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"content": "\u003cp>Rainy conditions will pick up again across \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/northern-california\">Northern California\u003c/a> this week, starting Monday night and lasting through Wednesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Weather Service is forecasting solid precipitation in the North Bay, where rainfall of 1 to 3 inches is expected in Sonoma and Marin counties, with rates decreasing south of the Golden Gate. Ryan Walbrun, meteorologist with the Weather Service’s Bay Area office, said the rainfall will precede warmer, drier conditions later in the week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For the Bay Area, we do expect this to be a beneficial rain event,” he said. “We want to take the precipitation while we can here in the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rain comes amid paradoxical winter conditions: while this winter has been unusually warm, UC Berkeley’s Sierra Snow Lab recorded its third-highest accumulation of snow in a five-day period last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The incoming rain will fall from a large atmospheric river storm that will impact areas of Northern California, including high elevations in the Sierra Nevada, with its newly bolstered snowpack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heavy rainstorms over fresh powder can rapidly melt the snow. And that extra runoff into rivers can push water over the banks and flood. But Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, said he does not yet see a cause for major concern, even though the storm will hit the mountains that received last week’s heavy snowfall.[aside postID=science_2000137 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/GettyImages-1482972333-1020x678.jpg']“Now that might set off some flood-related alarm bells for some folks, but there’s a couple of major mitigating factors that are very likely going to prevent serious flooding during this event,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first of the mitigating factors, Swain said, is that while warm and moist, the storm isn’t accompanied by a strong low-pressure system. This means that the moisture will primarily come in as humid air rather than rain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sierra snowpack has the capacity to soak up the rain that does fall, which means less risk of flooding. In areas where 2 to 4 feet of snow accumulated on the ground, water is expected to saturate it and then refreeze.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This atmospheric river is fortunately one that probably has a lot more bark than bite,” Swain said. The areas most at risk for flooding are along the North Coast, where rainfall will be the heaviest, and towns in the Sierra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite all the snow from last week, much of the Sierra snowpack is still lower than average. Swain said that while last week’s snowstorms helped, much of the Western U.S. is starved for snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swain said he expects the rain-on-snow activity to greatly increase the risk of avalanche activity in the backcountry, as heavy rains can make snowpacks heavier and trigger wet slab avalanches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Rainy conditions will pick up again across \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/northern-california\">Northern California\u003c/a> this week, starting Monday night and lasting through Wednesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Weather Service is forecasting solid precipitation in the North Bay, where rainfall of 1 to 3 inches is expected in Sonoma and Marin counties, with rates decreasing south of the Golden Gate. Ryan Walbrun, meteorologist with the Weather Service’s Bay Area office, said the rainfall will precede warmer, drier conditions later in the week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For the Bay Area, we do expect this to be a beneficial rain event,” he said. “We want to take the precipitation while we can here in the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rain comes amid paradoxical winter conditions: while this winter has been unusually warm, UC Berkeley’s Sierra Snow Lab recorded its third-highest accumulation of snow in a five-day period last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The incoming rain will fall from a large atmospheric river storm that will impact areas of Northern California, including high elevations in the Sierra Nevada, with its newly bolstered snowpack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heavy rainstorms over fresh powder can rapidly melt the snow. And that extra runoff into rivers can push water over the banks and flood. But Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, said he does not yet see a cause for major concern, even though the storm will hit the mountains that received last week’s heavy snowfall.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Now that might set off some flood-related alarm bells for some folks, but there’s a couple of major mitigating factors that are very likely going to prevent serious flooding during this event,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first of the mitigating factors, Swain said, is that while warm and moist, the storm isn’t accompanied by a strong low-pressure system. This means that the moisture will primarily come in as humid air rather than rain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sierra snowpack has the capacity to soak up the rain that does fall, which means less risk of flooding. In areas where 2 to 4 feet of snow accumulated on the ground, water is expected to saturate it and then refreeze.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This atmospheric river is fortunately one that probably has a lot more bark than bite,” Swain said. The areas most at risk for flooding are along the North Coast, where rainfall will be the heaviest, and towns in the Sierra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite all the snow from last week, much of the Sierra snowpack is still lower than average. Swain said that while last week’s snowstorms helped, much of the Western U.S. is starved for snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swain said he expects the rain-on-snow activity to greatly increase the risk of avalanche activity in the backcountry, as heavy rains can make snowpacks heavier and trigger wet slab avalanches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>California is dealing with a lot \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999767/some-bay-area-climate-stories-were-watching-this-year\">climate-wise\u003c/a>. Wildfires destroyed\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027578/how-we-rebuild-what-comes-after-the-la-fires\"> thousands of homes in L.A.\u003c/a> last year. Floods from storms and king tides \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999871/after-king-tides-swamp-marin-san-rafael-weighs-billion-dollar-defenses-against-the-bay\">swamped communities\u003c/a> across the state this winter. The Trump administration is attacking California’s ambitious policies aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036063/california-doubles-down-key-emissions-program-after-trump-calls-radical\">limiting carbon pollution\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s next governor will have to deal with all of it. And the race to fill Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shoes is on. He positioned himself as a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999192/california-moves-to-fill-the-void-left-by-the-federal-government-on-the-world-stag\">climate leader,\u003c/a> overseeing the build-out of battery storage and passing regulations to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles. However, advocates have \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/09/gavin-newsom-environmental-image/\">questioned that record\u003c/a> recently and criticized the administration for warming to the oil industry. There’s a whole field of candidates who want his job, including a new candidate who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071306/san-jose-mayor-matt-mahan-announces-run-for-california-governor\">entered the race on Thursday\u003c/a>, San José Mayor Matt Mahan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four of the California gubernatorial hopefuls — former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire climate activist and businessman Tom Steyer, and U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell — debated their plans to address the impacts of climate change across the state during a \u003ca href=\"https://envirovoters.org/gubernatorial-forum/\">Tuesday evening forum\u003c/a> organized by California Environmental Voters, a nonprofit political advocacy organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They discussed reducing fossil fuel production and consumption and investing in green energy such as solar, wind and battery storage. The candidates agreed on many things, including the need to meet climate goals while also reducing the cost of energy to Californians’ wallets. They also discussed how to lower energy prices and to develop electric vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No one expressed outright support for Gov. Newsom’s proposal for a 45-mile tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta as it is currently written, and some argued the state should consider ramping up other solutions like water recycling instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they pulled no punches in their criticism of President Donald Trump, arguing that the federal government has doubled down on fossil fuels and rejected climate science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999939\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999939\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. The Urban League of the Bay Area hosted the forum. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The biggest challenge we have here is Donald Trump,” Becerra said. “[California pays] more taxes than any other state, yet the Trump administration is not sending it back to us in California. And so the first thing we have to do is fight like the dickens to make sure we’re getting our fair share.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell, who represents parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, said he stands up to the Trump administration every day in Congress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason my three little kids can’t play in the front yard is because of the death threats that he inspires against me,” Swalwell said. “I do not hide under the bed, and the way that I have gone after him and been a fighter in Congress is what I will do as governor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Environmental Voters invited the six top polling candidates, but only four agreed to participate.[aside postID=news_12071306 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/250312-MATT-MAHAN-ON-PB-MD-02-KQED-1.jpg']Paasha Mahdavi, a political science professor at UC Santa Barbara, said the candidate forum lacked bold ideas and proposals that voters, especially young people, are asking for to address climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re not going to be bold in an EnviroVoters conversation, where are you gonna be bold?” Mahdavi said. “It’s not enough to be singing in the shower, get out on stage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leah Stokes, a political science professor also at UC Santa Barbara, listened to the forum and said it was exciting to hear four democrats actually “prioritize climate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether or not they do everything they say in this forum, if one of them becomes Governor, is an open question,” Stokes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stokes said voters associate Newsom’s climate policies with the high cost of energy, and that’s one area where the candidates clearly tried to establish a contrast with their own ideas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The debate in many ways was less about the candidates debating each other and more about them debating Newsom’s record,” Stokes said. “He’s been a really big climate champion, and he certainly bills himself that way. But he’s also allowed electric utilities to consistently jack up rates, and that is creating an affordability crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said Steyer — who ran for President on a climate-forward platform but has since leaned into an affordability message — was the boldest on climate action, but she did not think any of the candidates stole the limelight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999622\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999622\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 580 freeway in Oakland on Oct. 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Newsom’s got real charisma, and I don’t know if any of these candidates have that as much, which isn’t a criticism of them, but I think that’s part of why we’re not seeing a clear frontrunner,” Stokes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Environmental Voters, an event sponsor, released \u003ca href=\"https://envirovoters.org/new-polling-shows-californians-want-a-governor-who-tackles-affordability-by-leading-on-clean-energy-environmental-protection-and-corporate-accountability/\">new polling\u003c/a> this week that showed 65% of voters want the price of electric vehicles to become more affordable. The largest proportion of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from transportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porter acknowledged the Trump administration’s efforts to block California from requiring 100% of vehicles be zero-emission or electric by 2035, but said the state also has other issues when it comes to electric cars, like high monthly loan payments and a lack of charging infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California has built charging stations, but we are not anywhere near where we need to be, and those charging stations are not necessarily located in all of the communities they need to be in in order for us to make progress,” Porter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999943\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999943\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Steyer also hit on the affordability of electric vehicles, noting that “the job of the governor” is to make sure the price comes down by making affordable electric cars produced in places like China available to Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It may be complicated, but the facts are on the ground and by 2035, there’ll be $15,000 electric vehicles available,” Steyer said. “Mark my words.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer was initially the only candidate who said he would take steps to hold the oil industry accountable for the climate impacts on this state, saying he would have polluters pay “100%.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when moderator Sammy Roth, who writes the \u003ca href=\"https://www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/\">Climate-Colored Goggles\u003c/a> Substack, pressed the candidates, they all agreed they would support \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997275/california-lawmakers-divided-over-polluters-pay-plan-to-combat-climate-crisis\">legislation\u003c/a> — which has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997654/as-fires-floods-rage-californias-push-to-make-big-oil-pay-stalls-for-now\">repeatedly failed\u003c/a> in California — to force oil companies to pay for damages from wildfires and severe storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1956280\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1956280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoke blows past oil wells at sunset on the eastern flank of the 16,000-plus-acre Guiberson fire, burning in southern California on Sept. 23, 2009, near Moorpark, California. \u003ccite>(David McNew/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Clearly the window has shifted since all four supported it,” Mahdavi said. “But it did seem like we’re not gonna see too far a break from the status quo. And right now, people are not happy, especially younger voters, with the status quo. We do need an expanded ambition, but nobody really captured that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahdavi also said none of the candidates addressed how to support workers with what he called a “just transition,” which would be needed if the California oil industry were phased out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell told the story of visiting a business in Altadena and learning that a person’s home had burned down. If elected, he said he will hold utility companies accountable by making sure they invest in “disaster improvements that they have to make and that we socialize the idea of managed outages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fire victims know that their homes will never come back the way that they knew, but they want to know that the next governor gets it and will fight for them,” Swalwell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999945\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999945\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks during a press conference after a rally in support of Proposition 50 at IBEW Local 6 in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The candidates didn’t quite agree on funding climate solutions, either, especially since the Trump administration cut millions of dollars for climate-related projects and programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porter suggested taxing AI companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“AI has the potential to make society much more wealthy,” Porter said. “We need to capture that wealth to address not only the environmental consequences of data centers and of AI, but the longstanding environmental challenges that we face.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer, a billionaire himself, alluded to taxing billionaires and closing tax loopholes as a solution, as did Becerra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was interesting to see a divide across the four,” Mahdavi said. “Then, when pushed directly on the idea of taxing billionaires, it was surprising to hear everybody agreed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California is dealing with a lot \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999767/some-bay-area-climate-stories-were-watching-this-year\">climate-wise\u003c/a>. Wildfires destroyed\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027578/how-we-rebuild-what-comes-after-the-la-fires\"> thousands of homes in L.A.\u003c/a> last year. Floods from storms and king tides \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999871/after-king-tides-swamp-marin-san-rafael-weighs-billion-dollar-defenses-against-the-bay\">swamped communities\u003c/a> across the state this winter. The Trump administration is attacking California’s ambitious policies aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036063/california-doubles-down-key-emissions-program-after-trump-calls-radical\">limiting carbon pollution\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s next governor will have to deal with all of it. And the race to fill Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shoes is on. He positioned himself as a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999192/california-moves-to-fill-the-void-left-by-the-federal-government-on-the-world-stag\">climate leader,\u003c/a> overseeing the build-out of battery storage and passing regulations to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles. However, advocates have \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/09/gavin-newsom-environmental-image/\">questioned that record\u003c/a> recently and criticized the administration for warming to the oil industry. There’s a whole field of candidates who want his job, including a new candidate who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071306/san-jose-mayor-matt-mahan-announces-run-for-california-governor\">entered the race on Thursday\u003c/a>, San José Mayor Matt Mahan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four of the California gubernatorial hopefuls — former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire climate activist and businessman Tom Steyer, and U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell — debated their plans to address the impacts of climate change across the state during a \u003ca href=\"https://envirovoters.org/gubernatorial-forum/\">Tuesday evening forum\u003c/a> organized by California Environmental Voters, a nonprofit political advocacy organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They discussed reducing fossil fuel production and consumption and investing in green energy such as solar, wind and battery storage. The candidates agreed on many things, including the need to meet climate goals while also reducing the cost of energy to Californians’ wallets. They also discussed how to lower energy prices and to develop electric vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No one expressed outright support for Gov. Newsom’s proposal for a 45-mile tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta as it is currently written, and some argued the state should consider ramping up other solutions like water recycling instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they pulled no punches in their criticism of President Donald Trump, arguing that the federal government has doubled down on fossil fuels and rejected climate science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999939\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999939\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. The Urban League of the Bay Area hosted the forum. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The biggest challenge we have here is Donald Trump,” Becerra said. “[California pays] more taxes than any other state, yet the Trump administration is not sending it back to us in California. And so the first thing we have to do is fight like the dickens to make sure we’re getting our fair share.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell, who represents parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, said he stands up to the Trump administration every day in Congress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason my three little kids can’t play in the front yard is because of the death threats that he inspires against me,” Swalwell said. “I do not hide under the bed, and the way that I have gone after him and been a fighter in Congress is what I will do as governor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Environmental Voters invited the six top polling candidates, but only four agreed to participate.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Paasha Mahdavi, a political science professor at UC Santa Barbara, said the candidate forum lacked bold ideas and proposals that voters, especially young people, are asking for to address climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re not going to be bold in an EnviroVoters conversation, where are you gonna be bold?” Mahdavi said. “It’s not enough to be singing in the shower, get out on stage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leah Stokes, a political science professor also at UC Santa Barbara, listened to the forum and said it was exciting to hear four democrats actually “prioritize climate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether or not they do everything they say in this forum, if one of them becomes Governor, is an open question,” Stokes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stokes said voters associate Newsom’s climate policies with the high cost of energy, and that’s one area where the candidates clearly tried to establish a contrast with their own ideas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The debate in many ways was less about the candidates debating each other and more about them debating Newsom’s record,” Stokes said. “He’s been a really big climate champion, and he certainly bills himself that way. But he’s also allowed electric utilities to consistently jack up rates, and that is creating an affordability crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said Steyer — who ran for President on a climate-forward platform but has since leaned into an affordability message — was the boldest on climate action, but she did not think any of the candidates stole the limelight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999622\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999622\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 580 freeway in Oakland on Oct. 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Newsom’s got real charisma, and I don’t know if any of these candidates have that as much, which isn’t a criticism of them, but I think that’s part of why we’re not seeing a clear frontrunner,” Stokes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Environmental Voters, an event sponsor, released \u003ca href=\"https://envirovoters.org/new-polling-shows-californians-want-a-governor-who-tackles-affordability-by-leading-on-clean-energy-environmental-protection-and-corporate-accountability/\">new polling\u003c/a> this week that showed 65% of voters want the price of electric vehicles to become more affordable. The largest proportion of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from transportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porter acknowledged the Trump administration’s efforts to block California from requiring 100% of vehicles be zero-emission or electric by 2035, but said the state also has other issues when it comes to electric cars, like high monthly loan payments and a lack of charging infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California has built charging stations, but we are not anywhere near where we need to be, and those charging stations are not necessarily located in all of the communities they need to be in in order for us to make progress,” Porter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999943\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999943\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Steyer also hit on the affordability of electric vehicles, noting that “the job of the governor” is to make sure the price comes down by making affordable electric cars produced in places like China available to Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It may be complicated, but the facts are on the ground and by 2035, there’ll be $15,000 electric vehicles available,” Steyer said. “Mark my words.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer was initially the only candidate who said he would take steps to hold the oil industry accountable for the climate impacts on this state, saying he would have polluters pay “100%.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when moderator Sammy Roth, who writes the \u003ca href=\"https://www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/\">Climate-Colored Goggles\u003c/a> Substack, pressed the candidates, they all agreed they would support \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997275/california-lawmakers-divided-over-polluters-pay-plan-to-combat-climate-crisis\">legislation\u003c/a> — which has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997654/as-fires-floods-rage-californias-push-to-make-big-oil-pay-stalls-for-now\">repeatedly failed\u003c/a> in California — to force oil companies to pay for damages from wildfires and severe storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1956280\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1956280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoke blows past oil wells at sunset on the eastern flank of the 16,000-plus-acre Guiberson fire, burning in southern California on Sept. 23, 2009, near Moorpark, California. \u003ccite>(David McNew/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Clearly the window has shifted since all four supported it,” Mahdavi said. “But it did seem like we’re not gonna see too far a break from the status quo. And right now, people are not happy, especially younger voters, with the status quo. We do need an expanded ambition, but nobody really captured that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahdavi also said none of the candidates addressed how to support workers with what he called a “just transition,” which would be needed if the California oil industry were phased out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell told the story of visiting a business in Altadena and learning that a person’s home had burned down. If elected, he said he will hold utility companies accountable by making sure they invest in “disaster improvements that they have to make and that we socialize the idea of managed outages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fire victims know that their homes will never come back the way that they knew, but they want to know that the next governor gets it and will fight for them,” Swalwell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999945\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999945\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks during a press conference after a rally in support of Proposition 50 at IBEW Local 6 in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The candidates didn’t quite agree on funding climate solutions, either, especially since the Trump administration cut millions of dollars for climate-related projects and programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porter suggested taxing AI companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“AI has the potential to make society much more wealthy,” Porter said. “We need to capture that wealth to address not only the environmental consequences of data centers and of AI, but the longstanding environmental challenges that we face.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer, a billionaire himself, alluded to taxing billionaires and closing tax loopholes as a solution, as did Becerra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was interesting to see a divide across the four,” Mahdavi said. “Then, when pushed directly on the idea of taxing billionaires, it was surprising to hear everybody agreed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "after-king-tides-swamp-marin-san-rafael-weighs-billion-dollar-defenses-against-the-bay",
"title": "After King Tides Swamp Marin, San Rafael Weighs Billion-Dollar Defenses Against the Bay",
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"headTitle": "After King Tides Swamp Marin, San Rafael Weighs Billion-Dollar Defenses Against the Bay | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068644/marin-county-looked-like-a-lagoon-after-king-tides-heavy-rain\">first Saturday\u003c/a> of the year was Derek Bentley’s worst nightmare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was throwing a football in the backyard of his Sausalito home with his jersey-clad sons during a break in the morning’s light rain — mentally preparing to watch the San Francisco 49ers take on the Seattle Seahawks — when his phone buzzed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a video from the landlord at his karate studio, and he watched in horror as water from San Francisco Bay poured through weak points in an asphalt levee and rushed into the studio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were on that high for the big game, but then we were brought down,” Bentley said. “I immediately jumped in the car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But floodwaters had filled Highway 101, snarling traffic and blocking Bentley’s route. The karate master was gobsmacked. Over two decades as a teacher at Taylor’s House of Karate, a studio owned and operated by his family, he has witnessed countless storms more severe than that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999815\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999815\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Derek Bentley walks through areas of Taylor’s House of Karate in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026, that had flooded along with the surrounding area during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sometimes the road to his studio flooded, but it had been over a decade since water entered the building. This time, conditions aligned perfectly, catching residents and officials by surprise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A king tide, already the highest of the year, rose higher than normal as it encountered soils saturated from earlier storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So when Saturday’s minor winter storm created a stronger-than-expected tidal surge, water overtopped levees, flooded city streets and surrounded hundreds of homes and businesses, like Bentley’s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999878\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999878\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flooding near the Highway 101 Sausalito/Mill Valley exit in Sausalito on Dec. 4, 2025, during a king tide event. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Climate scientists have long warned that when storms ride on top of high tides, bayside Marin County will flood and cause chaos, especially in low-lying areas like San Rafael. The city is situated along a narrow strip of land between the mountains and San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flooding experts predict that the changing climate will turn today’s king tides into the everyday tides of the future. They want Marin County to learn from the recent disaster and to install better pumps, engineer new seawalls and even pilot out-of-the-box ideas like floating homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope the flooding is a wake-up call because what’s at stake is people’s lives,” said Kristina Hill, a professor in the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999816\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999816\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Derek Bentley, head teacher, stands in Taylor’s House of Karate in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The karate studio and surrounding area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A few hours later, Bentley surveyed the damage to his studio and said he felt “destroyed” by what he saw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brackish water had come up from the floor, pushing up the blue mats where students tumbled and refined their craft. The concrete floor was now exposed, where his landlord helped rip up the soaked carpet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love the people I work with, but this is the first time that I’m now questioning, like, can we stay here?” Bentley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>San Rafael ‘can flood up to 4 feet’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>San Rafael’s Canal Neighborhood is one of Marin County’s and the Bay Area’s most flood-prone communities. San Rafael Creek originates in the hills and flows through the city, pouring into a tidal canal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s flatlands are shaped like a bowl, protected by makeshift levees — some constructed with plywood, cement or asphalt — and pumps that are already struggling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This neighborhood, built primarily on wetlands and fill, regularly floods during king tides. Large parts of it are below sea level, and the community is sinking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999819\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999819\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Rafael Creek in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The San Rafael canal district is the most at risk because once saltwater comes over that edge, it enters the bowl, and it can flood up to four feet,” Hill said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has experienced about 8 inches of sea level rise over the past century. The bay could rise by about a foot by midcentury and more than 6 feet by the end of the century — thanks mainly to human-caused climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a foot of sea level rise, tidal flooding will “become not just impacts that occur once or twice a year, but something that could be a more daily occurrence,” said Michelle Hummel, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, who is working on a federal project examining San Rafael’s flood risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1991936/marin-county-approves-contract-to-prepare-for-rising-seas-and-extreme-storms\">Marin County,\u003c/a> along with local cities and \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/science/1997869/the-bay-is-rising-and-marins-most-traveled-roads-are-in-its-way\">transportation agencies\u003c/a>, has extensively studied the high tide flood risk. But despite a California mandate that every jurisdiction on the bay and coast \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984830/california-mandates-coastal-cities-plan-for-future-sea-level-rise\">develop\u003c/a> plans to address sea level rise by 2034, none in Marin County has done so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999817\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1999817 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sandbags sit in front of businesses near San Rafael Creek in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The surrounding area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kate Hagemann, a climate adaptation resilience planner with San Rafael, said the city is studying solutions and will eventually develop a formal plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city published a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/documents/sea-level-rise-feasibility-study-2025/\">sea level rise feasibility study\u003c/a> in December that said land subsidence “will hasten the relative sea level rise felt locally” and that, in some areas, it is happening “several times faster than sea level rise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This area will flood predictably in the next 25 years,” Hagemann said. “If you have more than 10,000 people living below the bay, there needs to be something really robust, strong, waterproof and professionally maintained to keep people safe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is hosting a \u003ca href=\"https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/sGoNCxklQwfP1Xg2fvhAHyJ1PV?domain=cityofsanrafael.org\">public webinar\u003c/a> on its study on Jan. 26 so “the community can choose collectively how to respond,” Hagemann said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We should be ready to live in a bathtub’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>San Rafael is evaluating the feasibility of three potential fixes: installing a gate at the mouth of San Rafael Creek, building a sea wall along the canal, or redeveloping it. The city estimates that each solution could cost up to $2 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of these options [are] a silver bullet, and they all have very real concerns that we need to address before moving forward,” Hagemann said.[aside postID=science_1999345 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/004_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022_qed-1020x680.jpg']Hill worries a gate would trap pollution in the creek and harm native plant and fish species. A sea wall would harden the canal, be complex to maintain and could be at risk of failure as seas rise, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Redeveloping the canal would require the city, county or private developer to buy some or all of the 86 properties that border the canal, knock the buildings down, and have engineers build a taller barrier before rebuilding on top of it. Hill hopes it could be an earthen levee that future generations could transform for their own benefit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill also proposed that San Rafael consider out-of-the-box ideas the Dutch have already “tested and proven,” such as floating homes. To float buildings, the city could dig large ponds and flood them. Developers could build multi-story complexes that float, like those in \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220202-floating-homes-the-benefits-of-living-on-water\">Amsterdam\u003c/a>, or are being planned in \u003ca href=\"https://www.dezeen.com/2025/05/23/largest-floating-housing-development-europe-rotterdam-mast/\">Rotterdam\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We should be ready to live in a bathtub,” Hill said. “Then I think we’re in business and will have a way to live for 100 years and preserve the city’s tax base.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We don’t know how to make that fear go away’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During winter months, king tides often disrupt life for people who live and work in San Rafael’s Canal Neighborhood. At least five people reported to Canal Alliance, a nonprofit that advocates for residents, that floodwaters reached up to 10 inches deep in their apartments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Omar Carrera, the group’s chief executive officer, said many people are nervous to report the damage because they’re undocumented. If landlords forced them to relocate, even temporarily, they’re unsure if they could find an affordable place to live in Marin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999820\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999820\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Businesses near San Rafael Creek in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026, after the area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They’re coming to us to see if we can help them with furniture, clothing, and cars that have been damaged, but they don’t want us to get involved with their property managers,” Carrera said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carrera moved to San Rafael more than two decades ago, and said this conversation about flood planning is getting old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Inaction is not acceptable anymore,” Carrera said. “It’s time for us to have the complicated conversation we have been ignoring for a long time, and to put humans at the center of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dan Herz lives on a San Rafael street with water on two sides. The flood turned his home into an island and spilled into his garage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999818\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999818\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dan Herz sits near his home in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The area around his home experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I was running from window to window, going: ‘Oh my god. Oh, my god. It’s still coming,’” Herz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The experience forced him to think about whether his blue-and-white two-story home next to a marina could be underwater in the coming decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was the first time I felt scared,” Herz said. “It’s not a good feeling to see water coming at your property and to know that you can’t do anything to stop it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But something good did come out of the flood. Herz and neighbors are banding together to ask the city for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all scared, and we don’t know how to make that fear go away,” Herz said. “What will make all of us feel better is to inform ourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The severity of recent floods caught San Rafael by surprise, and scientists say the city must address sea level rise or it will be underwater in the coming decades. ",
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"title": "After King Tides Swamp Marin, San Rafael Weighs Billion-Dollar Defenses Against the Bay | KQED",
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"headline": "After King Tides Swamp Marin, San Rafael Weighs Billion-Dollar Defenses Against the Bay",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068644/marin-county-looked-like-a-lagoon-after-king-tides-heavy-rain\">first Saturday\u003c/a> of the year was Derek Bentley’s worst nightmare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was throwing a football in the backyard of his Sausalito home with his jersey-clad sons during a break in the morning’s light rain — mentally preparing to watch the San Francisco 49ers take on the Seattle Seahawks — when his phone buzzed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a video from the landlord at his karate studio, and he watched in horror as water from San Francisco Bay poured through weak points in an asphalt levee and rushed into the studio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were on that high for the big game, but then we were brought down,” Bentley said. “I immediately jumped in the car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But floodwaters had filled Highway 101, snarling traffic and blocking Bentley’s route. The karate master was gobsmacked. Over two decades as a teacher at Taylor’s House of Karate, a studio owned and operated by his family, he has witnessed countless storms more severe than that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999815\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999815\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Derek Bentley walks through areas of Taylor’s House of Karate in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026, that had flooded along with the surrounding area during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sometimes the road to his studio flooded, but it had been over a decade since water entered the building. This time, conditions aligned perfectly, catching residents and officials by surprise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A king tide, already the highest of the year, rose higher than normal as it encountered soils saturated from earlier storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So when Saturday’s minor winter storm created a stronger-than-expected tidal surge, water overtopped levees, flooded city streets and surrounded hundreds of homes and businesses, like Bentley’s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999878\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999878\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flooding near the Highway 101 Sausalito/Mill Valley exit in Sausalito on Dec. 4, 2025, during a king tide event. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Climate scientists have long warned that when storms ride on top of high tides, bayside Marin County will flood and cause chaos, especially in low-lying areas like San Rafael. The city is situated along a narrow strip of land between the mountains and San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flooding experts predict that the changing climate will turn today’s king tides into the everyday tides of the future. They want Marin County to learn from the recent disaster and to install better pumps, engineer new seawalls and even pilot out-of-the-box ideas like floating homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope the flooding is a wake-up call because what’s at stake is people’s lives,” said Kristina Hill, a professor in the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999816\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999816\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Derek Bentley, head teacher, stands in Taylor’s House of Karate in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The karate studio and surrounding area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A few hours later, Bentley surveyed the damage to his studio and said he felt “destroyed” by what he saw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brackish water had come up from the floor, pushing up the blue mats where students tumbled and refined their craft. The concrete floor was now exposed, where his landlord helped rip up the soaked carpet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love the people I work with, but this is the first time that I’m now questioning, like, can we stay here?” Bentley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>San Rafael ‘can flood up to 4 feet’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>San Rafael’s Canal Neighborhood is one of Marin County’s and the Bay Area’s most flood-prone communities. San Rafael Creek originates in the hills and flows through the city, pouring into a tidal canal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s flatlands are shaped like a bowl, protected by makeshift levees — some constructed with plywood, cement or asphalt — and pumps that are already struggling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This neighborhood, built primarily on wetlands and fill, regularly floods during king tides. Large parts of it are below sea level, and the community is sinking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999819\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999819\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Rafael Creek in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The San Rafael canal district is the most at risk because once saltwater comes over that edge, it enters the bowl, and it can flood up to four feet,” Hill said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has experienced about 8 inches of sea level rise over the past century. The bay could rise by about a foot by midcentury and more than 6 feet by the end of the century — thanks mainly to human-caused climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a foot of sea level rise, tidal flooding will “become not just impacts that occur once or twice a year, but something that could be a more daily occurrence,” said Michelle Hummel, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, who is working on a federal project examining San Rafael’s flood risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1991936/marin-county-approves-contract-to-prepare-for-rising-seas-and-extreme-storms\">Marin County,\u003c/a> along with local cities and \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/science/1997869/the-bay-is-rising-and-marins-most-traveled-roads-are-in-its-way\">transportation agencies\u003c/a>, has extensively studied the high tide flood risk. But despite a California mandate that every jurisdiction on the bay and coast \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984830/california-mandates-coastal-cities-plan-for-future-sea-level-rise\">develop\u003c/a> plans to address sea level rise by 2034, none in Marin County has done so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999817\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1999817 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sandbags sit in front of businesses near San Rafael Creek in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The surrounding area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kate Hagemann, a climate adaptation resilience planner with San Rafael, said the city is studying solutions and will eventually develop a formal plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city published a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/documents/sea-level-rise-feasibility-study-2025/\">sea level rise feasibility study\u003c/a> in December that said land subsidence “will hasten the relative sea level rise felt locally” and that, in some areas, it is happening “several times faster than sea level rise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This area will flood predictably in the next 25 years,” Hagemann said. “If you have more than 10,000 people living below the bay, there needs to be something really robust, strong, waterproof and professionally maintained to keep people safe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is hosting a \u003ca href=\"https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/sGoNCxklQwfP1Xg2fvhAHyJ1PV?domain=cityofsanrafael.org\">public webinar\u003c/a> on its study on Jan. 26 so “the community can choose collectively how to respond,” Hagemann said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We should be ready to live in a bathtub’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>San Rafael is evaluating the feasibility of three potential fixes: installing a gate at the mouth of San Rafael Creek, building a sea wall along the canal, or redeveloping it. The city estimates that each solution could cost up to $2 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of these options [are] a silver bullet, and they all have very real concerns that we need to address before moving forward,” Hagemann said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Hill worries a gate would trap pollution in the creek and harm native plant and fish species. A sea wall would harden the canal, be complex to maintain and could be at risk of failure as seas rise, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Redeveloping the canal would require the city, county or private developer to buy some or all of the 86 properties that border the canal, knock the buildings down, and have engineers build a taller barrier before rebuilding on top of it. Hill hopes it could be an earthen levee that future generations could transform for their own benefit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill also proposed that San Rafael consider out-of-the-box ideas the Dutch have already “tested and proven,” such as floating homes. To float buildings, the city could dig large ponds and flood them. Developers could build multi-story complexes that float, like those in \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220202-floating-homes-the-benefits-of-living-on-water\">Amsterdam\u003c/a>, or are being planned in \u003ca href=\"https://www.dezeen.com/2025/05/23/largest-floating-housing-development-europe-rotterdam-mast/\">Rotterdam\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We should be ready to live in a bathtub,” Hill said. “Then I think we’re in business and will have a way to live for 100 years and preserve the city’s tax base.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We don’t know how to make that fear go away’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During winter months, king tides often disrupt life for people who live and work in San Rafael’s Canal Neighborhood. At least five people reported to Canal Alliance, a nonprofit that advocates for residents, that floodwaters reached up to 10 inches deep in their apartments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Omar Carrera, the group’s chief executive officer, said many people are nervous to report the damage because they’re undocumented. If landlords forced them to relocate, even temporarily, they’re unsure if they could find an affordable place to live in Marin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999820\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999820\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Businesses near San Rafael Creek in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026, after the area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They’re coming to us to see if we can help them with furniture, clothing, and cars that have been damaged, but they don’t want us to get involved with their property managers,” Carrera said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carrera moved to San Rafael more than two decades ago, and said this conversation about flood planning is getting old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Inaction is not acceptable anymore,” Carrera said. “It’s time for us to have the complicated conversation we have been ignoring for a long time, and to put humans at the center of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dan Herz lives on a San Rafael street with water on two sides. The flood turned his home into an island and spilled into his garage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999818\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999818\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dan Herz sits near his home in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The area around his home experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I was running from window to window, going: ‘Oh my god. Oh, my god. It’s still coming,’” Herz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The experience forced him to think about whether his blue-and-white two-story home next to a marina could be underwater in the coming decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was the first time I felt scared,” Herz said. “It’s not a good feeling to see water coming at your property and to know that you can’t do anything to stop it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But something good did come out of the flood. Herz and neighbors are banding together to ask the city for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all scared, and we don’t know how to make that fear go away,” Herz said. “What will make all of us feel better is to inform ourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>This winter, Oakland’s Chabot Space & Science Center is screening three iconic science fiction movies — projected in their 70-foot hilltop planetarium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sci-Fi Nights, Chabot’s 18+ film series, will present cult classics \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/sci-fi-night-blade-runner/\">\u003cem>Blade Runner\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (Jan. 23), \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/sci-fi-night-the-fifth-element/\">\u003cem>The Fifth Element\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (Feb. 14) and \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/sci-fi-night-alien/\">\u003cem>Alien\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (March 19) alongside themed cocktails and a nightly raffle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chabot’s Valentine’s Day planetarium screening of \u003cem>The Fifth Element\u003c/em> will also, apparently, feature a pre-show performance by opera singer Olivia Genevieve in character as “Diva Plavalaguna.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chabot’s Observation Deck will be open and accessible each of these nights from 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. for the center’s\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/programs/free-telescope-viewings/\"> Free Public Telescope Viewings\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/visit/exhibits/the-nasa-experience/\">The NASA Ames Visitor Center\u003c/a> here — the East Bay outpost of Mountain View’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/ames/\">NASA Ames Research Center \u003c/a>— will also stay open late for movie attendees to explore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnTE2h0ZY74\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 18+ movie program “was born from a desire to offer something fun just for our adult audiences,” said Lillith Era, Chabot’s Lead Public Programs Developer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether you’re on a date night or out with friends, it’s a unique way to experience these films in our state-of-the-art planetarium.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chabot’s \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/programs/events-listing/\">winter and spring calendar\u003c/a> features more programs for younger visitors, though, from night-sky viewing events and celestial watch parties to photography workshops with guidance on capturing the stars and a rotating schedule of all-ages planetarium shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sci-Fi Nights at Chabot Space & Science Center\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/sci-fi-night-blade-runner/\">Blade Runner\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (1982)\u003cbr>\n7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/sci-fi-night-the-fifth-element/\">\u003cem>The Fifth Element\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (1997)\u003cbr>\n7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/sci-fi-night-alien/\">Alien\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (1979)\u003cbr>\n7 p.m. on Thursday, March 19\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tickets to all screenings are $15 ($5 for Chabot members). \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/programs/events-listing/\">More details about Chabot’s winter and spring programs can be found on their site. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/carlysevern\">Carly Severn\u003c/a> contributed reporting to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chabot’s Observation Deck will be open and accessible each of these nights from 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. for the center’s\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/programs/free-telescope-viewings/\"> Free Public Telescope Viewings\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/visit/exhibits/the-nasa-experience/\">The NASA Ames Visitor Center\u003c/a> here — the East Bay outpost of Mountain View’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/ames/\">NASA Ames Research Center \u003c/a>— will also stay open late for movie attendees to explore.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/XnTE2h0ZY74'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/XnTE2h0ZY74'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The 18+ movie program “was born from a desire to offer something fun just for our adult audiences,” said Lillith Era, Chabot’s Lead Public Programs Developer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether you’re on a date night or out with friends, it’s a unique way to experience these films in our state-of-the-art planetarium.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chabot’s \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/programs/events-listing/\">winter and spring calendar\u003c/a> features more programs for younger visitors, though, from night-sky viewing events and celestial watch parties to photography workshops with guidance on capturing the stars and a rotating schedule of all-ages planetarium shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sci-Fi Nights at Chabot Space & Science Center\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/sci-fi-night-blade-runner/\">Blade Runner\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (1982)\u003cbr>\n7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/sci-fi-night-the-fifth-element/\">\u003cem>The Fifth Element\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (1997)\u003cbr>\n7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/sci-fi-night-alien/\">Alien\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (1979)\u003cbr>\n7 p.m. on Thursday, March 19\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tickets to all screenings are $15 ($5 for Chabot members). \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/programs/events-listing/\">More details about Chabot’s winter and spring programs can be found on their site. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/carlysevern\">Carly Severn\u003c/a> contributed reporting to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "california-combats-largest-mushroom-poisoning-outbreak-in-the-country",
"title": "California Combats Largest Mushroom Poisoning Outbreak in the Country",
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"content": "\u003cp>State health officials on Wednesday issued their\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999700/super-bloom-of-death-caps-sparks-largest-outbreak-of-mushroom-poisonings-in-decades\"> second warning this season\u003c/a> to avoid mushroom foraging as illness and deaths from eating wild mushrooms known as death caps rise to unprecedented highs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thirty-five people have gotten sick so far this season, three needed liver transplants, and three died, compared to a typical year that sees only three to five cases. Doctors worry more cases are coming amid a “super bloom” of death caps, sparked by early rains and warm temperatures in the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We anticipate that these mushrooms could continue to be fruiting in abundance throughout the rainy season in California,” said Dr. Craig Smollin, medical director of the San Francisco division of the California Poison Control System.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Immigrants from Mexico and China make up a disproportionate number of the cases, as death caps, or \u003cem>Amanita phalloides\u003c/em>, look very similar to edible mushrooms that grow in those countries. The California Department of Public Health released a\u003ca href=\"https://flow.page/poisonousmushroomsafety\"> series of fact sheets and videos\u003c/a> on Wednesday in multiple languages,\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtmNeRXD3Cg\"> including Mixteco\u003c/a>, an indigenous language of Mexico spoken by communities in Monterey County, where the first poisonings emerged in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since then, people have been treated in hospitals throughout the Bay Area after eating mushrooms found in the Oakland Hills, Stinson Beach and Pinnacles National Park, among other sites, though Smollin said that they grow along the West Coast and that no part of California is a death cap-free zone. Some dogs have also died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999677\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999677\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Death cap mushrooms sit by the side of a trail during an educational mushroom walk at Anthony Chabot Regional Park in Oakland on Dec. 12, 2025. Mushroom foraging is not allowed in the park. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>It’s a really dangerous time to be mushroom hunting and foraging right now,” said Dr. Rita Nguyen, assistant state public health director. “It can be very hard, even for experts, to identify the difference between edible mushrooms and not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Symptoms of death cap poisoning include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and can occur 6 to 24 hours after ingestion. Extreme cases can lead to liver failure, necessitating an urgent liver transplant or death. Cooking, boiling or freezing the mushrooms does not inactivate the toxin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A single bite of the mushroom could cause significant toxicity,” Smollin said.[aside postID=news_12069232 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/3-Agaricus-californicus-LA-2016-1.jpg']Local mushroom experts and enthusiasts have bemoaned the state’s messaging around the poisonings as narrow and fear-based. Many would prefer to see an emphasis on education, rather than a prohibition on all foraging, and point out that touching, smelling and looking at mushrooms is safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot more nuance,” said Debbie Viess, co-founder of the Bay Area Mycological Society. “It’s much more important to steer people to places where they can educate themselves about the safety and the dangers of eating wild mushrooms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Viess said field reports coming into her organization suggest the growth of death caps may be slowing in the Bay Area, while another kind of poisonous mushroom known as the destroying angel, or \u003cem>Amanita ocreata\u003c/em>, is starting to pop up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People who believe they or a family member may have ingested a toxic mushroom — or health care providers who have a patient showing signs of mushroom toxicity — can call the state’s toll-free poison control hotline 24/7, free of charge for advice: 1-800-222-1222.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Translation services are available in any language, and all personal information is kept confidential, said Dr. Cyrus Rangan, a pediatrician and toxicologist with poison control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>We can then determine whether you need to go into the emergency department or whether we, as poison experts, can help you treat the situation at home,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>State health officials on Wednesday issued their\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999700/super-bloom-of-death-caps-sparks-largest-outbreak-of-mushroom-poisonings-in-decades\"> second warning this season\u003c/a> to avoid mushroom foraging as illness and deaths from eating wild mushrooms known as death caps rise to unprecedented highs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thirty-five people have gotten sick so far this season, three needed liver transplants, and three died, compared to a typical year that sees only three to five cases. Doctors worry more cases are coming amid a “super bloom” of death caps, sparked by early rains and warm temperatures in the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We anticipate that these mushrooms could continue to be fruiting in abundance throughout the rainy season in California,” said Dr. Craig Smollin, medical director of the San Francisco division of the California Poison Control System.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Immigrants from Mexico and China make up a disproportionate number of the cases, as death caps, or \u003cem>Amanita phalloides\u003c/em>, look very similar to edible mushrooms that grow in those countries. The California Department of Public Health released a\u003ca href=\"https://flow.page/poisonousmushroomsafety\"> series of fact sheets and videos\u003c/a> on Wednesday in multiple languages,\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtmNeRXD3Cg\"> including Mixteco\u003c/a>, an indigenous language of Mexico spoken by communities in Monterey County, where the first poisonings emerged in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since then, people have been treated in hospitals throughout the Bay Area after eating mushrooms found in the Oakland Hills, Stinson Beach and Pinnacles National Park, among other sites, though Smollin said that they grow along the West Coast and that no part of California is a death cap-free zone. Some dogs have also died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999677\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999677\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Death cap mushrooms sit by the side of a trail during an educational mushroom walk at Anthony Chabot Regional Park in Oakland on Dec. 12, 2025. Mushroom foraging is not allowed in the park. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>It’s a really dangerous time to be mushroom hunting and foraging right now,” said Dr. Rita Nguyen, assistant state public health director. “It can be very hard, even for experts, to identify the difference between edible mushrooms and not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Symptoms of death cap poisoning include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and can occur 6 to 24 hours after ingestion. Extreme cases can lead to liver failure, necessitating an urgent liver transplant or death. Cooking, boiling or freezing the mushrooms does not inactivate the toxin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A single bite of the mushroom could cause significant toxicity,” Smollin said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Local mushroom experts and enthusiasts have bemoaned the state’s messaging around the poisonings as narrow and fear-based. Many would prefer to see an emphasis on education, rather than a prohibition on all foraging, and point out that touching, smelling and looking at mushrooms is safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot more nuance,” said Debbie Viess, co-founder of the Bay Area Mycological Society. “It’s much more important to steer people to places where they can educate themselves about the safety and the dangers of eating wild mushrooms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Viess said field reports coming into her organization suggest the growth of death caps may be slowing in the Bay Area, while another kind of poisonous mushroom known as the destroying angel, or \u003cem>Amanita ocreata\u003c/em>, is starting to pop up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People who believe they or a family member may have ingested a toxic mushroom — or health care providers who have a patient showing signs of mushroom toxicity — can call the state’s toll-free poison control hotline 24/7, free of charge for advice: 1-800-222-1222.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Translation services are available in any language, and all personal information is kept confidential, said Dr. Cyrus Rangan, a pediatrician and toxicologist with poison control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>We can then determine whether you need to go into the emergency department or whether we, as poison experts, can help you treat the situation at home,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "maidu-tribes-reignite-ancestral-fire-stewardship-in-the-sierra-foothills",
"title": "Maidu Tribes Reignite Ancestral Fire Stewardship in the Sierra Foothills",
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"content": "\u003cp>Magan Herrera stood in the middle of a sloping meadow this fall, wearing a hard hat, sturdy boots, and a yellow fire-resistant jacket framing her pregnant belly. The meadow, in the midst of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sierra-nevada\">Sierra\u003c/a> foothills, may once have been a Maidu basket weaver’s garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deer grass juts from the ground in bunches — good habitat for grazing animals and material for the tribe’s baskets. The meadow also holds yerba santa, an evergreen shrub used to treat colds, and manzanita, with its brilliant green leaves identical on both sides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For thousands of years, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1973196/the-karuk-used-fire-to-manage-the-forest-for-centuries-now-they-want-to-do-that-again\">native people used fire\u003c/a> to tend this land in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11933052/the-burn-scars-of-the-sierra-foothills-tell-a-story-and-offer-lessons\">Sierra foothills\u003c/a>, in what is now known as Butte County, spurring growth of the plants they wanted, knocking back the ones they didn’t and constraining the lightning-ignited wildfires that burned the area every few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then came Western settlement, firefighters suppressing the flames, and conifers tangling thickly together. Eventually, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11887158/in-california-restoring-our-relationship-with-fire-is-possible\">conditions grew ripe\u003c/a> for the ferocious, wind-driven flames of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998245/the-summer-that-changed-california-forever\">North Complex Fire and Bear Fire\u003c/a>, which consumed nearly everything along nearby Berry Creek and killed 11 people in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Herrera, who is part of the Maidu tribe, surveyed the meadow, she saw the promise of a place her people could, once again, rely on for generations to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999159\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999159\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Magan Herrera of the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My hope is for our people to use this land so that everybody will have everything that they need,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To steward the land, she was helping to lead a planned burn. Maidu people from five local tribal groups participated: Berry Creek Rancheria, Mechoopa, Mooretown, Enterprise and Konkow Valley. It’s the first time in living memory that they’ve come together to burn, Herrera said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The loss of indigenous fire stewardship and the corresponding Western settler obsession with suppressing all fire have fueled our current era of devastating megafires. Returning fire stewardship to indigenous communities helps restore the land and people’s souls. This is the spirit embodied in the November meadow burn. The land will be safer from future wildfires and tended according to the traditions of the Maidu ancestors who lived here for generations.[aside postID=science_1998787 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/240110-CAWindStorm-007_qed.jpg']Fire, in this region of Northern California between Interstate 5 and the Sierra Nevada, is a defining problem of life. For native people like the Maidu, it is also a solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The burn was formally a training, with the goal of enabling the Berry Creek Maidu to reestablish their traditional relationship with fire. But it was more than that. Jedediah Brown, the tribe’s historic preservation officer, described it as “a homecoming, a return of fire to the land and the people. […] Through the continuation of this work, the relationship between fire, people, and place is renewed in the way our ancestors intended.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before burning the meadow, Herrera urged everyone to think about those who would gather materials in the coming months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s going to be a place where our people can gather food, fibers and medicines,” she said. “We want to make sure all of that stuff stays really clean.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Basket weavers often hold materials in their mouths, and it’s long been a challenge to find plants free of fuel or herbicides. Here, the tribe can tend its garden as it chooses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burners didn’t use drip torches, which plop lit gasoline on the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999164\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999164\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fires burn as part of a CAL-TREX prescribed burn in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Instead, in the months prior to the burn, Herrera trained a crew of Maidu women in traditional ecological knowledge — “my girls,” she calls them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My girls harvested a lot of sticks,” she said, picking up one of the many bundles set aside for the burn. She held a lighter to the long twigs. “You light the stick, and the leaves start falling exactly like a drip torch.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 90 people came to the burn from all over Northern California. More than a dozen agencies and organizations — including resource conservation districts, prescribed burn associations and fire safe councils — partnered to make the training possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While some tribes, like the Karuk and Yurok along the Klamath River, have robust fire programs built over decades of working to reclaim intentional fire from agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire, the reclamation in Berry Creek — formally the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu Indians of California — is in early stages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999161\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999161\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the Maidu tribe of Butte County-Berry Creek, Mechoopda, Mooretown, Enterprise and Konkow Valley set out to begin a CAL-TREX prescribed burn in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The ability to practice their culture and revitalize traditions will provide the Berry Creek Maidu “a strong connection with their land in a way that helps to overcome the past traumas, including the traumas of the North Complex fire,” said Don Hankins, an indigenous fire expert and professor at California State University, Chico, who did not attend the Berry Creek burn but knows others who did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The restoration, he said, can help the tribe feel ownership and responsibility “to shape their future with fire so that they don’t have to go through that again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hankins, who is a California Plains Miwok traditional cultural practitioner, writes about the stories that indigenous people tell of devastating “first fires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And the fires we’re experiencing today are no different,” Hankins said. “Those stories tell us, after that happened, people learned to take care of the land. And so we’re at that time, this is the opportunity when there’s a fire footprint, even though there’s been devastation, the only good choice, I think, is to step back in and learn to steward [with fire] again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999162\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999162\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants in the CAL-TREX prescribed burn bundle fuels and set them alight in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The intense 2020 fires burned through thick forests and uncovered Berry Creek Maidu ancestral village sites and gathering grounds, allowing the tribe to care for those places again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looked to [our cultural monitors] like everything was laid where our ancestors had left it,” Herrera said. “Just like if you walked into an abandoned house and there’s a pair of glasses and a newspaper and half a cup of tea. Like somebody just got up and left.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 60-acre parcel, which used to host village sites, is part of that story. It was home to their ancestors for many thousands of years. But the land had been held privately for generations, and the tribes accessed it only recently, when it came up for sale and they collectively purchased it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The morning after the meadow burn, Brown, the cultural preservation officer, walked a short distance away. Leaves, acorns and pebbles crunched under his feet. He stopped at a small rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999158\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999158\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jedediah Brown of the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is a village site. The old name for it is Piube. It means ‘rooted food,’” Brown said. “We now call it Hyhcetim kumbali, ‘the place to know’ or ‘the learning place.’ Because it’s like our school now, our classroom. We learn every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the North Complex fire, Brown and other volunteers cleaned up the burned land, tending to it on the weekends over the course of three years. In that time, many acquired first aid and chainsaw certification, allowing them to safely remove burned trees at risk of falling on people — a big but necessary task to make events like this training day possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They uncovered a broad, flat rock with about 60 circular cups carved into the surface, each roughly the diameter of a coffee mug. Brown’s ancestors processed acorns for food in this bedrock mortar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tribe still uses acorns heavily. The day of the meadow burn, tribal members served acorn soup to all participants. Its pleasant, mild flavor was so popular that their entire batch disappeared, to their own surprise. Volunteers helped gather acorns underneath black oak trees — it was only fair to help replenish the stock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999157\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999157\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants in the prescribed burn listen to a weather and safety briefing in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After a full day of burning and a dinner of venison, corn and mashed potatoes hosted by tribal members in an indoor gym, Herrera reflected on the progress and her hopes for the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can’t even believe that today happened,” she said. Herrera organized the volunteers into groups with tribal names and became emotional listening to volunteers calling “out their squads in Maidu because the land here recognizes the language, it’s been spoken to it since time immemorial. I think that put a lot of intention down.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we were lighting the fires, every bunch of deer grass got hit with just the right gust of wind [to light it], every single time,” she continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a good day’s work. She looked down at her abundant belly. Herrera expects her second child, a son, in February. She will develop her weaving skills as she waits, crafting both a new life and a basket to hold him, made of willow, oak and wild roses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The basket’s backboard will grow from the land she burned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Amongst the ponderosa pines in California’s Butte County, Maidu women light fires not to destroy but to heal — restoring an ancient garden, and themselves. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Magan Herrera stood in the middle of a sloping meadow this fall, wearing a hard hat, sturdy boots, and a yellow fire-resistant jacket framing her pregnant belly. The meadow, in the midst of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sierra-nevada\">Sierra\u003c/a> foothills, may once have been a Maidu basket weaver’s garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deer grass juts from the ground in bunches — good habitat for grazing animals and material for the tribe’s baskets. The meadow also holds yerba santa, an evergreen shrub used to treat colds, and manzanita, with its brilliant green leaves identical on both sides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For thousands of years, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1973196/the-karuk-used-fire-to-manage-the-forest-for-centuries-now-they-want-to-do-that-again\">native people used fire\u003c/a> to tend this land in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11933052/the-burn-scars-of-the-sierra-foothills-tell-a-story-and-offer-lessons\">Sierra foothills\u003c/a>, in what is now known as Butte County, spurring growth of the plants they wanted, knocking back the ones they didn’t and constraining the lightning-ignited wildfires that burned the area every few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then came Western settlement, firefighters suppressing the flames, and conifers tangling thickly together. Eventually, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11887158/in-california-restoring-our-relationship-with-fire-is-possible\">conditions grew ripe\u003c/a> for the ferocious, wind-driven flames of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998245/the-summer-that-changed-california-forever\">North Complex Fire and Bear Fire\u003c/a>, which consumed nearly everything along nearby Berry Creek and killed 11 people in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Herrera, who is part of the Maidu tribe, surveyed the meadow, she saw the promise of a place her people could, once again, rely on for generations to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999159\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999159\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Magan Herrera of the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My hope is for our people to use this land so that everybody will have everything that they need,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To steward the land, she was helping to lead a planned burn. Maidu people from five local tribal groups participated: Berry Creek Rancheria, Mechoopa, Mooretown, Enterprise and Konkow Valley. It’s the first time in living memory that they’ve come together to burn, Herrera said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The loss of indigenous fire stewardship and the corresponding Western settler obsession with suppressing all fire have fueled our current era of devastating megafires. Returning fire stewardship to indigenous communities helps restore the land and people’s souls. This is the spirit embodied in the November meadow burn. The land will be safer from future wildfires and tended according to the traditions of the Maidu ancestors who lived here for generations.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Fire, in this region of Northern California between Interstate 5 and the Sierra Nevada, is a defining problem of life. For native people like the Maidu, it is also a solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The burn was formally a training, with the goal of enabling the Berry Creek Maidu to reestablish their traditional relationship with fire. But it was more than that. Jedediah Brown, the tribe’s historic preservation officer, described it as “a homecoming, a return of fire to the land and the people. […] Through the continuation of this work, the relationship between fire, people, and place is renewed in the way our ancestors intended.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before burning the meadow, Herrera urged everyone to think about those who would gather materials in the coming months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s going to be a place where our people can gather food, fibers and medicines,” she said. “We want to make sure all of that stuff stays really clean.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Basket weavers often hold materials in their mouths, and it’s long been a challenge to find plants free of fuel or herbicides. Here, the tribe can tend its garden as it chooses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burners didn’t use drip torches, which plop lit gasoline on the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999164\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999164\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fires burn as part of a CAL-TREX prescribed burn in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Instead, in the months prior to the burn, Herrera trained a crew of Maidu women in traditional ecological knowledge — “my girls,” she calls them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My girls harvested a lot of sticks,” she said, picking up one of the many bundles set aside for the burn. She held a lighter to the long twigs. “You light the stick, and the leaves start falling exactly like a drip torch.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 90 people came to the burn from all over Northern California. More than a dozen agencies and organizations — including resource conservation districts, prescribed burn associations and fire safe councils — partnered to make the training possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While some tribes, like the Karuk and Yurok along the Klamath River, have robust fire programs built over decades of working to reclaim intentional fire from agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire, the reclamation in Berry Creek — formally the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu Indians of California — is in early stages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999161\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999161\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the Maidu tribe of Butte County-Berry Creek, Mechoopda, Mooretown, Enterprise and Konkow Valley set out to begin a CAL-TREX prescribed burn in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The ability to practice their culture and revitalize traditions will provide the Berry Creek Maidu “a strong connection with their land in a way that helps to overcome the past traumas, including the traumas of the North Complex fire,” said Don Hankins, an indigenous fire expert and professor at California State University, Chico, who did not attend the Berry Creek burn but knows others who did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The restoration, he said, can help the tribe feel ownership and responsibility “to shape their future with fire so that they don’t have to go through that again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hankins, who is a California Plains Miwok traditional cultural practitioner, writes about the stories that indigenous people tell of devastating “first fires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And the fires we’re experiencing today are no different,” Hankins said. “Those stories tell us, after that happened, people learned to take care of the land. And so we’re at that time, this is the opportunity when there’s a fire footprint, even though there’s been devastation, the only good choice, I think, is to step back in and learn to steward [with fire] again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999162\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999162\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants in the CAL-TREX prescribed burn bundle fuels and set them alight in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The intense 2020 fires burned through thick forests and uncovered Berry Creek Maidu ancestral village sites and gathering grounds, allowing the tribe to care for those places again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looked to [our cultural monitors] like everything was laid where our ancestors had left it,” Herrera said. “Just like if you walked into an abandoned house and there’s a pair of glasses and a newspaper and half a cup of tea. Like somebody just got up and left.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 60-acre parcel, which used to host village sites, is part of that story. It was home to their ancestors for many thousands of years. But the land had been held privately for generations, and the tribes accessed it only recently, when it came up for sale and they collectively purchased it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The morning after the meadow burn, Brown, the cultural preservation officer, walked a short distance away. Leaves, acorns and pebbles crunched under his feet. He stopped at a small rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999158\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999158\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jedediah Brown of the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is a village site. The old name for it is Piube. It means ‘rooted food,’” Brown said. “We now call it Hyhcetim kumbali, ‘the place to know’ or ‘the learning place.’ Because it’s like our school now, our classroom. We learn every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the North Complex fire, Brown and other volunteers cleaned up the burned land, tending to it on the weekends over the course of three years. In that time, many acquired first aid and chainsaw certification, allowing them to safely remove burned trees at risk of falling on people — a big but necessary task to make events like this training day possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They uncovered a broad, flat rock with about 60 circular cups carved into the surface, each roughly the diameter of a coffee mug. Brown’s ancestors processed acorns for food in this bedrock mortar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tribe still uses acorns heavily. The day of the meadow burn, tribal members served acorn soup to all participants. Its pleasant, mild flavor was so popular that their entire batch disappeared, to their own surprise. Volunteers helped gather acorns underneath black oak trees — it was only fair to help replenish the stock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999157\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999157\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants in the prescribed burn listen to a weather and safety briefing in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After a full day of burning and a dinner of venison, corn and mashed potatoes hosted by tribal members in an indoor gym, Herrera reflected on the progress and her hopes for the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can’t even believe that today happened,” she said. Herrera organized the volunteers into groups with tribal names and became emotional listening to volunteers calling “out their squads in Maidu because the land here recognizes the language, it’s been spoken to it since time immemorial. I think that put a lot of intention down.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we were lighting the fires, every bunch of deer grass got hit with just the right gust of wind [to light it], every single time,” she continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a good day’s work. She looked down at her abundant belly. Herrera expects her second child, a son, in February. She will develop her weaving skills as she waits, crafting both a new life and a basket to hold him, made of willow, oak and wild roses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The basket’s backboard will grow from the land she burned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "super-bloom-of-death-caps-sparks-largest-outbreak-of-mushroom-poisonings-in-decades",
"title": "Super Bloom of Death Caps Sparks Largest Outbreak of Mushroom Poisonings in Decades",
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"headTitle": "Super Bloom of Death Caps Sparks Largest Outbreak of Mushroom Poisonings in Decades | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/12070341/setas-venenosas-california\">\u003cem>Leer en español\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the first rains of the year, two Decembers ago, Noe and his brothers went hiking in the hills of Santa Rosa and\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066441/california-mushroom-poisoning-symptoms-death-cap-identification-toxic-foraging\"> found some mushrooms\u003c/a>. They fried them up that evening and kicked back a few beers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of sleeping, the men spent the night dizzy, vomiting, battling diarrhea. Cramps twisted Noe’s stomach like a wet rag. At the hospital the next day, doctors told him he needed a liver transplant, and fast. If they couldn’t find a donor within a week, he would die. He was 36.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I got scared thinking I might not see my family again,” Noe said in Spanish. He and his clinicians asked KQED not to use his last name out of concern for his health and safety. “The mushrooms here look just like the ones we used to eat in Mexico, but they just weren’t the same.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This fall, warm temperatures and early rains fueled what fungi experts are calling a “super bloom” of poisonous mushrooms known as death caps in California. Already, 24 people have been sickened, the largest outbreak of mushroom poisonings in at least three decades. Of those who fell ill so far, 18 were hospitalized for more than a week, two needed liver transplants, and one died, prompting state health officials to take the rare step of warning the public to stop all foraging for the rest of the rainy season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These cases often occur in communities that may be immigrant, may not speak English, and have experience foraging for mushrooms in another country,” said Craig Smollin, UCSF emergency physician and medical director of the San Francisco division of the California Poison Control System, adding that patients from this outbreak are from Mexico, Guatemala, and China. “It’s very easy to confuse a poisonous mushroom for an edible mushroom. That’s a very easy mistake to make.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999537\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999537\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Craig Smollin, professor of emergency medicine at UCSF Medical Center and medical director of the California Poison Control System’s San Francisco division, at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital in San Francisco on Dec. 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth La Berge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But local mushroom experts and enthusiasts complained the state’s blanket guidance to stop foraging was overly broad and could lead to mycophobia, an irrational fear of fungi. When\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6621a1.htm\"> 14 people got sick\u003c/a> during the last death cap super bloom in 2016, California health officials advised the public to “use caution” when foraging for wild mushrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They told people to “be careful” \u003ca href=\"https://www.fox8live.com/story/20076860/two-residents-in-elder-home-renew-mushroom-warnings/\">in 2012\u003c/a>, after a caretaker at a residential facility for the elderly in Loomis served soup made from mushrooms she picked in the backyard, accidentally killing \u003ca href=\"https://abcnews.go.com/Health/mushrooms-kill-fourth-california-senior-us-cases-rise/story?id=17826740\">four seniors.\u003c/a>[aside postID=news_12066441 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/LEDE-Amanita-phalloides-Bay-Area-2016-1.jpg']“We really think that it’s a better idea to get educated about the miraculous, amazing beings these mushrooms are,” said Sita Davis, who leads foraging trips during the winter rainy season in Northern California, then spends the summer rainy season living and foraging in Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Davis, mushroom foraging is a kind of spiritual practice, a way to commune with nature and revel in the generosity of the earth. She recommends learning about one mushroom at a time, slowly “building a relationship” with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One December afternoon, on a hiking trail in Oakland, she turned over logs covered in turkey tail mushrooms, clambered up side paths to stroke a cluster of oyster mushrooms, sniff the stem of an agaricus, and scrape the spongy underside of a bolete, all to demonstrate the basics of identifying mushrooms, including poisonous ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What tree is it growing under? How does it smell? What’s its texture? What color is it?” she asked. “All these wonderful questions to find out if a mushroom is one that you want to bring home with you or not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the top of the hill, underneath a sprawling live oak tree, Davis pawed through a mound of leaves to uncover a mushroom with a slender white stem and drooping greenish-yellow cap. There was a whole cluster of them nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We found some death caps,” she announced, aka, \u003cem>amanita phalloides\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999539\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999539\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-12-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-12-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-12-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-12-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-12-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Information hangs on the wall at the California Poison Control System offices at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital in San Francisco on Dec. 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth La Berge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>They look very similar to Caesars, edible kinds of amanitas that grow in Mexico, where there is a deep cultural and culinary tradition of foraging for mushrooms, Davis said, especially among indigenous communities. One cluster of cases this fall was concentrated among Mixtec immigrants from southern Mexico now living in the Salinas Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They may be an expert in Mexico, but the knowledge doesn’t travel well because the species are different,” said Debbie Viess, co-founder of the\u003ca href=\"https://www.bayareamushrooms.org/\"> Bay Area Mycological Society\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bottom line, experts said, never ever eat a mushroom that you can’t identify with 100% certainty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That can be a deadly, deadly mistake,” Davis said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999732\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999732\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DeathCapMushrooms-04-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DeathCapMushrooms-04-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DeathCapMushrooms-04-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DeathCapMushrooms-04-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DeathCapMushrooms-04-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sita Davis holds a mushroom during an educational mushroom walk at Anthony Chabot Regional Park in Oakland on Dec. 12, 2025. Mushroom foraging is not allowed in the park. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A mistake health officials like Dr. Smollin don’t want on their hands, especially because mushroom poisoning is easily misdiagnosed — many ER doctors often confuse it with typical gastroenteritis, sending patients home prematurely and missing the chance to stem the progression of serious liver damage. Among those sickened this fall was a family of seven, including a toddler. Smollin stands by his blanket warning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’d rather have the mycology community up in arms at me for coming down too hard and saying that you shouldn’t forage than have a 19-month-old who’s listed for transplant,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After his liver transplant, Noe said the same. He doesn’t eat wild mushrooms anymore, or any kind of mushroom, really.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just the smell of them makes me dizzy,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/12070341/setas-venenosas-california\">\u003cem>Leer en español\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the first rains of the year, two Decembers ago, Noe and his brothers went hiking in the hills of Santa Rosa and\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066441/california-mushroom-poisoning-symptoms-death-cap-identification-toxic-foraging\"> found some mushrooms\u003c/a>. They fried them up that evening and kicked back a few beers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of sleeping, the men spent the night dizzy, vomiting, battling diarrhea. Cramps twisted Noe’s stomach like a wet rag. At the hospital the next day, doctors told him he needed a liver transplant, and fast. If they couldn’t find a donor within a week, he would die. He was 36.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I got scared thinking I might not see my family again,” Noe said in Spanish. He and his clinicians asked KQED not to use his last name out of concern for his health and safety. “The mushrooms here look just like the ones we used to eat in Mexico, but they just weren’t the same.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This fall, warm temperatures and early rains fueled what fungi experts are calling a “super bloom” of poisonous mushrooms known as death caps in California. Already, 24 people have been sickened, the largest outbreak of mushroom poisonings in at least three decades. Of those who fell ill so far, 18 were hospitalized for more than a week, two needed liver transplants, and one died, prompting state health officials to take the rare step of warning the public to stop all foraging for the rest of the rainy season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These cases often occur in communities that may be immigrant, may not speak English, and have experience foraging for mushrooms in another country,” said Craig Smollin, UCSF emergency physician and medical director of the San Francisco division of the California Poison Control System, adding that patients from this outbreak are from Mexico, Guatemala, and China. “It’s very easy to confuse a poisonous mushroom for an edible mushroom. That’s a very easy mistake to make.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999537\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999537\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-10-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Craig Smollin, professor of emergency medicine at UCSF Medical Center and medical director of the California Poison Control System’s San Francisco division, at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital in San Francisco on Dec. 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth La Berge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But local mushroom experts and enthusiasts complained the state’s blanket guidance to stop foraging was overly broad and could lead to mycophobia, an irrational fear of fungi. When\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6621a1.htm\"> 14 people got sick\u003c/a> during the last death cap super bloom in 2016, California health officials advised the public to “use caution” when foraging for wild mushrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They told people to “be careful” \u003ca href=\"https://www.fox8live.com/story/20076860/two-residents-in-elder-home-renew-mushroom-warnings/\">in 2012\u003c/a>, after a caretaker at a residential facility for the elderly in Loomis served soup made from mushrooms she picked in the backyard, accidentally killing \u003ca href=\"https://abcnews.go.com/Health/mushrooms-kill-fourth-california-senior-us-cases-rise/story?id=17826740\">four seniors.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We really think that it’s a better idea to get educated about the miraculous, amazing beings these mushrooms are,” said Sita Davis, who leads foraging trips during the winter rainy season in Northern California, then spends the summer rainy season living and foraging in Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Davis, mushroom foraging is a kind of spiritual practice, a way to commune with nature and revel in the generosity of the earth. She recommends learning about one mushroom at a time, slowly “building a relationship” with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One December afternoon, on a hiking trail in Oakland, she turned over logs covered in turkey tail mushrooms, clambered up side paths to stroke a cluster of oyster mushrooms, sniff the stem of an agaricus, and scrape the spongy underside of a bolete, all to demonstrate the basics of identifying mushrooms, including poisonous ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What tree is it growing under? How does it smell? What’s its texture? What color is it?” she asked. “All these wonderful questions to find out if a mushroom is one that you want to bring home with you or not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the top of the hill, underneath a sprawling live oak tree, Davis pawed through a mound of leaves to uncover a mushroom with a slender white stem and drooping greenish-yellow cap. There was a whole cluster of them nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We found some death caps,” she announced, aka, \u003cem>amanita phalloides\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999539\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999539\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-12-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-12-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-12-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-12-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251209-DEATHCAPMUSHROOMS-12-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Information hangs on the wall at the California Poison Control System offices at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital in San Francisco on Dec. 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth La Berge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>They look very similar to Caesars, edible kinds of amanitas that grow in Mexico, where there is a deep cultural and culinary tradition of foraging for mushrooms, Davis said, especially among indigenous communities. One cluster of cases this fall was concentrated among Mixtec immigrants from southern Mexico now living in the Salinas Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They may be an expert in Mexico, but the knowledge doesn’t travel well because the species are different,” said Debbie Viess, co-founder of the\u003ca href=\"https://www.bayareamushrooms.org/\"> Bay Area Mycological Society\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bottom line, experts said, never ever eat a mushroom that you can’t identify with 100% certainty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That can be a deadly, deadly mistake,” Davis said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999732\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999732\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DeathCapMushrooms-04-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DeathCapMushrooms-04-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DeathCapMushrooms-04-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DeathCapMushrooms-04-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251211-DeathCapMushrooms-04-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sita Davis holds a mushroom during an educational mushroom walk at Anthony Chabot Regional Park in Oakland on Dec. 12, 2025. Mushroom foraging is not allowed in the park. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A mistake health officials like Dr. Smollin don’t want on their hands, especially because mushroom poisoning is easily misdiagnosed — many ER doctors often confuse it with typical gastroenteritis, sending patients home prematurely and missing the chance to stem the progression of serious liver damage. Among those sickened this fall was a family of seven, including a toddler. Smollin stands by his blanket warning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’d rather have the mycology community up in arms at me for coming down too hard and saying that you shouldn’t forage than have a 19-month-old who’s listed for transplant,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After his liver transplant, Noe said the same. He doesn’t eat wild mushrooms anymore, or any kind of mushroom, really.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just the smell of them makes me dizzy,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "3-storms-will-bring-much-needed-rain-to-bay-area-and-snow-in-the-sierras",
"title": "3 Storms Will Bring Much-Needed Rain to Bay Area and Snow in the Sierras",
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"headTitle": "3 Storms Will Bring Much-Needed Rain to Bay Area and Snow in the Sierras | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The Bay Area could get “a December’s worth of rain” over the next week, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999678/bay-area-you-just-might-have-yourself-a-soggy-rainy-christmas\">a rainy Christmas Day \u003c/a>and a Sierra Nevada \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066608/lake-tahoe-things-to-do-that-arent-skiing-or-snowboarding-weather-snow-sierra\">blanketed with white\u003c/a>, the National Weather Service said Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters said they expect a weeklong \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1935067/rivers-in-the-sky-what-you-need-to-know-about-atmospheric-river-storms\">atmospheric river\u003c/a> with three distinct storms to move over Northern California next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe Merchant, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office, said the first wave of precipitation will begin Friday afternoon and last through Saturday, bringing much-needed rain after around six weeks of mostly dry conditions, especially in the North Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is just sort of setting the stage for potential problems later in the latter half of next week, which unfortunately does include Christmas Day,” Merchant said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The second wave is set to crash over the Bay Area between Saturday and next Tuesday, potentially bringing 1 to 3 inches of rain in the North Bay and the possibility of flash flooding in low-lying areas. San Francisco could receive several inches by Sunday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters wrote in their daily weather \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=mtr&issuedby=MTR&product=AFD\">discussion\u003c/a> that they expect the heaviest rain on Sunday into Monday along the North Bay coast, Santa Cruz mountains and the Big Sur coast, with winds up to 40 mph and a 15% chance of thunderstorms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" data-wp-editing=\"1\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People wait at a Muni stop on Mission Street in the rain on Dec. 13, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The weather service has not yet issued a flood watch, warning or advisory. Flooding depends heavily on where the storm stalls or moves over the region, but meteorologists said urban areas and low-lying areas with poor drainage are most at risk. Flashy streams, such as Mark West Creek in Sonoma County, are also susceptible to flooding, especially as soils become saturated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters said they expect the third and potentially most potent wave to make landfall on Tuesday afternoon and last through next Friday. The storm is likely to bring moderate to heavy rain, which could cause larger rivers to flood late next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not going to be raining steadily for seven days straight or anything like that,” Merchant said. “But you will have to pay attention and know when these rounds of more impactful rainfall come through your area.”[aside postID=news_12066736 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/TuleFogGetty.jpg']While it is unclear where, or even if, the atmospheric river will stall over the Bay Area, these weather systems can act like a fire hose, absolutely drenching wherever they park. In recent history, they’ve \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994168/the-pajaro-flood-forced-them-to-flee-californias-high-rents-forced-them-to-return\">caused significant flooding\u003c/a> from Guerneville to San Francisco to Watsonville.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Merchant said the first two waves of rain are progressive and don’t look like they’ll stick around, but it is too early to say what the third storm will bring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By Thursday, that’s where we’re going to have a little more concern about possibly more widespread impacts like fallen trees and power lines,” Merchant said. “But to be honest, it’s too far out at this point to know exactly the timing of those impacts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of all the wind and rain, people should allow “more time to travel through our area basically over the next week,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the moment, the massive river in the sky headed towards us is building from Hawaii to the Pacific Coast. Weather experts measure the intensity of atmospheric rivers on a scale from 0 to 5. This system could reach a 3 across the North Bay and a 4 across the San Francisco peninsula and South Bay, according to \u003ca href=\"https://cw3e.ucsd.edu/arscale/\">atmospheric river-scale modeling\u003c/a> by the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1984920\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1984920 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/GettyImages-1482972333-scaled-e1766179697716.jpg\" alt=\"Snow storm falls on the Sierras.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1330\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Snow blows in the Sierra Nevada after yet another storm brought heavy snowfall, raising the snowpack on March 29, 2023, in Mammoth Lakes, California. \u003ccite>(Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As for the Sierra Nevada, forecasters said the first two waves will bring mostly rain at elevations lower than 8,000 feet. But they expect the snowline to drop to around 6,000 feet during the third system, starting Tuesday afternoon. Heavy snow will likely complicate travel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re talking multiple feet of snow above pass level and even at pass level for the Christmas holiday,” said Scott Rowe, senior service hydrologist and meteorologist with the weather service’s Sacramento office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The determination of whether mountain residents or visitors will have a white Christmas depends on elevation, Rowe said. People staying in cabins above 6,000 feet in elevation will likely see snow, while those staying below about 5,500 feet will likely experience rain all week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "3 Storms Will Bring Much-Needed Rain to Bay Area and Snow in the Sierras | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Bay Area could get “a December’s worth of rain” over the next week, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999678/bay-area-you-just-might-have-yourself-a-soggy-rainy-christmas\">a rainy Christmas Day \u003c/a>and a Sierra Nevada \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066608/lake-tahoe-things-to-do-that-arent-skiing-or-snowboarding-weather-snow-sierra\">blanketed with white\u003c/a>, the National Weather Service said Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters said they expect a weeklong \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1935067/rivers-in-the-sky-what-you-need-to-know-about-atmospheric-river-storms\">atmospheric river\u003c/a> with three distinct storms to move over Northern California next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe Merchant, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office, said the first wave of precipitation will begin Friday afternoon and last through Saturday, bringing much-needed rain after around six weeks of mostly dry conditions, especially in the North Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is just sort of setting the stage for potential problems later in the latter half of next week, which unfortunately does include Christmas Day,” Merchant said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The second wave is set to crash over the Bay Area between Saturday and next Tuesday, potentially bringing 1 to 3 inches of rain in the North Bay and the possibility of flash flooding in low-lying areas. San Francisco could receive several inches by Sunday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters wrote in their daily weather \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=mtr&issuedby=MTR&product=AFD\">discussion\u003c/a> that they expect the heaviest rain on Sunday into Monday along the North Bay coast, Santa Cruz mountains and the Big Sur coast, with winds up to 40 mph and a 15% chance of thunderstorms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" data-wp-editing=\"1\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People wait at a Muni stop on Mission Street in the rain on Dec. 13, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The weather service has not yet issued a flood watch, warning or advisory. Flooding depends heavily on where the storm stalls or moves over the region, but meteorologists said urban areas and low-lying areas with poor drainage are most at risk. Flashy streams, such as Mark West Creek in Sonoma County, are also susceptible to flooding, especially as soils become saturated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters said they expect the third and potentially most potent wave to make landfall on Tuesday afternoon and last through next Friday. The storm is likely to bring moderate to heavy rain, which could cause larger rivers to flood late next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not going to be raining steadily for seven days straight or anything like that,” Merchant said. “But you will have to pay attention and know when these rounds of more impactful rainfall come through your area.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>While it is unclear where, or even if, the atmospheric river will stall over the Bay Area, these weather systems can act like a fire hose, absolutely drenching wherever they park. In recent history, they’ve \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994168/the-pajaro-flood-forced-them-to-flee-californias-high-rents-forced-them-to-return\">caused significant flooding\u003c/a> from Guerneville to San Francisco to Watsonville.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Merchant said the first two waves of rain are progressive and don’t look like they’ll stick around, but it is too early to say what the third storm will bring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By Thursday, that’s where we’re going to have a little more concern about possibly more widespread impacts like fallen trees and power lines,” Merchant said. “But to be honest, it’s too far out at this point to know exactly the timing of those impacts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of all the wind and rain, people should allow “more time to travel through our area basically over the next week,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the moment, the massive river in the sky headed towards us is building from Hawaii to the Pacific Coast. Weather experts measure the intensity of atmospheric rivers on a scale from 0 to 5. This system could reach a 3 across the North Bay and a 4 across the San Francisco peninsula and South Bay, according to \u003ca href=\"https://cw3e.ucsd.edu/arscale/\">atmospheric river-scale modeling\u003c/a> by the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1984920\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1984920 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/GettyImages-1482972333-scaled-e1766179697716.jpg\" alt=\"Snow storm falls on the Sierras.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1330\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Snow blows in the Sierra Nevada after yet another storm brought heavy snowfall, raising the snowpack on March 29, 2023, in Mammoth Lakes, California. \u003ccite>(Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As for the Sierra Nevada, forecasters said the first two waves will bring mostly rain at elevations lower than 8,000 feet. But they expect the snowline to drop to around 6,000 feet during the third system, starting Tuesday afternoon. Heavy snow will likely complicate travel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re talking multiple feet of snow above pass level and even at pass level for the Christmas holiday,” said Scott Rowe, senior service hydrologist and meteorologist with the weather service’s Sacramento office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The determination of whether mountain residents or visitors will have a white Christmas depends on elevation, Rowe said. People staying in cabins above 6,000 feet in elevation will likely see snow, while those staying below about 5,500 feet will likely experience rain all week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s beginning to look a lot like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area-weather\">rain\u003c/a> this Christmas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As wet weather returns to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> and persists throughout the week, there’s a 60% chance the pattern will last through Dec. 25, and a slightly lower chance it will linger through the end of the month, National Weather Service meteorologists wrote in their \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=mtr&issuedby=MTR&product=AFD\">daily forecast discussion\u003c/a> on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, if you’re getting grandpa a drone this year, or some other flying gadget or gizmo to fly around the tree, see if you can find a waterproof one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our dry spell looks like it is ending,” said Rachel Kennedy, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meteorologists said they expect two light systems from the Gulf of Alaska this week to bring much-needed rain across the region starting Tuesday. The North Bay could get the most rainfall, with up to a quarter of an inch of rain, during the first storm. More showers arrive late Thursday and could drop up to an inch and a half in the North Bay and up to half an inch for the rest of the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066736/bay-area-stuck-with-unusually-cold-weather-thanks-to-this-naturally-occurring-culprit\">frigid temperatures\u003c/a> Bay Area residents have experienced over the past week are forecast to warm up to the mid- to upper 50s and low 60s across most of the region as the storms roll in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People wait at a Muni stop on Mission Street in the rain on Dec. 13, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A third system, potentially a moderate-to-strong \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1935067/rivers-in-the-sky-what-you-need-to-know-about-atmospheric-river-storms\">atmospheric river\u003c/a> fueled by tropical moisture, could arrive from the north on Sunday. These weather models are beginning to align, Kennedy said, suggesting the atmospheric river could last through the holidays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re looking at a moderate to strong atmospheric river next week, and it could be impactful to holiday travel like flight delays and slick roads,” Kennedy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The NWS’s Climate Prediction Center expects a high risk, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/threats/threats.php\">greater than 60% chance\u003c/a> of heavy rain between Dec. 23 and 25, for all of coastal California, with the possibility of flooding. The center also predicts a high risk of heavy snow across the Sierra Nevada next Tuesday through Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/nwscpc/status/2000678364504277467?s=12&t=zgyOPOqDqd_FEcUp9l4Z0g\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sara Purdue, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Sacramento office, said the storm, as of now, looks like it will be “fairly warm” and said heavier snow tends to fall at higher elevations during atmospheric rivers, and in lesser amounts than what you might think of in a typical winter storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters suggest Californians prepare for the rain by cleaning out gutters and securing outdoor items, such as Christmas inflatables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would be prepared to get that done before Thursday,” Kennedy said. “The earlier you prepare, the better time you’re going to have when we get that potentially impactful holiday travel, as the stronger system moves in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s beginning to look a lot like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area-weather\">rain\u003c/a> this Christmas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As wet weather returns to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> and persists throughout the week, there’s a 60% chance the pattern will last through Dec. 25, and a slightly lower chance it will linger through the end of the month, National Weather Service meteorologists wrote in their \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=mtr&issuedby=MTR&product=AFD\">daily forecast discussion\u003c/a> on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, if you’re getting grandpa a drone this year, or some other flying gadget or gizmo to fly around the tree, see if you can find a waterproof one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our dry spell looks like it is ending,” said Rachel Kennedy, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meteorologists said they expect two light systems from the Gulf of Alaska this week to bring much-needed rain across the region starting Tuesday. The North Bay could get the most rainfall, with up to a quarter of an inch of rain, during the first storm. More showers arrive late Thursday and could drop up to an inch and a half in the North Bay and up to half an inch for the rest of the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066736/bay-area-stuck-with-unusually-cold-weather-thanks-to-this-naturally-occurring-culprit\">frigid temperatures\u003c/a> Bay Area residents have experienced over the past week are forecast to warm up to the mid- to upper 50s and low 60s across most of the region as the storms roll in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People wait at a Muni stop on Mission Street in the rain on Dec. 13, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A third system, potentially a moderate-to-strong \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1935067/rivers-in-the-sky-what-you-need-to-know-about-atmospheric-river-storms\">atmospheric river\u003c/a> fueled by tropical moisture, could arrive from the north on Sunday. These weather models are beginning to align, Kennedy said, suggesting the atmospheric river could last through the holidays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re looking at a moderate to strong atmospheric river next week, and it could be impactful to holiday travel like flight delays and slick roads,” Kennedy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The NWS’s Climate Prediction Center expects a high risk, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/threats/threats.php\">greater than 60% chance\u003c/a> of heavy rain between Dec. 23 and 25, for all of coastal California, with the possibility of flooding. The center also predicts a high risk of heavy snow across the Sierra Nevada next Tuesday through Friday.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Sara Purdue, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Sacramento office, said the storm, as of now, looks like it will be “fairly warm” and said heavier snow tends to fall at higher elevations during atmospheric rivers, and in lesser amounts than what you might think of in a typical winter storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters suggest Californians prepare for the rain by cleaning out gutters and securing outdoor items, such as Christmas inflatables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would be prepared to get that done before Thursday,” Kennedy said. “The earlier you prepare, the better time you’re going to have when we get that potentially impactful holiday travel, as the stronger system moves in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1936949/do-little-quakes-mean-the-big-one-is-close-at-hand\">earthquakes\u003c/a> shook Mona Epstein awake in the middle of the night, long before she crawled out of bed on the morning of Dec. 8.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it was the rocking from the magnitude 3.6 quake just after 9 a.m. that caused the San Ramon resident to scream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a loud rumble,” said Epstein, who lives about a mile from where the quake hit. “The cupboard doors opened, my armoire door popped open and things popped out of the closet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Epstein said she hesitated to even shower afterward for fear of another earthquake. “If it was the big one,” then she didn’t want to “be naked and have to run out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly 1,600 people as far away as San José reported they felt the quake, which occurred along the Calaveras Fault, the United States Geological Survey \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75276661/impact\">reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last month, more than 150 earthquakes jolted the San Ramon area — including \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?currentFeatureId=nc75276661&extent=37.73196,-121.97116&extent=37.77139,-121.91623&range=week&settings=true\">10 earthquakes at or above a magnitude 2.5\u003c/a> on Dec. 8, according to Amy Williamson, a research seismologist at the \u003ca href=\"https://earthquakes.berkeley.edu/seismo.real.time.map.html\">UC Berkeley Seismology Lab\u003c/a>. On Friday, an additional half dozen quakes rocked San Ramon, including a \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=37.70936,-121.99236&extent=37.78822,-121.8825&range=week&settings=true\">magnitude 4.0 earthquake\u003c/a> just before 8 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999667\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mona Epstein stands in her apartment in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. She experienced a recent swarm of small earthquakes in the area. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This part of Contra Costa County is prone to earthquake swarms and has experienced these events a handful of times since the 1970s, due to a complex system of faults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’ve had these sorts of swarms for decades now,” Williamson said. “For San Ramon to the Danville area, it’s really common.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Epstein experienced an earlier swarm back in 2018 while living in San Ramon, a city with a population of nearly 80,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While these earthquake clusters aren’t out of the ordinary, they can still come as a surprise, especially if you live right above the jolt, like Rachael Heys, whose street in San Ramon is located right over the epicenter of last week’s swarm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999657\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999657\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mona Epstein keeps a weather radio and flashlight on her kitchen counter in her apartment in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. A recent swarm of small earthquakes in the area motivated her to prepare for emergencies. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She credits her cat, Marshall — named after rapper Eminem — for warning her that an earthquake was about to hit in the middle of the night. He made “weird little noises” and hid under a table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Within seconds of him yelling this big loud meow, there was a big earthquake,” Heys said. “It really shook me. It sounded like a dresser hit the wall. It was like this one big bang.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heys and her boyfriend felt at least two other quakes that morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had all of these mini ones mostly in that one day,” Heys said. “This is insane.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999655\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999655\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rachael Heys holds her cat Marshall outside her apartment building in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. The area recently experienced a sequence of small earthquakes that residents reported feeling over several days. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Earthquake swarms differ from a typical earthquake sequence, where there’s one main shock and then a series of small aftershocks, Williamson said. Swarms don’t usually have a dominant earthquake. Instead, a cluster of tiny or minor earthquakes takes place over a more extended period of time, and then the fault quiets down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact that there’s a swarm here doesn’t make it any more or less likely for the big one that people are always talking about in the Bay Area,” Williamson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earthquake swarms typically occur due to changes in the liquid around a fault. They’re common in places near volcanoes and geothermal areas. But Williamson said what makes the San Ramon area “a little bit unique” is that the area isn’t volcanic or hydrothermal.[aside postID=news_12060130 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/SFFireDeptLomaPrieta1.jpg']San Ramon sits over a complex geologic environment, which is one theory, Williamson said, for why the area gets swarms every few years. The Calaveras Fault runs underneath the city in a transition zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is part of the San Andreas Fault system and is \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/fs20153009\">capable of a magnitude 6.7 earthquake\u003c/a>. To the east, the Mount Diablo Thrust Fault begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All these earthquakes happen in that transition area,” Williamson said. “Any small changes kind of cause that area to preferentially get more earthquakes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last big quake the Calaveras Fault produced was in 1984 in Morgan Hill with a magnitude of 6.2. But if the Hayward Fault and the Calaveras Fault, which UC Berkeley scientists found are \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/calaveras-hayward-fault-link-means-potentially-larger-quakes\">connected\u003c/a>, rock simultaneously, that could result in a magnitude 7.3 earthquake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Faults contain liquid that lubricates the earth, making it easier to move and causing earthquakes. Similar to a person wetting their hands and sliding them together, the fluid reduces the friction, and the rock “can slide more freely,” Williamson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williamson said the liquid is usually a mix of water and minerals, and that there isn’t a “great model” to say exactly how it moves through cracks within the fault system. That movement can cause the quakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williamson said the “constant rattle” should serve as a reminder that Bay Area residents live in a “really seismically active area.” She recommended \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1949019/its-about-time-how-to-get-ready-for-the-next-emergency\">preparing a go bag\u003c/a> with clothes, food and water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999661\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999661\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign for apartments on Deerwood Road in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. The area sits near the Calaveras Fault, an active fault that runs underground through the East Bay. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Epstein, who is retired, said she’s started to prepare for a larger earthquake, collecting masks, gloves, water, tools, and canned food — although she needs to double-check the expiration dates to make sure the food is still good to eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not to the point where I’m gonna sleep with my shoes on or anything,” Epstein said. “I just hope if the worst happens that I can get to the bag in the closet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heys, who works as a server in Danville, on the other hand, is very prepared. She has a supply of perishable food, flashlights, portable chargers that also act as flashlights, mini candles, gallons of water and a case of water in her car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s talked with her friends and neighbors about the quakes and how they’ve prepared, but they don’t seem as concerned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody really has any major concerns as of now,” Heys said. “I think that’s because none of us has experienced a huge one yet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1936949/do-little-quakes-mean-the-big-one-is-close-at-hand\">earthquakes\u003c/a> shook Mona Epstein awake in the middle of the night, long before she crawled out of bed on the morning of Dec. 8.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it was the rocking from the magnitude 3.6 quake just after 9 a.m. that caused the San Ramon resident to scream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a loud rumble,” said Epstein, who lives about a mile from where the quake hit. “The cupboard doors opened, my armoire door popped open and things popped out of the closet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Epstein said she hesitated to even shower afterward for fear of another earthquake. “If it was the big one,” then she didn’t want to “be naked and have to run out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly 1,600 people as far away as San José reported they felt the quake, which occurred along the Calaveras Fault, the United States Geological Survey \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75276661/impact\">reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last month, more than 150 earthquakes jolted the San Ramon area — including \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?currentFeatureId=nc75276661&extent=37.73196,-121.97116&extent=37.77139,-121.91623&range=week&settings=true\">10 earthquakes at or above a magnitude 2.5\u003c/a> on Dec. 8, according to Amy Williamson, a research seismologist at the \u003ca href=\"https://earthquakes.berkeley.edu/seismo.real.time.map.html\">UC Berkeley Seismology Lab\u003c/a>. On Friday, an additional half dozen quakes rocked San Ramon, including a \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=37.70936,-121.99236&extent=37.78822,-121.8825&range=week&settings=true\">magnitude 4.0 earthquake\u003c/a> just before 8 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999667\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mona Epstein stands in her apartment in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. She experienced a recent swarm of small earthquakes in the area. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This part of Contra Costa County is prone to earthquake swarms and has experienced these events a handful of times since the 1970s, due to a complex system of faults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’ve had these sorts of swarms for decades now,” Williamson said. “For San Ramon to the Danville area, it’s really common.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Epstein experienced an earlier swarm back in 2018 while living in San Ramon, a city with a population of nearly 80,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While these earthquake clusters aren’t out of the ordinary, they can still come as a surprise, especially if you live right above the jolt, like Rachael Heys, whose street in San Ramon is located right over the epicenter of last week’s swarm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999657\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999657\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mona Epstein keeps a weather radio and flashlight on her kitchen counter in her apartment in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. A recent swarm of small earthquakes in the area motivated her to prepare for emergencies. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She credits her cat, Marshall — named after rapper Eminem — for warning her that an earthquake was about to hit in the middle of the night. He made “weird little noises” and hid under a table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Within seconds of him yelling this big loud meow, there was a big earthquake,” Heys said. “It really shook me. It sounded like a dresser hit the wall. It was like this one big bang.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heys and her boyfriend felt at least two other quakes that morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had all of these mini ones mostly in that one day,” Heys said. “This is insane.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999655\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999655\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rachael Heys holds her cat Marshall outside her apartment building in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. The area recently experienced a sequence of small earthquakes that residents reported feeling over several days. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Earthquake swarms differ from a typical earthquake sequence, where there’s one main shock and then a series of small aftershocks, Williamson said. Swarms don’t usually have a dominant earthquake. Instead, a cluster of tiny or minor earthquakes takes place over a more extended period of time, and then the fault quiets down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact that there’s a swarm here doesn’t make it any more or less likely for the big one that people are always talking about in the Bay Area,” Williamson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earthquake swarms typically occur due to changes in the liquid around a fault. They’re common in places near volcanoes and geothermal areas. But Williamson said what makes the San Ramon area “a little bit unique” is that the area isn’t volcanic or hydrothermal.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>San Ramon sits over a complex geologic environment, which is one theory, Williamson said, for why the area gets swarms every few years. The Calaveras Fault runs underneath the city in a transition zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is part of the San Andreas Fault system and is \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/fs20153009\">capable of a magnitude 6.7 earthquake\u003c/a>. To the east, the Mount Diablo Thrust Fault begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All these earthquakes happen in that transition area,” Williamson said. “Any small changes kind of cause that area to preferentially get more earthquakes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last big quake the Calaveras Fault produced was in 1984 in Morgan Hill with a magnitude of 6.2. But if the Hayward Fault and the Calaveras Fault, which UC Berkeley scientists found are \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/calaveras-hayward-fault-link-means-potentially-larger-quakes\">connected\u003c/a>, rock simultaneously, that could result in a magnitude 7.3 earthquake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Faults contain liquid that lubricates the earth, making it easier to move and causing earthquakes. Similar to a person wetting their hands and sliding them together, the fluid reduces the friction, and the rock “can slide more freely,” Williamson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williamson said the liquid is usually a mix of water and minerals, and that there isn’t a “great model” to say exactly how it moves through cracks within the fault system. That movement can cause the quakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williamson said the “constant rattle” should serve as a reminder that Bay Area residents live in a “really seismically active area.” She recommended \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1949019/its-about-time-how-to-get-ready-for-the-next-emergency\">preparing a go bag\u003c/a> with clothes, food and water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999661\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999661\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign for apartments on Deerwood Road in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. The area sits near the Calaveras Fault, an active fault that runs underground through the East Bay. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Epstein, who is retired, said she’s started to prepare for a larger earthquake, collecting masks, gloves, water, tools, and canned food — although she needs to double-check the expiration dates to make sure the food is still good to eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not to the point where I’m gonna sleep with my shoes on or anything,” Epstein said. “I just hope if the worst happens that I can get to the bag in the closet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heys, who works as a server in Danville, on the other hand, is very prepared. She has a supply of perishable food, flashlights, portable chargers that also act as flashlights, mini candles, gallons of water and a case of water in her car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s talked with her friends and neighbors about the quakes and how they’ve prepared, but they don’t seem as concerned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody really has any major concerns as of now,” Heys said. “I think that’s because none of us has experienced a huge one yet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The U.S. Navy apologized to city leaders during a San Francisco Board of Supervisors hearing on Monday for waiting \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999023/navy-took-11-months-to-alert-sf-to-airborne-plutonium-at-hunters-point-shipyard-site\">11 months\u003c/a> before disclosing to residents that the agency had detected airborne radioactive material at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Navy alerted San Francisco health officials in October that it had discovered elevated levels of plutonium-239 in November of last year. The material is highly radioactive and used to create nuclear weapons. Breathing in tiny particles of the substance is dangerous over time and can cause health issues like lung cancer. Community groups and at least one San Francisco supervisor called the 11-month delay “unacceptable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Navy found the sample in an area known as Parcel C, adjacent to a hill covered in condo buildings where hundreds of families live, and nearby a public park with a view of the shipyard. The Navy had previously cleared that area for redevelopment two decades ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials with the Navy told the supervisors that the sample posed “no health risk” to the public and said it was a hundredth of the radiation a person might receive during an X-ray.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Danielle Janda, base closure manager for the Navy at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, said the agency needed extra time to retest the sample and conduct a third-party audit of the laboratory where the test was conducted. She called the sample with a low level of plutonium an “outlier,” and said the Navy plans to improve communication by working with agencies and attending more local meetings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In this instance, we valued accuracy over timeliness,” Janda said. “It’s obvious that we lost trust in the community and are going to work with the community to get that trust back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anthony Megliola, director of the U.S. Navy’s Base Realignment and Closure Program, acknowledged the delay created “concern and frustration” among regulators and the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979637\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1979637\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Apartment buildings in the Bayview sit behind the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco on March 8, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I take responsibility for this,” Megliola said. “We recognize this approach did not meet the community’s expectations for timely communication, and the long gap undermined trust.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shamman Walton, District 10 supervisor, said he appreciates the apology, but said this is “not the first time the Navy has lost the public’s trust.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I do appreciate you for coming, for owning up to the mistake, but again, apologies and admissions do not protect our community,” Walton said. “This should not happen, and we want to make sure that this does not happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Susan Philip, health officer for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said federal rules require the Navy to notify state and local agencies and the public when a situation may pose a threat to the public. Even though the Navy found the sample posed no immediate public health issues, she said, her “greater concern, of course, is the delay in notifying the regulators, who are the ones who are to make that determination about safety.”[aside postID=science_1999023 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/004_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022_qed-1020x680.jpg']Michael Montgomery, director of the EPA’s Superfund and Emergency Management Division, said the Navy should have come to the agency earlier because its staff could have helped with testing and communicating with the public. He said the Navy is supposed to present these sorts of findings within two weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, the lack of transparency created a much bigger concern than it would have if we’d have been engaged early on and been able to do the risk communication,” Montgomery said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within 45 days, Montgomery said his agency will conduct an independent review.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Supervisor Walton asked whether there were consequences for the Navy’s delayed reporting, Montgomery said there are generally penalties that could apply. Still, he can’t discuss them in this case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>District 10 resident Falaofuta Satele told Navy officials during the hearing that she “doesn’t trust” them and feels like officials are trying to “cover up” their findings by not providing direct answers to the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not frustrated, we’re alert,” Satele said. “We are not stupid, and please have some courtesy when you say transparent, please disclose with integrity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979624\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1979624\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard from the Lennar at the Shipyard housing development on Feb. 25, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Joyce Armstrong, vice chair of the Hunters Point Shipyard Citizens Advisory Committee, said it doesn’t matter how low the sample reading was; the community is dissatisfied with how the Navy handled the findings. She called for an independent investigation and said the Navy’s lack of transparency is a “pattern.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It appears to us that this is a cover-up,” Armstrong said. “I don’t care how low [the levels are], we still want to know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 866-acre Hunters Point site was home to a shipyard from 1945 to 1974 and the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory from 1948 to 1960. By decontaminating ships after atomic bomb tests and other activities, the Navy contaminated shipyard soil and groundwater — as well as surface water and sediment in the San Francisco Bay — with radioactive chemicals, heavy metals and petroleum fuels. The base was declared one of the nation’s most contaminated sites in 1989.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in 2022, the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury issued a report\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1980324/sf-supervisors-unhappy-with-citys-lack-of-action-to-protect-bayview-hunters-point-residents-from-toxic-sea-level-rise\"> alerting the public that groundwater rise\u003c/a> — a result of sea levels rising in response to global emissions melting ice caps and expanding oceans — could have significant effects on the site in the coming decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new finding raises fresh questions about the city’s plans to build thousands of homes amid an exceedingly complex and ongoing cleanup effort. When finished, the 693-acre Candlestick Point-Hunters Point Shipyard project — which the Superfund site is part of — could have more than 10,000 housing units. The development would include two new waterfront neighborhoods with housing and retail, along with over 340 acres of parks and open space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The U.S. Navy apologized to city leaders during a San Francisco Board of Supervisors hearing on Monday for waiting \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999023/navy-took-11-months-to-alert-sf-to-airborne-plutonium-at-hunters-point-shipyard-site\">11 months\u003c/a> before disclosing to residents that the agency had detected airborne radioactive material at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Navy alerted San Francisco health officials in October that it had discovered elevated levels of plutonium-239 in November of last year. The material is highly radioactive and used to create nuclear weapons. Breathing in tiny particles of the substance is dangerous over time and can cause health issues like lung cancer. Community groups and at least one San Francisco supervisor called the 11-month delay “unacceptable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Navy found the sample in an area known as Parcel C, adjacent to a hill covered in condo buildings where hundreds of families live, and nearby a public park with a view of the shipyard. The Navy had previously cleared that area for redevelopment two decades ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials with the Navy told the supervisors that the sample posed “no health risk” to the public and said it was a hundredth of the radiation a person might receive during an X-ray.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Danielle Janda, base closure manager for the Navy at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, said the agency needed extra time to retest the sample and conduct a third-party audit of the laboratory where the test was conducted. She called the sample with a low level of plutonium an “outlier,” and said the Navy plans to improve communication by working with agencies and attending more local meetings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In this instance, we valued accuracy over timeliness,” Janda said. “It’s obvious that we lost trust in the community and are going to work with the community to get that trust back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anthony Megliola, director of the U.S. Navy’s Base Realignment and Closure Program, acknowledged the delay created “concern and frustration” among regulators and the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979637\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1979637\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/06/RS54632_019_KQED_BaykeeperBayviewHuntersPoint_03082022-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Apartment buildings in the Bayview sit behind the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco on March 8, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I take responsibility for this,” Megliola said. “We recognize this approach did not meet the community’s expectations for timely communication, and the long gap undermined trust.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shamman Walton, District 10 supervisor, said he appreciates the apology, but said this is “not the first time the Navy has lost the public’s trust.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I do appreciate you for coming, for owning up to the mistake, but again, apologies and admissions do not protect our community,” Walton said. “This should not happen, and we want to make sure that this does not happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Susan Philip, health officer for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said federal rules require the Navy to notify state and local agencies and the public when a situation may pose a threat to the public. Even though the Navy found the sample posed no immediate public health issues, she said, her “greater concern, of course, is the delay in notifying the regulators, who are the ones who are to make that determination about safety.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Michael Montgomery, director of the EPA’s Superfund and Emergency Management Division, said the Navy should have come to the agency earlier because its staff could have helped with testing and communicating with the public. He said the Navy is supposed to present these sorts of findings within two weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, the lack of transparency created a much bigger concern than it would have if we’d have been engaged early on and been able to do the risk communication,” Montgomery said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within 45 days, Montgomery said his agency will conduct an independent review.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Supervisor Walton asked whether there were consequences for the Navy’s delayed reporting, Montgomery said there are generally penalties that could apply. Still, he can’t discuss them in this case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>District 10 resident Falaofuta Satele told Navy officials during the hearing that she “doesn’t trust” them and feels like officials are trying to “cover up” their findings by not providing direct answers to the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not frustrated, we’re alert,” Satele said. “We are not stupid, and please have some courtesy when you say transparent, please disclose with integrity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979624\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1979624\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/RS53937_003_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard from the Lennar at the Shipyard housing development on Feb. 25, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Joyce Armstrong, vice chair of the Hunters Point Shipyard Citizens Advisory Committee, said it doesn’t matter how low the sample reading was; the community is dissatisfied with how the Navy handled the findings. She called for an independent investigation and said the Navy’s lack of transparency is a “pattern.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It appears to us that this is a cover-up,” Armstrong said. “I don’t care how low [the levels are], we still want to know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 866-acre Hunters Point site was home to a shipyard from 1945 to 1974 and the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory from 1948 to 1960. By decontaminating ships after atomic bomb tests and other activities, the Navy contaminated shipyard soil and groundwater — as well as surface water and sediment in the San Francisco Bay — with radioactive chemicals, heavy metals and petroleum fuels. The base was declared one of the nation’s most contaminated sites in 1989.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in 2022, the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury issued a report\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1980324/sf-supervisors-unhappy-with-citys-lack-of-action-to-protect-bayview-hunters-point-residents-from-toxic-sea-level-rise\"> alerting the public that groundwater rise\u003c/a> — a result of sea levels rising in response to global emissions melting ice caps and expanding oceans — could have significant effects on the site in the coming decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new finding raises fresh questions about the city’s plans to build thousands of homes amid an exceedingly complex and ongoing cleanup effort. When finished, the 693-acre Candlestick Point-Hunters Point Shipyard project — which the Superfund site is part of — could have more than 10,000 housing units. The development would include two new waterfront neighborhoods with housing and retail, along with over 340 acres of parks and open space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "monarch-butterflies-now-wear-tiny-tags-for-scientists-to-track-them-in-real-time",
"title": "Monarch Butterflies Now Wear Tiny Tags — for Scientists to Track Them in Real Time",
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"headTitle": "Monarch Butterflies Now Wear Tiny Tags — for Scientists to Track Them in Real Time | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Thanks to \u003ca href=\"https://xerces.org/press/new-ultralight-radio-tags-are-tracking-monarch-butterflies-in-santa-cruz\">tiny new ultralight radio tags\u003c/a> small enough for a fragile butterfly to carry, scientists are getting a rare, real-time look at how western monarchs move through their winter habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s part of a breakthrough tracking effort reshaping what we know about one of North America’s most iconic migrations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November, the \u003ca href=\"https://xerces.org/\">Xerces Society\u003c/a> for Invertebrate Conservation joined with scientific collaborators to deploy roughly 100 ultra-light Bluetooth tags along the Central Coast, offering an unprecedented look at how Western monarchs move through their fragmented winter habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eyelash glue was delicately applied to each monarch’s thorax and used to attach the tiny tag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The solar-powered tag, developed by \u003ca href=\"https://celltracktech.com/\">Cellular Tracking Technologies\u003c/a>, weighs about 60 milligrams, which works out to only about a tenth of the weight of a monarch. By broadcasting its signals to billions of Bluetooth-enabled devices, the system allows researchers to follow individual butterflies through an app called \u003ca href=\"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/project-monarch-science/id6460006970\">Project Monarch Science\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The public can follow along on the monarch’s journey, too. If you want to participate in tracking monarch populations, you can download the Project Monarch App, where you can log any sightings, and the Bluetooth technology in your phone will also help triangulate other butterflies that might be in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999596\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999596\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/monarchTagging_overhead_cCapeMayPointArtsAndScienceCenter.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1647\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/monarchTagging_overhead_cCapeMayPointArtsAndScienceCenter.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/monarchTagging_overhead_cCapeMayPointArtsAndScienceCenter-160x132.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/monarchTagging_overhead_cCapeMayPointArtsAndScienceCenter-768x632.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/monarchTagging_overhead_cCapeMayPointArtsAndScienceCenter-1536x1265.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A monarch butterfly wearing one of Cellular Tracking Technologies’ transmitters. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Cellular Tracking Technologies)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In late 2024, a tagged monarch named Lionel migrated from New Jersey to Florida, logging thousands of detections along the way. “For the first time, we got a full southbound track of a monarch for over a thousand miles along that track,” said Dr. David La Puma, director of global market development at CTT.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 400 monarchs like Lionel have since been tagged, revealing detailed flight paths, unexpected detours and long-distance movements never documented before.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The monarch picture in California\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In California, the project tagged over 40 monarchs in Santa Cruz County, covering Natural Bridges, Lighthouse Field, and Moran Lake. Additional researchers tagged monarchs in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, bringing the West Coast total to about 100 individual butterflies. The effort required more than a year of preparation and buy-in from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early detections already hint at butterfly behavior that scientists had previously only theorized about. “We knew they moved between overwintering sites, but the frequency we’re seeing is just very quick,” said Ashley Fisher, conservation biologist at the Xerces Society.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1985061\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2121px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1985061\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505.jpg\" alt=\"A number of brightly colored monarch butterflies in hues of orange and yellow against a bright blue backdrop\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505.jpg 2121w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2121px) 100vw, 2121px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Monarch butterfly photos flying in the sky near Santa Cruz, California, during migration. \u003ccite>(Mark Miller Photos/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to the Bluetooth tracking, one monarch traveled more than 100 miles in just two days, passing several known winter sites and surprising researchers with long-distance movement during the overwintering season — when butterflies are hibernating, conserving energy for the upcoming spring migration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995508/monarch-butterflies-are-on-the-decline-in-california-heres-why\">Western monarch population has plummeted \u003c/a>by more than 99% since the 1980s due to habitat loss, pesticide use and human-caused climate change affecting migration and nectar sources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protecting the coastal groves where they overwinter is a cornerstone of recovery — but scientists have long lacked a clear view of how individual butterflies travel during the season.[aside postID=science_1995508 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-1020x680.jpg']This California deployment is key for understanding how Western monarchs use coastal habitat, especially as populations remain low, with a preliminary estimate of about \u003ca href=\"https://westernmonarchcount.org/mid-season-western-monarch-count-tally-reaches-8000/\">8,000 butterflies counted\u003c/a> so far this winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By revealing which sites monarchs rely on, how often they leave to forage and where they disperse in early spring, the data will help California agencies and conservation groups identify critical habitat, guide restoration and reduce threats like pesticide exposure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The detailed day-to-day movements are blowing the lid off our understanding” of these creatures, Fisher said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tagged butterflies will also help researchers understand when and where monarchs move \u003cem>among \u003c/em>overwintering sites and the surrounding areas, said Emma Pelton, senior conservation biologist with the Xerces Society.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These details will help us identify where to prioritize conservation of western monarch habitat, as well as provide the most accurate picture of their home range to date,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where can I see monarchs in and around the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For the best Western monarch butterfly viewing, head south along the coast to groves in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo. Some exceptional viewing sites include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pgmuseum.org/monarch-viewing/\">Pacific Grove’s butterfly grove\u003c/a> near Monterey\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=541\">Natural Bridges State Beach\u003c/a> in Santa Cruz\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=550\">Lighthouse Field State Beach\u003c/a> in Santa Cruz\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=595\">Pismo State Beach\u003c/a> in San Luis Obispo\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>There have also been reports of monarchs in the East Bay, at spots like:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood\">The Ardenwood Historic Farm\u003c/a> in Fremont\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/parks-recreation/parks/aquatic-park\">Berkeley Aquatic Park\u003c/a> in Berkeley\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/oyster-bay\">Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/point-pinole\">Point Pinole Regional Shoreline\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.albanyca.gov/Residents/Parks-Open-Space/Albany-Hill\">Albany Hill Park\u003c/a> in Albany\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Xerces has a \u003ca href=\"https://westernmonarchcount.org/map-of-overwintering-sites/\">map of all the monarch butterfly overwintering sites in California\u003c/a>, but please note that some of these locations might not be open to the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What attracts monarch butterflies to a certain spot?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Monarch butterflies gravitate toward coastal areas, said Natalie Johnston, education manager at Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, and the largest population in the state this year was recorded in Santa Cruz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Martha Nitzberg, an interpreter at \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=541\">Natural Bridges State Beach\u003c/a> in Santa Cruz, said their location is an apt example of how a particular place can offer up a welcoming, attractive environment for migrating butterflies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1985064\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2124px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1985064\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2124\" height=\"1411\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669.jpg 2124w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-2048x1361.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-1920x1275.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2124px) 100vw, 2124px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) resting on a tree branch in its winter nesting area. Taken in Santa Cruz, California. \u003ccite>(GomezDavid/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>First, like many other top viewing spots in the state, it’s by the ocean, where winter temperatures are moderate and frost can’t permeate the ground and vegetation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Natural Bridges, monarchs find extra protection from the elements, too. Located in a canyon, a series of concentric rings of trees helps block wind and protect the monarchs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They find a microclimate, as they don’t like wind,” Nitzberg said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nitzberg said they even have owls living nearby that scare off other birds that could be potential predators for these butterflies.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When is peak monarch butterfly viewing season?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Nitzberg said the butterflies start to become more numerous in the middle of October, and their visit tends to peak in Santa Cruz right around Thanksgiving. This year’s peak count at Natural Bridges, Nitzberg said, was 1,700 on Nov. 28.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Pacific Grove, by contrast, Johnston said they \u003ca href=\"https://www.pgmuseum.org/monarchs\">recorded fewer than 200 butterflies\u003c/a> at their peak this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994688\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994688\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1.jpg\" alt=\"Orange and black-colored butterflies flutter around white-petaled flower plants. The backdrop is the blue sky.\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Western monarchs feed on Pacific aster nectar while overwintering in the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, California. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Barry Bergman)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fall is also the best time to visit if you’re hoping to see a lot of action, as they’re actively hunting for flowers and nectar to build up stores for winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But keep in mind: Monarch butterflies can’t actually fly if it’s under 56 degrees Fahrenheit. So in the colder months or times of day, it’s unlikely you’ll see any fluttering around at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What should you know about viewing monarchs?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Nitzberg said it’s best to bring binoculars, although many state parks like Natural Bridges also set up spotting scopes and hand out some binoculars to visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without binoculars, monarchs can admittedly sometimes be hard to spot, she said. Visitors might be more likely to mistake their dark “clumps” high up in the eucalyptus trees for pinecones, until they get a closer look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re hoping to see them flying about, Johnston recommends visiting in the afternoon, when the sun has had time to warm their tiny bodies up a touch.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why do monarch butterflies migrate?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“The sun is the key to their migration,” Nitzberg said. “The butterflies are always looking for spring.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On their migration path, the butterflies are looking for milkweed and flowers. And as the seasons turn and plants dry up, the monarchs continue northward, inland, and, oftentimes, to higher elevations, in search of places where they’re most likely to find springtime conditions into summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999598\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999598\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/Monarch-cluster.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/Monarch-cluster.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/Monarch-cluster-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/Monarch-cluster-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/Monarch-cluster-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/Monarch-cluster-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When monarch butterflies overwinter, they cluster on trees, making them look like orange and black chandeliers. \u003ccite>(JHVEPhoto/iStock)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But because butterflies live only a handful of weeks, the journey north and east can see up to four generations of monarchs passing the baton to each other as the season progresses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their short lifespan makes them “like little flitting beauties,” Johnston said. ”You get a glimpse of them, and then they’re gone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reverse is also true: In the fall, the monarchs head south, following the sun toward warmer temperatures.[aside postID=science_1985049 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/10/DEEP_914_This_Parasite_Is_Cramping_the_Monarch_Butterflys_Style_V2_KQED.jpg']These butterflies, Nitzberg explained, experience a hormone shift on their travels south that allows them to accumulate fat and live longer. This can extend a monarch’s lifespan to as many as 9 months: a “super generation,” Johnston said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead of just going dormant like most insects do when it gets cold, they all migrate down and become social, and hang out in these beautiful clusters,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s also what makes them prime for tagging, Johnston explained – not only because they live long enough to get useful tracking information, but also because one butterfly’s location can reveal that of a cluster of monarchs, which can then be counted and interpreted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By tracking the monarch butterfly population, we can essentially use that to extrapolate how other important pollinators like other species of butterflies or even bumblebees, which require the same similar conditions, how they’re doing,” she said. “We can study them and learn from them in a way that we can’t with other insects.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What can you do to aid monarchs’ migration?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In your own garden, if you have \u003ca href=\"https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/19-004.pdf\">milkweed plants native to your area\u003c/a>, planting them can help the butterflies find food. However, Nitzberg warned against planting \u003ca href=\"https://www.nwf.org/-/media/Documents/PDFs/Garden-for-Wildlife/Tip-Sheets/Native-vs-Tropical-Milkweed.pdf\">non-native milkweed\u003c/a>, as it remains active in winter and can therefore aid in the spread of disease and confuse monarchs’ migrations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And don’t forget that protecting the caterpillar is the first step to a healthy monarch — so if you have a lot of yellow jackets or wasps, removing those can create a haven for caterpillar populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s not just monarchs at risk, stressed Nitzberg, so creating a garden without pesticides can benefit all species of butterflies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Poisons are really hard on all butterflies, especially these migrating monarchs,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Plus, where you can see the beauty of monarch butterflies for yourself in the Bay Area.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Thanks to \u003ca href=\"https://xerces.org/press/new-ultralight-radio-tags-are-tracking-monarch-butterflies-in-santa-cruz\">tiny new ultralight radio tags\u003c/a> small enough for a fragile butterfly to carry, scientists are getting a rare, real-time look at how western monarchs move through their winter habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s part of a breakthrough tracking effort reshaping what we know about one of North America’s most iconic migrations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November, the \u003ca href=\"https://xerces.org/\">Xerces Society\u003c/a> for Invertebrate Conservation joined with scientific collaborators to deploy roughly 100 ultra-light Bluetooth tags along the Central Coast, offering an unprecedented look at how Western monarchs move through their fragmented winter habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eyelash glue was delicately applied to each monarch’s thorax and used to attach the tiny tag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The solar-powered tag, developed by \u003ca href=\"https://celltracktech.com/\">Cellular Tracking Technologies\u003c/a>, weighs about 60 milligrams, which works out to only about a tenth of the weight of a monarch. By broadcasting its signals to billions of Bluetooth-enabled devices, the system allows researchers to follow individual butterflies through an app called \u003ca href=\"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/project-monarch-science/id6460006970\">Project Monarch Science\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The public can follow along on the monarch’s journey, too. If you want to participate in tracking monarch populations, you can download the Project Monarch App, where you can log any sightings, and the Bluetooth technology in your phone will also help triangulate other butterflies that might be in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999596\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999596\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/monarchTagging_overhead_cCapeMayPointArtsAndScienceCenter.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1647\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/monarchTagging_overhead_cCapeMayPointArtsAndScienceCenter.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/monarchTagging_overhead_cCapeMayPointArtsAndScienceCenter-160x132.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/monarchTagging_overhead_cCapeMayPointArtsAndScienceCenter-768x632.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/monarchTagging_overhead_cCapeMayPointArtsAndScienceCenter-1536x1265.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A monarch butterfly wearing one of Cellular Tracking Technologies’ transmitters. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Cellular Tracking Technologies)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In late 2024, a tagged monarch named Lionel migrated from New Jersey to Florida, logging thousands of detections along the way. “For the first time, we got a full southbound track of a monarch for over a thousand miles along that track,” said Dr. David La Puma, director of global market development at CTT.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 400 monarchs like Lionel have since been tagged, revealing detailed flight paths, unexpected detours and long-distance movements never documented before.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The monarch picture in California\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In California, the project tagged over 40 monarchs in Santa Cruz County, covering Natural Bridges, Lighthouse Field, and Moran Lake. Additional researchers tagged monarchs in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, bringing the West Coast total to about 100 individual butterflies. The effort required more than a year of preparation and buy-in from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early detections already hint at butterfly behavior that scientists had previously only theorized about. “We knew they moved between overwintering sites, but the frequency we’re seeing is just very quick,” said Ashley Fisher, conservation biologist at the Xerces Society.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1985061\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2121px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1985061\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505.jpg\" alt=\"A number of brightly colored monarch butterflies in hues of orange and yellow against a bright blue backdrop\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505.jpg 2121w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-460036505-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2121px) 100vw, 2121px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Monarch butterfly photos flying in the sky near Santa Cruz, California, during migration. \u003ccite>(Mark Miller Photos/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to the Bluetooth tracking, one monarch traveled more than 100 miles in just two days, passing several known winter sites and surprising researchers with long-distance movement during the overwintering season — when butterflies are hibernating, conserving energy for the upcoming spring migration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995508/monarch-butterflies-are-on-the-decline-in-california-heres-why\">Western monarch population has plummeted \u003c/a>by more than 99% since the 1980s due to habitat loss, pesticide use and human-caused climate change affecting migration and nectar sources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protecting the coastal groves where they overwinter is a cornerstone of recovery — but scientists have long lacked a clear view of how individual butterflies travel during the season.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>This California deployment is key for understanding how Western monarchs use coastal habitat, especially as populations remain low, with a preliminary estimate of about \u003ca href=\"https://westernmonarchcount.org/mid-season-western-monarch-count-tally-reaches-8000/\">8,000 butterflies counted\u003c/a> so far this winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By revealing which sites monarchs rely on, how often they leave to forage and where they disperse in early spring, the data will help California agencies and conservation groups identify critical habitat, guide restoration and reduce threats like pesticide exposure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The detailed day-to-day movements are blowing the lid off our understanding” of these creatures, Fisher said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tagged butterflies will also help researchers understand when and where monarchs move \u003cem>among \u003c/em>overwintering sites and the surrounding areas, said Emma Pelton, senior conservation biologist with the Xerces Society.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These details will help us identify where to prioritize conservation of western monarch habitat, as well as provide the most accurate picture of their home range to date,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where can I see monarchs in and around the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For the best Western monarch butterfly viewing, head south along the coast to groves in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo. Some exceptional viewing sites include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pgmuseum.org/monarch-viewing/\">Pacific Grove’s butterfly grove\u003c/a> near Monterey\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=541\">Natural Bridges State Beach\u003c/a> in Santa Cruz\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=550\">Lighthouse Field State Beach\u003c/a> in Santa Cruz\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=595\">Pismo State Beach\u003c/a> in San Luis Obispo\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>There have also been reports of monarchs in the East Bay, at spots like:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood\">The Ardenwood Historic Farm\u003c/a> in Fremont\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/parks-recreation/parks/aquatic-park\">Berkeley Aquatic Park\u003c/a> in Berkeley\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/oyster-bay\">Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/point-pinole\">Point Pinole Regional Shoreline\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.albanyca.gov/Residents/Parks-Open-Space/Albany-Hill\">Albany Hill Park\u003c/a> in Albany\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Xerces has a \u003ca href=\"https://westernmonarchcount.org/map-of-overwintering-sites/\">map of all the monarch butterfly overwintering sites in California\u003c/a>, but please note that some of these locations might not be open to the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What attracts monarch butterflies to a certain spot?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Monarch butterflies gravitate toward coastal areas, said Natalie Johnston, education manager at Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, and the largest population in the state this year was recorded in Santa Cruz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Martha Nitzberg, an interpreter at \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=541\">Natural Bridges State Beach\u003c/a> in Santa Cruz, said their location is an apt example of how a particular place can offer up a welcoming, attractive environment for migrating butterflies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1985064\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2124px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1985064\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2124\" height=\"1411\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669.jpg 2124w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-2048x1361.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-184945669-1920x1275.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2124px) 100vw, 2124px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) resting on a tree branch in its winter nesting area. Taken in Santa Cruz, California. \u003ccite>(GomezDavid/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>First, like many other top viewing spots in the state, it’s by the ocean, where winter temperatures are moderate and frost can’t permeate the ground and vegetation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Natural Bridges, monarchs find extra protection from the elements, too. Located in a canyon, a series of concentric rings of trees helps block wind and protect the monarchs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They find a microclimate, as they don’t like wind,” Nitzberg said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nitzberg said they even have owls living nearby that scare off other birds that could be potential predators for these butterflies.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When is peak monarch butterfly viewing season?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Nitzberg said the butterflies start to become more numerous in the middle of October, and their visit tends to peak in Santa Cruz right around Thanksgiving. This year’s peak count at Natural Bridges, Nitzberg said, was 1,700 on Nov. 28.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Pacific Grove, by contrast, Johnston said they \u003ca href=\"https://www.pgmuseum.org/monarchs\">recorded fewer than 200 butterflies\u003c/a> at their peak this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994688\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994688\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1.jpg\" alt=\"Orange and black-colored butterflies flutter around white-petaled flower plants. The backdrop is the blue sky.\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_1398-2048x1365-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Western monarchs feed on Pacific aster nectar while overwintering in the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, California. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Barry Bergman)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fall is also the best time to visit if you’re hoping to see a lot of action, as they’re actively hunting for flowers and nectar to build up stores for winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But keep in mind: Monarch butterflies can’t actually fly if it’s under 56 degrees Fahrenheit. So in the colder months or times of day, it’s unlikely you’ll see any fluttering around at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What should you know about viewing monarchs?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Nitzberg said it’s best to bring binoculars, although many state parks like Natural Bridges also set up spotting scopes and hand out some binoculars to visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without binoculars, monarchs can admittedly sometimes be hard to spot, she said. Visitors might be more likely to mistake their dark “clumps” high up in the eucalyptus trees for pinecones, until they get a closer look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re hoping to see them flying about, Johnston recommends visiting in the afternoon, when the sun has had time to warm their tiny bodies up a touch.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why do monarch butterflies migrate?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“The sun is the key to their migration,” Nitzberg said. “The butterflies are always looking for spring.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On their migration path, the butterflies are looking for milkweed and flowers. And as the seasons turn and plants dry up, the monarchs continue northward, inland, and, oftentimes, to higher elevations, in search of places where they’re most likely to find springtime conditions into summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999598\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999598\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/Monarch-cluster.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/Monarch-cluster.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/Monarch-cluster-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/Monarch-cluster-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/Monarch-cluster-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/Monarch-cluster-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When monarch butterflies overwinter, they cluster on trees, making them look like orange and black chandeliers. \u003ccite>(JHVEPhoto/iStock)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But because butterflies live only a handful of weeks, the journey north and east can see up to four generations of monarchs passing the baton to each other as the season progresses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their short lifespan makes them “like little flitting beauties,” Johnston said. ”You get a glimpse of them, and then they’re gone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reverse is also true: In the fall, the monarchs head south, following the sun toward warmer temperatures.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>These butterflies, Nitzberg explained, experience a hormone shift on their travels south that allows them to accumulate fat and live longer. This can extend a monarch’s lifespan to as many as 9 months: a “super generation,” Johnston said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead of just going dormant like most insects do when it gets cold, they all migrate down and become social, and hang out in these beautiful clusters,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s also what makes them prime for tagging, Johnston explained – not only because they live long enough to get useful tracking information, but also because one butterfly’s location can reveal that of a cluster of monarchs, which can then be counted and interpreted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By tracking the monarch butterfly population, we can essentially use that to extrapolate how other important pollinators like other species of butterflies or even bumblebees, which require the same similar conditions, how they’re doing,” she said. “We can study them and learn from them in a way that we can’t with other insects.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What can you do to aid monarchs’ migration?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In your own garden, if you have \u003ca href=\"https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/19-004.pdf\">milkweed plants native to your area\u003c/a>, planting them can help the butterflies find food. However, Nitzberg warned against planting \u003ca href=\"https://www.nwf.org/-/media/Documents/PDFs/Garden-for-Wildlife/Tip-Sheets/Native-vs-Tropical-Milkweed.pdf\">non-native milkweed\u003c/a>, as it remains active in winter and can therefore aid in the spread of disease and confuse monarchs’ migrations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And don’t forget that protecting the caterpillar is the first step to a healthy monarch — so if you have a lot of yellow jackets or wasps, removing those can create a haven for caterpillar populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s not just monarchs at risk, stressed Nitzberg, so creating a garden without pesticides can benefit all species of butterflies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Poisons are really hard on all butterflies, especially these migrating monarchs,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
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},
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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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"order": 8
},
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"order": 1
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"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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"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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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 9
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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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"hidden-brain": {
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"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",
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"source": "NPR"
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"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.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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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. ",
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"order": 18
},
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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": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
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"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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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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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
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