Bay Curious

We've been flirting with exceptional drought on and off in California for many years now. Bay Curious listener Nicholas Hardy is wondering if it's time to call it a megadrought. That got us wondering: what is a megadrought and are we in one?Additional Reading: Is California In A Megadrought? (Transcript) Megadrought Conditions Not Seen For 400+ Years Have Returned to the West, Scientists Say Reported by Amy Mayer. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Kevin Stark, Katie McMurran and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Isabeth Mendoza, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

For most of us in the Bay Area, the journey our water takes to reach us is hidden from view. It travels long distances, sometimes more than a hundred miles! That can leave us disconnected from the source. We go about our days oblivious to how precarious our water resources might be. Today we’re going to answer what seems like a really simple question: where does our water come from? Because where your city gets its water has a lot to do with how you’re experiencing the drought right now. Additional Reading Bay Area: Do You Know Where Your Water Comes From? Russian River Drought: Sonoma and Mendocino Residents Save the Little Water They Have San Jose Relies On Water From the Sierra Nevada. Climate Change Is Challenging That System Gripped By Drought, Marin Considers Desalination, Water Pipeline Over the Richmond Bridge Reported by Ezra David Romero. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Buchelli, and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kevin Stark, Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Prichett.

California is in drought. Again. And the infrastructure used to sustain the state's 40 million residents — and $50 billion agriculture industry — hasn't kept up with new climate patterns. In Episode 1 of our State of Drought series we explore why some experts say changing our mindset about drought may be the hardest, and best, thing we can do to survive a hotter, drier future.Additional Reading: How Should We Be Thinking About A Hotter, Drier Future? (Transcript) A Delta In Distress Will California Drought Force Change to Historic Water Rights?

Dutch Crunch is a common find at Bay Area sandwich shops, but get 10 miles outside of the Bay and that option disappears. Jonathan Hillis and Lauren Alexander sent this question to the Bay Curious team: “Where does Dutch Crunch bread come from? How does everyone know about San Francisco sourdough, but not about the Bay Area’s best bread?” Reporter Amanda Font took on the task to bring us the goods.Additional Reading: Dutch Crunch: A Bay Area Favorite, But Not a Bay Area OriginalReported by Amanda Font. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, and Vinnee Tong.

You may have thought we were done with elections for a little while, but there's another big one coming up. On September 14th, Californians will vote on whether or not to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. Here's a primer with nitty-gritty voting details, some context for the campaign, and what you'll find on your ballot.Additional Reading: Your Guide to the Gavin Newsom Recall Election How to Make Sure Your Mail-In Ballot Isn't Rejected Please take the Bay Curious survey! Reported by Guy Marzorati. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

Bay Curious listener Ricky Tjandra used to work helping international students find families to stay with in the Bay Area. In Daly City, he worked with many Filipino families, which got him wondering how the city became such a hub for Filipino Americans.Additional Reading In Daly City, the Bayanihan Spirit Is Alive and Well Little Manila: Filipinos in California's Heartland Little Manila Perseveres: How FilipinX Leaders in Stockton Are Organizing For the Next Generation Reported by Amanda Stupi. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Chris Hoff. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

Daly City is only eight square miles, but it's one of the densest cities in the US. There are a few factors behind this, but one of the most interesting is the design of the houses. But it's not all building hacks in this episode, there's a darker past to some of Daly City's housing too.Additional Reading: How Daly City Became One of the Most Densely Populated Cities in the Country Richard Rothstein on KQED's Forum discussing his book The Color of Law Little Boxes: The Legacy of Henry Doelger by Robert Keil Reported by Amanda Stupi. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho, Brendan Willard, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Chris Hoff. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Lena Blanco, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

When it comes to cultural exports of the Bay Area, Hyphy is in a league of its own. The subgenre of hip hop has an up-tempo, hyperactive beat that makes you want to dance. In the early 2000s, artists like E-40 and Too $hort had audiences around the world loving this distinctly Bay Area sound. But where did that sound come from? And what was Hyphy culture like more broadly?Today we bring you an episode from KQED's Rightnowish, hosted by Pendarvis Harshaw. He speaks with music producer Trackademicks. Subscribe to Rightnowish for more on Bay Area arts and culture.Reported by Pendarvis Harshaw. Produced by Marisol Medina-Cadena. Edited by Jessica Placzek and Vanessa Rancano. Engineering by Ceil Muller and Brendan Willard. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Sebastian Miño-Bucheli. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

Bay Curious listener Héctor Pérez has long wondered about the first people to call the Bay Area home. He wants to know what life was like for them and what happened to them.Additional Reading: Who Were the First People to Live in the Bay Area? The Bay Area During the Ice Age (Think Saber-Tooth Cats and Mammoths) Reported by Daniel Potter. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

This summer is shaping up to be really dry. Water officials around the Bay Area are asking people to conserve and wildfires are already burning throughout the state. The Bay Curious team is cooking up some episodes about the situation and we want to hear from you.Enter your question in the blue box at the top of baycurious.org or leave us a voicemail at 415-553-3334.Thanks!The Bay Curious Team