The Bay

The U.S. ranks 55th in the world in maternal mortality rates. Those rates are even worse for Black women, whose maternal mortality rate is more than two times higher than any other racial or ethnic group. Patients and advocates cite lower access to quality care and racism in the medical system as main drivers of these outcomes. A program in Alameda County is providing an answer to that problem. BElovedBIRTH Black Centering, operating through the Alameda Health System, is completely rethinking what birthing looks like for Black folks. The program provides group perinatal care by, for, and with Black people — and it’s leading to better outcomes for the families involved.Guest: Jyesha Wren, a midwife and co-founder and program coordinator of BElovedBIRTH Black Centering in OaklandEpisode transcriptLinks: BElovedBIRTH Black Centering web page BElovedBIRTH’s Instagram Oakland programs are supporting Black postpartum women This episode was produced by Jehlen Herdman, Maria Esquinca, Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As residents across California continue to cope with heavy wind and rain, perhaps no community has been hit harder than Pajaro, where thousands of residents have evacuated after a levee broke late last Friday, flooding the town.An unincorporated community in Monterey County, Pajaro is home to mainly low-income Latino farmworkers who provide a large portion of California-grown produce. They've lost not only their homes and vehicles to flooding, but also their livelihoods as farms across the county are forced to shut down. Guest: Katherine Monahan, KQED ReporterEpisode transcriptFor information and referrals to disaster relief organizations, residents of evacuated areas can call 211.Links: Breached Levee Floods Pajaro River Valley, Engulfing Towns as Communities Are Evacuated Santa Cruz County Disaster Fund: supporting residents impacted by floods, wildfires, earthquakes, mudslides, debris flows, and other disasters in Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley To Donate directly to farmworkers and learn more about the reality of farmworkers in CA check out the Center for Farmworker Families DONATING ITEMS: Donations can be taken to the Raíces y Cariño center at 1205 Freedom Blvd in Watsonville. They are there each day this week until 5pm. Requested Items include: diapers, baby wipes, feminine pads, bath towels, warm blankets, new socks and underwear, bottled water, gently used clothing in good condition, and art and craft supplies for kids. If you bring food, it should be pre-packaged and non-perishable. The Bay Survey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco’s mobile opioid treatment clinics popped up as a way to address overcrowding at San Francisco General Hospital during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. These vans distribute methadone, a medication used to reduce withdrawal symptoms — while offering program patients snacks, water and canisters of naloxone, an overdose-reversal nasal spray. In San Francisco alone, nearly 2,000 people have died of drug overdoses since 2020. And surprisingly, these temporary mobile clinics are drawing more patients than SF General's indoor treatment clinics. Now, the people who run it want to find a way to keep them around.Guest: Sydney Johnson, KQED reporterEpisode transcriptLinks: SF's Mobile Clinics Made Opioid Treatment More Accessible During the Pandemic. But Will They Stay? The Bay Survey This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca. Jehlen Herdman is our intern. Ericka Cruz Guevarra is the host. Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A potential dynasty is building at Oakland Technical High School, where the girls’ basketball team is on its way to clutching its 3rd state championship in 5 years.Not only are the Lady Bulldogs skilled, but they’re hella fun to watch. The team boasts height, three point shooters, phenomenal defense — and swag. And their coaches have a message for their city with a chip on its shoulder over the loss of the Raiders and the Warriors t: come watch these girls play.Guest: Ariana Prohel, culture reporter for KQEDEpisode transcriptLinks: Ticket info for the Golden 1 Center LIVE STREAM: 2023 CIF Div. I Girls Basketball State Championship Santiago (Corona) vs. Oakland Tech The Bay Survey This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca. Jehlen Herdman is our intern. Ericka Cruz Guevarra is the host. Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two men who worked at an auto shop in Napa have been sentenced to federal prison for plotting to blow up the California Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento in 2021. Ian Benjamin Rogers, of Napa, was sentenced to 9 years and 3 years of supervision after he is released. Jarrod Copeland, of Vallejo, was sentenced to 4 1/2 years. He also has 3 years of supervision after he is released. Their case is part of a surge in violent extremist activity the FBI is investigating in Northern California and throughout the nation — and the Bay Area is not immune. Guests: Julie Small and Alex Hall, KQED reportersEpisode transcriptThis episode first published on May 18, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Dianne Feinstein is retiring after more than 30 years in Washington. Her retirement has gotten many people talking about her legacy and career in the U.S. Senate.But before that, Feinstein was a local official in her hometown of San Francisco. In 1969, she won a seat on the Board of Supervisors and eventually became Board President. In 1978, she became mayor after the shocking assassinations of Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Feinstein would serve in that role until 1988.Guest: Scott Shafer, senior editor of KQED's California politics and government deskEpisode transcriptThis episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, who also edited and guest hosted. Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People just aren’t taking public transit like they used to.BART’s ridership is still less than 40% of what it was before March 2020. On top of that, the agency’s federal emergency funding is scheduled to run out in January 2025.Leaders of BART and other public transit agencies are now trying to bring back riders and find sources of funding as soon as possible. This will mean everything from new construction, increased policing, and asking for financial help from state lawmakers and voters. Will it work?Guest: Dan Brekke, KQED editor and reporterEpisode transcriptLinks:The Bay SurveyThis episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and guest hosted by Guy Marzorati. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve been to the City of Alameda, you’ve probably noticed its beautiful Victorian homes lining the shore of the San Francisco Bay. This has been by design. For decades the city has fought against building new housing, but last November, members of Alameda City council agreed that it was time for a change. They passed a plan to build over 6400 new housing units on the island, making Alameda the first Bay Area city to get its housing plan approved by the state.The state requires cities to come up with these new plans, called “housing elements,”every 8 years. Until recently, cities have ignored them. But now, more pressure is coming from voters, developers, and Gov. Gavin Newsom — and cities that don’t comply could face steep consequences. Guest: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED housing producer/reporter Links:  To Meet State Housing Goals, One Bay Area City Had to Overcome Its NIMBY Past The Bay Listener Survey! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In early February, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.Here in California, we know the Big One is coming someday. In fact, the same kind of fault runs across our state.This makes it all the more important to be prepared. So today, we’re sharing an episode with former KQED science reporter Peter Arcuni, who narrated his experience creating an earthquake preparedness plan over the course of 4 days.Episode transcriptThis episode originally aired on October 18, 2019. This episode was originally produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Kyana Moghadam, Julie Caine, and Erika Aguilar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Workers at nonprofits like the Felton Institute are on the front lines of our region’s biggest problems, like poverty, homelessness, and addiction. Employees say the work is meaningful yet grueling, with low pay and high turnover.For nearly 3 years now, a group of workers at Felton, one of the Bay’s oldest social service agencies, have been campaigning to unionize the organization’s nearly 500 employees. But the campaign is currently in limbo, as organizers encounter difficulties reaching their co-workers across 7 counties. The union, SEIU Local 21, has also accused managers at Felton of retaliating against workers trying to unionize, filing 10 unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.Guest: Holly J. McDede, KQED producer/reporter Links: Read: Inside the Long, Uphill Battle to Unionize Workers at One Large Bay Area Nonprofit The Bay Listener Survey! Read the 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