

The Bay
KQED
Bay Area-raised host Ericka Cruz Guevarra talks with local journalists about what’s happening in the greatest region in the country. It’s the context and analysis you need to make sense of the news, with help from the people who know it best. New episodes drop Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 5, 2025 • 19min
Volunteers Monitor for ICE Activity to Support Day Laborers
Hundreds of people are signing up to 'adopt' street corners near where day laborers gather to find work. Their goal? To keep an eye out for ICE agents.
KQED labor correspondent Farida Jhabvala Romero takes us to one intersection in East Oakland to meet some of these volunteers.
Links:
Volunteers ‘Adopt’ Street Corners To Monitor For ICE Activity
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Sep 3, 2025 • 22min
Silicon Valley Embraces the Military
A decade ago, most major tech companies swore off working with the U.S. military. Google, Meta and OpenAI even once had policies banning the use of AI in weapons.
But times have changed, and now Silicon Valley is fully embracing contracts and collaborations with the military. Sheera Frenkel, tech reporter with the New York Times, explains how and why this shift occurred.
Links:
The Militarization of Silicon Valley
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Sep 1, 2025 • 18min
Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in the Era of Climate Change
For the last 102 years, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park has supplied millions of Bay Area residents with some of the cleanest water in the country. But climate change has made it harder to manage the reservoir.
This episode originally aired on May 10, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 29, 2025 • 23min
The Pickett Fire, BART’s ‘Tap and Ride', and Local Artists Leaving Spotify
On this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka is joined by The Bay’s senior editor Alan Montecillo and KQED associate arts and culture editor Nastia Voynovskaya. We talk about the Pickett Fire currently burning in Napa, scheduling and payment changes to public transit across the Bay, and why some local artists have decided to take their music off Spotify.
Links:
Pickett Fire
Did ‘escaped control burn’ cause Napa County’s Pickett Fire? Dispatch records raise questions about blaze’s origin
Starting This Week, You Can Tap Onto BART With a Credit Card — Here’s How
SF Band Ditches Spotify Over CEO’s $700M Military AI Investment
Bay Area transit’s latest Big Sync improves transfers, saving riders up to 20 minutes per trip
Bay Area artists turn down S.F. Boiler Room show, throw their own party instead
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Aug 27, 2025 • 25min
‘Not Even AI Can Save Me’: Students and Teachers on ChatGPT in the Classroom
Artificial intelligence inside California schools feels a lot like building the plane as it's flying. Students who are familiar with tools like ChatGPT are using it faster than teachers and administrators can regulate it. Jesse Dukes, co-host of the Homework Machine podcast, talked with dozens of students and teachers across the country about their thoughts on AI in the classroom.
Links:
TeachLab Presents: The Homework Machine
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Aug 25, 2025 • 21min
Why Does Gun Violence Happen? This San Quentin Program Asks the People Behind the Gun
In the Arms Down program at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, formerly San Quentin State Prison, “firearm addiction” is treated like an alcohol addiction. Its founders, all of whom are currently incarcerated men, say that talking about why perpetrators of gun violence carry guns in the first place is their contribution to gun violence prevention from behind bars.
Links:
The revolutionary prison program where men help each other put down their guns: ‘Don’t end up like me’
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Aug 22, 2025 • 24min
How Fremont Became a Hub for Afghan-Americans
Fremont is the fourth largest city in the Bay Area and it’s also home to one of the largest populations of Afghans in the U.S. Today, we’re running an episode from our friends at Bay Curious that traces the history of the Afghan community in Fremont over 40 years. We meet Afghan refugees and learn what makes”Little Kabul” unique. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 20, 2025 • 23min
'We Have Got to Meet Fire With Fire': Why Your Congressional District Could Soon Change
After pressure from President Donald Trump, Texas Republicans unveiled a new map redrawing the state’s congressional districts 5 years early, in order to win more GOP seats in next year’s midterm elections.
We talk with KQED's Guy Marzorati about how California Democrats are clapping back with their own redrawn maps. If the state legislature approves this new map, voters will have the final say in a special election this November.
Links:
California Redistricting Plan May Swing on This Sonoma County Shakeup
Find out if your vote could be affected by Newsom’s redistricting plans
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Aug 18, 2025 • 18min
The Relaunch of Casual Carpool
Before the pandemic, casual carpool was a completely organic system of pickup spots and patient passengers looking for a quick, comfortable way to head into San Francisco.
Casual carpool collapsed when the pandemic hit. But now it’s been relaunched. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 15, 2025 • 19min
What Happens to Your Trash at Outside Lands
Music festivals in the Bay Area are upon us. And it takes a lot to leave no trace after a 3-day festival like Outside Lands.
As Golden Gate Park prepares for another music event this weekend, SFGate’s Melissa Cho takes us behind the scenes at Outside Lands, where the majority of waste is diverted from landfills.
Links:
This is Where Your Trash at Outside Lands Goes
LaRussell and Good Compenny Present: A Bay Area Music Showcase Tickets!
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