The Bay

We need to spend a lot of money on green infrastructure if we want to lower emissions and adapt to the climate crisis. Supporters of Proposition 30 say this measure would help the state do just that — by raising the state income tax by 1.75% on Californians who make more than $2 million a year. That money would be guaranteed for 3 things: electric car debates, electric car charging, and wildfire suppression.The political coalitions on this one are super confusing: The ‘Yes” side includes environmental justice groups, prominent Democrats, and the ride-hailing app Lyft. The “No” side includes groups that oppose tax increases like the California Republican Party, the Chamber of Commerce, and — perhaps surprisingly — Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Teachers’ Association.Guest: Kevin Stark, KQED science senior editor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Launched for a third time by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, Prop. 29 would add new rules on dialysis clinics. If approved, dialysis clinics would be required to have a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant on site during all treatment hours, among other requirements. Opponents say Prop. 29 imposes unnecessary requirements and would cause clinics to shut down. Guest:  Kevin Stark, KQED science senior editorYour 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

Studies show that arts and music education benefit students, reducing things like depression and truancy. However, when budgets are slashed, they’re the first programs to go. The problem is exacerbated in low-income schools, which already face under-staffed and low budgeted music and arts programs, argues former Los Angeles Unified School School District Superintendent, Austin Beutner, who launched Prop. 28.  Prop. 28 would increase the amount of funding allocated for music and arts education in public schools. Currently, 40 percent of the state’s general fund goes to public schools. If approved, Prop. 28 would require at least one percent of that go towards music and arts education, an estimated $1 billion annually. Guest: Julia McEvoy, KQED senior editorEpisode Transcript Links:The Sacramento Bee editorial board's interview with former L.A. Unified Superintendent Austin BeutnerThis episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.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

There’s a pair of dueling ballot measures in California that would affect whether we have legalized sports betting in the state, and what form it should take. It’s a super expensive campaign. Prop 27 is already the most expensive ballot measure in state history. And that’s because big money is on the line.On this episode of Prop Fest, Bay Curious host Olivia Allen-Price talks to KQED’s Guy Marzorati about Propositions 26 and 27.Episode Transcript Voting season is coming up. Check out KQED’s Voter Guide to help make your decision. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the next 2 weeks, we’re teaming up with our friends at Bay Curious to bring you Prop Fest, where we’ll break down the 7 statewide ballot propositions in the November election.First up: Proposition 1. It was added to the ballot by the state legislature after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Prop 1 would amend the state constitution to include reproductive freedom, which includes the right to an abortion and to accept or refuse contraception, as a fundamental right.Guest: April Dembosky, KQED health correspondentEpisode TranscriptYour 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

The Not One More Girl campaign launched in 2020 after a survey of Bay Area youth found that women and girls feared for their safety when using public transportation. Spearheaded by youth, the campaign outlined ways to make BART safer. More than a year since we first aired this episode, the BART board amended its code of conduct to explicitly prohibit sexual harassment. Guests: Haleema Bharoocha, senior advocacy manager at Alliance for Girls and Santana Tapia, with the #NotOneMoreGirl campaign and co-founder of Fluid Coffee and EventThis episode first aired on Aug. 6, 2021.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

At its peak, an estimated 500 people lived in tents, vehicles, and camper vans at an encampment near San Jose’s airport. The city has tried to clear it for years, under pressure from the Federal Aviation Administration. Now, it's almost done.San Jose also promised to find housing and fix the vehicles of the people who were moved out of the encampment. But just a fraction have been moved into housing, and only 14 vehicles have been fixed. In the meantime, most people have had to salvage what belongings they could, and find a safe place somewhere else.Guest: Jana Kadah, reporter covering city hall for the San Jose SpotlightRead the transcriptThis episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.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

Communities of color in California are the most affected by violent crime. But historically, they haven't had a seat at the table when it comes to defining what survivors of violent crime want and need.Now that's starting to change. Advocacy groups, led by Black women, say that the state needs to reform and rethink the way victim support in California works.Guest: Marisa Lagos, politics and government correspondent for KQED and co-host of the Political Breakdown PodcastRead the transcriptThis episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.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

Maria Esquinca is the newest producer for The Bay, taking over after Ericka Cruz Guevarra left the position to become the host of the show. In this episode we get to know Maria a little bit more. We talk about her hometown of El Paso, Texas (a border town nestled next to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico) burritos, poetry, and finding home in the Bay Area.KQED reporter Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli also takes us on a brief tour of the Mission, a neighborhood in the Bay Area that reminds Maria of home.Guests: Maria Esquinca, producer of The Bay, and Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli, community engagement reporter for KQEDRead the transcriptLinks:  Pocha Poem  The Hispanic Invasion of Texas  The US Mexico Border Replaces Itself  Other poems by Maria  This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay Area experienced record-setting heat last week, with temperatures reaching up to 115 degrees in some parts, threatening to overload the state’s power grid. It won’t be the last. Climate change makes it even more likely that these heat waves will be more frequent and severe. So today, we talk about takeaways from the historic heat wave, and how we just barely avoided rolling blackouts this time around.Guest: Dan Brekke, KQED editor and reporter Read the transcriptYour support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts.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