This episode contains explicit language.

Race has been a mostly silent character in criminal courtrooms. Historically, people accused of crimes haven’t been able to raise claims of racial bias in the justice system to defend themselves from a criminal accusation.

But in 2020, California passed the Racial Justice Act, a groundbreaking law that allows criminal defendants to argue that racism may have played a role in how the justice system handled their case and ask for the court to provide a remedy. It’s the first law of its kind in the nation.

KQED’s Annelise Finney explains how one case in Contra Costa County is testing the limits of the new law.

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This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Ellie Prickett-Morgan, and Ericka Cruz Guevarra. It was edited and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo.

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In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka, Maria and Alan talk about an assembly race where housing development has taken center stage, the mother of Oscar Grant getting his cell phones back 15 years after his killing, and how the politics of fast food are heating up in San Jose.

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When one of your appliances or electronics breaks, do you buy a new one or try to fix it yourself?

Manufacturers have made it hard for consumers to fix their own stuff. But people have been pushing back in what's called the "right to repair" movement. KQED's Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman takes us to a "Fixit clinic" in Redwood City, where people learn how to fix their broken items.

Episode Transcript

This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.

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This March, the politics of crime in San Francisco can be found up and down the ballot, from judicial races to local ballot measures. 

KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez joins us to unpack Proposition E, a measure put forward by Mayor London Breed that would expand the power of the San Francisco Police Department.

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This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.

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Queer Palestinian artists in the Bay are calling for a ceasefire as Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza. Some say that the conflict has forced them to “come out as Palestinian” to the Bay Area LGBTQ+ community.

KQED’s Nisa Khan talks to us about how Palestinian artists are pushing San Francisco’s queer community to stand up for Palestine. 

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This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.

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As we head into the 2024 election, voters will have to navigate a slew of disinformation created by AI, like deep fakes and robocalls. In this episode of KQED’s Political Breakdown, Scott Shafer speaks to Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause, to discuss the threats AI could pose to our election process and efforts to regulate it in California.

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The people who regulate air quality in the Bay Area say they’ve scored a “decisive victory” in a legal fight with Big Oil. On Tuesday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced that Chevron, which runs a 120-year-old refinery in Richmond, and the Martinez Refining Company have dropped lawsuits against a rule that will require them to drastically cut air pollution from their facilities. 

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This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra

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This Valentine’s Day, KQED community engagement reporter Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli joins us to talk about growing up in San Francisco’s Mission District — and one particular mural that he loves and remembers dearly.

Episode Transcript

This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Alan Montecillo and Ericka Cruz Guevarra

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The California primary is coming up, and ballots have been sent out! Today, our friends at Bay Curious break down Proposition 1.

Prop. 1 asks two big questions: Should mental health funding be used for housing? And should California borrow money to build more housing and treatment facilities?

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The San Francisco 49ers are back in the Super Bowl, and fans are chomping at the bit for the team to bring home its first championship since 1994. They’ll be facing the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated them in the Super Bowl 4 years ago.

David Lombardi with The Athletic breaks down why the Niners have a great chance of winning it all this time. 

Episode transcript

This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Dana Cronin, and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo.

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