The Bay

North Bay journalist Sarah Stierch has become a resource for locals looking for critical fire information, down to their specific block. That’s because when the North Bay was burning in 2017, she knew the streets and roads and homes intimately enough to gain the trust of her neighbors seeking information. But aside from the latest fire reports, she’s also been a compassionate voice for many people during these traumatic times.Guest: Sarah Stierch, writer and freelance journalist in SonomaConsider supporting Sarah’s work by donating to her Venmo or PayPal accounts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are still Californians who need to be counted for the 2020 Census. Here in the Bay Area, there’s the extra challenge of making sure we count people who don't have housing and families whose homes have been affected by wildfires. And this matters a lot, because who gets counted will help determine Congressional representation, federal funding, and how we define Bay Area identity for the next 10 years.Guest: Tyche Hendricks, KQED editor and reporter covering immigration and the 2020 Census Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California wasn’t ready for the spike in unemployment since the pandemic. And one big reason is because the agency that handles unemployment benefits has had a lot of problems: dated technology, lack of staffing, and a system that focuses more on stopping fraud than getting people the money they need now. Today, that means 1.6 million Californians are waiting for help while the pandemic rages on.Guest: Mary Franklin Harvin, reporter and producer for KQED’s The California Report.Recommended Reading: How to File for Unemployment in California During the Coronavirus Pandemic State Report Asks for Reforms, but Many May Not See Unemployment Benefits Until January Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state plans to eliminate the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035 in order to keep cutting California's greenhouse gas emissions.Many environmentalists say we need to move even faster — and take bolder steps to ban fracking in our state. So what does this all mean for our climate future? And is this ban a big deal?Guest: Kevin Stark, KQED science reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before the coronavirus, orange skies from wildfires, and huge protests against police violence, housing was the issue in California. But still, even with multiple crises happening at once, so much of what's going on comes back to where we live.In the new podcast 'SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America,' KQED's Molly Solomon and Erin Baldassari explore some of the solutions to our housing shortage that would make a meaningful difference — because we can't afford to wait.Guests: Molly Solomon and Erin Baldassari, KQED housing reporters and co-hosts of SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in AmericaHelp KQED by telling us about your podcast listening habits! Take our podcast survey here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the 90s, law enforcement groups like police unions, correctional officer unions, and sheriffs' associations have had a huge influence on policing and criminal justice legislation, both in Washington and in Sacramento. This led to laws like the 'three strikes' rule and the 1994 Crime Bill that passed through Congress and was signed by President Clinton.But law enforcement officials aren't speaking with one voice anymore. Some district attorneys want to focus on changing the system and focusing on rehabilitation. And now, a new group of progressive-minded district attorneys in California want to counter the 'tough on crime' voices that have usually held sway.Guest: Marisa Lagos, correspondent for KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk and co-host of the Political Breakdown podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the Tubbs Fire in 2017, Lil Milagro Henriquez felt she had to do more than just tell her students to mask up for the smoky air. She wanted to empower her students to face the challenges of climate change head on. That’s what moved her to found the Mycelium Youth Network, which provides programs that empower Black and brown youth to tap into indigenous ways of living with the land.Guests: Lil Milagro Henriquez, founder and executive director of Mycelium Youth Network, and Phoenix Armenta, educatorRecommended Reading:Helping Kids Protect Themselves From Dirty Air, One DIY Filter at a TimeMore information on Mycelium Youth Network's Apocalyptic Resilience Conference here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sixteen year-old Crista Ramos was in her high school Zoom class when her family got some stressful news: A federal court ruled in favor of ending the humanitarian protection known as Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. The program allows hundreds of thousands of immigrants who fled their home countries, including Crista’s mom, to work and live in the United States.For more than two years, Crista has been a lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against President Trump’s plan to end temporary protected status. With this recent court ruling, more than 400,000 immigrants could lose their TPS status and be deported as early as next March. But Crista vows to keep fighting.Guest: Farida Jabvala Romero, Immigration Reporter for KQEDThis episode originally aired in February 2019. At the end of the episode, we provide an update on the recent court ruling and how it affects Crista and her family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Suburbs are some of the most diverse spaces in America. It's one reason why — more and more — they’ve become the backdrop of tensions between police and communities of color.That friction is at the center of a protest over policing in Antioch, where activists went on a hunger strike for five days and are camped out in front of the local police department.Guest: Sandhya Dirks, race and equity reporter for KQEDClick here to check out Season 1 of American Suburb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When KQED photojournalist Beth LaBerge woke up to orange skies in San Francisco Wednesday morning, she rushed out the door to document the extraordinary moment.In a year with the coronavirus pandemic, racial justice protests and wildfires, Beth has been on the frontlines documenting it all. And in some ways, it helps her process all that’s been happening.Guest: Beth LaBerge, photojournalist for KQEDClick here for a few more of Beth's photos that she's taken for KQED.Resources: Bay Area Air Quality Map What To Pack In Your Emergency Bag What's All This Smoky Air Doing to Your Body? We Asked A Lung Doctor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices