires and the 50 minutes that we heard about today is massive,” Mahmood said. “The results of today show that there are dire consequences if we don’t get public safety right.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking to KQED on Tuesday at a separate event, Supervisor Myrna Melgar said she was “disappointed that Waymo had no answers at all.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I feel like their whole support infrastructure — it is not adequate for disaster preparedness,” Melgar said. “It’s adequate for the day-to-day. So I hope this prompts them to rethink that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story was updated to clarify the number of times first responders had to manually move a Waymo during the December power outage.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As a fire at a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pge\">PG&E\u003c/a> substation plunged a third of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> into darkness on the evening of Dec. 20, one of the city’s 911 dispatchers sat on hold with Waymo’s first responder hotline for 53 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company’s systems had become overwhelmed with requests from the more than 1,500 confused robotaxis trying to navigate intersections without functioning traffic signals, rendering them inoperable for two minutes or more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How the stalled Waymos complicated the city’s emergency response efforts and what measures the company is putting in place to prevent service stoppages during a future emergency were the subject of a meeting of the city’s Land Use and Transportation Committee on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In it, representatives from city departments revealed the severity of Waymo’s service outage and its effect on the city, which lasted overnight and into the next day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Department of Emergency Management Executive Director Mary Ellen Carroll, whose department staffs the city’s 911 dispatch center, said she lost sleep over the incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I definitely stay awake at night thinking about things that could happen and how do we integrate this new technology into our emergency response,” Carroll told city supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075233\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075233\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WaymoOutageReport-24-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WaymoOutageReport-24-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WaymoOutageReport-24-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WaymoOutageReport-24-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mary Ellen Carroll, executive director of the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management, speaks during a Board of Supervisors hearing on Waymo’s emergency operations at City Hall in San Francisco on March 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Broadly, representatives from Waymo apologized for the inconveniences their vehicles caused that day and said they were putting in place safeguards to prevent a similar service outage from happening again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I want to be very clear that Waymo takes full responsibility for the communication gaps that occurred that evening,” said Sam Cooper, the program manager for incident response at Waymo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it did little to mollify some supervisors, who expressed ire over stalled Waymos blocking intersections and the path of emergency vehicles, a problem that sometimes required intervention by first responders. The hearing came just a day after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/03/02/waymo-vehicle-blocks-ems-austin-mass-shooting\">Waymo blocked an ambulance\u003c/a> responding to a mass shooting in Austin, Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patrick Rabbitt, the deputy chief of operations for the San Francisco Fire Department, said firefighters can call Waymo and request a remote operator to move a stalled vehicle, but they can’t always reach the company by phone, and sometimes the remote operators are unable to move the vehicle, requiring first responders to do it themselves.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Waymo spokesperson Ethan Teicher told KQED Waymo is aware of 62 manual retrievals of its stalled vehicles during the blackout, which were done by Waymo’s own roadside assistance or tow trucks. In two instances, he said, first responders had to manually move a Waymo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carroll and other city leaders lamented that when that happens, it forces valuable first responders to become “default roadside assistance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Anything that brings a high volume of calls to 911 can delay our response time for people that have true life-and-death situations,” Caroll said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The main reason for the service stoppage, according to Waymo, was a high number of remote assistance requests generated by the vehicles attempting to navigate intersections without functioning streetlights, although the company did note that its vehicles traversed 7,000 darkened intersections during the blackout without incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cars idled as they waited for their remote assistance requests to be fulfilled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remote assistance requests are handled by operators located in countries as far away as the Philippines, who can provide guidance to the autonomous vehicles. The company said it currently employs 70 remote operators, who are responsible for handling requests from its fleet of about 3,000 vehicles across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood was incredulous that Waymo representatives didn’t think the location or number of remote operators would be an issue in future emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we’re reliant in an emergency situation on operators in the Philippines to have to assess the condition here, how can you explain or justify that?” Mahmood asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075118\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075118\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-30-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-30-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-30-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-30-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chinmay Jain, director of product management at Waymo, speaks during a Board of Supervisors hearing on Waymo’s emergency operations at City Hall in San Francisco on March 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chinmay Jain, Waymo’s director of product management, said the location of the remote assistants “had no implications” in the San Francisco power outage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ We do a very detailed analysis on the demand for such requests, and hence, have these dynamic systems where we can increase the supply of remote assistance accordingly,” Jain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Cooper said the company did change its practices in response to the December outage in other ways. Waymo rolled out fleet-wide updates that allow its vehicles to better navigate intersections without working traffic signals, revised how its operations team responds to power outage events, and improved its staffing capabilities during significant incidents, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the representatives largely dodged questions from supervisors seeking explicit commitments. Cooper said he could not provide numbers at the time on the number of additional staff the company had hired to handle surges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management and Fire Department recommended integrating their “avoid the area” notifications with Waymo software to prevent the driverless cars from entering emergency response zones, but Cooper said he couldn’t commit to that in the meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075116\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075116\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-13-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-13-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-13-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-13-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gig workers, union members and labor advocates fill a Board of Supervisors meeting at City Hall in San Francisco on March 2, 2026, to discuss Waymo’s emergency operations following a December power outage that left the company’s autonomous vehicles stalled on city streets. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“ We’re absolutely willing to have the conversations at the conclusion of this hearing to make sure that we are hearing everyone on the table,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local unions and gig workers for Uber and Lyft hosted a rally on the steps of City Hall before the meeting, calling for greater regulation of Waymo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ We just want to be part of the conversation and make sure that these vehicles operate safely in emergencies. We can’t have roads being blocked,” said Sam Gebler, the president of San Francisco Firefighters Local 798.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The meeting also featured lengthy public comment with many speakers largely expressing their opposition to Waymo over safety and other concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kristin Hardy, the regional vice president of SEIU 1021, read a statement written by her daughter, who said her dog, Leo, was hit and killed by a Waymo in the city’s Western Addition neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075120\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075120\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-42-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-42-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-42-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260302-WAYMOOUTAGEREPORT-42-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kristin Hardy, region vice president for SEIU 1021, speaks on behalf of her daughter, Kayla Craig, whose dog, Leo, had to be put down after being hit by a Waymo, during a Board of Supervisors hearing on Waymo’s emergency operations at City Hall in San Francisco on March 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When a self-driving car makes a mistake, who suffers? Not the company, not the executives, the community does. Safety should never come second. It should never be tested on real people in real time,” Hardy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Waymo said its vehicles have shown an 88% reduction in serious injury-or-worse crashes compared to human drivers in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That safety record, however, came into question last year when \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062777/san-francisco-supervisor-calls-for-robotaxi-reform-after-waymo-kills-neighborhood-cat\">one of its vehicles ran over a beloved bodega cat in the city’s Mission District\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The incident sparked calls by city Supervisor Jackie Fielder for more local control over autonomous vehicle regulations, but she has yet to introduce a resolution that could drive that process forward. Most of the jurisdiction for regulating Waymo currently sits with state agencies, not San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Casting a long shadow over the meeting is AB 1777, a 2024 state law that by July 1 of this year will require, among other things, that autonomous vehicle operators staff a phone line that allows first responders to reach a human operator within \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1777\">30 seconds\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The gulf between the 30 seconds that the law requires and the 50 minutes that we heard about today is massive,” Mahmood said. “The results of today show that there are dire consequences if we don’t get public safety right.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking to KQED on Tuesday at a separate event, Supervisor Myrna Melgar said she was “disappointed that Waymo had no answers at all.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I feel like their whole support infrastructure — it is not adequate for disaster preparedness,” Melgar said. “It’s adequate for the day-to-day. So I hope this prompts them to rethink that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story was updated to clarify the number of times first responders had to manually move a Waymo during the December power outage.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> Mayor Daniel Lurie is directing departments to trim around 500 positions at City Hall in a bid to save around $100 million in personnel spending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The directive, sent in an email to city staff this week, comes as San Francisco stares down an $877 million \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070484/tune-in-tonight-san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-live-on-kqed\">budget shortfall\u003c/a> and is seeking to cut nearly $400 million in annual spending following \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065310/trumps-big-beautiful-bill-to-cost-san-francisco-400m-end-care-for-thousands\">federal budget cuts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The city must bend the cost curve, especially where rising expected costs exceed both inflation and revenue expectations,” reads an email from Sophia Kittler, the mayor’s budget director. “Based on the [mayor’s budget office] analysis of current vacancy rates, meeting this target requires eliminating filled positions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Departments already submitted cost-saving proposals to the mayor’s office earlier this year, but Kittler wrote that those totaled less than 25% of the city’s target. Departments are now required to send in new staffing cut proposals to the mayor’s budget office by March 12.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lurie’s second year in office has coincided with another year of tough budget decisions. Last year, the mayor proposed cutting around 1,400 jobs, but the vast majority of those were vacant positions. About 100 filled positions were cut in last year’s budget; however, the city also moved to end about $100 million in grants and other funding from the city’s budget to narrow the budget gap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058872\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12058872\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-23-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-23-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-23-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-23-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">City Hall is reflected in the Veterans Building in San Francisco on Aug. 8, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This year’s directive would eliminate far more filled positions. While the budget is not yet final, advocates for city staff and services are already fighting back against the proposed cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is nothing short of heartbreaking to hear for our labor partners, and knowing that we are choosing to gut San Francisco’s social safety net,” said Anya Worley-Ziegmann, a spokesperson for the People’s Budget Coalition, which is advocating to preserve the jobs. “That’s really what these layoffs mean, it’s more than individual workers. The city will suffer as well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Budget cuts are falling on departments such as public health, which the mayor has asked to cut spending by around $40 million over the next two years, \u003cem>Mission Local\u003c/em> reports.[aside postID=news_12073638 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/SFMayorDanielLurie.jpg']“We have serious concerns about any funding cuts that would harm HIV and AIDS prevention and care, but in particular ones that would cause disproportionate harm to communities that are already disenfranchised by existing health care systems,” said Tyler TerMeer, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, in a statement. “We know that Black and African American people in San Francisco experience higher rates of HIV diagnoses than other communities — now is not the time to pull back on valuable investments made to improve health outcomes in these communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates criticizing the proposed cuts are calling on the city to push back against large San Francisco-based tech companies fighting business taxes. Companies such as Airbnb, Uber and Lyft are currently suing the city to claw back collectively over $300 million in taxes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why should workers get laid off and residents lose essential services when big tech companies like Airbnb are holding up hundreds of millions of dollars, suing the city to get out of paying their fair share in taxes?” Worley-Ziegmann said. “Mayor Luire helped end the hotel strike and stopped a National Guard takeover with two phone calls. Maybe he should call these CEOs before asking workers and residents to foot the bill.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the funding from those cases, if resolved, would only provide one-time dollars, Worley-Ziegmann said it would buy the city time to address structural funding issues that still lie ahead. Proponents of the CEO tax likely headed before San Francisco voters this November say that funding generated from that proposal could offer longer-term solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But critics and companies that filed the lawsuit say they were improperly taxed at a higher rate than warranted. Lurie, meanwhile, has said he does not support the proposals for a state wealth tax, saying it would drive out some of the largest tax-generating businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an excellent bridge plan to be able to use that funding while we work on longer-term solutions to the deficit,” Worley-Ziegmann said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> Mayor Daniel Lurie is directing departments to trim around 500 positions at City Hall in a bid to save around $100 million in personnel spending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The directive, sent in an email to city staff this week, comes as San Francisco stares down an $877 million \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070484/tune-in-tonight-san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-live-on-kqed\">budget shortfall\u003c/a> and is seeking to cut nearly $400 million in annual spending following \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065310/trumps-big-beautiful-bill-to-cost-san-francisco-400m-end-care-for-thousands\">federal budget cuts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The city must bend the cost curve, especially where rising expected costs exceed both inflation and revenue expectations,” reads an email from Sophia Kittler, the mayor’s budget director. “Based on the [mayor’s budget office] analysis of current vacancy rates, meeting this target requires eliminating filled positions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Departments already submitted cost-saving proposals to the mayor’s office earlier this year, but Kittler wrote that those totaled less than 25% of the city’s target. Departments are now required to send in new staffing cut proposals to the mayor’s budget office by March 12.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lurie’s second year in office has coincided with another year of tough budget decisions. Last year, the mayor proposed cutting around 1,400 jobs, but the vast majority of those were vacant positions. About 100 filled positions were cut in last year’s budget; however, the city also moved to end about $100 million in grants and other funding from the city’s budget to narrow the budget gap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058872\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12058872\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-23-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-23-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-23-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-23-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">City Hall is reflected in the Veterans Building in San Francisco on Aug. 8, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This year’s directive would eliminate far more filled positions. While the budget is not yet final, advocates for city staff and services are already fighting back against the proposed cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is nothing short of heartbreaking to hear for our labor partners, and knowing that we are choosing to gut San Francisco’s social safety net,” said Anya Worley-Ziegmann, a spokesperson for the People’s Budget Coalition, which is advocating to preserve the jobs. “That’s really what these layoffs mean, it’s more than individual workers. The city will suffer as well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Budget cuts are falling on departments such as public health, which the mayor has asked to cut spending by around $40 million over the next two years, \u003cem>Mission Local\u003c/em> reports.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We have serious concerns about any funding cuts that would harm HIV and AIDS prevention and care, but in particular ones that would cause disproportionate harm to communities that are already disenfranchised by existing health care systems,” said Tyler TerMeer, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, in a statement. “We know that Black and African American people in San Francisco experience higher rates of HIV diagnoses than other communities — now is not the time to pull back on valuable investments made to improve health outcomes in these communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates criticizing the proposed cuts are calling on the city to push back against large San Francisco-based tech companies fighting business taxes. Companies such as Airbnb, Uber and Lyft are currently suing the city to claw back collectively over $300 million in taxes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why should workers get laid off and residents lose essential services when big tech companies like Airbnb are holding up hundreds of millions of dollars, suing the city to get out of paying their fair share in taxes?” Worley-Ziegmann said. “Mayor Luire helped end the hotel strike and stopped a National Guard takeover with two phone calls. Maybe he should call these CEOs before asking workers and residents to foot the bill.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the funding from those cases, if resolved, would only provide one-time dollars, Worley-Ziegmann said it would buy the city time to address structural funding issues that still lie ahead. Proponents of the CEO tax likely headed before San Francisco voters this November say that funding generated from that proposal could offer longer-term solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But critics and companies that filed the lawsuit say they were improperly taxed at a higher rate than warranted. Lurie, meanwhile, has said he does not support the proposals for a state wealth tax, saying it would drive out some of the largest tax-generating businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an excellent bridge plan to be able to use that funding while we work on longer-term solutions to the deficit,” Worley-Ziegmann said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Days after a driver struck and killed a 2-year-old girl crossing the street in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>’s Mission Bay neighborhood, marking the city’s third pedestrian death this year, advocates have renewed their pleas for street safety reform.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crash took place Friday night at the intersection of 4th and Channel streets, on a stretch of 4th Street designated as part of the city’s “high-injury network” — the 12% of roadways where more than two-thirds of severe and fatal traffic crashes occur. Since 2016, there have been nine other reported traffic crashes at the intersection of 4th and Channel, according to advocacy group Walk SF.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The site of the crash was also less than a quarter-mile from 4th and King streets, where an SUV driver hit and killed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958918/advocates-rally-at-fatal-crash-site-in-soma-demand-safety-changes\">4-year-old girl in a similar crash in 2023\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That collision drew widespread condemnation from pedestrian-safety advocates and led then-Mayor London Breed to direct the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to make major \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news--san-francisco-make-citywide-street-safety-improvements-wake-4th-king-fatality\">improvements\u003c/a> to the street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to removing one turn lane, SFMTA also installed a traffic signal to reinforce the requirement that drivers yield to pedestrians. Breed also directed the SFMTA to make basic safety improvements to all intersections listed as dangerous on the previous year’s high-injury network — which the agency completed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075133\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075133\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-15-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-15-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-15-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-15-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dina Juarez-Salinas, a neighbor of Mission Bay and a mother, cries during a vigil to honor a 2-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a driver at 4th and Channel streets in San Francisco, on Monday, March 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Manuel Orbegozo for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Still, advocates said the proximity of the two tragedies underscores the long road ahead in improving street safety at the scale needed to prevent unnecessary pedestrian deaths. The section of 4th Street near the crash site is 50 feet wide and built for heavy car traffic, while the area around it is packed densely with new housing, shopping and young families, Walk SF noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a heartbreaking reminder that San Francisco must do more to design and enforce streets that keep people safe,” said Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk SF. “Too often, driver convenience is prioritized over our safety.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walk SF and San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets held a community vigil at the crash site on Monday evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite efforts from first responders, the child died of her injuries at the hospital. The crash also injured the child’s mother, who was sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Mayor Daniel Lurie confirmed on social media.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075134\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12075134 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-18-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-18-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-18-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-18-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A memorial was arranged near the site where a 2-year-old girl was struck and killed by a driver at the intersection of 4th and Channel streets in Mission Bay in San Francisco, on Monday, March 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Manuel Orbegozo for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Officers who responded to the scene just before 9 p.m. Friday said the driver remained on the scene and was cooperative, adding that drugs and alcohol did not appear to be factors in the crash, San Francisco police said. An investigation is underway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Medeiros said in a statement that she was “heartbroken and heartsick” over the child’s death. “We grieve for the loss of a child and hold their family close in our thoughts,” Medeiros said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crash follows two other pedestrian fatalities this year: a 76-year-old woman struck on Feb. 3 at Bayshore Boulevard and Silver Avenue, and a 47-year-old woman killed Feb. 14 at Bayshore Boulevard and Arleta Avenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A driver struck and killed a 2-year-old girl on Friday on 4th Street in San Francisco, just two blocks from the site of a fatal crash in 2023 that triggered widespread calls for pedestrian safety reform.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Days after a driver struck and killed a 2-year-old girl crossing the street in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>’s Mission Bay neighborhood, marking the city’s third pedestrian death this year, advocates have renewed their pleas for street safety reform.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crash took place Friday night at the intersection of 4th and Channel streets, on a stretch of 4th Street designated as part of the city’s “high-injury network” — the 12% of roadways where more than two-thirds of severe and fatal traffic crashes occur. Since 2016, there have been nine other reported traffic crashes at the intersection of 4th and Channel, according to advocacy group Walk SF.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The site of the crash was also less than a quarter-mile from 4th and King streets, where an SUV driver hit and killed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958918/advocates-rally-at-fatal-crash-site-in-soma-demand-safety-changes\">4-year-old girl in a similar crash in 2023\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That collision drew widespread condemnation from pedestrian-safety advocates and led then-Mayor London Breed to direct the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to make major \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news--san-francisco-make-citywide-street-safety-improvements-wake-4th-king-fatality\">improvements\u003c/a> to the street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to removing one turn lane, SFMTA also installed a traffic signal to reinforce the requirement that drivers yield to pedestrians. Breed also directed the SFMTA to make basic safety improvements to all intersections listed as dangerous on the previous year’s high-injury network — which the agency completed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075133\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075133\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-15-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-15-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-15-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-15-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dina Juarez-Salinas, a neighbor of Mission Bay and a mother, cries during a vigil to honor a 2-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a driver at 4th and Channel streets in San Francisco, on Monday, March 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Manuel Orbegozo for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Still, advocates said the proximity of the two tragedies underscores the long road ahead in improving street safety at the scale needed to prevent unnecessary pedestrian deaths. The section of 4th Street near the crash site is 50 feet wide and built for heavy car traffic, while the area around it is packed densely with new housing, shopping and young families, Walk SF noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a heartbreaking reminder that San Francisco must do more to design and enforce streets that keep people safe,” said Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk SF. “Too often, driver convenience is prioritized over our safety.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walk SF and San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets held a community vigil at the crash site on Monday evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite efforts from first responders, the child died of her injuries at the hospital. The crash also injured the child’s mother, who was sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Mayor Daniel Lurie confirmed on social media.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075134\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12075134 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-18-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-18-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-18-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/KQED_VIGILMISSIONBAY_ORBEGOZO-18-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A memorial was arranged near the site where a 2-year-old girl was struck and killed by a driver at the intersection of 4th and Channel streets in Mission Bay in San Francisco, on Monday, March 2, 2026. \u003ccite>(Manuel Orbegozo for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Officers who responded to the scene just before 9 p.m. Friday said the driver remained on the scene and was cooperative, adding that drugs and alcohol did not appear to be factors in the crash, San Francisco police said. An investigation is underway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Medeiros said in a statement that she was “heartbroken and heartsick” over the child’s death. “We grieve for the loss of a child and hold their family close in our thoughts,” Medeiros said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crash follows two other pedestrian fatalities this year: a 76-year-old woman struck on Feb. 3 at Bayshore Boulevard and Silver Avenue, and a 47-year-old woman killed Feb. 14 at Bayshore Boulevard and Arleta Avenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "best-walking-tours-free-things-to-do-san-francisco-bay-area-history-art",
"title": "The Best Free Walking Tours Around the Bay Area",
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"content": "\u003cp>Now that groceries and rent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">cost approximately $2 million a month\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064432/how-much-should-you-tip-for-a-drink-at-a-bar-in-the-bay-area\">bar tabs are reaching triple digits\u003c/a> before anyone’s even tipsy, the need for fun, free activities in the Bay Area is more urgent than ever before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thankfully, regardless of what side of the bay you live on, there are plenty of free walking tours to enlighten, amuse and — in some cases — bemuse you for an afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are 12 of our favorite walking tours around the Bay Area that won’t cost you a dime. (Though it \u003cem>is\u003c/em> always nice to tip guides if you can.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jump straight to walking tours in:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#EastBay\">East Bay\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#SouthBayandPeninsula\">South Bay and Peninsula\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#NorthBay\">North Bay\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>San Francisco free walking tours\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://sfcityguides.org/tour/coit-tower-murals/\">\u003cstrong>Coit Tower Murals \u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Start your Saturday or Wednesday morning with an in-depth guided tour of Coit Tower’s stunning murals, honoring the working people of 1930s California. This SF City Guides walk is a great way to learn about the 26 contributing artists, the legendary Lillie Coit herself and the heroes who’ve been charged with preserving the artwork over the years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: the main entrance of Coit Tower\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? Yes\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://californiawayfaring.com/pacific-heights-walking-tour/\">\u003cstrong>California Wayfaring: Pacific Heights\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This one’s for the history nerds — specifically, the ones who aren’t too indoorsy to tackle a few hills. This self-guided walking tour points out the most historically significant landmarks in Pacific Heights, including the Haas-Lilienthal House, the Whittier, Spreckels and James Leary Flood mansions, Cottage Row and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700225/the-ghost-of-a-legend-how-a-san-francisco-civil-rights-icon-was-made-a-monster\">Mary Ellen Pleasant\u003c/a>’s home. But it’s up to the walker to dig into who and what made these homes so significant. Which, if you \u003cem>are \u003c/em>a history nerd, is a thoroughly absorbing treasure hunt of an afternoon. Take the tour, figure out the facts!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Van Ness Avenue and Jackson Street\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11934441\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11934441\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/RS60290_010_KQED_TransamericaPyramid_11182022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/RS60290_010_KQED_TransamericaPyramid_11182022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/RS60290_010_KQED_TransamericaPyramid_11182022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/RS60290_010_KQED_TransamericaPyramid_11182022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/RS60290_010_KQED_TransamericaPyramid_11182022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/RS60290_010_KQED_TransamericaPyramid_11182022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Transamerica Pyramid, a 48-story skyscraper in San Francisco’s Financial District, on Nov. 18, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://sfcityguides.org/tour/gold-rush-city/\">\u003cstrong>Gold Rush City\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ll never look at downtown San Francisco the same way after taking this trip back to the Gold Rush in all of its messy, fiery, gang-fueled chaos. Tales of lawlessness, corruption and filth fuel the tour, but this jaunt is also a great way to learn the truth about city icons, including Emperor Norton and Levi Strauss. You’ll even find out where some of the clipper ships are buried…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: the Transamerica Pyramid, on the north side of Clay Street\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? Yes\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"EastBay\">\u003c/a>East Bay free walking tours\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://walkwc.stqry.app/\">\u003cstrong>Walk Walnut Creek\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thanks to a very cool collaboration between the Walnut Creek Historical Society and the local Public Art Commission, there are a ton of self-guided tours of downtown Walnut Creek that are as inspiring as they are educational. Six free heritage walks are available online, but we particularly recommend trying one (or more) of the\u003ca href=\"https://walkwc.stqry.app/1/list/18526\"> six art walks\u003c/a>. The website provides audio for most stops explaining the origins and inspiration behind the art, many of which include interviews with the artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Varies according to tour\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11964159\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11964159\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_8055.jpg\" alt=\"The sun shines through the branches and leaves of a twisted, gnarly oak tree. At it's base are several tombstones. One dates the tree to the 1700s.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_8055.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_8055-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_8055-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_8055-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_8055-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Lone Tree still stands today next to a small creek at the Lone Tree Cemetery in Hayward. A nearby headstone dates it back to the 1700s. \u003ccite>(Pauline Bartolone/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.haywardareahistory.org/lone-tree-cemetery-tours\">\u003cstrong>Lone Tree Cemetery\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>, Hayward\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At 10:30 a.m. on sporadic Saturdays, guided tours are given around Hayward’s fascinating Lone Tree Ceremony. There’s a tour about historic figures who are buried there (including city founder William Dutton Hayward himself), another about Hayward’s earliest settlers and a third tour exploring the grave-marker iconography that can be seen around the site. The cemetery was established all the way back in 1870, so there’s much to learn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Location varies according to tour\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://walk.ouroakland.net/tour/once-upon-a-time-1/\">\u003cstrong>‘Once Upon a Time, Happily Ever After …’,\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> Oakland\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This self-guided walking tour of Lake Merritt is accompanied by audio clips that can be found on the tour’s website — some of which are delightfully strange. There are 21 stops around the lake, including the pergola, Cleveland Cascade stairway, McElroy Memorial Fountain, Pine Knoll Park, the Edoff Memorial Bandstand, the Camron-Stanford House’s boat house foundation and [checks notes] the Kaiser Center’s storm drain. Included are interviews with relevant experts, musicians and artists. Organizers recommend breaking the walk-up into three separate visits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Wherever the heck you want\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"SouthBayandPeninsula\">\u003c/a>South Bay and Peninsula free walking tours\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11814418\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11814418\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/06_RS42876_001_KQED_SanFrancisco_ClosedStreets_04212020-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/06_RS42876_001_KQED_SanFrancisco_ClosedStreets_04212020-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/06_RS42876_001_KQED_SanFrancisco_ClosedStreets_04212020-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/06_RS42876_001_KQED_SanFrancisco_ClosedStreets_04212020-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/06_RS42876_001_KQED_SanFrancisco_ClosedStreets_04212020-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco on April 17, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjose.org/pdf/downtown-san-jose-historic-walking-tour-guide\">San José Walking Tour\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This downtown walking tour is a self-guided but very thorough jaunt around 32 hotspots that capture San José’s rich history. Starting at Plaza Park (once a site for cock fights and public hangings) you’ll see the location of the original Chinatown, the first state capitol and the electric light tower that once dominated the intersection of Market and Santa Clara Streets. Explore the backgrounds of Pellier Park, the Santa Clara County Courthouse, the Scottish Rite and Labor temples, plus so much more. If you’re not already in love with San José, this journey into the past will leave you smitten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: 194 S. Market St.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://visitlosgatosca.com/curated-itineraries/historical-walking-tour/\">\u003cstrong>Discover Los Gatos\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Warning: these self-guided tours of Los Gatos are only available if you’re willing to download an app — and that app is not exactly a joy to use. But if you can deal with the tech, there are three short but enlightening outings to enjoy. “The Heart Of Los Gatos” tour is perfect for railroad buffs, “Los Gatos: The Gem City” offers some history about the land and the architecture and “The Cradle Of Los Gatos” explores the earliest days of the town. Los Gatos is an oft-forgotten historical gem, and you’ll appreciate it more after these walks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Varies according to tour\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://santacruzstateparks.as.me/schedule/0ef4b536/appointment/28957978/calendar/6326642?calendarIds=6326642\">\u003cstrong>Pigeon Point Light Station\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>, Pescadero\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the Pigeon Point lighthouse existed, this windswept patch of California coastline sank many a ship: the Carrier Pigeon in 1853, the Sir John Franklin in 1864, the Coya in 1866 and the Hellespont in 1868. Scores of men, women and children lost their lives in these wrecks before lighthouse construction was finally completed in 1872. These 45-minute tours around the historic 115-foot structure take place every two weeks, transport you back in time and share tons of information about the shipwrecks, bootleggers and other tough characters that once lived and died in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: “the sign in front of the first cottage,” according to organizers\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required: Yes, but you can also just show up\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"NorthBay\">\u003c/a>North Bay free walking tours\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.mvhistory.org/rockwalk/\">\u003cstrong>Rock ‘N Roll History in Mill Valley\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For anyone under the age of 50, finding out that Mill Valley \u003cem>has \u003c/em>enough rock ‘n’ roll history to warrant an entire tour might be fairly perplexing. But this self-guided tour is an eye-opening history of how San Francisco’s Summer of Love migrated into the North Bay and sprouted roots. Explore former live venues and music stores, significant locations relating to poster art and the sites of rock festivals of yore. This one will permanently change how you view Mill Valley — and it’s a lot of fun.[aside postID=news_12070561 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/05/GettyImages-180658422-1-1020x720.jpg']\u003cem>Starts at: Chamber of Commerce office (85 Throckmorton Ave)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://marinaudubon.org/activities/field-trips/\">\u003cstrong>Marin Audubon Society\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you love birds, there is no more exhilarating way to spend a morning outdoors than on a guided tour from the Marin Audubon Society. Exploring headlands, wetlands, lagoons and the coastline, these three-and-a-half-hour tours will have you marveling at the Bay’s ecology and the winged friends we share it with. Organizers recommend bringing water, sun block, binoculars and clothing layers — and don’t forget to wear comfortable walking shoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Varies around the North Bay according to tour\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? Yes, usually \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f7a3dc0ed6aec42e59cd3d4/t/61f2eb51d2a7ef396114a986/1643309907104/Vallejo+Architectural+Walking+Tour.pdf\">\u003cstrong>Vallejo Architectural Heritage Tour\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill-averse folks need not attempt this tour of Vallejo’s Heritage District, as it features some decidedly un-flat terrain. What the self-guided tour \u003cem>does \u003c/em>offer during its 30 stops is a wealth of history and gossip that extends well beyond this area’s architectural delights. The likes of Boris Karloff, royal pariah Wallis Simpson and Ella Fitzgerald all make appearances on this fascinating tour. As of course, does prolific local architect Julia Morgan. Heading to Mare Island for four extra stops is optional, but we do recommend it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Ferry Terminal (289 Mare Island Way)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>An update to this story replaces a previous suggestion for South Bay and Peninsula walking tours.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "If you’re looking for free things to do in the Bay Area, here are the no-ticket-needed walking tours that are definitely worth your time.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Now that groceries and rent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">cost approximately $2 million a month\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064432/how-much-should-you-tip-for-a-drink-at-a-bar-in-the-bay-area\">bar tabs are reaching triple digits\u003c/a> before anyone’s even tipsy, the need for fun, free activities in the Bay Area is more urgent than ever before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thankfully, regardless of what side of the bay you live on, there are plenty of free walking tours to enlighten, amuse and — in some cases — bemuse you for an afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are 12 of our favorite walking tours around the Bay Area that won’t cost you a dime. (Though it \u003cem>is\u003c/em> always nice to tip guides if you can.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jump straight to walking tours in:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#EastBay\">East Bay\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#SouthBayandPeninsula\">South Bay and Peninsula\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#NorthBay\">North Bay\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>San Francisco free walking tours\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://sfcityguides.org/tour/coit-tower-murals/\">\u003cstrong>Coit Tower Murals \u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Start your Saturday or Wednesday morning with an in-depth guided tour of Coit Tower’s stunning murals, honoring the working people of 1930s California. This SF City Guides walk is a great way to learn about the 26 contributing artists, the legendary Lillie Coit herself and the heroes who’ve been charged with preserving the artwork over the years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: the main entrance of Coit Tower\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? Yes\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://californiawayfaring.com/pacific-heights-walking-tour/\">\u003cstrong>California Wayfaring: Pacific Heights\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This one’s for the history nerds — specifically, the ones who aren’t too indoorsy to tackle a few hills. This self-guided walking tour points out the most historically significant landmarks in Pacific Heights, including the Haas-Lilienthal House, the Whittier, Spreckels and James Leary Flood mansions, Cottage Row and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11700225/the-ghost-of-a-legend-how-a-san-francisco-civil-rights-icon-was-made-a-monster\">Mary Ellen Pleasant\u003c/a>’s home. But it’s up to the walker to dig into who and what made these homes so significant. Which, if you \u003cem>are \u003c/em>a history nerd, is a thoroughly absorbing treasure hunt of an afternoon. Take the tour, figure out the facts!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Van Ness Avenue and Jackson Street\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11934441\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11934441\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/RS60290_010_KQED_TransamericaPyramid_11182022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/RS60290_010_KQED_TransamericaPyramid_11182022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/RS60290_010_KQED_TransamericaPyramid_11182022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/RS60290_010_KQED_TransamericaPyramid_11182022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/RS60290_010_KQED_TransamericaPyramid_11182022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/RS60290_010_KQED_TransamericaPyramid_11182022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Transamerica Pyramid, a 48-story skyscraper in San Francisco’s Financial District, on Nov. 18, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://sfcityguides.org/tour/gold-rush-city/\">\u003cstrong>Gold Rush City\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ll never look at downtown San Francisco the same way after taking this trip back to the Gold Rush in all of its messy, fiery, gang-fueled chaos. Tales of lawlessness, corruption and filth fuel the tour, but this jaunt is also a great way to learn the truth about city icons, including Emperor Norton and Levi Strauss. You’ll even find out where some of the clipper ships are buried…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: the Transamerica Pyramid, on the north side of Clay Street\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? Yes\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"EastBay\">\u003c/a>East Bay free walking tours\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://walkwc.stqry.app/\">\u003cstrong>Walk Walnut Creek\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thanks to a very cool collaboration between the Walnut Creek Historical Society and the local Public Art Commission, there are a ton of self-guided tours of downtown Walnut Creek that are as inspiring as they are educational. Six free heritage walks are available online, but we particularly recommend trying one (or more) of the\u003ca href=\"https://walkwc.stqry.app/1/list/18526\"> six art walks\u003c/a>. The website provides audio for most stops explaining the origins and inspiration behind the art, many of which include interviews with the artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Varies according to tour\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11964159\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11964159\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_8055.jpg\" alt=\"The sun shines through the branches and leaves of a twisted, gnarly oak tree. At it's base are several tombstones. One dates the tree to the 1700s.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_8055.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_8055-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_8055-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_8055-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_8055-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Lone Tree still stands today next to a small creek at the Lone Tree Cemetery in Hayward. A nearby headstone dates it back to the 1700s. \u003ccite>(Pauline Bartolone/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.haywardareahistory.org/lone-tree-cemetery-tours\">\u003cstrong>Lone Tree Cemetery\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>, Hayward\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At 10:30 a.m. on sporadic Saturdays, guided tours are given around Hayward’s fascinating Lone Tree Ceremony. There’s a tour about historic figures who are buried there (including city founder William Dutton Hayward himself), another about Hayward’s earliest settlers and a third tour exploring the grave-marker iconography that can be seen around the site. The cemetery was established all the way back in 1870, so there’s much to learn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Location varies according to tour\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://walk.ouroakland.net/tour/once-upon-a-time-1/\">\u003cstrong>‘Once Upon a Time, Happily Ever After …’,\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> Oakland\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This self-guided walking tour of Lake Merritt is accompanied by audio clips that can be found on the tour’s website — some of which are delightfully strange. There are 21 stops around the lake, including the pergola, Cleveland Cascade stairway, McElroy Memorial Fountain, Pine Knoll Park, the Edoff Memorial Bandstand, the Camron-Stanford House’s boat house foundation and [checks notes] the Kaiser Center’s storm drain. Included are interviews with relevant experts, musicians and artists. Organizers recommend breaking the walk-up into three separate visits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Wherever the heck you want\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"SouthBayandPeninsula\">\u003c/a>South Bay and Peninsula free walking tours\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11814418\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11814418\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/06_RS42876_001_KQED_SanFrancisco_ClosedStreets_04212020-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/06_RS42876_001_KQED_SanFrancisco_ClosedStreets_04212020-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/06_RS42876_001_KQED_SanFrancisco_ClosedStreets_04212020-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/06_RS42876_001_KQED_SanFrancisco_ClosedStreets_04212020-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/04/06_RS42876_001_KQED_SanFrancisco_ClosedStreets_04212020-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco on April 17, 2020. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjose.org/pdf/downtown-san-jose-historic-walking-tour-guide\">San José Walking Tour\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This downtown walking tour is a self-guided but very thorough jaunt around 32 hotspots that capture San José’s rich history. Starting at Plaza Park (once a site for cock fights and public hangings) you’ll see the location of the original Chinatown, the first state capitol and the electric light tower that once dominated the intersection of Market and Santa Clara Streets. Explore the backgrounds of Pellier Park, the Santa Clara County Courthouse, the Scottish Rite and Labor temples, plus so much more. If you’re not already in love with San José, this journey into the past will leave you smitten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: 194 S. Market St.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://visitlosgatosca.com/curated-itineraries/historical-walking-tour/\">\u003cstrong>Discover Los Gatos\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Warning: these self-guided tours of Los Gatos are only available if you’re willing to download an app — and that app is not exactly a joy to use. But if you can deal with the tech, there are three short but enlightening outings to enjoy. “The Heart Of Los Gatos” tour is perfect for railroad buffs, “Los Gatos: The Gem City” offers some history about the land and the architecture and “The Cradle Of Los Gatos” explores the earliest days of the town. Los Gatos is an oft-forgotten historical gem, and you’ll appreciate it more after these walks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Varies according to tour\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://santacruzstateparks.as.me/schedule/0ef4b536/appointment/28957978/calendar/6326642?calendarIds=6326642\">\u003cstrong>Pigeon Point Light Station\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>, Pescadero\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the Pigeon Point lighthouse existed, this windswept patch of California coastline sank many a ship: the Carrier Pigeon in 1853, the Sir John Franklin in 1864, the Coya in 1866 and the Hellespont in 1868. Scores of men, women and children lost their lives in these wrecks before lighthouse construction was finally completed in 1872. These 45-minute tours around the historic 115-foot structure take place every two weeks, transport you back in time and share tons of information about the shipwrecks, bootleggers and other tough characters that once lived and died in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: “the sign in front of the first cottage,” according to organizers\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required: Yes, but you can also just show up\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"NorthBay\">\u003c/a>North Bay free walking tours\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.mvhistory.org/rockwalk/\">\u003cstrong>Rock ‘N Roll History in Mill Valley\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For anyone under the age of 50, finding out that Mill Valley \u003cem>has \u003c/em>enough rock ‘n’ roll history to warrant an entire tour might be fairly perplexing. But this self-guided tour is an eye-opening history of how San Francisco’s Summer of Love migrated into the North Bay and sprouted roots. Explore former live venues and music stores, significant locations relating to poster art and the sites of rock festivals of yore. This one will permanently change how you view Mill Valley — and it’s a lot of fun.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Chamber of Commerce office (85 Throckmorton Ave)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://marinaudubon.org/activities/field-trips/\">\u003cstrong>Marin Audubon Society\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you love birds, there is no more exhilarating way to spend a morning outdoors than on a guided tour from the Marin Audubon Society. Exploring headlands, wetlands, lagoons and the coastline, these three-and-a-half-hour tours will have you marveling at the Bay’s ecology and the winged friends we share it with. Organizers recommend bringing water, sun block, binoculars and clothing layers — and don’t forget to wear comfortable walking shoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Varies around the North Bay according to tour\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? Yes, usually \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f7a3dc0ed6aec42e59cd3d4/t/61f2eb51d2a7ef396114a986/1643309907104/Vallejo+Architectural+Walking+Tour.pdf\">\u003cstrong>Vallejo Architectural Heritage Tour\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill-averse folks need not attempt this tour of Vallejo’s Heritage District, as it features some decidedly un-flat terrain. What the self-guided tour \u003cem>does \u003c/em>offer during its 30 stops is a wealth of history and gossip that extends well beyond this area’s architectural delights. The likes of Boris Karloff, royal pariah Wallis Simpson and Ella Fitzgerald all make appearances on this fascinating tour. As of course, does prolific local architect Julia Morgan. Heading to Mare Island for four extra stops is optional, but we do recommend it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starts at: Ferry Terminal (289 Mare Island Way)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RSVP required? No, self-guided\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>An update to this story replaces a previous suggestion for South Bay and Peninsula walking tours.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>San Francisco supervisors want Waymo to explain why a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068177/pge-outage-leaves-130000-across-san-francisco-without-power\">widespread power outage\u003c/a> last December caused a mass-stranding of their robotaxis, and what they’re doing to prevent future meltdowns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calling for greater accountability, San Francisco District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood told the company to report to City Hall on Monday and explain what caused vehicles to fail during the mass blackout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The purpose of the hearing is to get answers from Waymo about what were the causes of the technical failure for some of their vehicles that day,” Mahmood said, “and simultaneously, what are they doing to prevent this from happening again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Dec. 20, a fire at a PG&E substation plunged over 130,000 of the utility’s customers — about a third of the city — into darkness. The blackout also disabled many of the city’s traffic lights, which in turn rendered many of Waymo’s self-driving cars nonfunctional.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cars idled in the streets and blocked traffic as the company’s network became overwhelmed with assistance requests from the robotic cars. Waymo’s outage lasted into the next day, while some San Franciscans remained without power for days longer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12040902\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12040902\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Waymo autonomous vehicle on Steiner Street in San Francisco on Nov. 17, 2023. \u003ccite>(Jason Henry/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mahmood, who recalls seeing traffic snarled as the robotaxis blocked darkened intersections in the city, said the impaired Waymo’s complicated emergency response efforts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ The stalled Waymos were actually disrupting emergency vehicles from accessing the PG&E substation that caused the fire in the first place,” said Mahmood, who is sponsoring Monday’s meeting of the Land Use and Transportation Committee, where Waymo is set to report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Waymo did not respond to KQED’s request for comment. But, \u003ca href=\"https://waymo.com/blog/2025/12/autonomously-navigating-the-real-world\">in a blog post\u003c/a> shortly after the incident, representatives from the company said its cars successfully traversed over 7,000 dark signals during the initial stages of the power outage. Waymo representatives, however, have so far remained tight-lipped about the actual number of cars affected, with a lawyer for the company telling an administrative judge in January that the information was a “trade secret,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/waymo-power-outage-21286323.php\">according to reporting from the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.[aside postID=news_12071764 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/WaymoLosAngelesGetty.jpg']In the December blog post, Waymo representatives wrote, “the scale of the outage and the sheer number of disabled traffic lights were the primary contributors to city-wide gridlock,” adding that it has taken steps to improve the company’s operations during future blackouts by updating software to respond to outages and changing the company’s emergency preparedness and response policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahmood said during the December outage, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie had to personally call company leaders to get them to move the cars and allow emergency vehicles to access the burning substation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While regulation of Waymo is largely handled at the state level, out of the jurisdiction of the city’s Board of Supervisors, Mahmood said the purpose of the informational hearing is to hold Waymo publicly accountable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added that at a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073229/san-francisco-supervisors-probe-pge-after-widespread-winter-power-outages\">recent meeting\u003c/a> meant to hold PG&E to account for the substation fire and resulting power outage, he revealed previously undisclosed facts about the company’s response and has allowed the city to put pressure on the utility to make changes to its protocols.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ We need to make sure that there is a precedent for good, sustainable emergency vehicle response, and what we saw in December [from Waymo] was not a good response,” Mahmood said. “The purpose of this hearing is to also to set an example to other companies, that if they want to do business in San Francisco, they have to make sure that they have the right procedures in place.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>San Francisco supervisors want Waymo to explain why a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068177/pge-outage-leaves-130000-across-san-francisco-without-power\">widespread power outage\u003c/a> last December caused a mass-stranding of their robotaxis, and what they’re doing to prevent future meltdowns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calling for greater accountability, San Francisco District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood told the company to report to City Hall on Monday and explain what caused vehicles to fail during the mass blackout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The purpose of the hearing is to get answers from Waymo about what were the causes of the technical failure for some of their vehicles that day,” Mahmood said, “and simultaneously, what are they doing to prevent this from happening again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Dec. 20, a fire at a PG&E substation plunged over 130,000 of the utility’s customers — about a third of the city — into darkness. The blackout also disabled many of the city’s traffic lights, which in turn rendered many of Waymo’s self-driving cars nonfunctional.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cars idled in the streets and blocked traffic as the company’s network became overwhelmed with assistance requests from the robotic cars. Waymo’s outage lasted into the next day, while some San Franciscans remained without power for days longer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12040902\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12040902\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GETTYIMAGES-1788126569-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Waymo autonomous vehicle on Steiner Street in San Francisco on Nov. 17, 2023. \u003ccite>(Jason Henry/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mahmood, who recalls seeing traffic snarled as the robotaxis blocked darkened intersections in the city, said the impaired Waymo’s complicated emergency response efforts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ The stalled Waymos were actually disrupting emergency vehicles from accessing the PG&E substation that caused the fire in the first place,” said Mahmood, who is sponsoring Monday’s meeting of the Land Use and Transportation Committee, where Waymo is set to report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Waymo did not respond to KQED’s request for comment. But, \u003ca href=\"https://waymo.com/blog/2025/12/autonomously-navigating-the-real-world\">in a blog post\u003c/a> shortly after the incident, representatives from the company said its cars successfully traversed over 7,000 dark signals during the initial stages of the power outage. Waymo representatives, however, have so far remained tight-lipped about the actual number of cars affected, with a lawyer for the company telling an administrative judge in January that the information was a “trade secret,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/waymo-power-outage-21286323.php\">according to reporting from the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In the December blog post, Waymo representatives wrote, “the scale of the outage and the sheer number of disabled traffic lights were the primary contributors to city-wide gridlock,” adding that it has taken steps to improve the company’s operations during future blackouts by updating software to respond to outages and changing the company’s emergency preparedness and response policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahmood said during the December outage, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie had to personally call company leaders to get them to move the cars and allow emergency vehicles to access the burning substation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While regulation of Waymo is largely handled at the state level, out of the jurisdiction of the city’s Board of Supervisors, Mahmood said the purpose of the informational hearing is to hold Waymo publicly accountable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added that at a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073229/san-francisco-supervisors-probe-pge-after-widespread-winter-power-outages\">recent meeting\u003c/a> meant to hold PG&E to account for the substation fire and resulting power outage, he revealed previously undisclosed facts about the company’s response and has allowed the city to put pressure on the utility to make changes to its protocols.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ We need to make sure that there is a precedent for good, sustainable emergency vehicle response, and what we saw in December [from Waymo] was not a good response,” Mahmood said. “The purpose of this hearing is to also to set an example to other companies, that if they want to do business in San Francisco, they have to make sure that they have the right procedures in place.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"headTitle": "The Eccentric Personalities Behind Sunnyside Conservatory, a 120-Year-Old Garden in San Francisco | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco’s \u003c/a>Sunnyside neighborhood, just west of Glen Park, isn’t actually very sunny. In fact, it’s one of the foggier places in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of its main thoroughfares, Monterey Boulevard, carries drivers west towards tonier places like St. Francis Wood, passing many houses and apartment buildings along the way. But slow down a little, and you might catch a glimpse of a building that feels out of the ordinary in this residential place — Sunnyside Conservatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Set back from the street and tucked behind a wrought iron gate, the octagonal redwood building has two stories of windows surrounded by a lush garden of towering palms, ferns and flowering bushes. It’s beautiful and old-world feeling, a unique Victorian gem on an otherwise busy street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious listener Mary Balmana often uses Monterey Boulevard to get to her home in Mission Terrace. She’s seen the conservatory hundreds of times, but hasn’t noticed anyone going inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know anything about it, but I’ve passed it my whole life,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074410\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-sunnysideconservatory00188_TV_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074410\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-sunnysideconservatory00188_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-sunnysideconservatory00188_TV_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-sunnysideconservatory00188_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-sunnysideconservatory00188_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunnyside resident and historian Amy O’Hair poses for a portrait at Sunnyside Conservatory in San Francisco on February 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now, she wants answers. What is the conservatory doing here in Sunnyside, who owns it and could she rent it out?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>An inventor’s oasis\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Sunnyside Conservatory was built by William Augustus Merralls, a British inventor and eccentric. He bought a house along what is now Monterey Boulevard in 1897, when the area was mostly rural. Land was cheap, so he also bought up seven lots around his house and then set about making the grounds his own private oasis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He collected exotic plants, and he liked to have a place for them,” said Amy O’Hair, Sunnyside resident,\u003ca href=\"https://sunnysidehistory.org/\"> local historian\u003c/a> and author of the forthcoming book, \u003cem>History Walks in Sunnyside\u003c/em>. She’s currently writing a book about the conservatory’s history.[aside postID=news_12074121 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-06-BL-KQED.jpg']Merralls made his money designing and patenting mining equipment. He had more than 20 different patents, mostly for machines that helped extract ever smaller amounts of gold from rock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He did well, but whatever he got he spent on his projects,” O’Hair said. “He had a restless mind, always wanting to invent new things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of his inventions were practical, others less so. He invented an automobile starter, a refrigerator and a “deep breathing developer,” a contraption for his wife, Temperance Laura, who was fascinated by alternative medicine. The details of how it actually worked have been lost to time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1902, he built the conservatory, a building beautifully crafted out of redwood in Victorian style. In addition to collecting exotic plants, Merralls also loved astronomy. He built himself an observatory on the back of his house. And he loved luxury items; his house had two grand pianos and a private bowling alley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He apparently didn’t need to live amongst his peers,” O’Hair said. “He was a very independent-minded man, and he was happy out here in his own enclave with all of his toys in the house and all of those plants out here in the conservatory and a wife he loved.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He and his wife, Temperance Laura, lived in Sunnyside, enjoying their house and its grounds until 1914, when Merralls tragically died in a train accident while visiting a friend in Alameda. By that point, he had sunk all his money into various pursuits that hadn’t paid off, and when he died, Temperance Laura couldn’t afford to keep living on their estate in Sunnyside. The bank repossessed the house.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Second act as swindler’s hideout\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The property sat empty and neglected for three years before another odd couple, Ernest and Angele Van Beckh, came along and \u003ca href=\"https://sunnysidehistory.org/2023/07/18/the-king-of-the-clairvoyants-the-man-who-bought-the-sunnyside-conservatory/\">bought it in 1919\u003c/a>. Ernest Van Beckh was a con man, a member of the \u003ca href=\"https://sunnysidehistory.org/2023/07/18/the-king-of-the-clairvoyants-the-man-who-bought-the-sunnyside-conservatory/\">“Big Five” \u003c/a>whose exploits selling worthless mining shares to unsuspecting people and stealing their money were splashed across the newspapers in 1916.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the district attorney brought charges against Van Beckh, he got off when witnesses the prosecution had lined up to testify “just kind of went away,” as Amy put it. One went back to Montana. Another decided not to press charges. And Ernest avoided jail time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074414\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY-CIRCA-1975-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074414\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY-CIRCA-1975-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1341\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY-CIRCA-1975-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY-CIRCA-1975-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY-CIRCA-1975-KQED-1536x1030.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunnyside Conservatory circa 1975, when it had fallen into disrepair. Here, the east wing still stands, but it was later knocked down. \u003ccite>(Greg Gaar/San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They made millions of dollars in the 1910s,” O’Hair said. “And some of that money went towards buying this property. This was their hideout.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Van Beckhs would live here for decades. Ernest died in 1951, but Angele stayed on through the early ‘60s, although she too started to have money problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She slowly sold off all the property to a neighbor,” O’Hair said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The neighbors were friends who built their own house on the other side of the conservatory — what is now 234 Monterey Boulevard. While Angele was living there, the two families enjoyed the conservatory and its grounds as one shared yard. But when they moved away, the property lines became a problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Saving the conservatory again and again\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 1974, Angele’s friends sold their house at 234 Monterey Boulevard and the property with the conservatory on it to a man named Robert Anderson. He started delineating the different lots with an eye to \u003ca href=\"https://sunnysidehistory.org/2025/04/18/saving-sunnyside-conservatory/\">developing the property\u003c/a> further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, neighbors started getting interested in preserving the conservatory as a historic landmark. The \u003ca href=\"https://sunnysideassociation.org/\">Sunnyside Neighborhood Association\u003c/a> had just formed, and its members started researching the conservatory’s history with a goal to get it landmarked by the city.[aside postID=news_11958380 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/BlueHouse_Flickr.png']“They wanted to save it from demolition,” O’Hair said. After World War II, \u003ca href=\"https://sunnysidehistory.org/2025/12/07/sunnyside-upzoned/\">Sunnyside was rezoned \u003c/a>to allow for more apartment buildings, which started popping up along Monterey Boulevard throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s. “And they didn’t want to see this property go for apartment buildings.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neighbors were successful in getting the \u003ca href=\"https://default.sfplanning.org/Preservation/bulletins/HistPres_Bulletin_09.PDF\">conservatory landmarked in 1975\u003c/a>, which theoretically should have preserved it. However, the owner, Robert Anderson, still managed to get a permit to demolish it. Neighbors had no idea about his plan until they spotted construction equipment at work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was riding my bicycle along Monterey Boulevard,” neighbor \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v70K3B-inOg\">Greg Garr said in an interview with Amy O’Hair\u003c/a>. “I think I was going to City College at that time. And I passed by the Sunnyside Conservatory, and I saw heavy equipment in there. And part of the building had been removed. And I said, ‘What the heck? I mean, are they demolishing it?’ I knew it was a registered historic landmark.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He called his representative and City Hall, clamoring to stop the demolition. Those efforts were successful, but the damage had been done. The structure was damaged, and almost all the windows had been knocked out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was an emergency now,” O’Hair said. “The city needed to buy the property. What good is a landmark if you don’t own the property under it?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074238\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00222_TV-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074238\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00222_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00222_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00222_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00222_TV-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A stock certificate of William Merralls, who built Sunnyside Conservatory, is shown by Amy O’Hair at Sunnyside Conservatory in San Francisco on February 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 1980, the city bought the land from Robert Anderson using the \u003ca href=\"https://generalplan.sfplanning.org/I3_Recreation_and_Open_Space.htm#:~:text=San%20Francisco%20values%20its%20recreation,the%20combination%20of%20the%20two.\">Open Space Fund\u003c/a>. And for many years after, the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association did its best to look after the building, but it fell into disrepair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All those years in the 90s when it had no glass, and you could climb right over [the fence], there was always graffiti and beer bottles,” O’Hair remembered. “And Rec and Park didn’t really take care of the grounds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, it was another neighbor, \u003ca href=\"https://calhortsociety.org/2020/01/29/ted-kipping/\">Ted Kipping\u003c/a>, who tended the beautiful trees and plants William Merralls had planted all those years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One time, when I was talking to him, he said, ‘I spent $1,000 a month on water,’” O’Hair said. “I don’t know if it’s true. But he was very important to preserving some of the specialness of the grounds, for which I’m thankful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Renovating the conservatory\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 1999, another neighborhood group formed — \u003ca href=\"https://www.sunnysideconservatory.org/about\">Friends of Sunnyside Conservatory\u003c/a>. They set ambitious fundraising goals and worked with San Francisco Rec and Park to execute a multimillion-dollar renovation of the building that would restore it to its original glory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the building was under renovation, yet another neighbor came forward with a piece of history to share. When the building and grounds were sold in 1974, and it looked like the old place might be demolished by Robert Anderson, this neighbor had saved the wooden spire from the top of the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074241\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00362_TV-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074241\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00362_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00362_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00362_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00362_TV-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunnyside Conservatory contains a sign indicating that it is a city landmark in San Francisco on February 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He kept it in his garage for 30 years, bringing it out and offering it to the builders as they renovated. Unfortunately, by then it was rotting, but the builders made an exact replica and covered it in copper. That spire sits on top of the building to this day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a community-led effort, top to bottom,” O’Hair said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conservatory has since become a symbol for Sunnyside residents. It was the first campaign that brought neighbors together, fighting for something that makes their corner of San Francisco special and unique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Rec and Park now maintains the building and grounds, but \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/665/Sunnyside-Conservatory\">they do rent it out\u003c/a>. Sunnyside neighborhood groups get a bit of a deal, but there have been plenty of weddings, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> If you’ve been listening to the show for a while you may have intuited by now, but San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is one of my absolute favorite places. I love all its nooks and crannies, the unique playgrounds, those long undulating pathways. But I’d argue the crown jewel of the park is the Conservatory of Flowers, partly because of the incredible and rare plants housed inside…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>News Clip: \u003c/strong>The rare corpse flower at the Conservatory of flowers is now open to view and smell.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Like the corpse flower, which only blooms for 48 hours every 3-5 years! And stands more than 6 feet tall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Conservatory of Flowers is also renowned for its architecture. A Victorian glass building – delicate, intricate – topped with a stately domed roof. It’s like nothing else in the city! Or so I thought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out San Francisco has \u003cem>another\u003c/em> conservatory across town near Glen Park. It’s much smaller, only a quarter the size, but still lovely. I’m talking about Sunnyside Conservatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Balmana: \u003c/strong>My name is Mary Balmana. I live in the Mission Terrace area of San Francisco, and I don’t know anything about it, but I’ve passed it my whole life, basically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Mary drives by Sunnyside Conservatory on Monterey Boulevard often, but never sees anyone going in or out. She wants to know its history – and how such a curious building ended up in what is otherwise a very residential area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious editor and producer Katrina Schwartz is here to tell us all about it. Hi, Katrina.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> Hi Olivia\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Maybe you could start by just painting a picture of the conservatory as it looks now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>The Sunnyside Conservatory is set back from the street a little ways and is surrounded by a lush garden with huge palm trees, ferns and beautiful flowering bushes. It kind of feels like a cloud forest right in the middle of a residential neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> What about the building itself?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>The building is made of redwood and features a two story octagonal center that dominates the senses. Two levels of windows that let in beautiful amounts of light…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> What kind of fabulous plants are inside? Anything to rival the corpse flower?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> Sadly, this conservatory no longer has plants inside at all. It’s now used as an events space. But when it was first built in 1902, it was the pride of its owner – who was just the first of a line of quirky residents the property has had over its 100 or so years. Let’s meet some of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>It was built by an eccentric and unique man.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Amy O’Hair runs the Sunnyside History Project and lives nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>He was an inventor, William Augustus Merralls, he moved here to Sunnyside when there was very little on Monterey Boulevard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Even though Sunnyside is part of San Francisco now, back then the area was rural. Picture a smattering of houses and dairy farms. Merralls bought a big house here in 1897 and then several adjoining plots of land over the next few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>He accumulated seven lots, and then built his conservatory in 1902. He collected exotic plants and he liked to have a place for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Merralls made his money engineering mining equipment — but his true heart’s desire was invention. Over the years he invented dozens of things, some useful stuff, and some less so. Amy actually met his great grandson, who had some of Merralls’ old papers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>I thought I’d show you some stuff. Things that belonged to William Merrill’s like his patents. So I have all the patents for things that he made. This is a stamp mill. That’s a thing that crushes rock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz in scene: \u003c/strong>Look at those seals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>Yes, they’re very fancy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>This is a letter he wrote while he was in New York City raising money for the automobile starters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz in scene: \u003c/strong>Will you read a little bit of it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>Darling, you should see the Merralls starter at work on that big engine. You would be tickled to pieces. It is a dandy. And when you come on for Thanksgiving, you shall be the first lady to ride in an automobile that has the only commercial, perfect self-starter in the world, and that one is a Merralls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz in scene: \u003c/strong>He’s like promoting himself to his wife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>To his wife, for God’s sake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> The thing is, Merralls probably had his hand in one too many projects. He had a tendency to move on before things were finished and he was sued a number of times. By the time of his death in 1914, he was having money problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Mmm. Unfortunately, you can’t just create the thing, but you have to sell it too…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> Yes, and unfortunately that meant that when he died, the bank repossessed the whole property, including the conservatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> What happened to it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> The house and its grounds sat empty for three years and then another couple bought it. The next in the line of curious owners…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>The name of this couple was Ernest and Angel Van Beck. They were very strange.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Ernest Van Bech was essentially a scam artist. He made a boatload of money selling worthless mining bonds to people…basically swindling them out of their money. The district attorney even brought charges, but when the witnesses didn’t show up to testify, they had to let Ernest go. And he lived out his life on the property with the conservatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>Ernest would not show his face. There were a lot of rumors about him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Kind of the Boo Radley of Sunnyside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> He really was. The neighborhood kids were all afraid of him. But after decades living in the house next to the conservatory he died in 1951. His wife, Angele, kept living there, but she needed money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>She slowly sold off all the property to a neighbor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>The neighbors were friends of hers. They built a house on the other side of the conservatory — the east wing of the building was actually in their backyard. At the time, that wasn’t a big deal because Angele and her friends basically shared the conservatory and its grounds like one big yard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>But eventually Angele moved away and her friends sold their home – and they leave behind the conservatory, which now straddles two properties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Is this foreshadowing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>This is foreshadowing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>We’ll find out what happened after this quick break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor message\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Alright, Katrina, you were telling us what happened to the conservatory after Angele Van Beck and her friends next door moved away and sold the property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> The bulk of the conservatory and its grounds ended up in the hands of a man named Robert Anderson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>It’s 1975 by now, and there’s a lot of local interest in the conservatory as a historic structure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>People who live nearby had grown attached to the conservatory. They view it as a symbol of the neighborhood. A group called the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association forms and they start researching the history of the conservatory in order to get it landmarked as a historic building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>They wanted to save it from demolition because in the 50s and 60s and 70s, along Monterey Boulevard, we’d had so many empty lots, and it was rezoned after the war, that apartment buildings were growing up all the way along it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>The neighbors succeeded in getting the building landmarked, but that didn’t keep it safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>But then Robert Anderson decided he actually would build some apartment buildings and he got a permit to demolish the conservatory, which he attempted to do at the end of 1978. And it was only saved because of two people who had their eye on the conservatory. Greg Gaar is one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greg Garr: \u003c/strong>Well, I was riding my bicycle along Monterey Boulevard. I think I was going to City College at that time. And I passed by the Sunnyside Conservatory and I saw heavy equipment in there. And part of the building had been removed. And I said, what the heck? I mean, are they demolishing it? I knew it was a registered historic landmark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Greg Garr and other neighbors started frantically calling city hall and they got the demolition halted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>When they were done, the glass was knocked out of most of the windows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> This seems like an impasse. Robert Anderson can’t knock the conservatory down and build anything new – but he owns it. So what happens?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Well, the city buys the land from him. But there wasn’t any money to renovate the building then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>Sunnyside Neighborhood Association tried to get it renovated and they looked after it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>They scraped graffiti off the building and boarded up all the broken windows to keep rain out. But unfortunately the whole thing was falling into disrepair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At some point in the 1980s, the east wing of the conservatory – the part that crossed over onto another property – it gets knocked down, leaving the building looking kind of lopsided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>And it is a loss, because it’s no longer, it’s whole, whole self.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Wait, after saving it from being knocked down by the developer…part of it was still demolished?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Yes, sadly. Amy says the circumstances are a bit mysterious, but that eastern wing is in photos of the conservatory through early 1980 and then it’s just gone. If you go there now, there’s a fence right up against the main part of the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Sounds like these neighbors really had to be vigilant to keep this thing from being torn down completely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> You know, they did their best. And there was a man who lived behind the conservatory…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>Whose name was Ted Kipping. And he was a professional botanist, arborist, and plant collector, and photographer, speaker. Very ambitious, very dedicated. He took care of the grounds in the 90s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> The conservatory becomes something of a pet project for him. A very expensive one…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>One time, when I was talking to him, he said, I spent $1,000 a month on water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> How does it turn into the beautiful building it is today?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>A group called the Friends of Sunnyside Conservatory forms in 1999 and spend about 10 years raising money and getting San Francisco Rec and Park on board. They did a big multimillion dollar renovation in the 2000s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Reopening video clip: \u003c/strong>We’re here at the Sunnyside’s Conservatory that’s re-opening and this has been a long fought community effort to make this happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>There was a big party at the conservatory to celebrate its reopening in 2009. Then mayor Gavin Newsom was there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Gavin Newsom: \u003c/strong>In a hundred years they’ll be talking about, in 2009…\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Everyone was so excited that this neighborhood gem had been restored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Reopening video clip: \u003c/strong>Here’s the original spire. It was somewhere up there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The conservatory has a spire?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> Yes — the original 1902 building that William Merralls built had a redwood spire on top. And a neighbor kept that spire in his garage for 30 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>This man volunteered this finial, redwood finial from the original building and said, well, here it is. You know, you can put it back on the new building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> And did they?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Well, by then it was fairly rotten. So, instead they made an exact replica, covered it in copper and that’s what’s now on top of the current building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> A bit of a cherry on top, if you will. So now the neighborhood has this pretty special place for everyone to enjoy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> Not only that, but working to preserve the conservatory brought the community together\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Thanks for sharing this history with us, Katrina.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> My pleasure. And if you haven’t been to the Sunnyside Conservatory, you should really check it out!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> One thing I love about the Bay Area is that most neighborhoods have little gems like this one. They’re usually not things people would go out of their way to visit…but they do make each little corner of this area special. If you’ve got a spot near you that you’ve always wondered about, head on over to bay curious dot org and submit a question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re interested to know more about Sunnyside, Amy O’Hair has a book called \u003cem>History Walks of Sunnyside\u003c/em> coming out very soon. So keep your eyes peeled for that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve been enjoying the double dose of Bay Curious we’ve been putting out this month, consider making a donation to KQED to support our work. Every little bit helps, just head over to KQED dot or slash donate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and me, Olivia Allen Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n\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>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco’s \u003c/a>Sunnyside neighborhood, just west of Glen Park, isn’t actually very sunny. In fact, it’s one of the foggier places in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of its main thoroughfares, Monterey Boulevard, carries drivers west towards tonier places like St. Francis Wood, passing many houses and apartment buildings along the way. But slow down a little, and you might catch a glimpse of a building that feels out of the ordinary in this residential place — Sunnyside Conservatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Set back from the street and tucked behind a wrought iron gate, the octagonal redwood building has two stories of windows surrounded by a lush garden of towering palms, ferns and flowering bushes. It’s beautiful and old-world feeling, a unique Victorian gem on an otherwise busy street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious listener Mary Balmana often uses Monterey Boulevard to get to her home in Mission Terrace. She’s seen the conservatory hundreds of times, but hasn’t noticed anyone going inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know anything about it, but I’ve passed it my whole life,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074410\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-sunnysideconservatory00188_TV_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074410\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-sunnysideconservatory00188_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-sunnysideconservatory00188_TV_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-sunnysideconservatory00188_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-sunnysideconservatory00188_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunnyside resident and historian Amy O’Hair poses for a portrait at Sunnyside Conservatory in San Francisco on February 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now, she wants answers. What is the conservatory doing here in Sunnyside, who owns it and could she rent it out?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>An inventor’s oasis\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Sunnyside Conservatory was built by William Augustus Merralls, a British inventor and eccentric. He bought a house along what is now Monterey Boulevard in 1897, when the area was mostly rural. Land was cheap, so he also bought up seven lots around his house and then set about making the grounds his own private oasis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He collected exotic plants, and he liked to have a place for them,” said Amy O’Hair, Sunnyside resident,\u003ca href=\"https://sunnysidehistory.org/\"> local historian\u003c/a> and author of the forthcoming book, \u003cem>History Walks in Sunnyside\u003c/em>. She’s currently writing a book about the conservatory’s history.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Merralls made his money designing and patenting mining equipment. He had more than 20 different patents, mostly for machines that helped extract ever smaller amounts of gold from rock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He did well, but whatever he got he spent on his projects,” O’Hair said. “He had a restless mind, always wanting to invent new things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of his inventions were practical, others less so. He invented an automobile starter, a refrigerator and a “deep breathing developer,” a contraption for his wife, Temperance Laura, who was fascinated by alternative medicine. The details of how it actually worked have been lost to time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1902, he built the conservatory, a building beautifully crafted out of redwood in Victorian style. In addition to collecting exotic plants, Merralls also loved astronomy. He built himself an observatory on the back of his house. And he loved luxury items; his house had two grand pianos and a private bowling alley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He apparently didn’t need to live amongst his peers,” O’Hair said. “He was a very independent-minded man, and he was happy out here in his own enclave with all of his toys in the house and all of those plants out here in the conservatory and a wife he loved.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He and his wife, Temperance Laura, lived in Sunnyside, enjoying their house and its grounds until 1914, when Merralls tragically died in a train accident while visiting a friend in Alameda. By that point, he had sunk all his money into various pursuits that hadn’t paid off, and when he died, Temperance Laura couldn’t afford to keep living on their estate in Sunnyside. The bank repossessed the house.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Second act as swindler’s hideout\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The property sat empty and neglected for three years before another odd couple, Ernest and Angele Van Beckh, came along and \u003ca href=\"https://sunnysidehistory.org/2023/07/18/the-king-of-the-clairvoyants-the-man-who-bought-the-sunnyside-conservatory/\">bought it in 1919\u003c/a>. Ernest Van Beckh was a con man, a member of the \u003ca href=\"https://sunnysidehistory.org/2023/07/18/the-king-of-the-clairvoyants-the-man-who-bought-the-sunnyside-conservatory/\">“Big Five” \u003c/a>whose exploits selling worthless mining shares to unsuspecting people and stealing their money were splashed across the newspapers in 1916.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the district attorney brought charges against Van Beckh, he got off when witnesses the prosecution had lined up to testify “just kind of went away,” as Amy put it. One went back to Montana. Another decided not to press charges. And Ernest avoided jail time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074414\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY-CIRCA-1975-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074414\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY-CIRCA-1975-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1341\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY-CIRCA-1975-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY-CIRCA-1975-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260224-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY-CIRCA-1975-KQED-1536x1030.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunnyside Conservatory circa 1975, when it had fallen into disrepair. Here, the east wing still stands, but it was later knocked down. \u003ccite>(Greg Gaar/San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They made millions of dollars in the 1910s,” O’Hair said. “And some of that money went towards buying this property. This was their hideout.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Van Beckhs would live here for decades. Ernest died in 1951, but Angele stayed on through the early ‘60s, although she too started to have money problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She slowly sold off all the property to a neighbor,” O’Hair said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The neighbors were friends who built their own house on the other side of the conservatory — what is now 234 Monterey Boulevard. While Angele was living there, the two families enjoyed the conservatory and its grounds as one shared yard. But when they moved away, the property lines became a problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Saving the conservatory again and again\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 1974, Angele’s friends sold their house at 234 Monterey Boulevard and the property with the conservatory on it to a man named Robert Anderson. He started delineating the different lots with an eye to \u003ca href=\"https://sunnysidehistory.org/2025/04/18/saving-sunnyside-conservatory/\">developing the property\u003c/a> further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, neighbors started getting interested in preserving the conservatory as a historic landmark. The \u003ca href=\"https://sunnysideassociation.org/\">Sunnyside Neighborhood Association\u003c/a> had just formed, and its members started researching the conservatory’s history with a goal to get it landmarked by the city.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“They wanted to save it from demolition,” O’Hair said. After World War II, \u003ca href=\"https://sunnysidehistory.org/2025/12/07/sunnyside-upzoned/\">Sunnyside was rezoned \u003c/a>to allow for more apartment buildings, which started popping up along Monterey Boulevard throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s. “And they didn’t want to see this property go for apartment buildings.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neighbors were successful in getting the \u003ca href=\"https://default.sfplanning.org/Preservation/bulletins/HistPres_Bulletin_09.PDF\">conservatory landmarked in 1975\u003c/a>, which theoretically should have preserved it. However, the owner, Robert Anderson, still managed to get a permit to demolish it. Neighbors had no idea about his plan until they spotted construction equipment at work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was riding my bicycle along Monterey Boulevard,” neighbor \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v70K3B-inOg\">Greg Garr said in an interview with Amy O’Hair\u003c/a>. “I think I was going to City College at that time. And I passed by the Sunnyside Conservatory, and I saw heavy equipment in there. And part of the building had been removed. And I said, ‘What the heck? I mean, are they demolishing it?’ I knew it was a registered historic landmark.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He called his representative and City Hall, clamoring to stop the demolition. Those efforts were successful, but the damage had been done. The structure was damaged, and almost all the windows had been knocked out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was an emergency now,” O’Hair said. “The city needed to buy the property. What good is a landmark if you don’t own the property under it?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074238\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00222_TV-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074238\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00222_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00222_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00222_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00222_TV-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A stock certificate of William Merralls, who built Sunnyside Conservatory, is shown by Amy O’Hair at Sunnyside Conservatory in San Francisco on February 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 1980, the city bought the land from Robert Anderson using the \u003ca href=\"https://generalplan.sfplanning.org/I3_Recreation_and_Open_Space.htm#:~:text=San%20Francisco%20values%20its%20recreation,the%20combination%20of%20the%20two.\">Open Space Fund\u003c/a>. And for many years after, the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association did its best to look after the building, but it fell into disrepair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All those years in the 90s when it had no glass, and you could climb right over [the fence], there was always graffiti and beer bottles,” O’Hair remembered. “And Rec and Park didn’t really take care of the grounds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, it was another neighbor, \u003ca href=\"https://calhortsociety.org/2020/01/29/ted-kipping/\">Ted Kipping\u003c/a>, who tended the beautiful trees and plants William Merralls had planted all those years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One time, when I was talking to him, he said, ‘I spent $1,000 a month on water,’” O’Hair said. “I don’t know if it’s true. But he was very important to preserving some of the specialness of the grounds, for which I’m thankful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Renovating the conservatory\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 1999, another neighborhood group formed — \u003ca href=\"https://www.sunnysideconservatory.org/about\">Friends of Sunnyside Conservatory\u003c/a>. They set ambitious fundraising goals and worked with San Francisco Rec and Park to execute a multimillion-dollar renovation of the building that would restore it to its original glory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the building was under renovation, yet another neighbor came forward with a piece of history to share. When the building and grounds were sold in 1974, and it looked like the old place might be demolished by Robert Anderson, this neighbor had saved the wooden spire from the top of the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074241\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00362_TV-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074241\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00362_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00362_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00362_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260221-SUNNYSIDECONSERVATORY00362_TV-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunnyside Conservatory contains a sign indicating that it is a city landmark in San Francisco on February 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He kept it in his garage for 30 years, bringing it out and offering it to the builders as they renovated. Unfortunately, by then it was rotting, but the builders made an exact replica and covered it in copper. That spire sits on top of the building to this day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a community-led effort, top to bottom,” O’Hair said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conservatory has since become a symbol for Sunnyside residents. It was the first campaign that brought neighbors together, fighting for something that makes their corner of San Francisco special and unique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Rec and Park now maintains the building and grounds, but \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/665/Sunnyside-Conservatory\">they do rent it out\u003c/a>. Sunnyside neighborhood groups get a bit of a deal, but there have been plenty of weddings, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> If you’ve been listening to the show for a while you may have intuited by now, but San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is one of my absolute favorite places. I love all its nooks and crannies, the unique playgrounds, those long undulating pathways. But I’d argue the crown jewel of the park is the Conservatory of Flowers, partly because of the incredible and rare plants housed inside…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>News Clip: \u003c/strong>The rare corpse flower at the Conservatory of flowers is now open to view and smell.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Like the corpse flower, which only blooms for 48 hours every 3-5 years! And stands more than 6 feet tall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Conservatory of Flowers is also renowned for its architecture. A Victorian glass building – delicate, intricate – topped with a stately domed roof. It’s like nothing else in the city! Or so I thought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out San Francisco has \u003cem>another\u003c/em> conservatory across town near Glen Park. It’s much smaller, only a quarter the size, but still lovely. I’m talking about Sunnyside Conservatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Balmana: \u003c/strong>My name is Mary Balmana. I live in the Mission Terrace area of San Francisco, and I don’t know anything about it, but I’ve passed it my whole life, basically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Mary drives by Sunnyside Conservatory on Monterey Boulevard often, but never sees anyone going in or out. She wants to know its history – and how such a curious building ended up in what is otherwise a very residential area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious editor and producer Katrina Schwartz is here to tell us all about it. Hi, Katrina.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> Hi Olivia\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Maybe you could start by just painting a picture of the conservatory as it looks now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>The Sunnyside Conservatory is set back from the street a little ways and is surrounded by a lush garden with huge palm trees, ferns and beautiful flowering bushes. It kind of feels like a cloud forest right in the middle of a residential neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> What about the building itself?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>The building is made of redwood and features a two story octagonal center that dominates the senses. Two levels of windows that let in beautiful amounts of light…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> What kind of fabulous plants are inside? Anything to rival the corpse flower?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> Sadly, this conservatory no longer has plants inside at all. It’s now used as an events space. But when it was first built in 1902, it was the pride of its owner – who was just the first of a line of quirky residents the property has had over its 100 or so years. Let’s meet some of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>It was built by an eccentric and unique man.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Amy O’Hair runs the Sunnyside History Project and lives nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>He was an inventor, William Augustus Merralls, he moved here to Sunnyside when there was very little on Monterey Boulevard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Even though Sunnyside is part of San Francisco now, back then the area was rural. Picture a smattering of houses and dairy farms. Merralls bought a big house here in 1897 and then several adjoining plots of land over the next few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>He accumulated seven lots, and then built his conservatory in 1902. He collected exotic plants and he liked to have a place for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Merralls made his money engineering mining equipment — but his true heart’s desire was invention. Over the years he invented dozens of things, some useful stuff, and some less so. Amy actually met his great grandson, who had some of Merralls’ old papers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>I thought I’d show you some stuff. Things that belonged to William Merrill’s like his patents. So I have all the patents for things that he made. This is a stamp mill. That’s a thing that crushes rock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz in scene: \u003c/strong>Look at those seals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>Yes, they’re very fancy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>This is a letter he wrote while he was in New York City raising money for the automobile starters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz in scene: \u003c/strong>Will you read a little bit of it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>Darling, you should see the Merralls starter at work on that big engine. You would be tickled to pieces. It is a dandy. And when you come on for Thanksgiving, you shall be the first lady to ride in an automobile that has the only commercial, perfect self-starter in the world, and that one is a Merralls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz in scene: \u003c/strong>He’s like promoting himself to his wife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>To his wife, for God’s sake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> The thing is, Merralls probably had his hand in one too many projects. He had a tendency to move on before things were finished and he was sued a number of times. By the time of his death in 1914, he was having money problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Mmm. Unfortunately, you can’t just create the thing, but you have to sell it too…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> Yes, and unfortunately that meant that when he died, the bank repossessed the whole property, including the conservatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> What happened to it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> The house and its grounds sat empty for three years and then another couple bought it. The next in the line of curious owners…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>The name of this couple was Ernest and Angel Van Beck. They were very strange.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Ernest Van Bech was essentially a scam artist. He made a boatload of money selling worthless mining bonds to people…basically swindling them out of their money. The district attorney even brought charges, but when the witnesses didn’t show up to testify, they had to let Ernest go. And he lived out his life on the property with the conservatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>Ernest would not show his face. There were a lot of rumors about him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Kind of the Boo Radley of Sunnyside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> He really was. The neighborhood kids were all afraid of him. But after decades living in the house next to the conservatory he died in 1951. His wife, Angele, kept living there, but she needed money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>She slowly sold off all the property to a neighbor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>The neighbors were friends of hers. They built a house on the other side of the conservatory — the east wing of the building was actually in their backyard. At the time, that wasn’t a big deal because Angele and her friends basically shared the conservatory and its grounds like one big yard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>But eventually Angele moved away and her friends sold their home – and they leave behind the conservatory, which now straddles two properties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Is this foreshadowing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>This is foreshadowing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>We’ll find out what happened after this quick break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor message\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Alright, Katrina, you were telling us what happened to the conservatory after Angele Van Beck and her friends next door moved away and sold the property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> The bulk of the conservatory and its grounds ended up in the hands of a man named Robert Anderson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>It’s 1975 by now, and there’s a lot of local interest in the conservatory as a historic structure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>People who live nearby had grown attached to the conservatory. They view it as a symbol of the neighborhood. A group called the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association forms and they start researching the history of the conservatory in order to get it landmarked as a historic building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>They wanted to save it from demolition because in the 50s and 60s and 70s, along Monterey Boulevard, we’d had so many empty lots, and it was rezoned after the war, that apartment buildings were growing up all the way along it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>The neighbors succeeded in getting the building landmarked, but that didn’t keep it safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>But then Robert Anderson decided he actually would build some apartment buildings and he got a permit to demolish the conservatory, which he attempted to do at the end of 1978. And it was only saved because of two people who had their eye on the conservatory. Greg Gaar is one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greg Garr: \u003c/strong>Well, I was riding my bicycle along Monterey Boulevard. I think I was going to City College at that time. And I passed by the Sunnyside Conservatory and I saw heavy equipment in there. And part of the building had been removed. And I said, what the heck? I mean, are they demolishing it? I knew it was a registered historic landmark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Greg Garr and other neighbors started frantically calling city hall and they got the demolition halted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>When they were done, the glass was knocked out of most of the windows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> This seems like an impasse. Robert Anderson can’t knock the conservatory down and build anything new – but he owns it. So what happens?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Well, the city buys the land from him. But there wasn’t any money to renovate the building then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>Sunnyside Neighborhood Association tried to get it renovated and they looked after it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>They scraped graffiti off the building and boarded up all the broken windows to keep rain out. But unfortunately the whole thing was falling into disrepair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At some point in the 1980s, the east wing of the conservatory – the part that crossed over onto another property – it gets knocked down, leaving the building looking kind of lopsided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>And it is a loss, because it’s no longer, it’s whole, whole self.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Wait, after saving it from being knocked down by the developer…part of it was still demolished?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Yes, sadly. Amy says the circumstances are a bit mysterious, but that eastern wing is in photos of the conservatory through early 1980 and then it’s just gone. If you go there now, there’s a fence right up against the main part of the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Sounds like these neighbors really had to be vigilant to keep this thing from being torn down completely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> You know, they did their best. And there was a man who lived behind the conservatory…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>Whose name was Ted Kipping. And he was a professional botanist, arborist, and plant collector, and photographer, speaker. Very ambitious, very dedicated. He took care of the grounds in the 90s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> The conservatory becomes something of a pet project for him. A very expensive one…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>One time, when I was talking to him, he said, I spent $1,000 a month on water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> How does it turn into the beautiful building it is today?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>A group called the Friends of Sunnyside Conservatory forms in 1999 and spend about 10 years raising money and getting San Francisco Rec and Park on board. They did a big multimillion dollar renovation in the 2000s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Reopening video clip: \u003c/strong>We’re here at the Sunnyside’s Conservatory that’s re-opening and this has been a long fought community effort to make this happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>There was a big party at the conservatory to celebrate its reopening in 2009. Then mayor Gavin Newsom was there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Gavin Newsom: \u003c/strong>In a hundred years they’ll be talking about, in 2009…\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Everyone was so excited that this neighborhood gem had been restored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Reopening video clip: \u003c/strong>Here’s the original spire. It was somewhere up there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The conservatory has a spire?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> Yes — the original 1902 building that William Merralls built had a redwood spire on top. And a neighbor kept that spire in his garage for 30 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amy O’Hair: \u003c/strong>This man volunteered this finial, redwood finial from the original building and said, well, here it is. You know, you can put it back on the new building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> And did they?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz: \u003c/strong>Well, by then it was fairly rotten. So, instead they made an exact replica, covered it in copper and that’s what’s now on top of the current building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> A bit of a cherry on top, if you will. So now the neighborhood has this pretty special place for everyone to enjoy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> Not only that, but working to preserve the conservatory brought the community together\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Thanks for sharing this history with us, Katrina.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Katrina Schwartz:\u003c/strong> My pleasure. And if you haven’t been to the Sunnyside Conservatory, you should really check it out!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> One thing I love about the Bay Area is that most neighborhoods have little gems like this one. They’re usually not things people would go out of their way to visit…but they do make each little corner of this area special. If you’ve got a spot near you that you’ve always wondered about, head on over to bay curious dot org and submit a question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re interested to know more about Sunnyside, Amy O’Hair has a book called \u003cem>History Walks of Sunnyside\u003c/em> coming out very soon. So keep your eyes peeled for that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve been enjoying the double dose of Bay Curious we’ve been putting out this month, consider making a donation to KQED to support our work. Every little bit helps, just head over to KQED dot or slash donate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and me, Olivia Allen Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a great week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp>San Francisco’s immigration courts are being hollowed out by the Trump Administration, with plans to close one of the courts downtown by the end of the year. Mission Local’s Clara-Sophia Daly explains how day to day operations — including asylum hearings — have changed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/02/sf-immigration-court-asylum-seekers/\">Inside San Francisco’s hollowed-out immigration court, where asylum is ‘essentially over’\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\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=KQINC6286163923&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:46] So for people who maybe don’t know how this process works, can you sort of trace an asylum seekers path from their home country to San Francisco immigration court? Like what does it take to sort of end up there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:01:56] It’s a very complicated process and it can depend. Generally, an asylum seeker will cross the border and they have a reasonable fear interview before they go to immigration court and then present themselves to the U.S. Government seeking asylum and then essentially it is up to them to prove to the United States government that they have high level of fear and that they are unsafe to return to their home country. A lot of asylum seekers have been in the process to try and legalize their status for a huge number of years. There are a lot of the asylum seekers from Colombia, a lot asylum seekers from Honduras, Mexico, Venezuela, Haiti. It’s interesting because with immigration law, there is obviously some subjectivity in regards to how a judge understands the law and how he or she implements it. San Francisco traditionally has been one of the immigration courts across the country that has the highest approval rates for asylum seekers. I think for a lot of immigrants that was a great thing, but also with that came a spotlight on that court and sort of the understanding that maybe these judges are not enforcing the law as they should from the perspective of some people and they’re being too lenient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:03:35] Some people, like the Trump administration. So I mean, it sounds like these two immigration courts in San Francisco played a pretty huge role, especially when it came to immigrants coming here to the Bay Area. But it’s also increasingly being gutted since the Trump Administration began its second term. What has changed at these courts, exactly?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:03:59] A lot of the courtrooms are just empty. A huge number of judges have been fired, and they’re planning to close down one of the immigration courts downtown, the Montgomery Street Court, by the end of this year. Asylum seekers are confused. Attorneys are struggling to keep up with all these rulings and understand which immigration court takes precedent, who to listen to. Judges are confused, they’re getting fired, they are getting locked out of their emails.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:04:29] Oh, wow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:04:30] It’s, it’s a mess. And it’s, I think, from a lot of the immigration advocates that I’ve spoken to, an intentional confusion and disruption of the system and kind of a way, again, to try and encourage immigrants living in the United States to go back to their home countries, which the federal government has made very clear is their goal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:05:05] I know you spent a whole day and some time at one of these immigration court buildings in San Francisco. And I’m so curious what you saw, like what is the impact of this gutting of the courts having on the day-to-day operations when you even like go to these courts?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:05:23] The majority of asylum seekers are not getting what’s known as an individual hearing, where they are presenting the evidence for their case and asking the judge for asylum. I was present in the courtroom while the Department of Homeland Security was doing these, they call them pre-termination. What happens at those hearings is the Department of Homeland security basically is saying, this asylum seeker should go to a third country, with which the United States has an agreement. And that they should essentially hear their asylum case in that third country instead of in the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:06:00] And these third countries they’re being sent to, they’re not even necessarily like countries that these folks have any connection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:06:07] Correct. So that includes Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador. There’s even Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, a huge number of countries that are on this list. And what’s also complicated and nuanced and interesting here is that we haven’t seen very many people actually go through the process and get sent to these third countries. And this whole process is also being questioned by courts. But the Department of Homeland Security is really just kind of using this to rapidly close out cases and convince asylum seekers to take a voluntary departure or give up on their case. The time period in which asylum seekers have to appeal this pre-termination has just been changed from 30 days to 10 days. So again, just so many small steps forward that the federal government is using to limit immigrants’ ability to legalize their status.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:07:18] I’m curious what you heard from just people out there waiting for their turn to get asylum in the United States. I mean, any conversations that really stood out to you or people who stood out?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:07:33] There was one guy who I remember was standing in line and he was shaking and I’m looking around. It’s not that cold out. He was shaking. He was so scared. And the reason a lot of these people waiting for their ICE check-ins were so fearful was that just a couple months ago, a huge number of people in the San Francisco court who went to their ICE Check-ins, were arrested. There was also another immigrant asylum seeker in the courtroom whose case was pre-terminated and he was offered these other countries to like quote unquote go half his case, or half his cases sent to. And he, I remember asked the judge, he said, well can I have some more time because I can’t find an immigration attorney. It’s so expensive to get an immigration attorney and the judge basically said, you know. You’ve had time, sorry. Like, I’m not gonna give you an extension there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:08:38] I mean, you mentioned earlier that at least one of these courthouses is slated to close. I mean yeah, what is the timeline on that and what can happen from here when it comes to immigration court in the Bay Area?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:08:53] By mid-March, there will be just two judges left in person at the immigration courts downtown. And it’s still unclear exactly what’s going to happen. There has been some conversations about military judges coming in to replace some of these immigration judges, but I don’t have any updates on that from my sources. You know, maybe they will hire new judges. There’s been conversations of some judges moving to the conquered immigration court. So everything is still constantly changing day by day, week by week. It just means that San Francisco will no longer be this place where immigrants have the opportunity to stand before a judge and make their case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:09:44] You know, I’ve been thinking, Clara-Sophia, about how there’s been just so much talk about illegal immigration, but seeking asylum and immigrant coming to the Bay Area to seek asylum, coming into these courthouses, has always been a legal pathway to staying here. And this just seems like one less sort of legal pathway that’s also being taken away. For folks, for immigrants who are trying to come here legally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:10:17] Definitely. I think the majority of asylum seekers, they want to legalize their status. They want to do the right thing, and they try to do so. It’s no surprise or nothing new that there is long waits, right, to go through that process. But yes, it’s just becoming more and more difficult, if not next to impossible, for immigrants seeking legal status to get some type of permanent residency in the United States.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>San Francisco’s immigration courts are being hollowed out by the Trump Administration, with plans to close one of the courts downtown by the end of the year. Mission Local’s Clara-Sophia Daly explains how day to day operations — including asylum hearings — have changed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/02/sf-immigration-court-asylum-seekers/\">Inside San Francisco’s hollowed-out immigration court, where asylum is ‘essentially over’\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\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=KQINC6286163923&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:46] So for people who maybe don’t know how this process works, can you sort of trace an asylum seekers path from their home country to San Francisco immigration court? Like what does it take to sort of end up there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:01:56] It’s a very complicated process and it can depend. Generally, an asylum seeker will cross the border and they have a reasonable fear interview before they go to immigration court and then present themselves to the U.S. Government seeking asylum and then essentially it is up to them to prove to the United States government that they have high level of fear and that they are unsafe to return to their home country. A lot of asylum seekers have been in the process to try and legalize their status for a huge number of years. There are a lot of the asylum seekers from Colombia, a lot asylum seekers from Honduras, Mexico, Venezuela, Haiti. It’s interesting because with immigration law, there is obviously some subjectivity in regards to how a judge understands the law and how he or she implements it. San Francisco traditionally has been one of the immigration courts across the country that has the highest approval rates for asylum seekers. I think for a lot of immigrants that was a great thing, but also with that came a spotlight on that court and sort of the understanding that maybe these judges are not enforcing the law as they should from the perspective of some people and they’re being too lenient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:03:35] Some people, like the Trump administration. So I mean, it sounds like these two immigration courts in San Francisco played a pretty huge role, especially when it came to immigrants coming here to the Bay Area. But it’s also increasingly being gutted since the Trump Administration began its second term. What has changed at these courts, exactly?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:03:59] A lot of the courtrooms are just empty. A huge number of judges have been fired, and they’re planning to close down one of the immigration courts downtown, the Montgomery Street Court, by the end of this year. Asylum seekers are confused. Attorneys are struggling to keep up with all these rulings and understand which immigration court takes precedent, who to listen to. Judges are confused, they’re getting fired, they are getting locked out of their emails.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:04:29] Oh, wow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:04:30] It’s, it’s a mess. And it’s, I think, from a lot of the immigration advocates that I’ve spoken to, an intentional confusion and disruption of the system and kind of a way, again, to try and encourage immigrants living in the United States to go back to their home countries, which the federal government has made very clear is their goal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:05:05] I know you spent a whole day and some time at one of these immigration court buildings in San Francisco. And I’m so curious what you saw, like what is the impact of this gutting of the courts having on the day-to-day operations when you even like go to these courts?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:05:23] The majority of asylum seekers are not getting what’s known as an individual hearing, where they are presenting the evidence for their case and asking the judge for asylum. I was present in the courtroom while the Department of Homeland Security was doing these, they call them pre-termination. What happens at those hearings is the Department of Homeland security basically is saying, this asylum seeker should go to a third country, with which the United States has an agreement. And that they should essentially hear their asylum case in that third country instead of in the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:06:00] And these third countries they’re being sent to, they’re not even necessarily like countries that these folks have any connection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:06:07] Correct. So that includes Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador. There’s even Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, a huge number of countries that are on this list. And what’s also complicated and nuanced and interesting here is that we haven’t seen very many people actually go through the process and get sent to these third countries. And this whole process is also being questioned by courts. But the Department of Homeland Security is really just kind of using this to rapidly close out cases and convince asylum seekers to take a voluntary departure or give up on their case. The time period in which asylum seekers have to appeal this pre-termination has just been changed from 30 days to 10 days. So again, just so many small steps forward that the federal government is using to limit immigrants’ ability to legalize their status.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:07:18] I’m curious what you heard from just people out there waiting for their turn to get asylum in the United States. I mean, any conversations that really stood out to you or people who stood out?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Clara-Sophia Daly \u003c/strong>[00:07:33] There was one guy who I remember was standing in line and he was shaking and I’m looking around. It’s not that cold out. He was shaking. He was so scared. And the reason a lot of these people waiting for their ICE check-ins were so fearful was that just a couple months ago, a huge number of people in the San Francisco court who went to their ICE Check-ins, were arrested. There was also another immigrant asylum seeker in the courtroom whose case was pre-terminated and he was offered these other countries to like quote unquote go half his case, or half his cases sent to. And he, I remember asked the judge, he said, well can I have some more time because I can’t find an immigration attorney. It’s so expensive to get an immigration attorney and the judge basically said, you know. You’ve had time, sorry. 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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
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"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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},
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"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
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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": {
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"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": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
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"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"order": 1
},
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"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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"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.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"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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"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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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"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": {
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"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "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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"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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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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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",
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"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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},
"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
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},
"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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"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/",
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},
"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": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"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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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
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"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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}
},
"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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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
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