The California Report Magazine
The California Report Magazine is a weekly storytelling podcast from KQED that explores the places, people and culture that make California distinctive. Each episode functions like a road trip for the ears, taking listeners across the state to hear in-depth personal stories and reporting. It is produced as an extension of The California Report, KQED's public radio news program covering California. The show blends narrative journalism with vivid portraits of communities, traditions and change across the state.
Episodes
The Speaker: A New Podcast on Nancy Pelosi's Unlikely Path to Power
The Speaker: A New Podcast on Nancy Pelosi's Unlikely Path to Power
Ahead of Nancy Pelosi's retirement, KQED's Scott Shafer traces her improbable 1987 rise in a new podcast The Speaker: How Nancy Pelosi Changed the Face of Power. The first episode revisits her primary against Democratic Socialist Harry Britt, who had hoped to become San Francisco's first openly gay congressman amid the AIDS crisi
The SF Church Where John Coltrane is a Saint; CA Gold Fever in 2026?
Inside the San Francisco Church Where John Coltrane is a Saint
If Coltrane were still alive, he’d be celebrating his 100th birthday this month. In a story from our friends at KQED's Bay Curious podcast, Asal Ehsanipour visits the Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church in San Francisco, where Reverend Franzo King and Mother Marina have spent 60 years turning the jazz legend's music into a spi
Encore: She Killed Her Children. Can We Forgive Her?
We’re reprising a story from 2020 that has a lot in common with a case in Massachusetts that has recently made national headlines: the closely-watched murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of murdering her three children. Clancy’s trial has reignited a debate about how the legal system treats cases of women who kill their own children. More than a decade ago in Los Angeles, Carol Coronado
Tourists Still Drawn to Route 66 ; Jackie the Eagle's Legacy; Teaching About Cesar Chavez Now
Who's on Route 66 these days? Les Français
Route 66 is turning 100 this year, and communities around the state are gearing up for this milestone birthday. The 2,400-mile highway system stretches from Chicago to Santa Monica, and has always drawn tourists. But as KCRW’s Jennifer Swann reports, the promise of Route 66 is not exactly what it used to be.
Meet the Bald Eagles Who Inspired a Mov
One Parent Taken By ICE, Another Battling Addiction: How They Each Kept Their Families Together
Detained at Green Card Interview: How a Bay Area Family Is Healing From Sudden Separation
Since the Trump Administration’s deportation campaign began last year, more than 100,000 children who are American citizens have had a parent detained, according to an analysis by the Brookings Institution. Peter, who is married to an American citizen, was the main caregiver to his son when he was taken into
Eel River Dam Removals; Altadena's Backyard Punk Shows; Visiting Pinnacles
Mendocino’s Tribes, Farmers, Environmentalists Agree: Take Down Eel River’s Dams
For over a century, dams have blocked the Eel River’s natural flow of water in Northern California. Now, tribes, environmentalists and utility companies have come up with a plan to tear down the dams, as part of the “Two Basin Solution.” Reporter Sam Anderson found out what a free-running Eel River would mean for loc
Introducing Life, Automated
What does it mean to live, work, and make decisions in a rapidly automated world?
Life, Automated explores this urgent question. It's a new podcast distributed by KQED and made by our partners at the Ryan Institute for Complexity at Northwestern University, Episodes drop every other Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Encore: SFO's Class for Fearful Flyers; Meet the 'Batman of San Jose'
San Francisco Airport’s Fear of Flying Clinic Welcomes Nervous Passengers Aboard
If your stomach drops at the thought of getting on an airplane, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans share a fear of flying. Some psychologists say the way through it is to rewire the brain, by gradually facing the very thing that feels dangerous. But you can’t just hop on a plane whenever you want to practice. Th
Bats, Birds and Planes: Stories from California's Skies
Outside Sacramento, California's Largest Urban Bat Colony Takes Flight
Thousands of drivers cross a bridge to Sacramento every day, with no idea what lurks beneath them: a quarter-million Mexican free-tailed bats. Each summer at sunset, they burst out in swirling formation, drawing crowds to guided tours. As part of KQED's Hidden Gems series, reporter Srishti Prabha visits the Yolo Causeway to fi
An Ancient Armenian Instrument's Healing Power; Lodi's Hidden Wrestling Scene
This week we're featuring two of our favorite stories from the past year.
Meet the Duduk Whisperer: A Bay Area Armenian Folk Musician Revives Centuries of Soul
San Francisco Bay Area-based Khatchadour Khatchadourian is pushing the boundaries of traditional Armenian music. The vocalist and musician plays the duduk, an ancient double reed wind instrument carved from apricot wood, which has cultur
Thrift Store Find Leads Reveals Musical Love Story; Cooking Class Creating Connectons for Hmong Youth
Vinyl Album Found in San Francisco Contains Echoes of a Filipino American Love Story
Jess Garcia loves perusing San Francisco thrift stores for treasures. One day, she came across a vinyl record titled "In Baghdad By the Bay: Cora and Santos Beloy," which piqued her curiosity. She rushed home to listen and was amazed at the sweet nostalgic quality of the voices she heard. When she looked for more
Renowned Musician Finds Purpose on Skid Row; Silicon Valley's Forgotten Flower Farms
This week on The California Report Magazine:
What Skid Row Taught Acclaimed Violinist Vijay Gupta About Music
When violinist Vijay Gupta joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic at just 19 years old, he was the youngest to ever take a chair in a major orchestra in the U.S. But despite that shining achievement, he was desperately unhappy. Now in his late 30s, Gupta has a new memoir out called Restrung
Students 'Podcasting Democracy'; Rock Opera Celebrates Pasadena
‘Podcasting Democracy’ Helps Constitution Come to Life for Teens
As America gets ready to celebrate its 250th birthday, a new project called Podcasting Democracy is helping high school and middle school students engage with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Participants created a series of audio commentaries connecting how those founding documents still affect their lives today, and how th
How a 1956 Raid Became a Flashpoint for Queer Civil Rights; The Volunteers Helping at Immigration Court
How a Pacifica Bar Became a Flashpoint for Queer Civil Rights
The San Francisco Bay Area is known as one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly areas in the country but it wasn’t always this way. Back in 1956, the beachside city of Pacifica was the scene of a police raid at a local bar, known to be friendly to the queer community. Hazel’s Inn’s owner, Hazel Nikola had her liquor license revoked and was arre
Celebrating Father's Day, From a Boxing Gym to a Prison Prom
Connecting With My Father, and My Heritage, in Mandarin
Many children of immigrants grow up hearing a language at home that they never fully learn to speak. For second generation kids in the US, the top three heritage languages are Spanish, Chinese and Tagalog. Mandarin Chinese is the native language of reporter Anna Zou. But up until a few months ago, she could barely speak it.
Central Valley F
College Grads vs. AI; Lodi Vineyards Pivot to New Crops; Fresno Students Head to Clarinet ‘Olympics’
Recent Graduates Reflect on How AI Is Reshaping Their Future
Over the past few weeks, several college commencement speakers who praised artificial intelligence were booed by graduates. As these graduates enter an uncertain job market, they’re grappling not only with an unpredictable economy but also with the feeling that artificial intelligence is unstoppable. AI can impact whether or not you g
Celebrating Pride with 'Love You for You'
June is Pride Month, and for this week’s show we’re featuring excerpts from our Love You for You series, which recently won a regional Murrow award from the Radio Television Digital News Association.
Gender-expansive youth are often talked about in the news but we rarely hear from them, in their own words, especially about how they can thrive with loving support from their families and communiti
The History Behind Some of California's Hidden Gems
Uncovering Women Miners’ Forgotten Legacy in the ‘Swiss Alps’ of Sequoia National Park
Mineral King is located in the southern part of Sequoia National Park but its remote location means it gets fewer visitors than other parts of the park. So the campers and backpackers that make the trek are rewarded with a spectacular mountain range with rushing waterfalls. There are only a handful of building
Creative Ways To Hike California Trails
Going for a Hike in a California Park? Don’t Forget Your Sewing Supplies
Hiking clubs are nothing new. But a group in Los Angeles is now trying to stretch their creative muscles while making new community. Los Angeles’ Hike and Sew members gather every other week in Los Angeles to get into nature with their needle and thread. Reporter Clare Wiley joined the group as part of our Community Connect
Who's the Bear on California's Flag?; A Garden Growing Community in West Sacramento
The Story Behind the Bear on the California Flag is Bigger Than One Legend
The grizzly bear on California’s state flag makes it distinctive and recognizable. Many people believe the bear is Monarch, one of the last California grizzlies. Captured in the mountains in 1889, he was held in captivity and displayed to the public for the last 22 years of his life. The KQED podcast Bay Curious wanted to
The California Governor’s Race; Providing Care in a Rural Maternity Desert
California's Governor’s Race Remains Wide Open. Here’s What to Know Before the Primary
From controversies to campaign promises, California’s governor’s race is national news. And with ballots landing in mailboxes already, the race is still a toss-up — with eight candidates vying for the state’s top job. We sit down with KQED political correspondents Guy Marzorati and Marisa Lagos to hear more abo
A WNBA Trailblazer, Women’s College Hockey and an Oakland Store Where One Thing Is Free
In East Oakland, a Store Where 1 Item Is Always Free
If you find yourself wandering around Oakland’s Dimond District, you might come across a rather unusual store. The space looks like a hoarder’s attic. It’s crowded with mismatched objects: glassware, old electronics, knitted hats, typewriters and rotary phones. But you don't need money to shop here, you can actually take one item home for fre
A Los Angeles Woman Was Lost. An Ambitious Mental Health Program Gave Her Purpose
For people living with serious mental illness, there’s more to recovery than clinical treatment. Los Angeles County’s Hollywood 2.0 pilot program puts that idea into practice. Inspired by an Italian city’s holistic and successful approach — centered on friendship and purpose — officials brought the model stateside. For people like Mignon Poon, who spent years unhoused, the opportunity for communit
These Workers Help Keep Food Flowing Through the Golden State
This week, we’re revisiting two stories from Lisa Morehouse's series, California Foodways.
California’s fruits and vegetables make a lot of stops on the way from the fields to your table. One of those places is the Oakland Produce Market, which supplies small markets, restaurants and other food providers with the freshest foods. You don’t have to work for a grocery store or run a restaurant to s
Encore: Oakland Comedian Jackie Keliiaa on Pain, Punchlines, and Her ‘Good Medicine’
This week, we're revisiting a conversation from September 2025 about resilience with Oakland comedian Jackie Keliiaa. She’s a stand-up, writer, actor, and producer whose work not only reflects on her everyday life, but also her Native heritage. She’s been featured on Comedy Central, Team Coco, Netflix and IllumiNative's list of 25 Native American Comedians to Follow, and she organizes the all-Nati
Indigenous Communities Reclaim Ancestral Lands and Waters
This Northern California Tribe is Reclaiming Mendocino Forest For Future Generations
The Potter Valley band of the Pomo people is the first tribe in California to use a Forest Service grant to create a community forest near Fort Bragg, in Mendocino County. It will soon be a place where the tribe can offer youth camps and community events all year round. KQED’s Outdoors reporter Sarah Wright atten
Finding Ways to Manage Affordability; Indie Wrestlers Dream Big in Lodi
From Financial Freefall to Stability. How One Man Found a Way to Stay in the Bay
The cost of living in California has only increased in the last year. And between housing, food, utilities and gas, many of us have been forced to get creative with our budgets in order to continue living here. Vanessa Rancaño has this profile of a man in the Bay Area whose decision to stay in California –despite his
How Do You Receive Mail When You Don't Have an Address?
This San Francisco Post Office Is the Only Address Some Residents Have
In San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, there’s a unique post office. It’s the U.S. Postal Service General Delivery Unit — a mail service where people who don’t have a permanent address can pick up mail. For the past decade, it’s been a lifeline in a district that’s home to 2,000 unhoused residents, allowing them to receiv
Sharing the Stories of Black Altadena's Recovery and Resilience
The Eaton Fire Ravaged Black Altadena. A Journalist Documents Its Resilience
After the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena in 2025, reporter James Farr went live on radio station KBLA in Los Angeles. His weekly call-in show, Conversations Live: Altadena Rising, highlights the voices of fire survivors, focusing on the people from Altadena’s historic Black neighborhoods, which the fire disproportionat
Regrowing Altadena's Lush Greenery; Creating Connections Between Music and Memory Loss
The Eaton Fire Destroyed Altadena’s Lush Greenery. These Volunteers Are Growing It Back
The Eaton Fire was merciless when it came to Altadena’s celebrated green spaces, destroying or damaging most of the leafy trees that lined the streets in many neighborhoods. Reporter Steven Cuevas tells us how local advocates are scrambling to restore what was lost and save what’s still standing.
A Post-Wa
The Connection Between Silicon Valley and Ukraine’s ‘Geeks of War’
This week marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It’s a somber anniversary that many Ukrainians here in California are commemorating. In fact, Silicon Valley is home to a large Ukrainian diaspora – many immigrants from Ukraine have come to work in the tech industry as engineers. Some of them have been using their tech skills to bolster the effort to defend Ukraine, and this
In Prison, Books Can Be a LIfeline, But Advocates Worry About Access and Censorship
When Cherish Burtson was sent to prison, she says one of the main things that helped her get through her time was reading. She devoured memoirs and books on mindfulness, which helped her manage the challenges she experienced behind bars. After she was released, she began to volunteer with Books Thru Bars San Diego, a group that provides reading materials to people who are incarcerated. But lately
Once a Last Stop for the City’s Homeless, SFO Ramps Up Outreach and Support
When most of us head to the airport, it’s to fly out and leave. But some people go to the airport to stay, sometimes for months on end. People experiencing homelessness have had a presence at the airport since at least 2018, but airport officials say their number has grown. The San Francisco Police Department says it encounters about 35 unhoused people at the airport every day. But helping them fi
Snap Judgment: Jen Angel
Three years ago this week, Oakland bakery owner Jen Angel lost her life when a “smash and grab” robbery went horribly wrong. Ishmael Jenkins Burch, then 19, was driving the getaway car and was initially charged with murder. We bring you an excerpt from an episode of the Snap Judgment podcast, which explores what happens when Angel’s community pushes for restorative justice instead of retribution,
A Year After the LA Fires, A Journalist Looks Back on the Stories From His Neighborhood
This weekend marks one year since the deadly Eaton Fire was contained. From the moment the fire first broke out, reporter Steven Cuevas began talking to his neighbors, to business owners, and other people who make up the fabric of this vibrant community, and we’ve featured those stories on our show ever since. Host Sasha Khokha joins Steven as they revisit some of those neighbors, including a 94
Finding San Francisco's Earthquake Cottages; How Wild Boars Colonized California
This week we're featuring two stories from our friends at the Bay Curious podcast.
San Francisco’s Historic ‘Relief Cottages,’ Built After the 1906 Earthquake, Are Hidden in Plain Sight
After the 1906 Earthquake and Fire leveled 80% of San Francisco, more than a quarter of a million residents were temporarily displaced. People who had the means left the city, but many low income San Franciscan
SFO's Class for Fearful Flyers; Meet the 'Batman of San Jose'
San Francisco Airport’s Fear of Flying Clinic Welcomes Nervous Passengers Aboard
If your stomach drops at the thought of getting on an airplane, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans share a fear of flying. Some psychologists say the way through it is to rewire the brain, by gradually facing the very thing that feels dangerous. But you can’t just hop on a plane whenever you want to practice. Th
How Palisades Fire Put New Volunteer Firefighting Force to the Test
This week marks the one-year anniversary of the Los Angeles wildfires, two of the most destructive fires in California history. We bring you an excerpt from a new podcast, The Palisades Fire: A Sandcastles Special, which documents the community-led efforts to fight the Palisades Fire. Host Adriana Cargill highlights the role of the “Community Brigade” – a first-in-the-nation model that allows trai
Encore - LA’s Former Poet Laureate on Storytelling and Survival
Luis Rodriguez credits reading and writing for keeping him resilient his whole life. He’s best known for his 1993 memoir Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A., which chronicles how he joined a gang at age 11, found himself homeless and using heroin, and wound up in the juvenile justice system. He went on to write 17 books of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, and he served as poet laureat
Reena Esmail's Sitars and Symphonies; Exploring Point Richmond's Fairy Houses
This holiday week, we’re bringing you two joyful stories from 2025.
Reena Esmail’s childhood in Los Angeles had two soundtracks: the Western classical music her parents loved, and the old, scratchy Bollywood tapes her paternal grandparents would play over and over. Those multicultural influences shaped what would become the driving question of her work: how do you invite people from different cu
Chef Chu’s, the Family-Owned Chinese Restaurant that Grew Up With Silicon Valley
Have you been to every one of California’s 58 counties? Reporter Lisa Morehouse has. For more than ten years, she’s travelled around the state, profiling people at the heart of food and agriculture for her series California Foodways. On this week’s show, for Lisa’s 58th and final story, she takes us to her home county, Santa Clara, to visit a local Chinese restaurant. Over its 55-year history, Che
Sikh Community's Growing Concern Over ICE; Richmond's 'Minister of Food'
San Jose is home to the largest Sikh temple – or gurdwara – in the U.S., and for decades, it has been a place of sanctuary and refuge. But lately, another feeling has settled in for worshippers: fear.ICE enforcement has ramped up over the past year, with some of the sharpest increases in California. And Sikhs, many who are from the Indian state of Punjab, worry their sacred spaces could become tar
When We All Get To Heaven: New Podcast Takes Us Into a Queer Church During the AIDS Crisis
This year, for the first time since it was established in 1988, the U.S. did not commemorate World AIDS Day on December 1. That’s despite more than 630,000 deaths from HIV-related illnesses in 2024, according to the World Health Organization.
This week, we’re traveling back in time, to visit a queer church that provided refuge and support to San Francisco’s gay community during the height of the
Encore: Altadena's Lost Treasures Returned; Gathering at the Grange
The fierce Santa Ana winds that whipped the Palisades and Eaton fires into deadly infernos also spared precious things you’d think would have been the first to burn: old family photos, children’s art work, postcards, even pages of old sheet music. Those things sometimes blew across neighborhoods, and people are still finding them as fire cleanup continues. Reporter Steven Cuevas introduces us to a
Bonus- Celebrating a ‘Long Lost History’ of California’s Black Trans Trailblazers
For the last few weeks, The California Report Magazine has been sharing conversations between transgender and nonbinary kids and the people in their lives who love and support them — a series called Love You for You.
As we enter Transgender Awareness Month, we shift the lens toward intergenerational stories — young people in their twenties in conversation with transgender elders whose lives trace
Bonus- 'It's Self-Love': Trans Elder Donna Personna Shares Advice With a Younger Generation
For the last few weeks, we’ve been sharing conversations between transgender and nonbinary kids and the people in their lives who love and support them — a series called Love You for You.
As we enter Transgender Awareness Month, we shift the lens toward intergenerational stories — young people in their twenties in conversation with transgender elders whose lives trace the long arc of LGBTQ+ activ
What Parents Can Learn About Love and Support from their Trans Kids
Our Love You for You series features conversations between trans and nonbinary youth from across California and the people in their lives who love and mentor them: parents, grandparents, siblings and others.
This week, we’ll explore how parents stretch, adapt, and grow alongside their children, learning in real time what it means to support their trans and gender-expansive kids.
We’ll hear a co
Trans Kids Talk to Their Grandparents
Our Love You for You series features conversations between trans and nonbinary youth from across California and the people in their lives who love and mentor them: parents, grandparents, siblings and others.
This week, we’ll hear how grandparents' hearts can be moved by having a transgender grandchild, and how that can expand the worldview of someone who may not be connected to the LGBTQ+ communi
Coming Out to Love
Part 1 of our new series Love You for You features trans and nonbinary youth in conversation with people in their lives who love, support, and mentor them. Gender-expansive kids have been in the headlines a lot lately, but we rarely hear them tell their own stories. Our series highlights kids who are thriving, with complex, multifaceted identities that go beyond gender. This week, we’ll hear from
A Look at Prop 50; Meet the Duduk Whisperer; Altadena Homeowners Resettling in RVs
Election Day is almost here, and in most of California, there's just one measure on the ballot: Proposition 50. Backed by Governor Gavin Newsom, Prop 50 aims to create more Democratic-leaning districts. It's a move to counter Texas's redistricting plans favoring Republicans. And some heavy hitters are lining up on both sides, including former President Barack Obama, Representative Alexandria Ocas
Celebrating 30 Years of The California Report with Kishi Bashi and California Foodways
The California Report just turned 30! On November 4, we’re throwing a party to celebrate, at KQED in San Francisco, with special guests whose stories we’ve featured on our show. This week we’re reprising two of those stories.
How Experimental Composer and Performer Kishi Bashi Brings New Ideas to Life
Kishi Bashi has been releasing music for over a decade. The Santa Cruz-based musician and co
Finding Diwali Outfits In A Suburban Garage; Making Whiskey On Mare Island
Need a Gorgeous Diwali Outfit? Nimisha Aunty Will Take Care of You
On a recent weekend, a Morgan Hill home’s two-car garage was transformed into something dazzling. Shoppers tried on embroidered Indian outfits and excitedly chatted in Hindi and Gujarati. This is Nivy’s Nook, the homegrown boutique Nimisha Jadav runs out of her garage. As part of our series about about people spreading joy and bui
30 Years of The California Report; The Chinese Laundrymen Who Shaped US Civil Rights
On October 6, 1995, The California Report’s first weekly show went on the air. Today we’re celebrating our birthday with a look back at that first show, which explored issues we’re still grappling with today, and featured a soundscape that created a roadmap for covering this huge, diverse state.
How a Chinese Laundryman Shaped US Civil Rights From San Francisco
The increased number of violent I
A Tiny Plot: New Podcast Follows an Unhoused Community in Oakland Fighting for Self-Determination
Today we’re bringing you an excerpt from the first episode of a new podcast called A Tiny Plot, from our friends at KQED’s Snap Studios. About one third of our nation’s homeless population is here in California – with close to 6,000 people on the streets each night in Oakland alone. Producer Shaina Shealy spent more than a year following a group of unhoused people at Union Point Park in Oakland as
California Is Considering Returning Stolen Land. Here's How It Played Out In Germany.
Located near Hayward in Alameda County, Russell City was once home to mostly Black, Latino and poor white families boxed out of other Bay Area neighborhoods by redlining and the cost of living. But in the 1960s, after the county refused to extend water and sewer service to Russell City, it declared it a “blight,” and used eminent domain laws to bulldoze the community and displace more than 1,000 r
Oakland Comedian Jackie Keliiaa on Pain, Punchlines, and Her ‘Good Medicine’
This week, our series on Californians and resilience continues with Oakland comedian Jackie Keliiaa. She’s a stand-up, writer, actor, and producer whose work not only reflects on her everyday life, but also her Native heritage. She’s been featured on Comedy Central, Team Coco, Netflix and IllumiNative's list of 25 Native American Comedians to Follow, and she organizes the all-Native comedy show, G
Meet One of the OGs of Tech; The National Landmark 100 Feet Underground
This week, we’re bringing you an excerpt of the KQED podcast Close All Tabs, which features stories about how digital culture shapes our lives. Their new occasional series, OGs of Tech, looks beyond the billionaires to spotlight the often-overlooked innovators who helped build the digital world we live in today. One of these OGs is Felidoro Cueva, who grew up in a rural village in the Andes mounta
Encore-"Wired For Connection': The Science of Kindness
This Labor Day weekend, we’re bringing you some of our favorite stories from the California Report Magazine archive.
You may have seen these viral stories on your social media feeds: a frightened shelter dog bonding with their foster; a good samaritan helping a street vendor by buying all their merchandise; an artist drawing a portrait of a stranger and listening to their life story. These acts s
A Teenager, a Journalist and a Construction Worker Caught Up in Trump Immigration Crackdown
The Independent Journalist Covering Immigration Raids In Her Own Community
Earlier this summer, 17-year-old Kevin Robles was in his friend's car driving through their neighborhood in Oceanside when he noticed vehicles with tinted windows and nearby, masked men taking someone out of a red car. He started live streaming on Instagram and it went viral. But then a little over a week later agents wit
Rebuilding a Lost Home, a Beloved Garment, and a Treasured Radio
How a Pasadena Church is Helping One Senior Through Wildfire Recovery
It’s been more than seven months since the Eaton Fire tore across Altadena, just east of Los Angeles. Rebuilding homes and neighborhoods could take years – a daunting timeline, especially for seniors. Local advocates worry that many elders within Altadena’s historic Black community won’t be able to rebuild. Afro LA’s Corinne Ru
How An Unhoused Person Navigates San Francisco Streets; Life With a Partner in Prison
Recently, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at fundamentally changing how the country addresses homelessness. The order promises to crack down on street homelessness across the country, in part by institutionalizing people with mental illness. Here in California, Governor Gavin Newsom has criticized Trump’s recent order, while at the same time encouraging a more punitive approach to
Therapists Confront Wildfire Trauma; Deadly Scandal in California Wine Country
It’s been nearly seven months since the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, killing 30 people and hollowing out a once vibrant community. For many survivors, the fire has impacted their mental health, as many try to navigate rebuilding their homes and their lives. Reporter Steven Cuevas lives in Altadena, and he’s been talking to therapists who are finding ways to support their community at the same
From the Barrio to the Bookstore: LA’s Former Poet Laureate on Survival and Storytelling
Luis Rodriguez credits reading and writing for keeping him resilient his whole life. He’s best known for his 1993 memoir Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A., which chronicles how he joined a gang at age 11, found himself homeless and using heroin, and wound up in the juvenile justice system. He went on to write 17 books of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, and he served as poet laureat
The Legacy of a WNBA Trailblazer; Community Care in the Castro
In May, the Golden State Valkyries kicked off their inaugural season. Even though they just started playing games in front of Bay Area fans, the team is said to be valued at $500 million dollars, the most of any franchise in the WNBA. And the team just had their first player named to the All-Star team: Forward Kayla Thornton was named as a reserve. These days the WNBA is on fire with record viewer
Tokimonsta’s ‘Eternal Reverie’; Oakland's 100-Year-Old Produce Market
You can hear elements of hip-hop, R&B and even jazz in Tokimonsta’s intricate drum loops, synths and bass lines. On her latest album, Eternal Reverie, the Grammy-nominated producer found inspiration in a Brazilian record, and created music tinged with the memories of a close friend. For our series on California composers, Reporter Clare Wiley brings us this profile of Tokimonsta and the devastatin
Keeping Baseball Players' Minds In Shape; Battle Over Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs
Summer is the heart of the baseball season. But recently the country’s oldest professional sport has been going through some changes. It’s not just the moves to speed up the pace of play. These days, along with training in the weight room or the bullpen, players are also spending time with their team’s sports psychologist. KQED’s health correspondent April Dembosky goes behind the scenes at the Sa
She Survived Transphobic Backlash and Made History; How AI Saved One Woman's Voice
88-Year-Old Audio Engineer Sandy Stone Survived Transphobic Backlash and Made History
Audio engineer Sandy Stone got her start working alongside Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead and Crosby, Stills & Nash. When she joined the California lesbian music label Olivia Records, some feminists wanted to kick her, and all trans women, out of women’s spaces. But Stone went on to become the first openly tran
Encore: How These Wine and Cheesemakers Fold Music Into Their Recipes
In California, music and winemaking seem to go together. Visit any of the state’s countless wineries and you can hear all kinds of music, from jazz and folk, to classical and Americana. But one artist on the Central Coast takes that connection especially seriously: he spent years making an album full of sounds from a vineyard. Reporter Benjamin Purper takes us to San Luis Obispo to learn more abou
Altadena's Lost Treasures Returned; Gathering at the Grange
Meet the Woman Reuniting Eaton Fire Survivors With Lost Treasures
The fierce Santa Ana winds that whipped the Palisades and Eaton fires into deadly infernos also spared precious things you’d think would have been the first to burn: old family photos, children’s art work, postcards, even pages of old sheet music. Those things sometimes blew across neighborhoods, and people are still finding them a
How the Impact of Proposition 13 Lives On Nearly 50 Years After It Passed
In the 1960s and early 1970s, California was at the forefront of movements for racial justice, LGBTQ and women’s rights, and protests against the Vietnam War. But at the same time an anti-tax revolution began to take shape, led by an unlikely political figure: Howard Jarvis.
This week, as we mark the 47th anniversary of the passage of Proposition 13, we’re featuring a special episode from our fr
How a Ford Plant Changed Milpitas; AstraLogik's Music For Healing
A Ford Factory Changed Milpitas, Then It Bacame a Mall
The Great Mall of Milpitas, in Santa Clara County, wasn't always a mall; it used to be a massive Ford auto factory. The San Jose Assembly Plant opened in 1955, after relocating from Ford's outdated Richmond location. The new factory put Milpitas on the map, transforming a sleepy agricultural town into a thriving city. The factory’s opening a
Composer Reena Esmail's Multicultural Music; The Professor Confronting Division With a Vision for Belonging
Sitars and Symphonies: LA Composer Reena Esmail Fuses Indian Ragas with Western Rhythms
We continue our California composers series with Reena Esmail. Her childhood in Los Angeles had two soundtracks: the Western classical music her parents loved, and the old, scratchy Bollywood tapes her paternal grandparents would play over and over. Those multicultural influences shaped what would become the d
The Poetry of Resilience
In Rising Voices of El Cerrito's Young Poets, a Message About Resilience
As our series about Californians and resilience continues, we hear from El Cerrito’s poet laureate, Tess Taylor, and students at Harding Elementary School. They wrote about what resilience means to them for a recently published anthology called “Gardening in the Public Flowerfest.”
For One Vietnamese Family in LA, This
An Altadena Church Fights to Rebuild; Stories From Catalina Island
An Historic Altadena Church, Lost to the Eaton Fire, Begins the Long Journey to Resurrection
The Eaton Fire reached deep into the sanctuaries of Altadena’s faith community. It lost over a dozen places of worship: Baptist, Episcopalian, Jewish, Methodist, Muslim, and Evangelical Christian. There’s a lot of talk now about how and when people can rebuild their homes in Altadena. But how to rebuild
Uncuffed: Where Were You in '92?
This week marks 33 years since four police officers were acquitted in the brutal beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles. That verdict exploded into days of rioting and unrest across the city. It also ignited a national conversation about police brutality, as well as race and inequality in the criminal justice system.
This week we're featuring an episode from Uncuffed, a podcast made by incarcerate
The Activist History of Japanese American Care Homes; Singing Corridos in Compton; SF Hosts Trans Self-Defense Class
J-Sei Home Closes After 30 Years, Leaving Bay Area Japanese Seniors in Need
The 1960s and 70s were a pivotal time for community activism – with the civil rights and anti-war movements, the Black Panther Party, and student protests that established ethnic studies programs on college campuses. That activism led to a decades-old critical lifeline for Japanese American elders: culturally sensitive sen
Encore: Great Redwood Trail Proposal Unearths Painful History for Indigenous Tribes
California has grand plans to turn a stretch of abandoned railroad tracks into 300 miles of walking and biking trails, connecting the rolling hills of Marin County with the redwood forests near Eureka in Northern Humboldt. If completed, the Great Redwood Trail could become the longest rail-trail in the nation. But some Indigenous communities and other groups are not on board. Reporter Sam Anderson
Detecting Invisible Toxins After the Eaton Fire; 'You're Not Alone': A Youth Advocate Offers Hope to Abuse Survivors
It’s been a few months since wildfires devastated Los Angeles, and some people are just now starting the long process of repairing and rebuilding their homes. But mixed into the soot and ash can be some hidden dangers, including lead, asbestos, arsenic and lithium. These toxic materials were used to build those homes and got blown across LA. Scientists from the California Institute of Technology h
Stories of LA’s Zorthian Ranch; Visiting the Magical Fairy Houses of Point Richmond
For more than 80 years, the Zorthian Ranch – nestled among the oak trees and steep canyons of Altadena – has been a home for artists, musicians and creatives seeking a different way of life. At this working ranch, people also tend animals and live close to the land, often growing their own food and generating their own energy. But it was almost completely destroyed by the Eaton Fire, and more than
A Community Destination for Food, Faith and Ramadan Staples; Altadena's "Stay Behinds"; A San Diego Mural Restored
This weekend, Muslims around California will celebrate Eid al Fitr to mark the end of Ramadan. People observing the holy month have been fasting from dawn to dusk. And although fasting is a big part of Ramadan, so is the food people eat to break the fast each night. Small shops like Besan’s International Market in San Bruno are key to observing Ramadan. Not only do they supply the ingredients for
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