California has lifted a decades-old ban on lowrider cruising. The state, widely understood as the birthplace of lowrider culture, has also historically been unfriendly to it. For decades, lowriding was blamed for traffic and alleged connections to gang violence. KQED’s Paloma Yaritza Abarca explains the years-long fight by community members to let their cars ride freely.
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California Lifts Decades-Old Ban on Lowrider Cruising

Bay Area-raised host Ericka Cruz Guevarra talks with local journalists about what’s happening in the greatest region in the country. It’s the context and analysis you need to make sense of the headlines, with help from the people who know it best. New episodes drop Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.

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In 2020, California voters passed Proposition 22, which allowed app-based companies to classify their drivers as independent contractors and not employees with full benefits. It was a big win for companies like Uber and Lyft, who spent unprecedented amounts of money to get the measure passed.
Now, the issue is back — this time before the California Supreme Court, which heard a case on Prop. 22 this Tuesday. KQED’s Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos explain in an episode of the Political Breakdown podcast.
Links:
Nov, 13, 2020: With Prop. 22 Approved, Regulating Gig Companies Just Got a Lot Harder
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Fate of Uber, Lyft Workers’ Benefits Now Up to the State Supreme Court

Less than half of all San Francisco pharmacies carry buprenorphine, one of the most powerful medications used to treat opioid addiction, according to San Francisco’s Department of Public Health. The city hopes to change that.
This episode was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan and Maria Esquinca, edited by Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.
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How SF Hopes to Make This Critical Opioid Addiction Treatment More Available

Last week, protesters blocked the entrance of Google’s largest development conference in Mountain View to protest the tech giant’s ties with the Israeli government. At issue is Project Nimbus, Google and Amazon’s $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with the Israeli government, including the Israeli Defense Ministry. But as KQED’s Rachael Myrow explains, Silicon Valley’s ties to Israel run much deeper — which makes divesting a tall order.
Episode Transcript
This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra
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Silicon Valley’s Deep Ties With Israel

Back in the 60s, BART was just a plan in the making. And located through its path were communities of mostly low income people of color. But thanks to a legal tool known as eminent domain, many in that community were forced to sell their homes or face eviction. 
This is an episode of Bay Curious that originally aired on May 16, 2024.
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Displacing People for “Progress": The Origins of BART

Jon Jacobo was a rising star in the progressive wing of San Francisco politics when a colleague publicly accused him of rape in 2021. At that time, he largely escaped scrutiny from members of his own party.
But as Josh Koehn of the San Francisco Standard reported in mid-April, three more women have publicly accused Jacobo of sexual abuse and domestic violence. And they say that leaders treated their allegations with indifference.
Links: 

Episode Transcript

Women accused a rising SF political star of rape and abuse—and met a wall of silence

San Francisco created an agency to fight sexual crimes. It’s never met with police

San Francisco Democrats are having a #MeToo moment as women share stories of rape, abuse


﻿This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Ellie Prickett-Morgan and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Lifts Decades-Old Ban on Lowrider Cruising

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