Bay Curious

Now there’s no question that today the nine-county Bay Area is solidly blue, but it hasn’t always been this way. Bay Curious listener Marcus wants to know: When and why did the Bay Area become overwhelmingly liberal? The answer depends on who you ask.Additional Reading: When and Why Did the Bay Area Become So Liberal? Political Breakdown podcast KQED's 2020 Election Coverage Reported by Scott Shafer. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a tucked-away beach in Richmond, Calif., shards of broken pottery outnumber sand or rocks. It’s an odd feeling, like you’ve stumbled on some kind of archaeological site right next to the Costco. Locals affectionately call this place TEPCO beach, after the Technical Porcelain and Chinaware Company that used to operate in nearby El Cerrito. Bay Curious listener Jo Ann Yada wants to know the story behind the beach, and how so much broken pottery wound up here.Additional Reading: The Unassuming East Bay Beach Strewn With Ceramic Treasures TEPCO: The Defunct Ceramics Factory That Still Dishes Out Nostalgia Subscribe to The California Reporter Magazine Podcast on Apple Podcasts Sign up for our monthly Bay Curious newsletter Reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong, and Asal Ehsanipour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The state of California has indecent exposure laws, making it illegal if someone is naked with the intent of being sexual (like masturbating in public), or intentionally offensive (like flashing someone). If you’re just hanging out naked minding your own business, California leaves that up to local governments. Today on the show, we're bring back an episode that first ran in 2017 ... that traces the fascinating history of being naked in San Francisco.Additional Reading: The History of Nudity in San Francisco Uncovered Subscribe to the Bay Curious newsletter Reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listener Michael Viray wrote in to Bay Curious asking to learn more about the origin story behind ethnic studies: “I’ve heard from one of my professors of ethnic studies at UC Davis that there was actually a revolution in the Bay Area for an ethnic studies field. Is this true? And how did it happen?”Today on Bay Curious, we’re revisiting the longest student strike in U.S. history. We'll learn about the five-month standoff between students and administrators at San Francisco State, that ultimately led to the first College of Ethnic Studies in the nation.Additional Reading: How the Longest Student Strike in U.S. History Created Ethnic Studies Sign up for the Bay Curious newsletter Reported by Asal Ehsanipour. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Michelle Wiley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco beat out Los Angeles, New York and Portland as the top vegan city in America. But with COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the food industry — will that title endure? In today's episode we explore what's made vegan eating so popular in the Bay Area, and then learn how businesses are coping during these challenging times.Additional Resources: Read: Vegan Food is Big in the Bay Area — But Will the Scene Survive COVID-19? Get the Bay Curious Activity Book Sign up for our newsletter! Reported by Chloe Veltman. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Michelle Wiley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we learn how one enamored entrepreneur on a shoe-string budget gave birth to the Murphy bed in San Francisco. Then, we revisit one of our most-popular Bay Curious episodes of all time, about the Flintstone House in Hillsborough. The home's architect, who wasn't available for our original story, shares the backstory to his unique design.Additional Resources: Read - How A San Francisco Love Story Inspired the Invention of the Murphy Bed Read - What's That Thing Off 280? The Flintstone House Listen to our original Flintstone House story on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to the Bay Curious newsletter! Reported by Katrina Schwartz and Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Michelle Wiley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay Curious listener Scott has lived in the Bay Area his whole life. He's always wondered why the weather can be so different just a few miles apart. This week, we dig into Bay Area microclimates -- what are they, why do they exist, and do heat islands affect our weather.*This episode has been updated to fix an error in Andrew Oliphant's title.Additional Reading:  Why Does The Bay Area Have So Many Microclimates? Why San Francisco Gets So Windy and Foggy In The Summer Sign up for the Bay Curious newsletter! Reported by Daniel Potter. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay Curious listeners Alex Kornblum, 8, and his dad, Heath Kornblum, were talking about their drinking water when they landed on this question: How long does it take for water to get from Hetch Hetchy to San Francisco? And how far does it travel?Resources mentioned in this episode: How Hetch Hetchy Valley’s natural beauty was sacrificed to quench SF’s thirst (SF Chronicle) Video: Hetch Hetchy: To Restore or Not (KQED) Hetch Hetchy the cat's Instagram page Sign up for the Bay Curious monthly newsletter Reported by Sarah Craig. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Michelle Wiley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, this question won a public voting round on BayCurious.org: "The Fillmore district used to be known as the Harlem of the West. What's the story behind what happened to the city's once vibrant Black community and culture?" In this episode we explore the rise of the Fillmore as a cultural center for jazz, and the "urban renewal" that ultimately changed the identity of the neighborhood, and forced out many of its residents.Additional Reading and Listening: Why San Francisco's Fillmore District Is No Longer the "Harlem of the West" Playlist: We made a Spotify playlist featuring artists who played at venues in the Fillmore Reported by Bianca Taylor. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Asal Ehsanipour and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Michelle Wiley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juneteenth celebrations in the Bay Area are some of the largest, and longest-running in California. We offer a quick primer on the history of Juneteenth locally, and explore the legacy of Rachel Townsend, an activist and organizer who kept the Juneteenth spirit alive in San Francisco for years. This episode features an excerpt from KQED's The Bay.Reporting by Asal Ehsanipour and Devin Katayama. Production by Katrina Schwartz, Olivia Allen-Price, Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Engineering by Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices