The Bay

Today, we bring you an episode from our friends at Bay Curious about a secret biological weapons test — in San Francisco. 75 years ago, the U.S. military sprayed bacteria over the city. The test team thought it was harmless, but several people got sick and one person died. KQED’s Katherine Monahan reports on the history and impacts of this operation on one man's family. Links: The True Story of the Military's Secret 1950 San Francisco Biological Weapons Test | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Wednesday, executives from a group called the Esmeralda Land Company will present their plans to officials in Cloverdale, a small city of roughly 9,000 residents in northern Sonoma County. The project, titled Esmeralda, is led by Devon Zuegel, a tech worker who hopes to build a hotel, new housing, and a park on a 266-acre piece of land in the southern end of the city. She describes the planned development as a “mini college campus,” reminiscent of the small resort town of Chautauqua, NY. Some residents, including local officials, are excited about the project and impressed with Esmeralda’s outreach to the community. Others worry that the development will prioritize wealthy Silicon Valley tech-types over Cloverdale residents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California voters overwhelmingly approved Prop. 50, which will redraw our Congressional maps in an effort to push back against President Donald Trump. In Santa Clara County, voters also passed a sales tax measure to partially make up for federal funding cuts. Today, we break down how Prop. 50 will change U.S. House districts in the Bay, Santa Clara County’s Measure A, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s retirement announcement after nearly 40 years representing San Francisco. Links: How Proposition 50’s Win Reshapes California’s 2026 Elections | KQED Nancy Pelosi Retiring After 38 Years Representing San Francisco in Congress | KQED Santa Clara County Sales Tax Measure Appears Poised to Pass Amid Federal Cuts | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ongoing federal government shutdown has reduced and delayed SNAP benefits this month. As a result, food banks in the Bay Area are bracing for an even greater surge in demand. We join Heather Pierini, the executive director of ⁠Food Is Free Bay Area⁠, on a donation day at the Solano County Fairgrounds. Links: The Bay Area restaurants offering free meals to families using CalFresh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Oct. 14, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors removed first-term Sheriff Christina Corpus. For more than a year, her office was mired in allegations of retaliation, misconduct, and abuse of power, largely stemming from her relationship with her former chief of staff, Victor Aenlle. KQED reporter Brian Krans joins us to break down this long and bitter chapter in San Mateo county politics, and what it has meant for public safety. Links: San Mateo County Sheriff Is Ousted in Historic Final Vote by Supervisors | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this October edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, we discuss the impact of the federal government shutdown on hunger in the Bay Area, and how local governments are responding. We also discuss Uber’s plans to enter the driverless vehicle market, and how the California condor is making a comeback after near-extinction. Plus, we pay tribute to KQED transportation editor Dan Brekke, who is retiring after nearly 50 years in Bay Area journalism. Links: Contra Costa County plans to give CalFresh recipients food money if SNAP is paused San Francisco Will Cover SNAP Benefits for November Amid Federal Shutdown With SNAP Benefits Delayed, Restaurants Step Up to Feed Bay Area Families Uber will challenge Waymo’s robotaxi dominance in San Francisco For a century, they were gone. But California condors are making a comeback in these parts of the Bay Area Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There have been mixed reports of the situation at Yosemite National Park since the federal government shutdown began on Oct. 1. Some say the park is rife with unruly visitors, trash, and illegal behavior, while others say it’s perfectly normal. So KQED reporter Sarah Wright went to go see for herself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Gavin Newsom is accusing the Trump Administration of “rigging” California’s special election after the Department of Justice announced its plans to send election monitors to California polling places this November. Gov. Newsom sits down with KQED’s Political Breakdown podcast in this wide-ranging interview at our studios in San Francisco. Links: Watch this interview on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay Area started bracing for federal troops Wednesday night after the San Francisco Chronicle first reported that nearly 100 federal agents, including from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, would be coming to the U.S. Coast Guard Island in Alameda for a major immigration enforcement operation in the region. Then on Thursday morning, Mayor Daniel Lurie announced that President Donald Trump had called off the “surge” in San Francisco. But it’s unclear whether the president’s announcement applies to the rest of the Bay Area. Links: Federal Agents Injure Activists at Coast Guard Base During Immigration Crackdown Lurie: Trump Is ‘Calling Off’ Plans to Send Federal Troops to San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's wine harvest season in California. And between tariffs, decreased demand, and a cooler summer, the industry has had a tough year. KQED's Elize Manoukian visits one vineyard in Healdsburg to see how the season is going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This November, Californians are being asked to decide whether the state can redraw our congressional districts with Proposition 50. California Democrats say Prop. 50 is their answer to pressure from President Trump on red states like Texas, which redrew its congressional maps to favor Republicans in next year’s midterm elections. Opponents say it tramples on California’s independent redistricting process, which voters approved more than a decade ago. This episode originally aired on Aug. 10, 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Franciscans can expect to see up to 100 new, large temporary art installations around the city over the next three years, thanks to a billionaire-backed foundation’s project known as the Big Art Loop. These pieces are also being set up much faster — and with less public oversight — than permanent public art pieces in San Francisco. Links: Who Has a Say in the Flood of Public Art Coming to San Francisco? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The city of San Jose is coming up with a plan to make it unlawful for federal immigration officers to conceal their identities while working in the city. The ban, along with California’s new “No Secret Police Act,” tees up a potential legal showdown with the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement operations. Links: San José City Council Supports ICE Mask Ban After Plainclothes Arrest South Bay Day Laborer Center Staff ‘Devastated’ Over Immigration Arrest Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Santa Clara County officials are worried about how big cuts to Medicaid under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will hurt the area’s four county-run hospitals, which rely heavily on Medicaid reimbursements. Now, voters are being asked to weigh in on Measure A, which would increase the county sales tax by 0.625% over 5 years to fill in roughly one-third of the county’s projected annual losses from federal cuts. Links: Measure A voter guide Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For 38 days, UC Berkeley computer science lecturer Peyrin Kao taught classes while on a hunger strike for Palestine. He’s also one of more than 150 people whose names were sent by UC Berkeley to the Trump Administration for its investigation into alleged antisemitism — an investigation that critics say is meant to silence opposition to Israel’s invasion and siege of Gaza. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a yearslong holdup, Alameda County has started distributing funds from Measure C, a 2020 ballot measure that uses a half-cent sales tax to increase access to child care and preschool for the county’s youngest residents. Now, officials from other Bay Area counties are considering doing the same. Links: Alameda County Is Giving Cash to Child Care Providers. Other Bay Area Counties Are Envious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month, the Trump Administration announced a new $100,000 fee on H1-B visa applications. The news hit workers and employers in Silicon Valley especially hard as the tech industry relies heavily on H1-B visa holders. In this episode from our friends at Political Breakdown, Scott Schafer and Marisa Lagos sit down with Zeyi Yang, a senior writer at WIRED to discuss the fallout from the announcement and what this means for workers and employers going forward. Links: Winners and Losers in Trump’s $100,000 Visa Scheme Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The federal government closed late Tuesday night after Congress failed to pass a stopgap funding bill by the deadline. California’s roughly 187,000 federal workers have either been furloughed or are working without pay. Links: A Government Shutdown is Here. How Will the Bay Area Be Affected? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mabuhay Gardens was a Filipino restaurant, nightclub, and music venue that was essential to San Francisco's punk scene before its closure in 1987. Now, a group of local investors and North Beach neighbors are working to bring it back. Links: Legendary SF Punk Club Mabuhay Gardens Is on the Verge of Reopening Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s news roundup, Ericka, Jessica, and KQED political correspondent Guy Marzorati discuss UC Berkeley’s decision to hand over more than 150 names to the Trump administration as part of a federal investigation into antisemitism. Plus, the Valero refinery in Benicia is on track to close, and Waymo's driverless cars could be en route to the San Francisco and San Jose airports soon. Links: UC Berkeley turns over personal information of more than 150 students and staff to federal government Major Bay Area refinery on track to close, city official says Waymo wins approval to pick up passengers at SFO, its robotaxis will start with human drivers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices