The Bay

As of Jan. 1, 2022, it’ll cost $7 to cross a bridge in the Bay Area. But if you thought that was expensive, wait until you hear how much it has cost those who don't pay: One Bay Area resident racked up $30,000 in unpaid toll debt. A report that came out late last year shed new light on how this problem hurts low-income people the most. And it turns out that racking up thousands of dollars in debt is easier than you might think.So what’s being done to try to help make this late payment system less punitive?Guest: Dan Brekke, Editor and Reporter for KQED News 'High Pain, Low Gain': How Bridge Toll Penalties Pile Debt on Lower-Income Drivers, KQED News Bridging the Gap, SPUR report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New year, same pandemic. The Bay team reflects on another year of covering local news from the Bay Area, and discusses both the hard — and hopeful — stories from 2021.Our top picks! Rain! With Dan Brekke ‘Our People Are Not Disposable’: How East San Jose Is Coping With the Pandemic with Farida Jabvala Romero This episode was produced by Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli, Mary Franklin Harvin, Raquel Maria Dillon, and was hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alexis Madrigal was super-cautious about COVID-19 from the beginning. He co-founded the COVID Tracking Project through The Atlantic and has been reporting on the virus since the earliest days of the pandemic.But in the summer 2021, he got invited to a wedding where he would eventually contract COVID (despite being fully vaccinated). The positive test turned his life upside down and sent ripples of anxiety through his family and extended network. His story points to where we are right now — a unique moment with Omicron looming and holiday parties enticing us to gather. Reflecting on his experience, Alexis shared his advice for how to weigh risk, make decisions deliberately, and have a plan for how to deal with an infection. Guest: Alexis Madrigal, co-host of KQED’s ForumLinks: Getting Back to Normal is Only Possible Until You Test Positive, The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode contains descriptions of police violence.After Vallejo police officer Jarrett Tonn shot and killed Sean Monterrosa on June 2, 2020, the Vallejo Police Department hired the OIR Group, a firm that provides independent reviews of police actions, to investigate what happened the night of Monterrosa’s death.The findings of the yearlong investigation were released earlier this month. They conclude that the officers involved in the shooting failed to follow department policy and de-escalate the situation. In response, Chief Shawny Williams has served Tonn with a letter saying that he plans to fire him, though Tonn can still appeal this decision.Criminal investigators from Vallejo and the DA's office interviewed the officers, including Jarrett Tonn, after the shooting — and these recordings are now available. What investigators found provides some clues into Tonn’s mindset on that evening, and why Vallejo PD has decided to fire him.Guest: Sukey Lewis, KQED criminal justice reporter and host of On Our WatchThis episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ericka took up roller skating during the pandemic, and a lot of other people have, too. Maybe you've seen it along Lake Merritt or in front of City Hall in San Jose.Skating also has a long history in the Bay Area, and for more than 50 years, Richard Humphrey has been at the forefront, especially at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.Humphrey talked with Rightnowish host Pendarvis Harshaw on what it was like to skate in the Bay Area during the 70s, what it was like skating as a Black person back then, and how skating brings together art, style and swag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, Californians won’t lose the right to an abortion. The right to have one is codified into state law.But having the right to an abortion isn’t the same as having good access to one — especially if you’re low income or live in rural parts of the state, where 40% of mostly rural counties in California — home to hundreds of thousands of people in the state — have no clinics that provide abortions.Guest: Katie Orr, KQED politics and government reporterThis episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the police kill or hurt someone, the public has a right to know what happened. But in many cases, the police’s story is carefully crafted to protect officers. And in California, it’s often done with the help of a Vacaville-based PR firm known as Cole Pro Media, which has at least 100 clients across the state.Cole Pro focuses on helping police departments and sheriff’s offices improve their public image. But they’ve also helped law enforcement agencies avoid scrutiny and transparency.Guest: Scott Morris, reporter at the Vallejo SunThis episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.Links:The Vacaville PR firm influencing police narratives across California Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the first few weeks of sheltering in place, food banks saw a huge explosion in demand as thousands lost their jobs and income. Food banks also had to stop or restrict volunteer programs for fear of spreading COVID-19.Now, as we go into our second holiday season during the pandemic, many still can’t afford to buy the food they need for themselves and their families. And on top of that, prices for many food items have increased as well.Guest: Carly Severn, KQED senior engagement editorLinks: Find a food bank near you How to support your local food bank This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal health officials are expanding the search for the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the U.S, including at San Francisco International Airport, where there’s increased testing for some international travelers.There’s still a lot we don’t know — Omicron could be a big deal, or it could change very little about the pandemic. Medical experts are currently trying to figure out whether this variant is more contagious, whether it's more deadly, and how the vaccines hold up against it.Guest: Dr. Chaz Langelier, assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at UCSFThis episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artists in Afghanistan are in trouble now that the Taliban are back in charge. Visual artists and performers are fleeing the country for fear of being harassed, persecuted, and even killed.This has ripple effects here in the Bay Area, which is home to a well-networked Afghan community and many Afghan American artists. They fear that creativity and freedom of expression are under attack once again. And they’re responding in different ways — through raising money, through changing their artistic practices, and through using art to help newly arrived refugees. Guest: Chloe Veltman, KQED arts and culture reporterThis episode was produced by Raquel Maria Dillon and Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and hosted by Alan Montecillo.Links: Bay Area Afghan Artists Step Up in Response to Crisis Facing Artists in Afghanistan We're hiring a producer! Please apply by Dec. 1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices