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 reporter

Episode transcript

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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.

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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 KQED

Episode transcript

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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.

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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 reporters

Episode transcript

This episode first published on May 18, 2022.

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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 desk

Episode transcript

This 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.

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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 reporter

Episode transcript

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• The Bay Survey

This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and guest hosted by Guy Marzorati.

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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 

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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 transcript

This episode originally aired on October 18, 2019. This episode was originally produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Kyana Moghadam, Julie Caine, and Erika Aguilar.

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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 

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

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For many members of the public, COVID-19 is in the rearview mirror. People are tired. Governments have dropped things like mask and vaccine mandates. And the virus isn’t as lethal as it once was.

On the other hand, this virus is still very much a part of our lives, especially for people who are vulnerable, immunocompromised, or have long COVID.

Now, California is going to end its COVID state of emergency at the end of month. We’ll dive into what that means.

Guest: Carly Severn, KQED senior engagement editor

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This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Jehlen Herdman, and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo, who also edited.

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Originally from The Bronx, New York, Dave “Davey D” Cook was there when this thing we call hip-hop was in its nascent form, before it even had a name. When he arrived in the Bay Area in the early ’80s, one of his missions as a UC Berkeley student was to lend some insight to this burgeoning culture. So he put on a few events, one of which was The Day in Hip-Hop on Oct. 24, 1984. Rightnowish host Pendarvis Harshaw looks back on that day with Davey D, and traces how far hip hop has come since — in the Bay Area and beyond.  

This episode of Rightnowish first published on Feb. 1, 2023. It’s part of That’s My Word, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.

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