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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated at 2:58 pm \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Less than a week after Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996769/newsom-pushes-fast-track-20-billion-delta-tunnel-california-water\">fast-tracking a controversial tunnel project\u003c/a> to send more Northern California water south, a group of lawmakers, tribal leaders and environmentalists is calling on the Legislature to reject the idea, calling it “a broken process that silences local voices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of the Legislature’s Delta Caucus on Tuesday said that the project will cost more than $20 billion and that Californians will ultimately foot a mounting bill because of inflation and tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. They also accused Newsom of favoring agricultural interests and Southern California over the needs of Northern California communities, and said the project will harm fish species, the environment and local economies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This project will devastate the delta’s ecosystem and place an enormous financial burden on ratepayers at a time when Californians are already struggling with the cost of living,” said Assemblymember Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City, who represents communities throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email Tuesday afternoon, the Newsom administration disputed the caucus members’ comments, saying they demonstrate “why this fast track is necessary, as it is clear that misinformation will continue to delay and obfuscate this critical project.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials said that not all taxpayers will pay for the project, which they noted will serve more than 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland. Public water agencies in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California that receive water from the State Water Project and have signed onto the project will fund it, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996925\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996925\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Gavin Newsom stands in front of a state flag during a press conference about President Donald Trump’s tariffs on April 16, 2025, at an almond farm in Ceres, California. \u003ccite>(Noah Berger/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Delta Conveyance Project has been through many iterations and decades of debate by California lawmakers, going from a proposed canal to two tunnels and now a single tunnel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040025/newsom-blames-trump-california-budget-deficit-aims-cap-undocumented-health-care\">revised budget proposal\u003c/a> last week, Newsom laid out in an announcement and \u003ca href=\"https://trailerbill.dof.ca.gov/public/trailerBill/pdf/1263\">trailer bill\u003c/a> how he wants the Legislature to accelerate the 45-mile-long tunnel through the delta by taking action to simplify permitting and land acquisition, confirm that the Department of Water Resources has the authority to issue bonds to cover the project’s cost, prevent unnecessary litigation delays and support construction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom argues that the tunnel is imperative for adapting the state to a hotter and drier climate that could result in 10% less water by the 2040s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re done with barriers — our state needs to complete this project as soon as possible, so that we can better store and manage water to prepare for a hotter, drier future,” he said in a release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Delta Caucus agreed with Newsom that California’s current water system is outdated and unprepared to handle the storms or dry periods of the future. However, its members said that other solutions, including water recycling and fortifying delta levees, are better options to cure the state’s ongoing water woes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=science_1996769 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/DeltaGetty-1020x574.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Robbing water from the north and drying out the north just to water the south doesn’t make it better at all,” said Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, D–Elk Grove. “We need to have a balanced approach and go back and invest in water recycling and storage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the administration called the caucus’ calls for other solutions “simplistic” and said they “ignore the practical realities and complexities of serving 27 million Californians.” The state needs an all-hands-on-deck approach that includes “modernizing the State Water Project while also advancing local solutions like recycling and desalination,” officials wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malissa Tayaba, vice chairperson of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, whose ancestral lands include the delta, said her tribe would be “irreparably harmed” by the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will not only lose access to our homelands that we have cared for and stewarded for time immemorial, but we will also lose our delta estuary, already in crisis,” she said. “More importantly, the Delta Conveyance Project would destroy and desecrate the resting place of our ancestors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ashley Overhouse, water policy adviser for Defenders of Wildlife, said that the tunnel would undermine Southern California’s efforts to promote water resilience on its own and that Newsom needs “to end his obsession with the tunnel\u003cem>.”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, she said Newsom should “start working more closely with Southern California communities” instead of “trying to force the tunnel down our throats” and work with delta communities on “a collaborative approach” that “everyone can get behind. It’s not too late.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the Southern California Water Coalition commended Newsom’s proposal, calling it a “bold initiative” that would enhance “water resiliency and reliability for Southern California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This initiative is vital for the 85% of Southern Californians who recognize the need for a secure water future,” said Charley Wilson, the group’s executive director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email Tuesday afternoon, the Newsom administration disputed the caucus members’ comments, saying they demonstrate “why this fast track is necessary, as it is clear that misinformation will continue to delay and obfuscate this critical project.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials said that not all taxpayers will pay for the project, which they noted will serve more than 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland. Public water agencies in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California that receive water from the State Water Project and have signed onto the project will fund it, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996925\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996925\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Gavin Newsom stands in front of a state flag during a press conference about President Donald Trump’s tariffs on April 16, 2025, at an almond farm in Ceres, California. \u003ccite>(Noah Berger/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Delta Conveyance Project has been through many iterations and decades of debate by California lawmakers, going from a proposed canal to two tunnels and now a single tunnel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040025/newsom-blames-trump-california-budget-deficit-aims-cap-undocumented-health-care\">revised budget proposal\u003c/a> last week, Newsom laid out in an announcement and \u003ca href=\"https://trailerbill.dof.ca.gov/public/trailerBill/pdf/1263\">trailer bill\u003c/a> how he wants the Legislature to accelerate the 45-mile-long tunnel through the delta by taking action to simplify permitting and land acquisition, confirm that the Department of Water Resources has the authority to issue bonds to cover the project’s cost, prevent unnecessary litigation delays and support construction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom argues that the tunnel is imperative for adapting the state to a hotter and drier climate that could result in 10% less water by the 2040s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re done with barriers — our state needs to complete this project as soon as possible, so that we can better store and manage water to prepare for a hotter, drier future,” he said in a release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Delta Caucus agreed with Newsom that California’s current water system is outdated and unprepared to handle the storms or dry periods of the future. However, its members said that other solutions, including water recycling and fortifying delta levees, are better options to cure the state’s ongoing water woes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Robbing water from the north and drying out the north just to water the south doesn’t make it better at all,” said Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, D–Elk Grove. “We need to have a balanced approach and go back and invest in water recycling and storage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the administration called the caucus’ calls for other solutions “simplistic” and said they “ignore the practical realities and complexities of serving 27 million Californians.” The state needs an all-hands-on-deck approach that includes “modernizing the State Water Project while also advancing local solutions like recycling and desalination,” officials wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malissa Tayaba, vice chairperson of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, whose ancestral lands include the delta, said her tribe would be “irreparably harmed” by the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will not only lose access to our homelands that we have cared for and stewarded for time immemorial, but we will also lose our delta estuary, already in crisis,” she said. “More importantly, the Delta Conveyance Project would destroy and desecrate the resting place of our ancestors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ashley Overhouse, water policy adviser for Defenders of Wildlife, said that the tunnel would undermine Southern California’s efforts to promote water resilience on its own and that Newsom needs “to end his obsession with the tunnel\u003cem>.”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, she said Newsom should “start working more closely with Southern California communities” instead of “trying to force the tunnel down our throats” and work with delta communities on “a collaborative approach” that “everyone can get behind. It’s not too late.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the Southern California Water Coalition commended Newsom’s proposal, calling it a “bold initiative” that would enhance “water resiliency and reliability for Southern California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This initiative is vital for the 85% of Southern Californians who recognize the need for a secure water future,” said Charley Wilson, the group’s executive director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Toxic Catch: Bay Area Communities at Risk from PFAS in Local Fish",
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"content": "\u003cp>People have always fished in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">San Francisco Bay\u003c/a>. But they may also unknowingly consume unhealthy levels of persistent, dangerous chemicals with their catch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A study published on Tuesday from researchers at the San Francisco Estuary Institute found that 10 species of commonly consumed fish from the Bay frequently contain high levels of “forever chemicals,” which can take hundreds to thousands of years to break down and accumulate in the people and animals that eat them. The South Bay, the study found, is especially polluted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Study author Rebecca Sutton said she and colleagues have been worried about perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in local fish for decades. The study examined the prevalence of PFAS in shiner surfperch, striped bass, white croaker and seven other sport fish from the Bay over the last ten years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our concern is that there are a lot of fishing communities who eat a significant amount of fish from the Bay, and they could be more exposed to these highly toxic chemicals,” Sutton said. “With this study, we’re trying to assess the level of risk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The findings were staggering: In sampling nearly 100 fish between 2009 and 2019, effectively every sample contained PFAS. More than 80% of fish from the South Bay, which has less tidal “flushing” than other communities and more runoff from highly urbanized areas, had more PFAS than some state standards consider safe to eat once a week. The southern waterways tested were Coyote Creek, Redwood Creek and Artesian Slough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While fish caught in the northern and central Bay — around Berkeley, the Carquinez Strait, Oakland and Suisun Bay — were less contaminated, about a third of all fish were found to be above the one meal per week threshold, based on a serving size of 8 ounces of fillet meat with the skin off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California does not currently have a safety recommendation for PFAS in fish. Researchers used Massachusetts’ advisory threshold, which is currently the most stringent in the U.S., Sutton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PFAS refers to a broad class of thousands of chemicals made for use in consumer, commercial and industrial products — many used to make products stain-resistant or nonstick. They’re stable, repel water and oil and effectively never break down. They’re also bad for us, even in tiny amounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Trace exposures, like very low concentrations, are associated with all kinds of human health impacts,” Sutton said.[aside postID=news_12039891 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/SuisunMarshMain-1020x689.jpg']PFAS have been shown to increase the risk for several types of cancers, thyroid disease and other hormone-disruption issues, including fertility problems and developmental delays in children and immune system impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So, there’s a lot of actually really good epidemiological and animal studies showing major impacts, multi-system impacts in humans.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers detected elevated levels of one PFAS — the uncharismatically named “7:3 FTCA,” — not previously detected in marine fish. Sutton said this was their first time testing for it, using methods only recently standardized. Sutton and colleagues believe that these chemicals find their way into the Bay primarily from consumer products. That includes food packaging, waterproof fabrics, stain-resistant carpets and furniture, fire-suppression foams and nonstick pans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other bodies of water across the U.S., especially in places like the East Coast, Midwest and South, chemical manufacturing plants and industry can be key sources of PFAS pollution. Past\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/news/PFASinBayWater2022_Final.pdf\"> SFEI studies\u003c/a> have shown that treated wastewater and stormwater runoff from towns and cities are both PFAS routes to the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Department of Public Health declined a phone interview but shared a statement by email confirming that this research “provides evidence that parallels efforts at CDPH to understand PFAS exposures in Californians … This work will help address PFAS contamination in local food supplies, such as culturally inclusive fish consumption advisories.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indigenous and tribal communities, as well as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, frequently eat fish from the Bay and may be disproportionately affected by exposure to these dangerous chemicals. SFEI is collaborating with community groups such as\u003ca href=\"https://www.allpositivesp.org/about\"> All Positives Possible\u003c/a> to mitigate the impact on those whose culture is tied to the Bay’s fish and marine life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>*Correction: A previous version of this story described Rebecca Sutton as a lead author the study, when she is the corresponding author. Miguel Méndez is the lead author. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>People have always fished in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">San Francisco Bay\u003c/a>. But they may also unknowingly consume unhealthy levels of persistent, dangerous chemicals with their catch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A study published on Tuesday from researchers at the San Francisco Estuary Institute found that 10 species of commonly consumed fish from the Bay frequently contain high levels of “forever chemicals,” which can take hundreds to thousands of years to break down and accumulate in the people and animals that eat them. The South Bay, the study found, is especially polluted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Study author Rebecca Sutton said she and colleagues have been worried about perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in local fish for decades. The study examined the prevalence of PFAS in shiner surfperch, striped bass, white croaker and seven other sport fish from the Bay over the last ten years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our concern is that there are a lot of fishing communities who eat a significant amount of fish from the Bay, and they could be more exposed to these highly toxic chemicals,” Sutton said. “With this study, we’re trying to assess the level of risk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The findings were staggering: In sampling nearly 100 fish between 2009 and 2019, effectively every sample contained PFAS. More than 80% of fish from the South Bay, which has less tidal “flushing” than other communities and more runoff from highly urbanized areas, had more PFAS than some state standards consider safe to eat once a week. The southern waterways tested were Coyote Creek, Redwood Creek and Artesian Slough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While fish caught in the northern and central Bay — around Berkeley, the Carquinez Strait, Oakland and Suisun Bay — were less contaminated, about a third of all fish were found to be above the one meal per week threshold, based on a serving size of 8 ounces of fillet meat with the skin off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California does not currently have a safety recommendation for PFAS in fish. Researchers used Massachusetts’ advisory threshold, which is currently the most stringent in the U.S., Sutton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PFAS refers to a broad class of thousands of chemicals made for use in consumer, commercial and industrial products — many used to make products stain-resistant or nonstick. They’re stable, repel water and oil and effectively never break down. They’re also bad for us, even in tiny amounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Trace exposures, like very low concentrations, are associated with all kinds of human health impacts,” Sutton said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>PFAS have been shown to increase the risk for several types of cancers, thyroid disease and other hormone-disruption issues, including fertility problems and developmental delays in children and immune system impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So, there’s a lot of actually really good epidemiological and animal studies showing major impacts, multi-system impacts in humans.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers detected elevated levels of one PFAS — the uncharismatically named “7:3 FTCA,” — not previously detected in marine fish. Sutton said this was their first time testing for it, using methods only recently standardized. Sutton and colleagues believe that these chemicals find their way into the Bay primarily from consumer products. That includes food packaging, waterproof fabrics, stain-resistant carpets and furniture, fire-suppression foams and nonstick pans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other bodies of water across the U.S., especially in places like the East Coast, Midwest and South, chemical manufacturing plants and industry can be key sources of PFAS pollution. Past\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/news/PFASinBayWater2022_Final.pdf\"> SFEI studies\u003c/a> have shown that treated wastewater and stormwater runoff from towns and cities are both PFAS routes to the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Department of Public Health declined a phone interview but shared a statement by email confirming that this research “provides evidence that parallels efforts at CDPH to understand PFAS exposures in Californians … This work will help address PFAS contamination in local food supplies, such as culturally inclusive fish consumption advisories.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indigenous and tribal communities, as well as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, frequently eat fish from the Bay and may be disproportionately affected by exposure to these dangerous chemicals. SFEI is collaborating with community groups such as\u003ca href=\"https://www.allpositivesp.org/about\"> All Positives Possible\u003c/a> to mitigate the impact on those whose culture is tied to the Bay’s fish and marine life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>*Correction: A previous version of this story described Rebecca Sutton as a lead author the study, when she is the corresponding author. Miguel Méndez is the lead author. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "she-lost-her-tongue-to-cancer-found-her-voice-through-ai",
"title": "Cancer Stole Her Voice. Curse Words, Children’s Books and AI Saved It",
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"content": "\u003cp>When doctors told her they had to remove her tongue and voice box to save her life from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/cancer\">cancer\u003c/a> that invaded her mouth, Sonya Sotinsky recorded herself saying the things she would never again be able to say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m proud of you,” “happy birthday” and “I love you” topped the phrases she banked for her husband and two daughters, as well as “I’ll be right with you,” intended for customers at the architecture firm she helped run in Tucson, Arizona.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one of the biggest categories of sound files was a string of curse words and expletive-laden sayings in her signature inflection. If the voice is the primary expression of personality, then profanity is essential to Sotinsky’s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Other people project what they think your personality is. When you can’t use your voice, it is very, very frustrating. I have silently screamed and screamed at there being no scream,” Sotinsky typed into a wireless keyboard she now carries everywhere. “What the literal you know what?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pervasive mouth cancer propelled Sotinsky to explore the existential importance of the human voice. Her unique intonation, cadence and slight New Jersey accent were fingerprints of her identity. How we speak is how we express ourselves, connect with others and make sense of the world. Sotinsky refused to be silenced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While her doctors and insurance company saved her life, she said they showed little interest in saving her voice, so she set out on her own to research and identify the artificial intelligence company that could. It used the recordings Sotinsky banked of her natural voice to build an exact replica now stored in an app on her phone, allowing her to type and speak once again with a full range of sentiment and sarcasm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She got her sass back,” said Sotinsky’s daughter, Ela Fuentevilla. “When we heard her AI voice, we all cried, my sister, my dad and I. It’s crazy similar.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996478\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996478 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sonya Sotinsky talks with her daughter, Ela Fuentevilla, and their dog Harlee at Crane Cove Park in San Francisco on March 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It took close to a year for doctors to catch Sotinsky’s cancer. She complained to her dentist and orthodontist multiple times about pain in her tooth and jaw and a strange sensation under her tongue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She had trouble drinking, water regularly dribbling down her chin. But they sent her away, once with a mouth guard to correct a jaw disorder, another time with a prescription for Botox treatments to relax the jaw muscles. When the pain got so intense she could no longer speak at the end of each day, Sotinsky insisted that the orthodontist take a closer look at her mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11904502 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/nypldigitalcollections5e66b3e8-faf1-d471-e040-e00a180654d7001w-1.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A shadow cast over his face. I saw it when he leaned back — that look you don’t want to see,” Sotinsky said. “That look that I probably shouldn’t have missed this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Head and neck cancer rates in the U.S. have declined steadily in recent decades, in step with declines in smoking, chewing tobacco and drinking. HPV-related throat cancers, contracted through oral sex and even kissing, have gone up, accounting for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-hpv-vaccine-access-and-use-in-the-u-s/#:~:text=Compared%20to%202022%2C%20national%20HPV,been%20rapidly%20rising%20since%202016\">70%\u003c/a> of roughly \u003ca href=\"https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/oralcav.html#:~:text=at%20a%20Glance-,At%20a%20Glance,69.5%25%202015%E2%80%932021\">60,000 new head and neck cancer diagnoses\u003c/a> each year. Uptake of a 2006 HPV vaccine that can prevent such cancers has been modest, with about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-hpv-vaccine-access-and-use-in-the-u-s/#:~:text=Compared%20to%202022%2C%20national%20HPV,been%20rapidly%20rising%20since%202016\">60% of adolescents\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/adult-non-flu-vaccines/us-data-show-only-16-adults-27-45-have-received-hpv-vaccine#:~:text=for%20Priority%20Pathogens-,US%20data%20show%20only%2016%25%20of%20adults%2027%20to,have%20received%20an%20HPV%20vaccine&text=Only%2016%25%20of%20US%20adults,to%2045%20years%2C%20as%20well\">less than 16% of adults\u003c/a> up to date on their shots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sotinsky’s cancer likely derived from the third common cause: a genetic mutation or day-to-day cut, bite or burn to the mouth that stimulated abnormal cell growth during the healing process. By the time Sotinsky arrived at UCSF’s oncology department for treatment, the cancerous cells were so widespread that surgeons had to remove her entire tongue and her voice box. In medical terms, a total glossectomy and laryngectomy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996858\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996858\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Sue Yom, a radiation oncologist, stands in a room used for radiation treatments for cancer patients at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus on May 16, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Laryngectomy is one of the most terrifying and impactful outcomes for a patient surviving cancer,” said Dr. Sue Yom, Sotinsky’s radiation oncologist at UCSF.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People who lose their voice box, she added, are at \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/220917\">higher risk for long-term emotional distress\u003c/a>, depression and physical pain compared to those who retain it after treatment. Close to \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30927102/\">a third lose their job\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://hqlo.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12955-025-02334-6\">social isolation\u003c/a> is profound. Mouth and throat cancer survivors often become unable to swallow or eat solid foods around the same time they become unable to speak, making it difficult to join family gatherings that revolve around food and take place in noisy settings where assistive speaking technologies don’t work well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your voice is your identity,” Yom said. “Communication is not only how we express ourselves and relate to other people, but also how we make sense of the world. When the voice is no longer available, you can’t hear yourself thinking out loud, you can’t hear yourself interacting with other people. It impacts how your mind works.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sotinsky understood this instinctively when she sat down to record her phrases and curse words. Thinking about the grandchildren she desperately hoped to see born one day, she also recorded herself reading more than a dozen children’s books, from Eloise to Dr. Seuss, to play for them one day at bedtime. In the five weeks between her diagnosis and surgery, she banked as much of her voice as she could manage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0385814606001751#:~:text=Electrolarynx%20(EL)%20speech%20is%20the%20most%20commonly%20adopted%20alaryngeal%20phonation.&text=But%20due%20to%20the%20low%20acquisition%20rate,the%20most%20commonly%20adopted%20form%20of%20phonation\">Most laryngectomy patients learn to speak again with an electrolarynx\u003c/a>, a small battery-operated box held against the throat that produces a monotonic, mechanical voice. But without a tongue to shape her words, Sotinsky knew that wouldn’t work. At the time of her surgery in January 2022, AI voices were still in their infancy. The best technology she could find yielded a synthetic version of her voice, but it was still flat and robotic and others strained to understand what she said or inferred the wrong meaning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996481\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996481\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sonya Sotinsky sits at Crane Cove Park in San Francisco on March 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She got by until mid-2024 when she discovered \u003ca href=\"https://elevenlabs.io/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=us_brandsearch_brand_english&utm_id=20455649470&utm_term=eleven%20labs&utm_content=brand_-_brand&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20455649470&gbraid=0AAAAAp9ksTHfvLkSvpw3I8SyBHG1EUD1c&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2tHABhCiARIsANZzDWoTK9HiJjwUWs4u7OQEWkVDoy5s1Yx2HpsP-odC-8WEau2QLqXJ_KkaAnhHEALw_wcB\">Eleven Labs\u003c/a>, an AI company that relied on her children’s book readings and banked phrases to build the full, rounded voice clone she uses today. It gets funneled through a text-to-speech app on Sotinsky’s phone, called \u003ca href=\"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whisper-talk-without-voice/id6446479064\">Whisper\u003c/a>, that translates what she types into her AI voice and broadcasts it through portable speakers. Her doctors were awestruck when they heard it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes people inadvertently equate loss of voice with a loss of intelligence,” Yom said. “And what Sonya really shows is, ‘I have a lot of ideas. I have a lot to say. I can take my place with anybody speaking my mind.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yom was blown away by the force and beauty of Sotinsky’s AI voice, but also all the effort and resourcefulness that went into making it happen. Most doctors and speech therapists who work with head and neck cancer patients don’t realize AI software can be used this way, and with their focus on saving lives, Yom said, they often don’t have the bandwidth to encourage patients to record their voices before losing them.[aside postID=science_1996504 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/IMG_0962-1020x765.jpg']Health insurance companies likewise prioritize treatments that extend life over those that improve its quality — and typically avoid covering new technologies until data proves their actuarial value. Sotinsky and her daughter spent months wrangling with claims adjusters at \u003ca href=\"https://www.azblue.com/\">Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona\u003c/a>, but the insurer refused to reimburse Sotinsky for the $3,000 she spent on her initial assistive speaking technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Apparently, having a voice is not considered a medical necessity,” Sotinsky quipped, her AI voice edged with sarcasm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her daughter was taken aback by the insurance denial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were like, ‘How can these people not think that you need this?’” said Fuentevilla, 22, nodding toward her mom. “You get to a point where you can’t argue with them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sotinsky now pays the $99 monthly fee for her AI voice clone out of pocket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While health plans cover both routine and life-saving care, assistive communication devices are typically not covered,” said Teresa Joseph, a spokesperson for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. “As AI provides opportunities to impact health, we imagine that coverage criteria will evolve nationally.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996824\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996824\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cara Evans, a speech-language pathologist who worked with Sotinsky, stands in a hospital room at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on May 14, 2025. \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A former opera singer, Evans helps people learn to speak again after losing their voice box. “Our voice is so distinctive. It’s the same as how we look,” she said. “Part of my job is helping patients go through the process of grieving and accepting the changes to their voice.”\u003c/span> \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sotinsky believes insurance companies and research agencies have historically invested little in solving the voice problems of head and neck cancer patients because of the social perception that their disease is somehow their fault: the result of smoking, chewing tobacco, or having too much sex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have no voice,” she said with a raised eyebrow. “The population is small, not well respected, not got a lot of advocates.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She resolved to use her newfound voice to help others regain theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sotinsky built two websites detailing her voice banking journey — \u003ca href=\"http://voicebanknow.com\">voicebanknow.com\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://glossectomygirl.com\">glossectomygirl.com\u003c/a>. She tells her story at conferences and webinars, including an oncology conference Yom organized for 80 scientists. One doctor who attended, Jennifer De Los Santos, was so inspired by hearing Sotinsky’s voice that she began laying the groundwork for a clinical trial on the impact AI technology has on patients’ communication and quality of life, generating the data health insurers need to measure actuarial value.[aside postID=news_12038154 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/StanfordStudyAIChatbotsKidsGetty-1020x680.jpg']“That will allow us to justify getting it funded,” said De Los Santos, a head and neck cancer researcher and professor at Washington University in St. Louis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breast cancer survivors faced a similar battle in the 1980s and 90s, she added. Insurers initially refused to cover the cost of breast reconstruction after a mastectomy, calling the procedure cosmetic and unnecessary. It took years of patient advocacy and carefully crafted data showing reconstruction had a profound impact on women’s physical and emotional well-being before the federal government \u003ca href=\"https://www.cms.gov/cciio/programs-and-initiatives/other-insurance-protections/whcra_factsheet#:~:text=The%20Women's%20Health%20and%20Cancer,of%20the%20mastectomy%2C%20including%20lymphedema\">mandated insurance coverage\u003c/a> in 1998.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both De Los Santos and Yom said research data on AI voice clones will likely follow a similar path, eventually proving that a fully functioning, natural-sounding, highly personal voice can lead to stronger social connections, better job prospects and, ultimately, a longer life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Eleven Labs started a charity program dedicated to building \u003ca href=\"https://elevenlabs.io/impact-program\">one million voices\u003c/a> for free for people with ALS, head and neck cancer and other medical conditions. Its primary commercial business — providing AI voiceovers to dub films into 32 languages — has been so “wildly successful” that it generates enough revenue to subsidize free voices for those in need, said Sophia Noel, who runs the impact program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now other people who are in silence can have their voices back,” Sotinsky said, tears welling in her eyes. It was the outcome she had always hoped for when she began spreading the word to others and asking patient nonprofits to forge partnerships with AI companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996480\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996480\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sonya Sotinsky walks through Crane Cove Park with her daughter, Ela Fuentevilla, and their dog Harlee in San Francisco on March 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But she slowed down her one-woman-advocacy freight train recently. Her cancer resurged in her lungs and liver earlier this year, so she redirected her energy back to managing her own health and survival. Being able to communicate with her doctors at UCSF and participate fully in developing a treatment plan has shown her just how “medically necessary” having a voice is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She noticed doctors and nurses take her more seriously. They don’t tune out the way people often did when she relied on her more robotic, synthesized voice. It seemed they saw her as more fully human.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If someone can only communicate using a few words at a time and not elaborate and interface more fully, it’s natural that you can’t detect that they have more depth of thought,” she said. “Being able to dialogue with my care team in a more seamless way is vital.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, while doctors cleared her of the latest cancer recurrence, Sotinsky said she is confronting the odds of her cancer more fully, facing the reality that she will likely die much sooner than she wants. So Sotinsky directed the power of her voice back to her family, connecting with them, joking with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All over again, she realized how crucial her voice is for maintaining perspective on life and a sense of humor in the face of death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I tend to forget and think I am fine, when in reality, this is forever now. Emotionally, you start to get cocky again and this was like, ‘Whoa, bitch, we ain’t playing.’ This cancer is real,” Sotinsky said, typing her next phrase with a mischievous grin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sarcasm is part of my love language.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Sonya Sotinsky recorded herself speaking and reading aloud to preserve a vital part of her identity — her voice. Now, with help from artificial intelligence, she can speak again.",
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"title": "Cancer Stole Her Voice. Curse Words, Children’s Books and AI Saved It | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When doctors told her they had to remove her tongue and voice box to save her life from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/cancer\">cancer\u003c/a> that invaded her mouth, Sonya Sotinsky recorded herself saying the things she would never again be able to say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m proud of you,” “happy birthday” and “I love you” topped the phrases she banked for her husband and two daughters, as well as “I’ll be right with you,” intended for customers at the architecture firm she helped run in Tucson, Arizona.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one of the biggest categories of sound files was a string of curse words and expletive-laden sayings in her signature inflection. If the voice is the primary expression of personality, then profanity is essential to Sotinsky’s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Other people project what they think your personality is. When you can’t use your voice, it is very, very frustrating. I have silently screamed and screamed at there being no scream,” Sotinsky typed into a wireless keyboard she now carries everywhere. “What the literal you know what?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pervasive mouth cancer propelled Sotinsky to explore the existential importance of the human voice. Her unique intonation, cadence and slight New Jersey accent were fingerprints of her identity. How we speak is how we express ourselves, connect with others and make sense of the world. Sotinsky refused to be silenced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While her doctors and insurance company saved her life, she said they showed little interest in saving her voice, so she set out on her own to research and identify the artificial intelligence company that could. It used the recordings Sotinsky banked of her natural voice to build an exact replica now stored in an app on her phone, allowing her to type and speak once again with a full range of sentiment and sarcasm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She got her sass back,” said Sotinsky’s daughter, Ela Fuentevilla. “When we heard her AI voice, we all cried, my sister, my dad and I. It’s crazy similar.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996478\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996478 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-04-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sonya Sotinsky talks with her daughter, Ela Fuentevilla, and their dog Harlee at Crane Cove Park in San Francisco on March 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It took close to a year for doctors to catch Sotinsky’s cancer. She complained to her dentist and orthodontist multiple times about pain in her tooth and jaw and a strange sensation under her tongue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She had trouble drinking, water regularly dribbling down her chin. But they sent her away, once with a mouth guard to correct a jaw disorder, another time with a prescription for Botox treatments to relax the jaw muscles. When the pain got so intense she could no longer speak at the end of each day, Sotinsky insisted that the orthodontist take a closer look at her mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A shadow cast over his face. I saw it when he leaned back — that look you don’t want to see,” Sotinsky said. “That look that I probably shouldn’t have missed this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Head and neck cancer rates in the U.S. have declined steadily in recent decades, in step with declines in smoking, chewing tobacco and drinking. HPV-related throat cancers, contracted through oral sex and even kissing, have gone up, accounting for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-hpv-vaccine-access-and-use-in-the-u-s/#:~:text=Compared%20to%202022%2C%20national%20HPV,been%20rapidly%20rising%20since%202016\">70%\u003c/a> of roughly \u003ca href=\"https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/oralcav.html#:~:text=at%20a%20Glance-,At%20a%20Glance,69.5%25%202015%E2%80%932021\">60,000 new head and neck cancer diagnoses\u003c/a> each year. Uptake of a 2006 HPV vaccine that can prevent such cancers has been modest, with about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-hpv-vaccine-access-and-use-in-the-u-s/#:~:text=Compared%20to%202022%2C%20national%20HPV,been%20rapidly%20rising%20since%202016\">60% of adolescents\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/adult-non-flu-vaccines/us-data-show-only-16-adults-27-45-have-received-hpv-vaccine#:~:text=for%20Priority%20Pathogens-,US%20data%20show%20only%2016%25%20of%20adults%2027%20to,have%20received%20an%20HPV%20vaccine&text=Only%2016%25%20of%20US%20adults,to%2045%20years%2C%20as%20well\">less than 16% of adults\u003c/a> up to date on their shots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sotinsky’s cancer likely derived from the third common cause: a genetic mutation or day-to-day cut, bite or burn to the mouth that stimulated abnormal cell growth during the healing process. By the time Sotinsky arrived at UCSF’s oncology department for treatment, the cancerous cells were so widespread that surgeons had to remove her entire tongue and her voice box. In medical terms, a total glossectomy and laryngectomy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996858\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996858\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250516-AIVOICEBANK-03-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Sue Yom, a radiation oncologist, stands in a room used for radiation treatments for cancer patients at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus on May 16, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Laryngectomy is one of the most terrifying and impactful outcomes for a patient surviving cancer,” said Dr. Sue Yom, Sotinsky’s radiation oncologist at UCSF.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People who lose their voice box, she added, are at \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/220917\">higher risk for long-term emotional distress\u003c/a>, depression and physical pain compared to those who retain it after treatment. Close to \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30927102/\">a third lose their job\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://hqlo.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12955-025-02334-6\">social isolation\u003c/a> is profound. Mouth and throat cancer survivors often become unable to swallow or eat solid foods around the same time they become unable to speak, making it difficult to join family gatherings that revolve around food and take place in noisy settings where assistive speaking technologies don’t work well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your voice is your identity,” Yom said. “Communication is not only how we express ourselves and relate to other people, but also how we make sense of the world. When the voice is no longer available, you can’t hear yourself thinking out loud, you can’t hear yourself interacting with other people. It impacts how your mind works.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sotinsky understood this instinctively when she sat down to record her phrases and curse words. Thinking about the grandchildren she desperately hoped to see born one day, she also recorded herself reading more than a dozen children’s books, from Eloise to Dr. Seuss, to play for them one day at bedtime. In the five weeks between her diagnosis and surgery, she banked as much of her voice as she could manage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0385814606001751#:~:text=Electrolarynx%20(EL)%20speech%20is%20the%20most%20commonly%20adopted%20alaryngeal%20phonation.&text=But%20due%20to%20the%20low%20acquisition%20rate,the%20most%20commonly%20adopted%20form%20of%20phonation\">Most laryngectomy patients learn to speak again with an electrolarynx\u003c/a>, a small battery-operated box held against the throat that produces a monotonic, mechanical voice. But without a tongue to shape her words, Sotinsky knew that wouldn’t work. At the time of her surgery in January 2022, AI voices were still in their infancy. The best technology she could find yielded a synthetic version of her voice, but it was still flat and robotic and others strained to understand what she said or inferred the wrong meaning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996481\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996481\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-14-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sonya Sotinsky sits at Crane Cove Park in San Francisco on March 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She got by until mid-2024 when she discovered \u003ca href=\"https://elevenlabs.io/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=us_brandsearch_brand_english&utm_id=20455649470&utm_term=eleven%20labs&utm_content=brand_-_brand&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20455649470&gbraid=0AAAAAp9ksTHfvLkSvpw3I8SyBHG1EUD1c&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2tHABhCiARIsANZzDWoTK9HiJjwUWs4u7OQEWkVDoy5s1Yx2HpsP-odC-8WEau2QLqXJ_KkaAnhHEALw_wcB\">Eleven Labs\u003c/a>, an AI company that relied on her children’s book readings and banked phrases to build the full, rounded voice clone she uses today. It gets funneled through a text-to-speech app on Sotinsky’s phone, called \u003ca href=\"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whisper-talk-without-voice/id6446479064\">Whisper\u003c/a>, that translates what she types into her AI voice and broadcasts it through portable speakers. Her doctors were awestruck when they heard it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes people inadvertently equate loss of voice with a loss of intelligence,” Yom said. “And what Sonya really shows is, ‘I have a lot of ideas. I have a lot to say. I can take my place with anybody speaking my mind.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yom was blown away by the force and beauty of Sotinsky’s AI voice, but also all the effort and resourcefulness that went into making it happen. Most doctors and speech therapists who work with head and neck cancer patients don’t realize AI software can be used this way, and with their focus on saving lives, Yom said, they often don’t have the bandwidth to encourage patients to record their voices before losing them.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Health insurance companies likewise prioritize treatments that extend life over those that improve its quality — and typically avoid covering new technologies until data proves their actuarial value. Sotinsky and her daughter spent months wrangling with claims adjusters at \u003ca href=\"https://www.azblue.com/\">Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona\u003c/a>, but the insurer refused to reimburse Sotinsky for the $3,000 she spent on her initial assistive speaking technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Apparently, having a voice is not considered a medical necessity,” Sotinsky quipped, her AI voice edged with sarcasm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her daughter was taken aback by the insurance denial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were like, ‘How can these people not think that you need this?’” said Fuentevilla, 22, nodding toward her mom. “You get to a point where you can’t argue with them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sotinsky now pays the $99 monthly fee for her AI voice clone out of pocket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While health plans cover both routine and life-saving care, assistive communication devices are typically not covered,” said Teresa Joseph, a spokesperson for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. “As AI provides opportunities to impact health, we imagine that coverage criteria will evolve nationally.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996824\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996824\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250514-AIVoiceBank-01-BL_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cara Evans, a speech-language pathologist who worked with Sotinsky, stands in a hospital room at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on May 14, 2025. \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A former opera singer, Evans helps people learn to speak again after losing their voice box. “Our voice is so distinctive. It’s the same as how we look,” she said. “Part of my job is helping patients go through the process of grieving and accepting the changes to their voice.”\u003c/span> \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sotinsky believes insurance companies and research agencies have historically invested little in solving the voice problems of head and neck cancer patients because of the social perception that their disease is somehow their fault: the result of smoking, chewing tobacco, or having too much sex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have no voice,” she said with a raised eyebrow. “The population is small, not well respected, not got a lot of advocates.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She resolved to use her newfound voice to help others regain theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sotinsky built two websites detailing her voice banking journey — \u003ca href=\"http://voicebanknow.com\">voicebanknow.com\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://glossectomygirl.com\">glossectomygirl.com\u003c/a>. She tells her story at conferences and webinars, including an oncology conference Yom organized for 80 scientists. One doctor who attended, Jennifer De Los Santos, was so inspired by hearing Sotinsky’s voice that she began laying the groundwork for a clinical trial on the impact AI technology has on patients’ communication and quality of life, generating the data health insurers need to measure actuarial value.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“That will allow us to justify getting it funded,” said De Los Santos, a head and neck cancer researcher and professor at Washington University in St. Louis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breast cancer survivors faced a similar battle in the 1980s and 90s, she added. Insurers initially refused to cover the cost of breast reconstruction after a mastectomy, calling the procedure cosmetic and unnecessary. It took years of patient advocacy and carefully crafted data showing reconstruction had a profound impact on women’s physical and emotional well-being before the federal government \u003ca href=\"https://www.cms.gov/cciio/programs-and-initiatives/other-insurance-protections/whcra_factsheet#:~:text=The%20Women's%20Health%20and%20Cancer,of%20the%20mastectomy%2C%20including%20lymphedema\">mandated insurance coverage\u003c/a> in 1998.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both De Los Santos and Yom said research data on AI voice clones will likely follow a similar path, eventually proving that a fully functioning, natural-sounding, highly personal voice can lead to stronger social connections, better job prospects and, ultimately, a longer life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Eleven Labs started a charity program dedicated to building \u003ca href=\"https://elevenlabs.io/impact-program\">one million voices\u003c/a> for free for people with ALS, head and neck cancer and other medical conditions. Its primary commercial business — providing AI voiceovers to dub films into 32 languages — has been so “wildly successful” that it generates enough revenue to subsidize free voices for those in need, said Sophia Noel, who runs the impact program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now other people who are in silence can have their voices back,” Sotinsky said, tears welling in her eyes. It was the outcome she had always hoped for when she began spreading the word to others and asking patient nonprofits to forge partnerships with AI companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996480\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996480\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250325-AIVOICEBANK-12-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sonya Sotinsky walks through Crane Cove Park with her daughter, Ela Fuentevilla, and their dog Harlee in San Francisco on March 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But she slowed down her one-woman-advocacy freight train recently. Her cancer resurged in her lungs and liver earlier this year, so she redirected her energy back to managing her own health and survival. Being able to communicate with her doctors at UCSF and participate fully in developing a treatment plan has shown her just how “medically necessary” having a voice is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She noticed doctors and nurses take her more seriously. They don’t tune out the way people often did when she relied on her more robotic, synthesized voice. It seemed they saw her as more fully human.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If someone can only communicate using a few words at a time and not elaborate and interface more fully, it’s natural that you can’t detect that they have more depth of thought,” she said. “Being able to dialogue with my care team in a more seamless way is vital.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, while doctors cleared her of the latest cancer recurrence, Sotinsky said she is confronting the odds of her cancer more fully, facing the reality that she will likely die much sooner than she wants. So Sotinsky directed the power of her voice back to her family, connecting with them, joking with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All over again, she realized how crucial her voice is for maintaining perspective on life and a sense of humor in the face of death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I tend to forget and think I am fine, when in reality, this is forever now. Emotionally, you start to get cocky again and this was like, ‘Whoa, bitch, we ain’t playing.’ This cancer is real,” Sotinsky said, typing her next phrase with a mischievous grin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sarcasm is part of my love language.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "PG&E Proposes New Rate Increase, But Says Customer Bills Won’t Rise — Yet",
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"content": "\u003cp>PG&E proposed a new rate plan for 2027–30 to state regulators Thursday, one they say would net no change to customer bills for the next two years, approximately, due to cutting out other expenses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On its own, the proposal, submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission, shows an average increase of 3.5% in 2027 combined gas and electric bills, about a $9 monthly jump. But PG&E said that the cost would be offset by deducting other charges from customers’ bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plan projects average annual increases of between 3.2% and 3.4% from 2028 to 2030 — about $9 more year-over-year than the current average utility bill. However, PG&E representatives cautioned that those figures could change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposal, called a “general rate case,” is a requirement of major investor-owned utilities that establishes base energy rates to cover operations, maintenance and system upgrades. Utilities must submit one every four years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E executives said costs associated with previous general rate cases, as well as old wildfire mitigation and storm recovery costs, will be removed from customer bills, helping to offset the rate increases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1985636\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1985636\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A utility meter.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A PG&E electricity meter on a residential building in Berkeley, on April 26, 2023. \u003ccite>(Kori Suzuki/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033386/pge-electricity-rates-have-jumped-nearly-70-since-2020\">KQED analysis\u003c/a>, the average utility bill for PG&E customers increased by about 67% over the last five years. PG&E customers pay some of \u003ca href=\"https://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2025/4950/Residential-Electricity-Rates-010725.pdf\">the highest utility rates in the country\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are transforming the company, and this filing is a demonstration of that,” said Carla Peterman, PG&E’s executive vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company wants to use funds to modernize and wildfire-proof the grid, increase the use of clean energy, and replace gas pipelines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peterman said the utility has found ways to save money through new processes and technologies, such as using drones to inspect poles and wires faster and at a lower cost. She said their proposal represents “the new PG&E,” and a concerted effort to rebuild trust with customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mark Toney, executive director of TURN, The Utility Reform Network, said touting just a small increase or rates that remain flat is disingenuous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The rates that are currently being paid are grossly inflated and they’re artificially high because PG&E had such atrocious overspending on wildfire mitigation in 2020 to 2022,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12033386 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/P1100941_qed-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company spent more than double what they were supposed to on efforts to reduce wildfire risk, Toney said, and customers are bearing the brunt of that. TURN and other consumer representatives argue investor-owned utilities are incentivized to overspend on capital projects, like hardening the grid against wildfires, because that type of investment brings in returns for shareholders. Instead of protecting power lines by insulating them, which is cheaper and faster, a utility may instead underground those wires, a more expensive and more time-consuming option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do not believe there is any need for any rate increases at this point,” said Roger Lin, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Energy Justice program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toney cautioned customers that while the numbers in PG&E’s rate case may look moderate, the company has other avenues to ask for cost increases outside of its general rate case, including for wildfire liabilities, storm damage, or grid emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So on one hand, they’re saying, ‘We’re being very frugal and we’re going to have a general rate case with only a small request.’ But that has not stopped PG&E from asking for multiple rate increases in all the other areas,” Toney said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E, however, says all of their pending increase requests are factored into their projection that bills will be flat in 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>High electricity bills are a tremendous burden for low-income earners in the state, forcing some to decide between cooling their homes during heat waves or paying for other expenses. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11970332/rising-utility-costs-compound-californias-housing-crisis\">Energy insecurity is also a contributing factor in the state’s housing and homelessness crisis\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The lower your income, the higher percent of your income you have to pay for an absolutely essential necessity of life,” Toney said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC will analyze PG&E’s proposal alongside input from the public and consumer advocates. The regulatory agency will then decide how much of the proposal to approve, often suggesting a lower rate than what is submitted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its 2023 proposal, PG&E requested a 26% rate increase. \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/news-and-updates/all-news/cpuc-prioritizes-safety-reliability-and-affordability-in-pge-rate-case-2023\">The CPUC approved 11%.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "PG&E executives on Thursday asked state regulators for what they say is the smallest rate increase in a decade, but critics say the company should not need to raise prices and is misspending customer money. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>PG&E proposed a new rate plan for 2027–30 to state regulators Thursday, one they say would net no change to customer bills for the next two years, approximately, due to cutting out other expenses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On its own, the proposal, submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission, shows an average increase of 3.5% in 2027 combined gas and electric bills, about a $9 monthly jump. But PG&E said that the cost would be offset by deducting other charges from customers’ bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plan projects average annual increases of between 3.2% and 3.4% from 2028 to 2030 — about $9 more year-over-year than the current average utility bill. However, PG&E representatives cautioned that those figures could change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposal, called a “general rate case,” is a requirement of major investor-owned utilities that establishes base energy rates to cover operations, maintenance and system upgrades. Utilities must submit one every four years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E executives said costs associated with previous general rate cases, as well as old wildfire mitigation and storm recovery costs, will be removed from customer bills, helping to offset the rate increases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1985636\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1985636\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A utility meter.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/12/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-426-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A PG&E electricity meter on a residential building in Berkeley, on April 26, 2023. \u003ccite>(Kori Suzuki/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033386/pge-electricity-rates-have-jumped-nearly-70-since-2020\">KQED analysis\u003c/a>, the average utility bill for PG&E customers increased by about 67% over the last five years. PG&E customers pay some of \u003ca href=\"https://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2025/4950/Residential-Electricity-Rates-010725.pdf\">the highest utility rates in the country\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are transforming the company, and this filing is a demonstration of that,” said Carla Peterman, PG&E’s executive vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company wants to use funds to modernize and wildfire-proof the grid, increase the use of clean energy, and replace gas pipelines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peterman said the utility has found ways to save money through new processes and technologies, such as using drones to inspect poles and wires faster and at a lower cost. She said their proposal represents “the new PG&E,” and a concerted effort to rebuild trust with customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mark Toney, executive director of TURN, The Utility Reform Network, said touting just a small increase or rates that remain flat is disingenuous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The rates that are currently being paid are grossly inflated and they’re artificially high because PG&E had such atrocious overspending on wildfire mitigation in 2020 to 2022,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company spent more than double what they were supposed to on efforts to reduce wildfire risk, Toney said, and customers are bearing the brunt of that. TURN and other consumer representatives argue investor-owned utilities are incentivized to overspend on capital projects, like hardening the grid against wildfires, because that type of investment brings in returns for shareholders. Instead of protecting power lines by insulating them, which is cheaper and faster, a utility may instead underground those wires, a more expensive and more time-consuming option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do not believe there is any need for any rate increases at this point,” said Roger Lin, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Energy Justice program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toney cautioned customers that while the numbers in PG&E’s rate case may look moderate, the company has other avenues to ask for cost increases outside of its general rate case, including for wildfire liabilities, storm damage, or grid emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So on one hand, they’re saying, ‘We’re being very frugal and we’re going to have a general rate case with only a small request.’ But that has not stopped PG&E from asking for multiple rate increases in all the other areas,” Toney said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E, however, says all of their pending increase requests are factored into their projection that bills will be flat in 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>High electricity bills are a tremendous burden for low-income earners in the state, forcing some to decide between cooling their homes during heat waves or paying for other expenses. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11970332/rising-utility-costs-compound-californias-housing-crisis\">Energy insecurity is also a contributing factor in the state’s housing and homelessness crisis\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The lower your income, the higher percent of your income you have to pay for an absolutely essential necessity of life,” Toney said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC will analyze PG&E’s proposal alongside input from the public and consumer advocates. The regulatory agency will then decide how much of the proposal to approve, often suggesting a lower rate than what is submitted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its 2023 proposal, PG&E requested a 26% rate increase. \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/news-and-updates/all-news/cpuc-prioritizes-safety-reliability-and-affordability-in-pge-rate-case-2023\">The CPUC approved 11%.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "This Sea Lion Can Dance to the Beat Better Than Humans",
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"content": "\u003cp>If you remember \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utkb1nOJnD4\">Snowball the cockatoo grooving to the Backstreet Boys\u003c/a> in 2007, you might also recall Ronan, the Santa Cruz \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4nBevZJMvk\">sea lion who made headlines in 2013 for bobbing her head to the beat of “Boogie Wonderland\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, Ronan, Bay Area’s beloved dancing sea lion, is back in the spotlight twelve years later — and she headbangs still with serious rhythm. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-95279-1\">new study\u003c/a>, researchers found that Ronan can not only bob her head to a beat — she can do it with more precision than some humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers are looking at how animals perceive and respond to musical elements like rhythm and beat in the growing scientific field of biomusicality. Ronan’s sense of rhythm helped scientists understand whether the ability to move to a beat is uniquely human or something other animals can do, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If sea lions and humans are doing the same thing, where does rhythm come from and in what ways are humans unique?” said Peter Cook, the study’s lead author and a comparative neuroscientist now at New College of Florida. Cook is also a researcher with UC Santa Cruz’s \u003ca href=\"https://ims.ucsc.edu/\">Institute of Marine Sciences\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ronan first stunned researchers \u003ca href=\"https://news.ucsc.edu/2013/04/sea-lion-beat/\">in 2013\u003c/a> when she moved in sync with music, adjusting her head movements along with a song, staying with the tempo as it changed. In this latest study, researchers tested her beat-keeping again — this time against humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zZc18B8ZW0\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers filmed Ronan bobbing her head to a metronome at three speeds —112, 120, and 128 beats per minute. Previously, she practiced only at 120 beats per minute, so the other two rhythms were new to her. At her best, Ronan stayed within just 15 milliseconds of the beat, ten times faster than a human blink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, researchers recruited 10 UC Santa Cruz undergrads with no formal musical training beyond what they received in middle school to see how their rhythm compared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of bobbing their heads, they were asked to move their arms in time with the metronome. “We had them waggle their arms up and down, basically covering about the same amount of space that Ronan covers with her head. And then we looked at the precision and the consistency of Ronan and the humans,” Cook said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results? Ronan came out on top.[aside postID=science_1996682 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/YosemiteGetty-1020x680.jpg']She was more consistent and precise than any of the humans in the experiment. “A couple of the best humans got close to her, but no human was more consistent than she was on any of the stimuli we gave them,” Cook said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While rhythm is her claim to fame, Ronan has contributed to various studies in sensory biology, learning, memory, and diving physiology. Over the past 12 years, she participated in roughly 2,000 short rhythm exercises, typically lasting just 10–15 seconds each. Long breaks between sessions, sometimes lasting years, ensure that she isn’t overtrained, Cook said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Realistically, if you added up the amount of rhythmic exposure Ronan has had since she’s been with us, it is probably dwarfed by what a typical 1-year-old kid has heard,” Cook said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers plan to work with more sea lions to test their rhythm perception. “Is there something in the sea lion brain that is related to vocal learning, and could that somehow support rhythm? We’re explicitly testing that,” Cook said, adding that he suspects that other sea lions may also be able to keep a beat, but Ronan is still the top contender.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This \u003ca href=\"https://news.ucsc.edu/2025/05/ronan-sea-lion-beats-humans/\">latest study\u003c/a> added to a growing body of evidence that rhythm perception might not be exclusive to humans or even to animals known for vocal learning. That opens new doors for exploring the roots of music, cognition, and the role of rhythm across species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ronan is a very well-trained animal who does so many different scientific experiments and does training for husbandry and health,” Cook said. “She’s not a typical sea lion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Meet Ronan the sea lion, the only non-human mammal to demonstrate highly precise beat keeping, challenging our understanding of biomusicality.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you remember \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utkb1nOJnD4\">Snowball the cockatoo grooving to the Backstreet Boys\u003c/a> in 2007, you might also recall Ronan, the Santa Cruz \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4nBevZJMvk\">sea lion who made headlines in 2013 for bobbing her head to the beat of “Boogie Wonderland\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, Ronan, Bay Area’s beloved dancing sea lion, is back in the spotlight twelve years later — and she headbangs still with serious rhythm. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-95279-1\">new study\u003c/a>, researchers found that Ronan can not only bob her head to a beat — she can do it with more precision than some humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers are looking at how animals perceive and respond to musical elements like rhythm and beat in the growing scientific field of biomusicality. Ronan’s sense of rhythm helped scientists understand whether the ability to move to a beat is uniquely human or something other animals can do, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If sea lions and humans are doing the same thing, where does rhythm come from and in what ways are humans unique?” said Peter Cook, the study’s lead author and a comparative neuroscientist now at New College of Florida. Cook is also a researcher with UC Santa Cruz’s \u003ca href=\"https://ims.ucsc.edu/\">Institute of Marine Sciences\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ronan first stunned researchers \u003ca href=\"https://news.ucsc.edu/2013/04/sea-lion-beat/\">in 2013\u003c/a> when she moved in sync with music, adjusting her head movements along with a song, staying with the tempo as it changed. In this latest study, researchers tested her beat-keeping again — this time against humans.\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/1zZc18B8ZW0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/1zZc18B8ZW0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Researchers filmed Ronan bobbing her head to a metronome at three speeds —112, 120, and 128 beats per minute. Previously, she practiced only at 120 beats per minute, so the other two rhythms were new to her. At her best, Ronan stayed within just 15 milliseconds of the beat, ten times faster than a human blink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, researchers recruited 10 UC Santa Cruz undergrads with no formal musical training beyond what they received in middle school to see how their rhythm compared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of bobbing their heads, they were asked to move their arms in time with the metronome. “We had them waggle their arms up and down, basically covering about the same amount of space that Ronan covers with her head. And then we looked at the precision and the consistency of Ronan and the humans,” Cook said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results? Ronan came out on top.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>She was more consistent and precise than any of the humans in the experiment. “A couple of the best humans got close to her, but no human was more consistent than she was on any of the stimuli we gave them,” Cook said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While rhythm is her claim to fame, Ronan has contributed to various studies in sensory biology, learning, memory, and diving physiology. Over the past 12 years, she participated in roughly 2,000 short rhythm exercises, typically lasting just 10–15 seconds each. Long breaks between sessions, sometimes lasting years, ensure that she isn’t overtrained, Cook said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Realistically, if you added up the amount of rhythmic exposure Ronan has had since she’s been with us, it is probably dwarfed by what a typical 1-year-old kid has heard,” Cook said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers plan to work with more sea lions to test their rhythm perception. “Is there something in the sea lion brain that is related to vocal learning, and could that somehow support rhythm? We’re explicitly testing that,” Cook said, adding that he suspects that other sea lions may also be able to keep a beat, but Ronan is still the top contender.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This \u003ca href=\"https://news.ucsc.edu/2025/05/ronan-sea-lion-beats-humans/\">latest study\u003c/a> added to a growing body of evidence that rhythm perception might not be exclusive to humans or even to animals known for vocal learning. That opens new doors for exploring the roots of music, cognition, and the role of rhythm across species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ronan is a very well-trained animal who does so many different scientific experiments and does training for husbandry and health,” Cook said. “She’s not a typical sea lion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Newsom Pushes to Fast-Track $20 Billion Delta Tunnel for California Water",
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"content": "\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040025/newsom-blames-trump-california-budget-deficit-aims-cap-undocumented-health-care\">revised budget proposal\u003c/a> announced Wednesday includes a push to fast-track a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11986659/newsom-says-california-water-tunnel-will-cost-20-billion-officials-and-experts-say-its-worth-it\">contentious tunnel project\u003c/a> that could deliver more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to farms and cities throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Delta Conveyance Project has been through many iterations and decades of debate by California lawmakers, going from a proposed canal to two tunnels and now a single tunnel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom wants the Legislature to adopt his plan to accelerate the $20 billion, 45-mile-long tunnel through the delta by passing bills to simplify permitting, confirm that the Department of Water Resources has the authority to issue bonds to cover the project’s cost, prevent unnecessary litigation delays and support construction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The governor believes the tunnel is imperative for adapting the state for a hotter and drier climate that could result in 10% less water by the 2040s. But some lawmakers and environmental groups vehemently oppose the idea, saying it will \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12018557/will-californias-new-plan-for-water-rules-save-salmon-from-extinction\">harm fish species\u003c/a>, the environment and local economies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s current water system is outdated and unprepared to handle the storms or dry periods of the future, Newsom said, adding that not investing in a new tunnel would cost Californians more in the long run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996801\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996801\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Rio Vista Bridge spanning the Sacramento River in California on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. The area is part of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which is the hub of California’s water supply, supplying fresh water to two-thirds of the state’s population and millions of acres of farmland. \u003ccite>(Joyce Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The delta tunnel project, he said, could capture additional water during years of excess rain. Had it been operational during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1935067/rivers-in-the-sky-what-you-need-to-know-about-atmospheric-river-storms\">atmospheric rivers\u003c/a> in 2024, he said the project could have captured enough water for 9.8 million people to use for a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For too long, attempts to modernize our critical water infrastructure have stalled in endless red tape, burdened with unnecessary delay,” Newsom said in a release. “We’re done with barriers — our state needs to complete this project as soon as possible, so that we can better store and manage water to prepare for a hotter, drier future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom said the state completed an \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/12/08/governor-newsom-reaffirms-support-for-updated-delta-conveyance-proposal/\">environmental impact report\u003c/a> in 2023 and has gained the support of water agencies across California. But he said the project’s “path forward is burdened by complicated regulatory frameworks and bureaucratic delays.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His announcement comes as President Donald Trump has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12023248/trump-again-wades-into-california-water-use-fight-drawing-skepticism-from-experts\">called on the state to deliver more water\u003c/a> from Northern California to farms and Southern California.[aside postID=news_12040025 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1020x680.jpg']The State Water Project can already capture, move and store enough water to be used by 27 million people and service 750,000 acres of farmland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The State Water Contractors, a nonprofit representing 27 public water agencies, celebrated Newsom’s idea and said it could reduce administrative delays that would push the project out years, if not decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Delta Conveyance Project review and approval process has been hampered by red tape and frivolous delay tactics for decades, costing Californians millions of dollars without addressing our very real challenges with water supply reliability,” said Jennifer Pierre, the nonprofit’s general manager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, State Sen. Jerry McNerney (D–Pleasanton), co-chair of the California Legislative Delta Caucus, called the plan “poorly conceived” and encouraged the Legislature to reject it. He said the tunnel project would destroy farmland, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992309/californias-commercial-salmon-season-is-closed-again-this-year\">salmon fisheries\u003c/a> and tribal resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Plus, the tunnel’s costs would have to be shouldered by ratepayers who are already overburdened by skyrocketing utility bills,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996805\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996805 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) poses for a portrait in Suisun City on March 17, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), who represents communities throughout the delta, called Newsom’s proposal a “last-ditch effort” to push the project through before his term ends. She said if the plan is approved, it would devastate ecosystems and burden ratepayers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This approach threatens the livelihood of our local communities and undermines the sustainability of our regional economy,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peter Gleick, co-founder of the Pacific Institute, said in an email he is generally “not a fan of ‘fast tracking’ massive projects that are controversial, costly, and opposed by diverse coalitions and communities.”[aside postID=news_12023248 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-1495481816_qed-1020x652.jpg']California “has many other options for building resilience into our water systems that don’t cost so much money, take so much time and affect so many people,” he said, pointing to conservation efforts, efficiency programs, wastewater reuse, accelerated stormwater capture and updates to agricultural irrigation systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other longtime California water experts were similarly skeptical of the delta tunnel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Walker, professor emeritus of economic and urban geography at UC Berkeley, called the project a “terrible idea” and a tactic to deliver more water to the agricultural sector.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just a pipe dream,” he said. “It’s a lousy idea and everybody knows it who has wits in their head and who isn’t beholden to agribusiness and developers. Well, guess who’s beholden to agribusiness and developers? Governor Newsom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association, called Newsom’s proposal “an attack on the salmon fishing industry and the state’s biggest rivers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, this proposal is a nail in the coffin of California’s once mighty salmon runs, a stake in the heart of the Delta, and a raid on the pocketbooks of the people of Southern California and Silicon Valley,” Artis said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040025/newsom-blames-trump-california-budget-deficit-aims-cap-undocumented-health-care\">revised budget proposal\u003c/a> announced Wednesday includes a push to fast-track a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11986659/newsom-says-california-water-tunnel-will-cost-20-billion-officials-and-experts-say-its-worth-it\">contentious tunnel project\u003c/a> that could deliver more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to farms and cities throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Delta Conveyance Project has been through many iterations and decades of debate by California lawmakers, going from a proposed canal to two tunnels and now a single tunnel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom wants the Legislature to adopt his plan to accelerate the $20 billion, 45-mile-long tunnel through the delta by passing bills to simplify permitting, confirm that the Department of Water Resources has the authority to issue bonds to cover the project’s cost, prevent unnecessary litigation delays and support construction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The governor believes the tunnel is imperative for adapting the state for a hotter and drier climate that could result in 10% less water by the 2040s. But some lawmakers and environmental groups vehemently oppose the idea, saying it will \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12018557/will-californias-new-plan-for-water-rules-save-salmon-from-extinction\">harm fish species\u003c/a>, the environment and local economies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s current water system is outdated and unprepared to handle the storms or dry periods of the future, Newsom said, adding that not investing in a new tunnel would cost Californians more in the long run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996801\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996801\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SacramentoDelta-17_qed-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Rio Vista Bridge spanning the Sacramento River in California on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. The area is part of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which is the hub of California’s water supply, supplying fresh water to two-thirds of the state’s population and millions of acres of farmland. \u003ccite>(Joyce Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The delta tunnel project, he said, could capture additional water during years of excess rain. Had it been operational during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1935067/rivers-in-the-sky-what-you-need-to-know-about-atmospheric-river-storms\">atmospheric rivers\u003c/a> in 2024, he said the project could have captured enough water for 9.8 million people to use for a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For too long, attempts to modernize our critical water infrastructure have stalled in endless red tape, burdened with unnecessary delay,” Newsom said in a release. “We’re done with barriers — our state needs to complete this project as soon as possible, so that we can better store and manage water to prepare for a hotter, drier future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom said the state completed an \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/12/08/governor-newsom-reaffirms-support-for-updated-delta-conveyance-proposal/\">environmental impact report\u003c/a> in 2023 and has gained the support of water agencies across California. But he said the project’s “path forward is burdened by complicated regulatory frameworks and bureaucratic delays.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His announcement comes as President Donald Trump has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12023248/trump-again-wades-into-california-water-use-fight-drawing-skepticism-from-experts\">called on the state to deliver more water\u003c/a> from Northern California to farms and Southern California.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The State Water Project can already capture, move and store enough water to be used by 27 million people and service 750,000 acres of farmland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The State Water Contractors, a nonprofit representing 27 public water agencies, celebrated Newsom’s idea and said it could reduce administrative delays that would push the project out years, if not decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Delta Conveyance Project review and approval process has been hampered by red tape and frivolous delay tactics for decades, costing Californians millions of dollars without addressing our very real challenges with water supply reliability,” said Jennifer Pierre, the nonprofit’s general manager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, State Sen. Jerry McNerney (D–Pleasanton), co-chair of the California Legislative Delta Caucus, called the plan “poorly conceived” and encouraged the Legislature to reject it. He said the tunnel project would destroy farmland, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992309/californias-commercial-salmon-season-is-closed-again-this-year\">salmon fisheries\u003c/a> and tribal resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Plus, the tunnel’s costs would have to be shouldered by ratepayers who are already overburdened by skyrocketing utility bills,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996805\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996805 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/007_KQED_LoriWilson_03172022_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) poses for a portrait in Suisun City on March 17, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), who represents communities throughout the delta, called Newsom’s proposal a “last-ditch effort” to push the project through before his term ends. She said if the plan is approved, it would devastate ecosystems and burden ratepayers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This approach threatens the livelihood of our local communities and undermines the sustainability of our regional economy,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peter Gleick, co-founder of the Pacific Institute, said in an email he is generally “not a fan of ‘fast tracking’ massive projects that are controversial, costly, and opposed by diverse coalitions and communities.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>California “has many other options for building resilience into our water systems that don’t cost so much money, take so much time and affect so many people,” he said, pointing to conservation efforts, efficiency programs, wastewater reuse, accelerated stormwater capture and updates to agricultural irrigation systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other longtime California water experts were similarly skeptical of the delta tunnel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Walker, professor emeritus of economic and urban geography at UC Berkeley, called the project a “terrible idea” and a tactic to deliver more water to the agricultural sector.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just a pipe dream,” he said. “It’s a lousy idea and everybody knows it who has wits in their head and who isn’t beholden to agribusiness and developers. Well, guess who’s beholden to agribusiness and developers? Governor Newsom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association, called Newsom’s proposal “an attack on the salmon fishing industry and the state’s biggest rivers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, this proposal is a nail in the coffin of California’s once mighty salmon runs, a stake in the heart of the Delta, and a raid on the pocketbooks of the people of Southern California and Silicon Valley,” Artis said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "california-clears-state-farm-hike-rates-next-month-after-massive-la-fire-losses",
"title": "California Clears State Farm to Hike Rates Next Month After Massive LA Fire Losses",
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"content": "\u003cp>California will allow State Farm to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031375/express-desk-state-farm-rate-hike\">move ahead with an emergency rate increase\u003c/a> that the company and insurance regulators said is necessary to ensure its near-term stability after massive losses from this year’s Los Angeles-area fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, an administrative law judge \u003ca href=\"https://legaldocs.insurance.ca.gov/CyberDOCS/Libraries/DOCS_WEB/Common/viewdocdsp.asp?doc=366267&lib=DOCS_WEB&version=373950&mimetype=APPLICATION%2FPDF&file=.pdf&rendition=html&MSOESPq330994WA=x.mht\">issued approval of the rate request\u003c/a>, which effectively sent the decision to Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara for final approval, who quickly signaled that he would grant it. Judge Karl Fredric Seligman agreed with State Farm’s contention that it is in serious financial trouble and at risk of insolvency without intervention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company, California’s largest property insurer, saw its surplus plummet from $2.24 billion in 2022 to $620 million this year, with the vast majority of that drop being due to the L.A. fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the middle of this insurance crisis, we want to make sure that companies continue to do business in California, and that more companies actually come back,” Michael Soller, a spokesperson at the California Department of Insurance, told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s agreement with State Farm comes with some stipulations: an infusion of $400 million from its parent company, a halt to large-scale non-renewals until the end of 2025, and the possibility that customers could receive a refund with interest if further review reveals that this price hike isn’t necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Insurance will continue to study the necessity of the rate increase. A full hearing is expected no earlier than October 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994257\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994257\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A home destroyed by the Boyles Fire in Clearlake on Sept. 9, 2024, after the wildfire swept through the area on Sept. 8. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“State Farm must now justify its financial condition and detail its recovery plan in a full rate hearing before a neutral judge and my Department’s experts,” Lara said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11992399/state-farm-seeks-enormous-rate-increases-in-california-to-prevent-insolvency\">requested to significantly raise rates\u003c/a> in June 2024 to prevent insolvency. Those rate requests, which sought an average 30% increase in homeowners insurance and a 52% increase in renters insurance, were not approved before the L.A. fires saddled the company with enormous payouts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in February, State Farm went back to the state and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12025436/state-farm-seeks-emergency-rate-hike-california-after-la-fires\">requested an emergency rate hike\u003c/a> to go into effect by May 1 to avoid a “dire situation for our customers and the insurance market in the state.” While the company would be able to pay claims related to the L.A. fires, State Farm said, it might not be able to pay claims stemming from future fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Farm’s February request sought an average increase of:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>22% for homeowners’ insurance\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>15% for renters’ or condominium tenants’ insurance\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>38% for rental dwelling insurance\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Regulators approved:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>17% for homeowners\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>15% for renter/condo\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>38% for rental dwelling\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The changes will go into effect on June 1. Some policyholders will pay more, some will pay less, depending on what State Farm thinks their individual risk is for wildfire and other dangers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rate increase is sure to be painful for Californians already struggling to afford housing. Insurance markets have been rocked in recent years, particularly by the increase in climate-driven disasters and what many insurance experts characterize as a state that has waited too long to update insurance regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Farm received a heavy dose of criticism from some L.A. fire survivors, who accuse the company of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/05/state-farm-fire-survivors-complaints/\">slow-walking or denying claims\u003c/a> they should pay. And the stipulation that the company halt large-scale non-renewals comes after 70% of State Farm policyholders in Pacific Palisades found themselves \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/zip-code-hit-hardest-state-farm-home-nonrenewal-19393629.php\">scrambling for new coverage\u003c/a> last summer, just months before the westside L.A. neighborhood burned.[aside postID=news_12025436 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/StateFarmInsuranceCalifornia01-1020x680.jpg']The company said it remains “focused on helping our customers recover from the wildfires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As of May 12, we have already paid more than $3.51 billion and are handling more than 12,692 claims,” it said in a statement on Tuesday. “We thank the Commissioner for this approval and look forward to continuing to work with the Commissioner and others on a more sustainable insurance market in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While State Farm may be heaving a sigh of relief, the solution is a near-term one. Rate hikes alone cannot solve the insurance crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the Department of Insurance seeks to \u003ca href=\"https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/200-wrr/Safer-from-Wildfires.cfm\">promote home hardening\u003c/a> and the state evaluates new regulations regarding \u003ca href=\"https://calfire-umb05.azurewebsites.net/projects-and-programs/defensible-space-zones-0-1-2/\">cleared space\u003c/a> around homes, others, such as advocacy group California Environmental Voters and former state Insurance Commissioner \u003ca href=\"https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/clee/research/climate/climate-risk-initiative/\">Dave Jones\u003c/a>, have sought to spread the cost for addressing climate and insurance woes to the oil industry. None of these efforts has found enough traction to significantly drive down risk or bring insurance costs down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Today’s rate hike is a taste of what’s to come for millions of Californians already struggling with cost-of-living challenges,” California Environmental Voters CEO Mary Creasman said in a statement. “There is no path forward without getting Big Oil, the responsible party, to the table to pay their fair share. The alternative is a never-ending assembly line of rate increases and state budget cuts to pay for recovery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her group sponsored legislation aiming to make insurance more affordable by allowing California insurers to sue big oil companies for their role in making fires worse. State lawmakers declined to advance the bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is at a tipping point,” Creasman said. “Without affordable insurance, businesses will cease to operate, families won’t be able to get mortgages, and construction to develop our state will stop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "State Farm, California’s largest property insurer, said it would be at risk of insolvency without raising rates. However, rate hikes alone cannot solve the state’s insurance crisis.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California will allow State Farm to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031375/express-desk-state-farm-rate-hike\">move ahead with an emergency rate increase\u003c/a> that the company and insurance regulators said is necessary to ensure its near-term stability after massive losses from this year’s Los Angeles-area fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, an administrative law judge \u003ca href=\"https://legaldocs.insurance.ca.gov/CyberDOCS/Libraries/DOCS_WEB/Common/viewdocdsp.asp?doc=366267&lib=DOCS_WEB&version=373950&mimetype=APPLICATION%2FPDF&file=.pdf&rendition=html&MSOESPq330994WA=x.mht\">issued approval of the rate request\u003c/a>, which effectively sent the decision to Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara for final approval, who quickly signaled that he would grant it. Judge Karl Fredric Seligman agreed with State Farm’s contention that it is in serious financial trouble and at risk of insolvency without intervention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company, California’s largest property insurer, saw its surplus plummet from $2.24 billion in 2022 to $620 million this year, with the vast majority of that drop being due to the L.A. fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the middle of this insurance crisis, we want to make sure that companies continue to do business in California, and that more companies actually come back,” Michael Soller, a spokesperson at the California Department of Insurance, told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s agreement with State Farm comes with some stipulations: an infusion of $400 million from its parent company, a halt to large-scale non-renewals until the end of 2025, and the possibility that customers could receive a refund with interest if further review reveals that this price hike isn’t necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Insurance will continue to study the necessity of the rate increase. A full hearing is expected no earlier than October 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994257\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994257\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/240909-BOYLESFIRE-22-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A home destroyed by the Boyles Fire in Clearlake on Sept. 9, 2024, after the wildfire swept through the area on Sept. 8. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“State Farm must now justify its financial condition and detail its recovery plan in a full rate hearing before a neutral judge and my Department’s experts,” Lara said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11992399/state-farm-seeks-enormous-rate-increases-in-california-to-prevent-insolvency\">requested to significantly raise rates\u003c/a> in June 2024 to prevent insolvency. Those rate requests, which sought an average 30% increase in homeowners insurance and a 52% increase in renters insurance, were not approved before the L.A. fires saddled the company with enormous payouts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in February, State Farm went back to the state and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12025436/state-farm-seeks-emergency-rate-hike-california-after-la-fires\">requested an emergency rate hike\u003c/a> to go into effect by May 1 to avoid a “dire situation for our customers and the insurance market in the state.” While the company would be able to pay claims related to the L.A. fires, State Farm said, it might not be able to pay claims stemming from future fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Farm’s February request sought an average increase of:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>22% for homeowners’ insurance\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>15% for renters’ or condominium tenants’ insurance\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>38% for rental dwelling insurance\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Regulators approved:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>17% for homeowners\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>15% for renter/condo\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>38% for rental dwelling\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The changes will go into effect on June 1. Some policyholders will pay more, some will pay less, depending on what State Farm thinks their individual risk is for wildfire and other dangers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rate increase is sure to be painful for Californians already struggling to afford housing. Insurance markets have been rocked in recent years, particularly by the increase in climate-driven disasters and what many insurance experts characterize as a state that has waited too long to update insurance regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Farm received a heavy dose of criticism from some L.A. fire survivors, who accuse the company of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/05/state-farm-fire-survivors-complaints/\">slow-walking or denying claims\u003c/a> they should pay. And the stipulation that the company halt large-scale non-renewals comes after 70% of State Farm policyholders in Pacific Palisades found themselves \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/zip-code-hit-hardest-state-farm-home-nonrenewal-19393629.php\">scrambling for new coverage\u003c/a> last summer, just months before the westside L.A. neighborhood burned.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The company said it remains “focused on helping our customers recover from the wildfires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As of May 12, we have already paid more than $3.51 billion and are handling more than 12,692 claims,” it said in a statement on Tuesday. “We thank the Commissioner for this approval and look forward to continuing to work with the Commissioner and others on a more sustainable insurance market in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While State Farm may be heaving a sigh of relief, the solution is a near-term one. Rate hikes alone cannot solve the insurance crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the Department of Insurance seeks to \u003ca href=\"https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/200-wrr/Safer-from-Wildfires.cfm\">promote home hardening\u003c/a> and the state evaluates new regulations regarding \u003ca href=\"https://calfire-umb05.azurewebsites.net/projects-and-programs/defensible-space-zones-0-1-2/\">cleared space\u003c/a> around homes, others, such as advocacy group California Environmental Voters and former state Insurance Commissioner \u003ca href=\"https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/clee/research/climate/climate-risk-initiative/\">Dave Jones\u003c/a>, have sought to spread the cost for addressing climate and insurance woes to the oil industry. None of these efforts has found enough traction to significantly drive down risk or bring insurance costs down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Today’s rate hike is a taste of what’s to come for millions of Californians already struggling with cost-of-living challenges,” California Environmental Voters CEO Mary Creasman said in a statement. “There is no path forward without getting Big Oil, the responsible party, to the table to pay their fair share. The alternative is a never-ending assembly line of rate increases and state budget cuts to pay for recovery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her group sponsored legislation aiming to make insurance more affordable by allowing California insurers to sue big oil companies for their role in making fires worse. State lawmakers declined to advance the bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is at a tipping point,” Creasman said. “Without affordable insurance, businesses will cease to operate, families won’t be able to get mortgages, and construction to develop our state will stop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>In order to mate, a male long-jawed orb weaver spider has to hook his huge jaws into those of a larger female. If he doesn’t get it right, he could become her next meal.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>These spiders aren’t fighting. They’re hooking up, literally. But one of them could easily lose its life in the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called long-jawed orb weavers, named for their huge jaws tipped with lethal curved fangs. And these bulbous pedipalps? Only males have them. You’ll see them in action later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long-jawed orb weavers spin their web right over a river or pond. A sticky trap for insects that hatch from the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When an unlucky fly gets caught, she impales it with her fangs. She squishes the fly into a slimy ball and slurps it all up. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But catching prey isn’t the only thing her web is good for. She coats each strand of silk with pheromones that males find irresistible. So when he’s searching for a mate, he follows the scent – with his legs. Spiders smell with these specialized hairs that can detect pheromones. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a lab experiment, a male repeatedly follows the unique perfume that females of his species leave behind, like a trail of breadcrumbs. In nature, the stakes are much higher. When this guy goes after a scent, he’s putting his life on the line. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Females are bigger; one wrong move and she could overpower and eat him. He rushes towards her; he has to act fast to get a good grip. He locks his jaws on to hers to keep her deadly fangs away from him. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This tiny hook latches on to her fangs on each jaw. They become a beautifully dangerous entanglement. Face to face, they curve towards each other. He raises his skinny pedipalp, ending in what looks like a boxing glove.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then he twists it in like a lightbulb. Inside each boxing glove is his sperm. Once he connects, elastic membranes inflate and deflate, each movement propelling his sperm onward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Okay, this isn’t exactly a quickie. After a few minutes he moves on to the second boxing glove. It takes both, alternating, to deliver his goods. The whole time, he’s still holding her back. His jaws. Her jaws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He prepared for this moment earlier by collecting sperm from his abdomen with his gloves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he’s done, there’s no time to cuddle, because if he sticks around for too long he might still become her next meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes, love really is a battlefield.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cp>Pacifica can continue using old seawalls and reinforce or expand them to protect the city from crashing waves, erosion and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016813/bay-area-now-has-first-ever-regional-sea-level-rise-plan\">sea level rise\u003c/a> over the next two decades, the California Coastal Commission ruled Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The controversial ruling serves as a stopgap so the city can develop a long-term strategy to deal with sea level rise, which was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984830/california-mandates-coastal-cities-plan-for-future-sea-level-rise\">mandated by a state law\u003c/a> passed in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is known for its sweeping beach, homes with views of the Pacific Ocean, big waves for surfing, a shoreline Taco Bell and hiking trails. However, many of the reasons people love and live in Pacifica are at risk from the effects of climate change, primarily rising seas and flooding from intensifying storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pacifica’s push to improve and continue to use its old seawalls, backed by local elected officials and developers, was part of updating its more than 40-year-old local coastal program land use plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That plan is no longer sufficient to address the challenging conditions we face in Pacifica: significant bluff erosion impacts from intensifying weather events, flooding from storm surges, rising sea levels and other effects of climate change,” Mayor Sue Beckmeyer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1915665\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1915665\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs.jpeg\" alt=\"Eroding sea cliffs have forced the demolition of several apartment buildings in Pacifica.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-1180x885.jpeg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-960x720.jpeg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-240x180.jpeg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-375x281.jpeg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-520x390.jpeg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eroding sea cliffs have forced the demolition of several apartment buildings in Pacifica. \u003ccite>(Gary Griggs/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Under the new plan approved by the commission, Pacifica can continue to armor its shoreline at Beach Boulevard near Pacifica Pier and Rockaway Beach. Existing seawalls and riprap can be rebuilt or expanded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental groups, residents and other elected officials who opposed the seawall plan said it would make it more difficult to protect the coastline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Trump administration are closely watching the decisions of the Coastal Commission, which the president has called for dismantling as federal lawmakers aim to weaken its purview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Justin Cummings, chair of the commission, commended Pacifica for being one of the first cities to begin to adapt to sea level rise as part of the state’s mandate, in the face of a long history of erosion and the need to prepare for more in the future.[aside postID=science_1996728 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SanFranciscoSinkingGetty-1020x680.jpg']“The fact that there is tension shows this has been made very public,” Cummings said. “Our coastline is not the same, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with sea level rise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ruling attempts to balance developers’ needs with coastal protection, but opponents argue the plan to upgrade seawalls violates the Coastal Act, is short-sighted and will make it more complicated in the long run to adapt to sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When large-scale seawalls are built or rebuilt or reinforced, and the new development goes in behind it, long-term solutions like relocating out of harm’s way will fall by the wayside and seawalls will remain,” said Mandy Sackett, California policy manager for the Surfrider Foundation. “But in truth, it’s giving away our leverage now with no guarantee of results later.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opponents also argue that seawalls cause beaches to erode and can exacerbate flooding or the loss of coastal homes, roads and infrastructure in the long run. They said continuing to armor Pacifica’s coastline will ultimately lock the city into using seawalls as long-term strategies and sacrifice more of the city to the rising ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Catalina Gomes, founder of the Muchia Te’ Indigenous Land Trust and descendant of a Ramaytush Ohlone settlement village in Pacifica, opposes the plan and said the commission declined her tribal consultation, although it agreed to work with tribes on any new projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1777px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996757\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1777\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed.jpg 1777w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1777px) 100vw, 1777px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica is a common surf spot, and for many, just a great place to relax. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Bill Zeller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is a culturally sensitive area for us. This is sacred land,” she said. “It’s a very short-sighted approach, and science proves that restoration of wetlands, marshes and dunes is the best solution to dealing with sea level rise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Surfers worry that more seawalls will eventually limit beach access, and some residents said that coastal hazards like erosion have already caused the city to tear down homes over the decades to prevent them from collapsing into the ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cindy Abbott, who has lived in Pacifica for decades, said intense storms and strong waves have resulted in “the end of her street being closed off every year and multiple times.” She asked the commission to denounce the plan and instead “honor the coast.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Kate Huckelbridge, executive director of the Coastal Commission, emphasized that the 20-year seawall plan is a temporary solution for the “existential threat” from the long-term effects of sea level rise brought about by human-caused climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The scope and scale of that challenge here in Pacifica, but also for the rest of our coastal communities, is daunting,” she said. “Our beaches will disappear if we do not change how we live, work and play on our coastline. If we want to avoid that future, we need to get serious about planning for the future that we do want.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Pacifica can continue using old seawalls and reinforce or expand them to protect the city from crashing waves, erosion and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016813/bay-area-now-has-first-ever-regional-sea-level-rise-plan\">sea level rise\u003c/a> over the next two decades, the California Coastal Commission ruled Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The controversial ruling serves as a stopgap so the city can develop a long-term strategy to deal with sea level rise, which was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984830/california-mandates-coastal-cities-plan-for-future-sea-level-rise\">mandated by a state law\u003c/a> passed in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is known for its sweeping beach, homes with views of the Pacific Ocean, big waves for surfing, a shoreline Taco Bell and hiking trails. However, many of the reasons people love and live in Pacifica are at risk from the effects of climate change, primarily rising seas and flooding from intensifying storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pacifica’s push to improve and continue to use its old seawalls, backed by local elected officials and developers, was part of updating its more than 40-year-old local coastal program land use plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That plan is no longer sufficient to address the challenging conditions we face in Pacifica: significant bluff erosion impacts from intensifying weather events, flooding from storm surges, rising sea levels and other effects of climate change,” Mayor Sue Beckmeyer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1915665\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1915665\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs.jpeg\" alt=\"Eroding sea cliffs have forced the demolition of several apartment buildings in Pacifica.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-1180x885.jpeg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-960x720.jpeg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-240x180.jpeg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-375x281.jpeg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Fig4-9_PacificaCliff_Griggs-520x390.jpeg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eroding sea cliffs have forced the demolition of several apartment buildings in Pacifica. \u003ccite>(Gary Griggs/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Under the new plan approved by the commission, Pacifica can continue to armor its shoreline at Beach Boulevard near Pacifica Pier and Rockaway Beach. Existing seawalls and riprap can be rebuilt or expanded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental groups, residents and other elected officials who opposed the seawall plan said it would make it more difficult to protect the coastline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Trump administration are closely watching the decisions of the Coastal Commission, which the president has called for dismantling as federal lawmakers aim to weaken its purview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Justin Cummings, chair of the commission, commended Pacifica for being one of the first cities to begin to adapt to sea level rise as part of the state’s mandate, in the face of a long history of erosion and the need to prepare for more in the future.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“The fact that there is tension shows this has been made very public,” Cummings said. “Our coastline is not the same, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with sea level rise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ruling attempts to balance developers’ needs with coastal protection, but opponents argue the plan to upgrade seawalls violates the Coastal Act, is short-sighted and will make it more complicated in the long run to adapt to sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When large-scale seawalls are built or rebuilt or reinforced, and the new development goes in behind it, long-term solutions like relocating out of harm’s way will fall by the wayside and seawalls will remain,” said Mandy Sackett, California policy manager for the Surfrider Foundation. “But in truth, it’s giving away our leverage now with no guarantee of results later.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opponents also argue that seawalls cause beaches to erode and can exacerbate flooding or the loss of coastal homes, roads and infrastructure in the long run. They said continuing to armor Pacifica’s coastline will ultimately lock the city into using seawalls as long-term strategies and sacrifice more of the city to the rising ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Catalina Gomes, founder of the Muchia Te’ Indigenous Land Trust and descendant of a Ramaytush Ohlone settlement village in Pacifica, opposes the plan and said the commission declined her tribal consultation, although it agreed to work with tribes on any new projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1777px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996757\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1777\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed.jpg 1777w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/LindaMar_qed-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1777px) 100vw, 1777px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica is a common surf spot, and for many, just a great place to relax. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Bill Zeller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is a culturally sensitive area for us. This is sacred land,” she said. “It’s a very short-sighted approach, and science proves that restoration of wetlands, marshes and dunes is the best solution to dealing with sea level rise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Surfers worry that more seawalls will eventually limit beach access, and some residents said that coastal hazards like erosion have already caused the city to tear down homes over the decades to prevent them from collapsing into the ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cindy Abbott, who has lived in Pacifica for decades, said intense storms and strong waves have resulted in “the end of her street being closed off every year and multiple times.” She asked the commission to denounce the plan and instead “honor the coast.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Kate Huckelbridge, executive director of the Coastal Commission, emphasized that the 20-year seawall plan is a temporary solution for the “existential threat” from the long-term effects of sea level rise brought about by human-caused climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The scope and scale of that challenge here in Pacifica, but also for the rest of our coastal communities, is daunting,” she said. “Our beaches will disappear if we do not change how we live, work and play on our coastline. If we want to avoid that future, we need to get serious about planning for the future that we do want.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027540/land-sinking-fast-around-bay-area-worsening-effects-sea-level-rise\">slow sinking\u003c/a> of the nation’s biggest metropolitan areas — including parts of San Francisco — poses a growing hazard with vast socioeconomic consequences, researchers said in a new study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because the sinking areas are usually in the densest parts of cities, as many as 34 million people could be affected and 29,000 buildings could be at high risk of damage, according to the study \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44284-025-00240-y\">published this week\u003c/a> in the journal Nature Cities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using satellite data from 2015 to 2021, the authors looked at 28 U.S. cities with populations over 600,000 and found that in every one, at least 20% of urban areas are sinking — but in 25 of the cities, at least two-thirds of their area is subsiding. This phenomenon, often caused by overpumping groundwater, can increase flood potential.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Settlement can allow cracks to propagate across structures, causing warping of roads and pavement, which can strain infrastructure,” said lead author Leonard Ohenhen, a postdoctoral researcher at the Columbia Climate School’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, groundwater pumping isn’t a problem. Because much of the city’s fringes are built on filled-in land and the region is influenced by tectonic activity, the authors suggest that soil is compacting over time in areas like Treasure Island and Islais Creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996736\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996736\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2004\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities-800x802.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities-1020x1022.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities-768x770.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities-1533x1536.jpg 1533w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities-1920x1924.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The researchers looked at four California cities for rates of subsidence: San Francisco, San José, Los Angeles and San Diego. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Leonard Ohenhen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The authors found that parts of the city subsided around 5 millimeters a year. On average, San Francisco sank a millimeter annually, Los Angeles 0.7 millimeters per year and San Diego 1.1 millimeters per year. Houston led all major U.S. cities, with about \u003ca href=\"https://lamont.columbia.edu/news/all-biggest-us-cities-are-sinking\">20 millimeters of sinking annually\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some cities, including parts of San José, however, land is lifting slightly, potentially because of groundwater recharge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While millimeters’ worth of land movement may seem tiny, subsidence can stress infrastructure over time, making it unsafe in the decades to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The sky is not falling,” Ohenhen said. “This does not mean that you have to leave your homes right now. But in places like San Francisco, where you have tectonic forces and earthquakes, you’re already weakening the foundations of the buildings.”[aside postID=news_12027540 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/BayFarmShoreline_001_qed-1020x680.jpg']Ohenhen said the extra pressure from seismic activity can “lead eventually to such high-end catastrophes like a building collapse or more prominent structural failure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The good news is that with this knowledge, cities can prepare for a future that involves sinking land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As opposed to just saying it’s a problem, we can respond, address, mitigate, adapt,” Ohenhen said in a release. “We have to move to solutions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027540/land-sinking-fast-around-bay-area-worsening-effects-sea-level-rise\">separate study from this year\u003c/a>, also using satellite imagery, found that land along San Francisco Bay in San Rafael, Corte Madera, Foster City and Alameda’s Bay Farm Island is subsiding more than 0.4 inches, about 10 millimeters, a year. When considering the subsidence rate, local sea levels could rise by more than double the regional estimate by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Areas might be affected by the rising water much sooner than we anticipate, and that brings by itself increased flooding and tidal inundation,” said Marin Govorcin, the study’s lead author and a NASA remote sensing scientist in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the study, infrastructure such as San Francisco International Airport could see nearly a foot of sea level rise by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What this says is that our situation in relation to flooding is worse than we thought,” said Kristina Hill, a UC Berkeley professor and a leading sea level rise scientist who was not involved in the study. “The region’s economy depends on the airports, so we’ll need to continue to focus on how to adapt those airports to these new conditions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027540/land-sinking-fast-around-bay-area-worsening-effects-sea-level-rise\">slow sinking\u003c/a> of the nation’s biggest metropolitan areas — including parts of San Francisco — poses a growing hazard with vast socioeconomic consequences, researchers said in a new study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because the sinking areas are usually in the densest parts of cities, as many as 34 million people could be affected and 29,000 buildings could be at high risk of damage, according to the study \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44284-025-00240-y\">published this week\u003c/a> in the journal Nature Cities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using satellite data from 2015 to 2021, the authors looked at 28 U.S. cities with populations over 600,000 and found that in every one, at least 20% of urban areas are sinking — but in 25 of the cities, at least two-thirds of their area is subsiding. This phenomenon, often caused by overpumping groundwater, can increase flood potential.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Settlement can allow cracks to propagate across structures, causing warping of roads and pavement, which can strain infrastructure,” said lead author Leonard Ohenhen, a postdoctoral researcher at the Columbia Climate School’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, groundwater pumping isn’t a problem. Because much of the city’s fringes are built on filled-in land and the region is influenced by tectonic activity, the authors suggest that soil is compacting over time in areas like Treasure Island and Islais Creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996736\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996736\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2004\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities-800x802.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities-1020x1022.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities-768x770.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities-1533x1536.jpg 1533w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/SinkingCities-1920x1924.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The researchers looked at four California cities for rates of subsidence: San Francisco, San José, Los Angeles and San Diego. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Leonard Ohenhen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The authors found that parts of the city subsided around 5 millimeters a year. On average, San Francisco sank a millimeter annually, Los Angeles 0.7 millimeters per year and San Diego 1.1 millimeters per year. Houston led all major U.S. cities, with about \u003ca href=\"https://lamont.columbia.edu/news/all-biggest-us-cities-are-sinking\">20 millimeters of sinking annually\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some cities, including parts of San José, however, land is lifting slightly, potentially because of groundwater recharge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While millimeters’ worth of land movement may seem tiny, subsidence can stress infrastructure over time, making it unsafe in the decades to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The sky is not falling,” Ohenhen said. “This does not mean that you have to leave your homes right now. But in places like San Francisco, where you have tectonic forces and earthquakes, you’re already weakening the foundations of the buildings.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Ohenhen said the extra pressure from seismic activity can “lead eventually to such high-end catastrophes like a building collapse or more prominent structural failure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The good news is that with this knowledge, cities can prepare for a future that involves sinking land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As opposed to just saying it’s a problem, we can respond, address, mitigate, adapt,” Ohenhen said in a release. “We have to move to solutions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027540/land-sinking-fast-around-bay-area-worsening-effects-sea-level-rise\">separate study from this year\u003c/a>, also using satellite imagery, found that land along San Francisco Bay in San Rafael, Corte Madera, Foster City and Alameda’s Bay Farm Island is subsiding more than 0.4 inches, about 10 millimeters, a year. When considering the subsidence rate, local sea levels could rise by more than double the regional estimate by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Areas might be affected by the rising water much sooner than we anticipate, and that brings by itself increased flooding and tidal inundation,” said Marin Govorcin, the study’s lead author and a NASA remote sensing scientist in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the study, infrastructure such as San Francisco International Airport could see nearly a foot of sea level rise by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What this says is that our situation in relation to flooding is worse than we thought,” said Kristina Hill, a UC Berkeley professor and a leading sea level rise scientist who was not involved in the study. “The region’s economy depends on the airports, so we’ll need to continue to focus on how to adapt those airports to these new conditions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "This Tiny California Town Is Flooded, Broke — and Reimagining Climate Insurance",
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"content": "\u003cp>On a typical day, Iva Walton, a bar owner and the new mayor of the nearly forgotten city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11973656/bay-area-creatives-find-unexpected-welcome-in-small-town-delta\">Isleton\u003c/a>, feels like she is trying to save the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though the present isn’t great right now, I have faith that our city is going to survive,” Walton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s \u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Bay-Delta\">sprawling web\u003c/a> of rivers and wetlands, deserted storefronts line Isleton’s Main Street. Walton’s business, Mei Wah Beer Room, presents a stark contrast with its fresh red and green paint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walton sat across a table from Vice Mayor David Kent at her bar on a Friday morning in January, drinking coffee. They mulled over how to preserve \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11973656/bay-area-creatives-find-unexpected-welcome-in-small-town-delta\">free-spirited\u003c/a> Isleton — known for its crawdad and Spam festivals — and the troubles the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/isleton-chinese-and-japanese-commercial-districts.htm\">historic\u003c/a> city faces, some of which stem from the nearby Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Isleton has a high risk of flooding but few resources, with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html\">fifth\u003c/a> of the city’s roughly 800 residents living in poverty. After rainstorms damaged its wastewater treatment facility, Isleton narrowly avoided bankruptcy this year. Walton consulted lawyers, accountants and flood insurance experts to bail it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re in lightning mode,” Walton said. “There’s been a tendency for things to take a while to come to fruition here — you might call that ‘Delta time.’ But now, the faster, the better, so we can start to build up our city again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996621\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996621 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED.jpg 1333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iva Walton, Mayor of Isleton, poses for a photo at her bar, Mei Wan Beer Room, in Isleton on April 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984643/reluctant-retreat-one-familys-fight-against-climate-induced-flooding\">As climate change drives up flooding risk\u003c/a>, the safest move for Isleton residents might be to abandon their small city — but short of that drastic option, insurance could provide a safety net. Now, with help from researchers, the state has \u003ca href=\"https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/release051-2024.cfm\">funded\u003c/a> its first community flood program, providing one private insurance policy for all Isleton residents at no cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Isleton is piloting community-based insurance for California, which desperately needs alternatives. Wildfires supercharged by climate change have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12026808/fair-plan-bailout-from-insurance-companies-policyholders-following-la-fires\">cratered the home insurance market\u003c/a> — and many Californians don’t buy flood insurance at all, even as severe storms batter the state and its aging levees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Isleton hoped to fund the program independently after the pilot ends in 2027 by establishing a parcel tax, but many residents seem unsupportive of paying it. Despite the uncertain future, Isleton’s new leadership said they plan to lock in the insurance policy this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The idea of insurance for the city of Isleton is hugely important and our number-one priority,” Kent said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twenty-six miles of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2025/04/delta-levees-risk-of-floods-repairs-cost-3-billion/\">underperforming\u003c/a> levees encircle Isleton, which sits on one of the Delta’s \u003ca href=\"https://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects/central-valley/delta-eastside-streams.html\">many islands\u003c/a>. The city ranges from around 6 feet below to 6 feet above sea level. The region is \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2025/04/delta-levees-risk-of-floods-repairs-cost-3-billion/\">accustomed\u003c/a> to flooding, but the June 21, 1972, flood was the most \u003ca href=\"https://californiarevealed.org/do/167c554e-972a-4634-b6ac-407ac3d4d3e1\">infamous\u003c/a> in Isleton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Isleton resident Pam Bulahan was 9 years old at the time. Her family received word before dawn of a levee breach. They borrowed a flatbed truck and scrambled to load up their nice furniture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m watching the water creep across the road,” remembered Bulahan, who today sits on the City Council with Walton and supports the insurance pilot. “It was the eeriest thing I ever saw. I figured the houses were going down, and they did.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996624\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996624\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pam Bulahan poses for a photo outside of her home in Isleton, which flooded in 1972, on April 9, 2025. She was only 9 years old when her family had to evacuate during the 1972 flood after a levee was breached. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By sunrise, up to 5 feet of floodwater soaked her property. Around 200 buildings remained flooded for \u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofisleton.com/files/51f09522f/City_of_Isleton_General_Plan_2000_Part_I_Introduction_to_the_General_Plan_and_Executive_Su82959.pdf\">months\u003c/a>, forcing the entire community to evacuate. It took Bulahan’s family a couple of years and a loan to repair their house, where she still lives today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most recently, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/isleton-sewage-overflows-into-surrounding-rivers-are-you-at-risk/\">in 2023\u003c/a>, excessive rainfall cracked sewer pipes and overtopped Isleton’s wastewater treatment ponds, spilling sewage into the neighboring rivers — \u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/water-basics/the-delta\">major sources\u003c/a> of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886536/bay-area-do-you-know-where-your-water-comes-from-2\">drinking water\u003c/a> for the Bay Area and across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to disasters like this, FEMA can \u003ca href=\"https://www.fema.gov/fact-sheet/understanding-individual-assistance-and-public-assistance#:~:text=Public%20Assistance%20can%20reimburse%20for,remaining%2025%20percent%20of%20costs\">reimburse\u003c/a> cities for public infrastructure damage. But as Isleton awaited FEMA’s relief, Walton said the city took out a bridge loan to assist with the repairs — and then struggled to make payments. \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-feb-04-me-isleton4-story.html\">Added to a long history of financial mismanagement\u003c/a>\u003cu>,\u003c/u> the city this year had to lay off 12 of its 16 staff members to avoid bankruptcy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Isleton’s challenges are not going away. With climate change, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-15474-2#Sec7\">models predict\u003c/a> annual flood damages from atmospheric rivers in the western U.S. could increase from $1 billion up to $3 billion by the end of this century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996625\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996625 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pam Bulahan points to the San Joaquin River, at the site where a levee breach caused the 1972 flood, on W Brannan Island Road, in Isleton, on April 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Together, Walton, Kent and Bulahan form the board of Isleton’s \u003ca href=\"https://marineapps.naturalcapitalproject.org/california/docs/GeologicHazardAbatementDistricts.pdf\">Geologic Hazard Abatement District\u003c/a>, the entity tasked with purchasing the new community-wide insurance policy. With the help of the engineering firm \u003ca href=\"https://www.engeo.com/\">ENGEO\u003c/a>, the district plans to finalize the policy in May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the district’s planning meeting in January, Walton clunked her water bottle on the table: “Call to order.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group was joined by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11938647/it-was-like-a-river-flood-insurance-is-often-out-of-reach-for-bay-area-residents-who-need-it-most\">Kathy Schaefer\u003c/a>, an insurance advisor who left her longtime job as a FEMA engineer to pursue her civil and environmental engineering PhD from UC Davis. She took an interest in Isleton’s high flood risk. In her December dissertation, Schaefer outlined a program she argued offers more affordable and effective private insurance for Isleton than FEMA’s, and then successfully lobbied the state to fund that program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I became convinced that FEMA was fundamentally broken,” Schaefer explained. “I went back to school to find out exactly what the problem was and how we could solve it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996617\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996617\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kathy Schaefer points to elevated homes, which meet FEMA requirements, in Isleton on April 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Schaefer considers FEMA too costly and slow, leading many people to avoid flood insurance altogether. FEMA not only provides flood disaster funds for public infrastructure but, unlike the separate and privatized home insurance market, also sells most individual flood insurance policies. Although FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program is widely available, it only covers around \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/blog/a-conversation-about-flood-risk-with-insurance-commissioner-ricardo-lara/\">2% of California\u003c/a> properties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because Isleton falls into its \u003ca href=\"https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home\">high-risk flood zone\u003c/a>, FEMA mandates that most homeowners with a mortgage buy flood insurance. But Schaefer found that less than a quarter of the some 500 Isleton households comply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schaefer fought hard to bring dollars to Isleton, so the entire community could have insurance.[aside postID=news_11938251 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/RS62026_GettyImages-1455813510-qut-672x372.jpg']Last fall, the California Department of Water Resources dedicated $200,000 for Isleton’s $2.5 million insurance policy through insurer \u003ca href=\"https://floodflash.co/us/about-floodflash-commercial-flood-insurance/\">FloodFlash\u003c/a> and with underwriting from Munich Re.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since Schaefer wanted this policy to be fast and flexible, she chose an innovative insurance structure dubbed “\u003ca href=\"https://www.icrrl.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/102/files/2022/09/Parametric-Insurance-22.pdf\">parametric\u003c/a>.” Floodwaters trigger an immediate payout with this plan. By contrast, a more traditional “indemnity” insurance requires a lengthy claims adjustment process to determine payments based on damages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, if sensors on Isleton’s wastewater pump detect water rising above a certain level, the city automatically receives its $2.5 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new geological district still has to decide how to distribute this money. One possibility is for $5,000 to go to each homeowner to cover temporary living expenses, cleaning and repairs. The district is also looking into options to include renters and for excess funds to go toward the city’s infrastructure. The dollars won’t necessarily make anyone whole, but will provide immediate aid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FEMA won’t be obsolete in Isleton, however. Schaefer anticipates that if homeowners know the first $5,000 — and maybe one day $10,000 — is covered, they could actually afford traditional flood insurance by raising their deductibles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996623\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996623\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1445\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED-800x578.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED-1020x737.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED-160x116.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED-768x555.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED-1536x1110.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED-1920x1387.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A photo of the 1970s Isleton flood is displayed at the Isleton Museum in Isleton on April 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That would lower their total insurance costs to as low as $800 annually, Schaefer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, residents pay an estimated $1,100 per year — a significant cost, given the median household income in Isleton is about $60,000. By contrast, the statewide median household income is $96,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, Schaefer hoped Isleton property owners would greenlight a parcel tax to fund the parametric policy in the long term, but a recent survey revealed a lack of support in the community. A contractor stopped after interviewing just three residents, since they all voiced similar, strong doubts — such as not wanting to prioritize flood insurance in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longtime property owner \u003ca href=\"https://rafu.com/2020/05/jean-yokotobi-named-sacramento-county-woman-of-the-year/\">Jean Yokotobi\u003c/a> helped with the pilot early on but became disillusioned. She did not feel confident in Isleton’s ability to navigate an effective program, and she doubts her neighbors can afford it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can say now [a tax] is not going to pass,” Yokotobi said. “This is a severely depressed, disadvantaged community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An alternative to a tax, Schaefer said, could be to obtain additional grant money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996616\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996616\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Downtown Isleton on April 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In California, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992401/homeowners-insurance-market-stretched-even-thinner-as-2-more-companies-leave-california\">many home insurers\u003c/a> have either left entirely, stopped offering new policies or raised premiums. While home and flood insurance are distinct, similar issues around affordability and the climate crisis beg for new solutions. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereyherald.com/2025/01/25/rethinking-flood-insurance-monterey-county-considering-new-approach/\">range\u003c/a> of parametric products for different disasters, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.businessinsurance.com/more-buyers-seek-parametric-wildfire-cover/\">wildfires\u003c/a>, are making inroads in \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/258352?f=c4d97bfcfc43c58ab7d6fabc70dc76a8\">California\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/extreme-weatherinsuranceclimate-changestorms-064635f482e66a5e22dd030f3fa8b7cb\">globally\u003c/a>. In \u003ca href=\"https://blogs.edf.org/markets/2023/11/02/harnessing-community-insurance-lessons-from-nycs-innovative-post-flood-assistance-program/\">New York City\u003c/a>, the country’s first community parametric flood insurance program launched in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Department of Insurance helped spearhead the Isleton pilot. “We need to help our communities be more resilient to climate change,” Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/release051-2024.cfm\">press release\u003c/a>. “We need to think creatively about how new insurance pilots like this Delta community project can be tested and scaled to help our most vulnerable communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “transparency and cleanliness” of parametric policies also appeals to insurers, according to Alex Kaplan, an executive vice president with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.amwins.com/products/atmospheric-river-flood-insurance-program\">insurance broker Amwins.\u003c/a>[aside postID=science_1984643 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/03242023_kqed_pajaroreturning-1305-qut-1020x678.jpg']Parametric insurance streamlines the claim process and caps liability for insurers, since the payouts are predetermined — an appealing option in the face of heightened natural disasters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tom Corringham, a \u003ca href=\"https://tcorringham.scrippsprofiles.ucsd.edu/\">climate economist\u003c/a> from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said he is rooting for Isleton, though infrastructure improvements and insurance can only go so far.“\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ve spent a lot of money helping people rebuild after a disaster and, in some cases, it may be better to actually move people to a safer location,” he said. “Underneath all of this is the changing climate, which is intensifying our storms, making us more susceptible to floods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walton and Kent lingered after the January insurance meeting, discussing the responsibility to balance Isleton’s books, especially so the insurance plans could continue. In their long view, addressing the city’s flood risk helps ensure its prosperity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They envision a flourishing Main Street with hotels, shops and restaurants drawing more tourists to enjoy Isleton’s undeniable charm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This tiny spot on the map has so much impact, and that’s why we have to take care of it,” Walton said. “That’s why I’m doing this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>On a typical day, Iva Walton, a bar owner and the new mayor of the nearly forgotten city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11973656/bay-area-creatives-find-unexpected-welcome-in-small-town-delta\">Isleton\u003c/a>, feels like she is trying to save the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though the present isn’t great right now, I have faith that our city is going to survive,” Walton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s \u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Bay-Delta\">sprawling web\u003c/a> of rivers and wetlands, deserted storefronts line Isleton’s Main Street. Walton’s business, Mei Wah Beer Room, presents a stark contrast with its fresh red and green paint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walton sat across a table from Vice Mayor David Kent at her bar on a Friday morning in January, drinking coffee. They mulled over how to preserve \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11973656/bay-area-creatives-find-unexpected-welcome-in-small-town-delta\">free-spirited\u003c/a> Isleton — known for its crawdad and Spam festivals — and the troubles the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/isleton-chinese-and-japanese-commercial-districts.htm\">historic\u003c/a> city faces, some of which stem from the nearby Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Isleton has a high risk of flooding but few resources, with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html\">fifth\u003c/a> of the city’s roughly 800 residents living in poverty. After rainstorms damaged its wastewater treatment facility, Isleton narrowly avoided bankruptcy this year. Walton consulted lawyers, accountants and flood insurance experts to bail it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re in lightning mode,” Walton said. “There’s been a tendency for things to take a while to come to fruition here — you might call that ‘Delta time.’ But now, the faster, the better, so we can start to build up our city again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996621\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996621 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-20-KQED.jpg 1333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iva Walton, Mayor of Isleton, poses for a photo at her bar, Mei Wan Beer Room, in Isleton on April 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984643/reluctant-retreat-one-familys-fight-against-climate-induced-flooding\">As climate change drives up flooding risk\u003c/a>, the safest move for Isleton residents might be to abandon their small city — but short of that drastic option, insurance could provide a safety net. Now, with help from researchers, the state has \u003ca href=\"https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/release051-2024.cfm\">funded\u003c/a> its first community flood program, providing one private insurance policy for all Isleton residents at no cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Isleton is piloting community-based insurance for California, which desperately needs alternatives. Wildfires supercharged by climate change have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12026808/fair-plan-bailout-from-insurance-companies-policyholders-following-la-fires\">cratered the home insurance market\u003c/a> — and many Californians don’t buy flood insurance at all, even as severe storms batter the state and its aging levees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Isleton hoped to fund the program independently after the pilot ends in 2027 by establishing a parcel tax, but many residents seem unsupportive of paying it. Despite the uncertain future, Isleton’s new leadership said they plan to lock in the insurance policy this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The idea of insurance for the city of Isleton is hugely important and our number-one priority,” Kent said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twenty-six miles of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2025/04/delta-levees-risk-of-floods-repairs-cost-3-billion/\">underperforming\u003c/a> levees encircle Isleton, which sits on one of the Delta’s \u003ca href=\"https://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects/central-valley/delta-eastside-streams.html\">many islands\u003c/a>. The city ranges from around 6 feet below to 6 feet above sea level. The region is \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2025/04/delta-levees-risk-of-floods-repairs-cost-3-billion/\">accustomed\u003c/a> to flooding, but the June 21, 1972, flood was the most \u003ca href=\"https://californiarevealed.org/do/167c554e-972a-4634-b6ac-407ac3d4d3e1\">infamous\u003c/a> in Isleton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Isleton resident Pam Bulahan was 9 years old at the time. Her family received word before dawn of a levee breach. They borrowed a flatbed truck and scrambled to load up their nice furniture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m watching the water creep across the road,” remembered Bulahan, who today sits on the City Council with Walton and supports the insurance pilot. “It was the eeriest thing I ever saw. I figured the houses were going down, and they did.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996624\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996624\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-30-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pam Bulahan poses for a photo outside of her home in Isleton, which flooded in 1972, on April 9, 2025. She was only 9 years old when her family had to evacuate during the 1972 flood after a levee was breached. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By sunrise, up to 5 feet of floodwater soaked her property. Around 200 buildings remained flooded for \u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofisleton.com/files/51f09522f/City_of_Isleton_General_Plan_2000_Part_I_Introduction_to_the_General_Plan_and_Executive_Su82959.pdf\">months\u003c/a>, forcing the entire community to evacuate. It took Bulahan’s family a couple of years and a loan to repair their house, where she still lives today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most recently, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/isleton-sewage-overflows-into-surrounding-rivers-are-you-at-risk/\">in 2023\u003c/a>, excessive rainfall cracked sewer pipes and overtopped Isleton’s wastewater treatment ponds, spilling sewage into the neighboring rivers — \u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/water-basics/the-delta\">major sources\u003c/a> of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886536/bay-area-do-you-know-where-your-water-comes-from-2\">drinking water\u003c/a> for the Bay Area and across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to disasters like this, FEMA can \u003ca href=\"https://www.fema.gov/fact-sheet/understanding-individual-assistance-and-public-assistance#:~:text=Public%20Assistance%20can%20reimburse%20for,remaining%2025%20percent%20of%20costs\">reimburse\u003c/a> cities for public infrastructure damage. But as Isleton awaited FEMA’s relief, Walton said the city took out a bridge loan to assist with the repairs — and then struggled to make payments. \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-feb-04-me-isleton4-story.html\">Added to a long history of financial mismanagement\u003c/a>\u003cu>,\u003c/u> the city this year had to lay off 12 of its 16 staff members to avoid bankruptcy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Isleton’s challenges are not going away. With climate change, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-15474-2#Sec7\">models predict\u003c/a> annual flood damages from atmospheric rivers in the western U.S. could increase from $1 billion up to $3 billion by the end of this century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996625\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996625 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-38-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pam Bulahan points to the San Joaquin River, at the site where a levee breach caused the 1972 flood, on W Brannan Island Road, in Isleton, on April 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Together, Walton, Kent and Bulahan form the board of Isleton’s \u003ca href=\"https://marineapps.naturalcapitalproject.org/california/docs/GeologicHazardAbatementDistricts.pdf\">Geologic Hazard Abatement District\u003c/a>, the entity tasked with purchasing the new community-wide insurance policy. With the help of the engineering firm \u003ca href=\"https://www.engeo.com/\">ENGEO\u003c/a>, the district plans to finalize the policy in May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the district’s planning meeting in January, Walton clunked her water bottle on the table: “Call to order.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group was joined by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11938647/it-was-like-a-river-flood-insurance-is-often-out-of-reach-for-bay-area-residents-who-need-it-most\">Kathy Schaefer\u003c/a>, an insurance advisor who left her longtime job as a FEMA engineer to pursue her civil and environmental engineering PhD from UC Davis. She took an interest in Isleton’s high flood risk. In her December dissertation, Schaefer outlined a program she argued offers more affordable and effective private insurance for Isleton than FEMA’s, and then successfully lobbied the state to fund that program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I became convinced that FEMA was fundamentally broken,” Schaefer explained. “I went back to school to find out exactly what the problem was and how we could solve it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996617\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996617\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-9-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kathy Schaefer points to elevated homes, which meet FEMA requirements, in Isleton on April 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Schaefer considers FEMA too costly and slow, leading many people to avoid flood insurance altogether. FEMA not only provides flood disaster funds for public infrastructure but, unlike the separate and privatized home insurance market, also sells most individual flood insurance policies. Although FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program is widely available, it only covers around \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/blog/a-conversation-about-flood-risk-with-insurance-commissioner-ricardo-lara/\">2% of California\u003c/a> properties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because Isleton falls into its \u003ca href=\"https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home\">high-risk flood zone\u003c/a>, FEMA mandates that most homeowners with a mortgage buy flood insurance. But Schaefer found that less than a quarter of the some 500 Isleton households comply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schaefer fought hard to bring dollars to Isleton, so the entire community could have insurance.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Last fall, the California Department of Water Resources dedicated $200,000 for Isleton’s $2.5 million insurance policy through insurer \u003ca href=\"https://floodflash.co/us/about-floodflash-commercial-flood-insurance/\">FloodFlash\u003c/a> and with underwriting from Munich Re.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since Schaefer wanted this policy to be fast and flexible, she chose an innovative insurance structure dubbed “\u003ca href=\"https://www.icrrl.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/102/files/2022/09/Parametric-Insurance-22.pdf\">parametric\u003c/a>.” Floodwaters trigger an immediate payout with this plan. By contrast, a more traditional “indemnity” insurance requires a lengthy claims adjustment process to determine payments based on damages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, if sensors on Isleton’s wastewater pump detect water rising above a certain level, the city automatically receives its $2.5 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new geological district still has to decide how to distribute this money. One possibility is for $5,000 to go to each homeowner to cover temporary living expenses, cleaning and repairs. The district is also looking into options to include renters and for excess funds to go toward the city’s infrastructure. The dollars won’t necessarily make anyone whole, but will provide immediate aid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FEMA won’t be obsolete in Isleton, however. Schaefer anticipates that if homeowners know the first $5,000 — and maybe one day $10,000 — is covered, they could actually afford traditional flood insurance by raising their deductibles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996623\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996623\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1445\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED-800x578.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED-1020x737.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED-160x116.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED-768x555.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED-1536x1110.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-28-KQED-1920x1387.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A photo of the 1970s Isleton flood is displayed at the Isleton Museum in Isleton on April 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That would lower their total insurance costs to as low as $800 annually, Schaefer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, residents pay an estimated $1,100 per year — a significant cost, given the median household income in Isleton is about $60,000. By contrast, the statewide median household income is $96,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, Schaefer hoped Isleton property owners would greenlight a parcel tax to fund the parametric policy in the long term, but a recent survey revealed a lack of support in the community. A contractor stopped after interviewing just three residents, since they all voiced similar, strong doubts — such as not wanting to prioritize flood insurance in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longtime property owner \u003ca href=\"https://rafu.com/2020/05/jean-yokotobi-named-sacramento-county-woman-of-the-year/\">Jean Yokotobi\u003c/a> helped with the pilot early on but became disillusioned. She did not feel confident in Isleton’s ability to navigate an effective program, and she doubts her neighbors can afford it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can say now [a tax] is not going to pass,” Yokotobi said. “This is a severely depressed, disadvantaged community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An alternative to a tax, Schaefer said, could be to obtain additional grant money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996616\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996616\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/20250409_DELTAINSURANCE_GC-1-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Downtown Isleton on April 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In California, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992401/homeowners-insurance-market-stretched-even-thinner-as-2-more-companies-leave-california\">many home insurers\u003c/a> have either left entirely, stopped offering new policies or raised premiums. While home and flood insurance are distinct, similar issues around affordability and the climate crisis beg for new solutions. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereyherald.com/2025/01/25/rethinking-flood-insurance-monterey-county-considering-new-approach/\">range\u003c/a> of parametric products for different disasters, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.businessinsurance.com/more-buyers-seek-parametric-wildfire-cover/\">wildfires\u003c/a>, are making inroads in \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/258352?f=c4d97bfcfc43c58ab7d6fabc70dc76a8\">California\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/extreme-weatherinsuranceclimate-changestorms-064635f482e66a5e22dd030f3fa8b7cb\">globally\u003c/a>. In \u003ca href=\"https://blogs.edf.org/markets/2023/11/02/harnessing-community-insurance-lessons-from-nycs-innovative-post-flood-assistance-program/\">New York City\u003c/a>, the country’s first community parametric flood insurance program launched in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Department of Insurance helped spearhead the Isleton pilot. “We need to help our communities be more resilient to climate change,” Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/release051-2024.cfm\">press release\u003c/a>. “We need to think creatively about how new insurance pilots like this Delta community project can be tested and scaled to help our most vulnerable communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “transparency and cleanliness” of parametric policies also appeals to insurers, according to Alex Kaplan, an executive vice president with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.amwins.com/products/atmospheric-river-flood-insurance-program\">insurance broker Amwins.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Parametric insurance streamlines the claim process and caps liability for insurers, since the payouts are predetermined — an appealing option in the face of heightened natural disasters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tom Corringham, a \u003ca href=\"https://tcorringham.scrippsprofiles.ucsd.edu/\">climate economist\u003c/a> from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said he is rooting for Isleton, though infrastructure improvements and insurance can only go so far.“\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ve spent a lot of money helping people rebuild after a disaster and, in some cases, it may be better to actually move people to a safer location,” he said. “Underneath all of this is the changing climate, which is intensifying our storms, making us more susceptible to floods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walton and Kent lingered after the January insurance meeting, discussing the responsibility to balance Isleton’s books, especially so the insurance plans could continue. In their long view, addressing the city’s flood risk helps ensure its prosperity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They envision a flourishing Main Street with hotels, shops and restaurants drawing more tourists to enjoy Isleton’s undeniable charm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This tiny spot on the map has so much impact, and that’s why we have to take care of it,” Walton said. “That’s why I’m doing this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>This summer, travelers planning to visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996404/yosemite-camping-national-park-reservations-delay-2025\">Yosemite National Park\u003c/a> — California’s most popular national park — will likely need a day reservation to enter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting Memorial Day weekend, the National Park Service is enforcing a temporary vehicle reservation system for peak summer dates in Yosemite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This announcement comes after\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996404/yosemite-camping-national-park-reservations-delay-2025\"> monthslong delays\u003c/a> around what was originally intended to be a permanent policy requiring all visitors without camping or lodging reservations to make a separate day-use reservation before driving into the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#no-yosemite-reservations\">When can I avoid having to make a Yosemite reservation?\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996404/yosemite-camping-national-park-reservations-delay-2025\">Reservations for Yosemite’s campgrounds\u003c/a>, which were also delayed this year, were announced in March.[aside postID=news_12035515 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1366211065_qed-1020x681.jpg']Keep reading for what you need to know about making a vehicle reservation to visit Yosemite National Park this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When will I need a day reservation to enter Yosemite?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Yosemite officials say that \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm\">visitors entering the park between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. during specific high-traffic periods will likely need a reservation\u003c/a>. Reservations will be valid for three consecutive days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>High-traffic periods include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Memorial Day weekend (May 24–26)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Every day between June 15 and Aug. 15\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Labor Day weekend (Aug. 30–Sept. 1).\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Even travelers passing through the park between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. during the reservation period must secure a pass in advance. Officials urge drivers not to queue up early at the entrances if they don’t have a reservation, as doing so can block roads and result in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm\">citations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How do I make a Yosemite vehicle reservation?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Starting at 8 a.m. PT on May 6, visitors can make vehicle reservations through\u003ca href=\"https://www.recreation.gov/\"> recreation.gov\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each reservation costs a nonrefundable $2 fee, which is separate from the park’s regular entrance fee.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"no-yosemite-reservations\">\u003c/a>When \u003cem>don’t\u003c/em> I need a reservation to visit Yosemite?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While the reservation system affects most daytime vehicle access during peak summer dates, there are several exceptions. For example, no day reservations are required for Yosemite from May 27 to June 14 or from Aug. 16 to 29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Visitors also do not need a reservation, even for the peak dates above, if they:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Enter the park before 6:00 a.m. or after 2:00 p.m.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Have booked overnight \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/lodging.htm\">lodging \u003c/a>or a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/camping.htm\">campground\u003c/a> within the park.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Arrive via \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/plan-your-trip/travel-responsibly/yarts/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ymctb&utm_content=reservations_for_2025&utm_campaign=consumer_email\">YARTS\u003c/a> (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System).\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Are taking part in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/things-to-do/yosemite-tours/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ymctb&utm_content=reservations_for_2025&utm_campaign=consumer_email\">commercial tour \u003c/a>or guided experience.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Hold a \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/plan-your-trip/yosemite-wilderness-permits/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ymctb&utm_content=reservations_for_2025&utm_campaign=consumer_email\">wilderness\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/things-to-do/half-dome-hike/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ymctb&utm_content=reservations_for_2025&utm_campaign=consumer_email\">Half Dome permit\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Visit during off-peak seasons in fall, winter, or early spring.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Why is Yosemite bringing this reservation system back?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>NPS reported a record\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/visitor-use-statistics-dashboard.htm\"> 331.9 million visits\u003c/a> to its lands nationwide in 2024, with Yosemite accounting for over 4% of all visits to national parks that same year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials say the reservation system is intended to distribute visitor numbers more evenly throughout the day, making the Yosemite experience more enjoyable and sustainable for everyone.[aside postID=science_1996404 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/GettyImages-2203092818-1020x680.jpg']“To make the most of your Yosemite visit, aim to arrive early, stay late, and plan ahead with a well-thought-out itinerary,” said Kim Lawson, Director of Communications and Content at \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/\">Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Board.\u003c/a> “Having a plan ensures a smoother, more relaxed experience throughout the day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vehicle congestion has long been an issue during the park’s busy months, especially around popular sites like Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point, and Tuolumne Meadows. Park officials say this system is part of Yosemite’s broader effort to protect its ecosystems while ensuring that guests have the best possible experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawson advises visitors to explore areas outside those most popular spots, especially between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. “There are countless scenic trails, quieter viewpoints, and hidden gems throughout the park that offer a more relaxed experience during peak hours,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For complete details, reservation instructions, and trip-planning resources, visit the\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose\"> National Park Service’s Yosemite page\u003c/a> or the\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/subjects/digital/nps-apps.htm\"> NPS mobile app\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Keep reading for what you need to know about making a vehicle reservation to visit Yosemite National Park this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When will I need a day reservation to enter Yosemite?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Yosemite officials say that \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm\">visitors entering the park between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. during specific high-traffic periods will likely need a reservation\u003c/a>. Reservations will be valid for three consecutive days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>High-traffic periods include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Memorial Day weekend (May 24–26)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Every day between June 15 and Aug. 15\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Labor Day weekend (Aug. 30–Sept. 1).\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Even travelers passing through the park between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. during the reservation period must secure a pass in advance. Officials urge drivers not to queue up early at the entrances if they don’t have a reservation, as doing so can block roads and result in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm\">citations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How do I make a Yosemite vehicle reservation?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Starting at 8 a.m. PT on May 6, visitors can make vehicle reservations through\u003ca href=\"https://www.recreation.gov/\"> recreation.gov\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each reservation costs a nonrefundable $2 fee, which is separate from the park’s regular entrance fee.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"no-yosemite-reservations\">\u003c/a>When \u003cem>don’t\u003c/em> I need a reservation to visit Yosemite?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While the reservation system affects most daytime vehicle access during peak summer dates, there are several exceptions. For example, no day reservations are required for Yosemite from May 27 to June 14 or from Aug. 16 to 29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Visitors also do not need a reservation, even for the peak dates above, if they:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Enter the park before 6:00 a.m. or after 2:00 p.m.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Have booked overnight \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/lodging.htm\">lodging \u003c/a>or a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/camping.htm\">campground\u003c/a> within the park.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Arrive via \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/plan-your-trip/travel-responsibly/yarts/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ymctb&utm_content=reservations_for_2025&utm_campaign=consumer_email\">YARTS\u003c/a> (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System).\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Are taking part in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/things-to-do/yosemite-tours/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ymctb&utm_content=reservations_for_2025&utm_campaign=consumer_email\">commercial tour \u003c/a>or guided experience.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Hold a \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/plan-your-trip/yosemite-wilderness-permits/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ymctb&utm_content=reservations_for_2025&utm_campaign=consumer_email\">wilderness\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/things-to-do/half-dome-hike/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ymctb&utm_content=reservations_for_2025&utm_campaign=consumer_email\">Half Dome permit\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Visit during off-peak seasons in fall, winter, or early spring.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Why is Yosemite bringing this reservation system back?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>NPS reported a record\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/visitor-use-statistics-dashboard.htm\"> 331.9 million visits\u003c/a> to its lands nationwide in 2024, with Yosemite accounting for over 4% of all visits to national parks that same year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials say the reservation system is intended to distribute visitor numbers more evenly throughout the day, making the Yosemite experience more enjoyable and sustainable for everyone.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“To make the most of your Yosemite visit, aim to arrive early, stay late, and plan ahead with a well-thought-out itinerary,” said Kim Lawson, Director of Communications and Content at \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/\">Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Board.\u003c/a> “Having a plan ensures a smoother, more relaxed experience throughout the day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vehicle congestion has long been an issue during the park’s busy months, especially around popular sites like Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point, and Tuolumne Meadows. Park officials say this system is part of Yosemite’s broader effort to protect its ecosystems while ensuring that guests have the best possible experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawson advises visitors to explore areas outside those most popular spots, especially between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. “There are countless scenic trails, quieter viewpoints, and hidden gems throughout the park that offer a more relaxed experience during peak hours,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For complete details, reservation instructions, and trip-planning resources, visit the\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose\"> National Park Service’s Yosemite page\u003c/a> or the\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/subjects/digital/nps-apps.htm\"> NPS mobile app\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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}
},
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"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
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"order": 10
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
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"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"meta": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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}
},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
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