The Bay

Election Day is over, and the votes are being tallied. And while we don’t know what the final voter turnout numbers will be, we do know that most people don’t vote in primaries.Primary elections aren’t sexy. They never turn out as many voters as a November general election because most people are motivated by national stuff, like presidential races. But the issues on a primary ballot, especially locally, are perhaps more consequential to people’s everyday lives. Today, we talk with Mindy Romero, founder and director of USC's Center for Inclusive Democracy, about the consequences of low primary turnouts, and how to get more people to vote.Links: Episode transcript California primary results This episode was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan and Maria Esquinca, edited by Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you voting in the March Primary today? Why or why not?Maybe there’s a particular issue you’re fired up about where you live. Maybe you’re not happy with the candidates in your area. Or maybe you’re just hella confused by all the measures with letters on your ballot.Either way, we wanna hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 415-710-9223. And maybe you’ll hear yourself in an upcoming episode of The Bay! Tell us your name, where you’re from, and whether you’re voting in the March primary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Napa County, 3 out of the 5 seats on the Board of Supervisors are on the ballot, in nonpartisan races that will be decided in the March 5 primary. (In these races, nobody is advancing to November— voters will pick the winner in this election!)The wine industry looms large, but so do issues about housing, wildfire protection, and environmental conservation. KQED’s Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli tells us about the stakes, and focuses on the race in District 5.Links: Episode transcript KQED Voter Guide Bay Curious Breaks Down Prop. 1 Will SF Voters Expand Police Powers in This Election? What to Know About California's US Senate Race This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Maria Esquinca, and edited and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode contains explicit language.Race has been a mostly silent character in criminal courtrooms. Historically, people accused of crimes haven’t been able to raise claims of racial bias in the justice system to defend themselves from a criminal accusation.But in 2020, California passed the Racial Justice Act, a groundbreaking law that allows criminal defendants to argue that racism may have played a role in how the justice system handled their case and ask for the court to provide a remedy. It’s the first law of its kind in the nation.KQED’s Annelise Finney explains how one case in Contra Costa County is testing the limits of the new law.Links: Episode Transcript California's Groundbreaking Racial Justice Act Cuts Its Teeth in Contra Costa Judge Finds 8 Antioch Police Officers Tainted by Racial Bias, Reduces Criminal Charges  This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Ellie Prickett-Morgan, and Ericka Cruz Guevarra. It was edited and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka, Maria and Alan talk about an assembly race where housing development has taken center stage, the mother of Oscar Grant getting his cell phones back 15 years after his killing, and how the politics of fast food are heating up in San Jose.Links: Palo Alto's Lydia Kou Channels Anti-Sacramento Anger in Challenge to Assemblymember Marc Berman Oscar Grant's Cellphones Returned to His Mother, 15 Years After Notorious Police Killing on BART Platform San Jose fast-food workers question city official’s support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When one of your appliances or electronics breaks, do you buy a new one or try to fix it yourself?Manufacturers have made it hard for consumers to fix their own stuff. But people have been pushing back in what's called the "right to repair" movement. KQED's Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman takes us to a "Fixit clinic" in Redwood City, where people learn how to fix their broken items.Episode TranscriptThis episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This March, the politics of crime in San Francisco can be found up and down the ballot, from judicial races to local ballot measures. KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez joins us to unpack Proposition E, a measure put forward by Mayor London Breed that would expand the power of the San Francisco Police Department.Links: KQED Voter Guide: Proposition E Subscribe to KQED's Political Breakdown newsletter Episode transcript This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Queer Palestinian artists in the Bay are calling for a ceasefire as Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza. Some say that the conflict has forced them to “come out as Palestinian” to the Bay Area LGBTQ+ community.KQED’s Nisa Khan talks to us about how Palestinian artists are pushing San Francisco’s queer community to stand up for Palestine. Links: Episode Transcript ‘This Is Resistance’: Queer Palestinian Artists and Activists in the Bay Area Are Speaking Out This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we head into the 2024 election, voters will have to navigate a slew of disinformation created by AI, like deep fakes and robocalls. In this episode of KQED’s Political Breakdown, Scott Shafer speaks to Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause, to discuss the threats AI could pose to our election process and efforts to regulate it in California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The people who regulate air quality in the Bay Area say they’ve scored a “decisive victory” in a legal fight with Big Oil. On Tuesday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced that Chevron, which runs a 120-year-old refinery in Richmond, and the Martinez Refining Company have dropped lawsuits against a rule that will require them to drastically cut air pollution from their facilities. Links: Bay Air District Hails 'Decisive Victory' in Battle to Cut Refinery Pollution Episode transcript This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices