The Bay

This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault. Until last week, former Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from Dublin, was a leading candidate for governor. But on Friday, a former staffer accused Swalwell of sexual assault. In interviews with the San Francisco Chronicle, former staff member said Swalwell sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent in both 2019 and 2024, after multiple inappropriate advances both on Snapchat and in person. Since then, at least four more women have come forward, including one who alleges she was violently raped by Swalwell in 2018. Swalwell denies these allegations. But within days, after supporters fled his campaign and called for him to step down, he ended his run for governor and resigned his Congressional seat. Links: SF Chronicle: Ex-staffer says Eric Swalwell, candidate for California governor, sexually assaulted her KQED: Eric Swalwell Is Out of the Governor’s Race and Resigning From Congress. What Happens Now? CalMatters: Woman alleges violent sexual assault by Eric Swalwell: 'He raped me' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rising child care prices leave many Bay Area parents with little choice but to turn down career opportunities, cut back hours, or even quit. As part of KQED’s new series on affordability, early childhood education reporter Daisy Nguyen introduces us to one mother who left her job as a teacher after the birth of her third child. Links: When Child Care Costs Half a Paycheck, Bay Area Parents Must Choose: Kids or Career | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We asked you to share your experiences with making friends in the Bay Area. Today, we hear from you — and follow one listener as she tries to meet new friends in San Jose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Victoria Duran grew up in East San José, and remembers celebrating her community's ties to labor activist and United Farm Workers co-founder Cesar Chavez. His legacy looms large on the East Side, where he held his first organizing meetings and where his former home still stands. But for many people in San José, that sense of pride was shattered after a New York Times' investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by Chavez. Now Duran, who teaches ethnic studies and psychology at William C. Overfelt High School in East San José, is reckoning with how to teach about Chavez in light of these sexual abuse allegations. Links: Why This City’s Reckoning With Cesar Chavez Is So Complicated (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last Tuesday, the three leading Democratic candidates for San Francisco’s U.S. House seat, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, former political advisor and software engineer Saikat Chakrabarti, and California State Senator Scott Wiener, took to the stage at the historic Sydney Goldstein Theater for their first major debate before the June primary. Moderated by KQED’s Scott Shafer and Sydney Johnson, the candidates presented their visions for leadership and clashed over taxes, transit, and more. Links: SF House Candidates Clash on Taxes, Transit in Debate to Replace Pelosi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the San José Unified Board of Education voted 3-2 to close 5 elementary schools and relocate another. District leaders, citing declining enrollment, say that these closures will make it easier to provide adequate services and programs to students. But many parents are furious and are vowing to fight back. Links: San José School District Moves to Close 5 Elementary Schools | KQED Alleging Discrimination, San José Parents Try to Fight School Closures | KQED Email us: thebay@kqed.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The city of Alameda sits on a man-made island surrounded on all sides by water, making it a strong case study for how the Bay Area could address sea level rise. That’s because the city, with its 360-degree waterfront, will need to use every tool available to protect itself. Links: For This Bay Area Island City, Water Is Coming From All Sides Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka and Alan are joined by KQED senior editor Alexander Gonzalez to discuss a ransomware attack that hindered services in Foster City, a rare verdict in a case about Meta and Google’s role in fueling a youth mental health crisis, and whether San Francisco’s small clubs can survive. Links: Bay Area city declares state of emergency 6 days after cyberattack (SFGate) Foster City: City's Phone, Email Services Restored After Cybersecurity Breach Last Week (SFGate) Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in social media harms trial (NPR) Can San Francisco’s Small Clubs Survive? (KQED) Become a KQED member Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term, Ulises Peña Lopez, a husband and father, was arrested by ICE outside his home in Sunnyvale. During the encounter, he says he was severely beaten and suffered a heart attack and stroke. Last October, Ulises was deported to Mexico. Here in the Bay Area, his wife Aby and 4-year old daughter Emily are still reeling from the impacts of his deportation. Links: A Year After ICE Detained South Bay Immigrant, Family Trauma Lingers Email us: thebay@kqed.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. and Israel’s war in Iran is leading to a global surge in gas prices, including in California, where the average is now $5.88 per gallon according to AAA. While the war with Iran is the main reason prices have increased, California has had more expensive gas for years, in part to policies that are meant to help the state reach its climate goals. Alejandro Lazo with CalMatters explains why gas is so expensive here. Links: California passed a law to curb spikes in gas prices. Why isn’t it using those powers now? Some California Democrats pitch gas price relief as prices at the pump soar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month, the United States Postal Service unveiled a new set of stamps honoring the lowrider community. This federal recognition comes three years after California 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. This episode originally aired Nov 3, 2023. Links: The Provocative, Rebellious and Flamboyant Origins of Lowriding | KQED For Lowriders in San Francisco, It’s Not Just a Stamp — It’s Respect at the Federal Level Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A New York Times investigation published Wednesday revealed that iconic farmworker organizer Cesar Chavez sexually abused women and underage girls for years. Chavez, who died in 1993, is honored and memorialized in public schools, street names, and buildings across California and the Bay Area. The news has sent shockwaves throughout the state, especially among Latino and labor organizers. Links: César Chavez Was a Hero to Farmworkers. Now They Confront the Pain of Alleged Abuse | KQED California Weighs Renaming Parks, Streets After Cesar Chavez Amid Abuse Allegations | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artificial intelligence has rapidly changed what tech workers in the Bay Area do every day. Whether you’re a software engineer or you work in sales, most employees at tech firms are expected to regularly use AI. Rya Jetha with the San Francisco Standard explains how AI is affecting tech employees across the industry, and how these changes could be a sign of what’s to come for the rest of us. Links: AI writes the code now. What’s left for software engineers? ‘Engineer’ is so 2025. In AI land, everyone’s a ‘builder’ now AI is booming. Tech jobs in San Francisco are not Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Engineered stone, or quartz, is a man-made material made with high concentrations of silica that is commonly used to make kitchen countertops in the U.S. And it’s making the workers who cut this material sick. And even though California has safety rules in place to reduce the risk to workers, some say it’s time to ban the use of engineered stone altogether. This episode first aired on ⁠Dec. 15, 2025⁠. Links: Doctors say measures to control an incurable lung disease aren't enough : NPR As Lung Disease Threatens Workers, Lawmakers Seek Protections for Countertop Manufacturers - KFF Health News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday, thousands of people gathered in Oakland to welcome home Olympic figure skater and gold medalist Alysa Liu, who won the women’s singles gold medal in the 2026 Winter Olympics last month. Liu, who was born in Richmond and grew up training in Oakland, is the first American woman to win gold in her sport since 2002. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Gov. Gavin Newsom limited to two terms, California’s got a wide open governor’s race. Eight Democrats and two Republicans will be on the ballot in the June primary; from there, the top two finishers, regardless of party, will head to a runoff in November. KQED’s Guy Marzorati explains why this governor’s race is the most wide-open in decades. Links: California’s Governor’s Race Is Breaking an 80-Year Political Mold | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

West Oakland’s 18th Street is one of the city’s most dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, with wide lanes, hidden stop signs, and virtually nonexistent crosswalks in a residential area. It's one of many Oakland roads that has not been fixed for decades. Now, improvements are finally coming to 18th Street. The Oaklandside’s Jose Fermoso joins us to talk about what changes are on the horizon, and how upgrading roads can pave the way for broader changes in the city. Links: 18th St. is one of Oakland’s most dangerous. Here’s how the city is fixing it Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 67 is Muni’s most delayed bus line, snaking through the hills along Alemany Boulevard and Bernal Heights, ending at the 24th and Mission BART station. However unreliable it can be, it still serves an estimated 800 daily riders. But as SFMTA faces a budget deficit of more than $300 million in July, the 67 and other bus lines are at risk of disappearing if voters don’t approve ballot measures to fund transit this November. Links: It’s San Francisco’s Most Delayed Bus. For Riders, a Frustrating Problem May Get Worse Amid Bid to Save Bay Area Transit, Muni Gets a Campaign of Its Own Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Iranian Americans across California are still in disbelief after the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes in Iran over the weekend. On Saturday, an Israeli airstrike killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic Republic of Iran for nearly a half century. Hundreds more have been killed, including at least 6 American military servicemembers. Some Iranian Americans are overjoyed at the death of Khamenei, while others are critical of the U.S. and Israel’s involvement in yet another war in the Middle East. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco’s immigration courts are being hollowed out by the Trump Administration, with plans to close one of the courts downtown by the end of the year. Mission Local’s Clara-Sophia Daly explains how day to day operations — including asylum hearings — have changed. Links: Inside San Francisco’s hollowed-out immigration court, where asylum is ‘essentially over’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices