Bay Curious

Lenore Kenny has noticed an uptick in autonomous vehicles on the streets of San Francisco in recent months. Specifically, she's seen a lot of white Jaguar SUVs with "Waymo" stamped on the sides. We dig into why there are more driverless cars on the road now and what they're doing. Additional Reading: You're Not Imagining It: There Are More Driverless Cars in SF Now Come play trivia with us on December 8, 2021. Reported by Christopher Beale. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Lina Blanco, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

Kindergartner Caleb Whan is fascinated by whales. He wants to know all about what they eat and where they live. We've got answers for him and for another Bay Curious question asker, Ellea, who wonders why more whales have been washing up dead on Bay Area beaches in recent years. Additional Reading: More Whales Are Washing Up Dead on Bay Area Beaches. Why? The Biggest Whales Can Eat the Equivalent of 80,000 Big Macs in One Day Sign up for Bay Curious Trivia December 8, 2021! Reported by Amy Mayer. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Lina Blanco, Christopher Cox, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

Bay Curious listener Ron Hewlett heard a rumor that several alleys in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood are named for Gold Rush era sex workers. He wondered if it was true. Plus, why does San Francisco stamp the names of streets into the sidewalks? There's a lot in a name, folks! Additional Reading: Were S.F. Streets Really Named After Gold Rush Era Sex Workers? Why Are Street Names Stamped Into S.F Sidewalks? Come play trivia with the Bay Curious team on Dec 8th, 2021! Reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Lina Blanco, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

If you’ve grown up with the legend of La Llorona, you might be surprised to see how she’s depicted in a two-story mural at 24th and York Street in San Francisco’s Mission District. Instead of the ghost of a wailing woman, crying out for the very children she murdered, in this mural La Llorona is a protector of children, and she reflects the environmental struggles of women around the world. In today’s episode we delve into modern interpretations of La Llorona, and how she has revealed herself as a feminist icon. Additional Reading:  Learn more about Juana Alicia's "La Llorona's Sacred Waters" on her website Reported by Sebastian Miño-Bucheli. Edited by Carly Severn and Olivia Allen-Price. Special thanks to Lina Blanco, Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí, Erika Aguilar and Gabriella Frenes. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

We recommend you listen to this episode on headphones. Join us around the campfire to hear three ghost stories, some of them decades old, and all of from right here in the Bay Area. Featuring Wes Leslie of The Haunt Ghost Tours, Tommy Netzband of Haunted Haight Walking Tour and the San Francisco Ghost Society and storyteller JP Frary.  Additional Reading Ghost Stories and Macabre Tales to Binge This Halloween Chilling Histories of California Event at KQED Bay Curious Newsletter Sign-Up Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Lina Blanco, Ethan Toven-Lindsey, Vinnee Tong, Don Clyde and Jenny Pritchett.

Listener Clayton Schloss sent Bay Curious this question: "Why do so many people have bumper stickers on their cars from the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz? What is that place?" Reporter Amanda Font takes us on a journey to "the Spot," where perception appears to bend reality. Additional Reading/Listening: What's Behind One of California's Most Ubiquitous Bumper Stickers? The California Report Magazine Podcast Reported by Amanda Font. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Help on this episode from Suzie Racho, Victoria Mauleon, Sasha Khokha. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Lina Blanco, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

This week on the show, we hear the tale of the Bay Bridge Trolls, who have been keeping the Bay Bridge safe since 1989. Plus, we get to know more about an oft-overlooked but very cool dragon sculpture on the Broadway Tunnel in San Francisco. It's a transit sculpture special! Photos and Additional Reading: The Tale of the Bay Bridge Troll Hiding In Plain Sight: The Dragon Sitting on Top of S.F's Broadway Tunnel Reported by Christopher Beale and Rae Alexandra. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Lina Blanco, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

You'll find millions of graves in Colma, but hardly any in San Francisco. This week on Bay Curious we dig into the history on how that came to be. Plus, we'll get to know more about some of the famous people buried in Colma. Additional Reading: Why Are There So Many Graves in Colma? And So Few in San Francisco? MAP: Where to Find Some of the Most Famous People Buried in Colma Reported by Jon Brooks and Sebastian Miño-Bucheli. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Carly Severn, Lina Blanco, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

Drive around downtown Redwood City and you're sure to see the city slogan on a big arching signs: "Climate Best by Government Test." The slogan caught the attention of Lauren Tankeh of San Carlos, who wanted to know if it's true. “Does Redwood City actually have the best weather?” Today on the show we look at the history of the town slogan. Plus: We answer a question from another listener about the origins of Los Gatos. It's a Peninsula special! Additional Reading: Can Redwood City Really Boast "Climate Best By Government Test”? Yes and No... Reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Isabeth Mendoza, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Lina Blanco, Christopher Cox, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

When Krisi Riccardi was a girl, her father used to take her on leisurely Sunday drives down Highway 1. She'd enjoy the beautiful scenery until they hit Pacifica, where something odd always caught young Krisi’s attention — a stone castle perched high on the hill. Not exactly what you'd expect to find in a laid-back beach town. “As I got older we would walk up to this castle and walk around it. I’ve never been inside, but I looked over the wall. I’m now 68 and I always wondered what the history was of this castle,” Krisi said. She isn’t the only one curious about this place. Her question won a Bay Curious voting round. Today, Katrina Schwartz takes us inside the castle to explore why it was built, and the many lives this place has lived.  Additional Reading:   Rum Running, Ghosts and Speakeasies: The Many Lives of Pacifica’s Castle Sam Mazza Foundation website Reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional sup

Terese O'Malley commuted across the Richmond-San Rafael bridge for years, and always wondered about a landmark visible from the bridge: San Quentin State Prison. The maximum-security prison sits on a primo piece of waterfront property in Marin County that would likely sell for an unfathomable sum in today's market. "How did Marin end up with San Quentin prison?" she asked Bay Curious. And why hasn't it moved? Editor's Note: We finished production on this week’s story about San Quentin prison in February 2020, just before Coronavirus took hold. In the months that followed, a few cases at the prison grew to more than 2,200. Ultimately two-thirds of people at San Quentin got infected, and 29 people died. It was one of the deadliest outbreaks in the nation’s prison system. Things have mostly turned the corner now that the majority inside are vaccinated, but questions remain about how things were handled. Long term effects from the outbreak are still being felt. In addition to our episode, we encourage you to list

We’re looking at four big solutions California could tackle that would help us survive a megadrought. We're talking stuff like changes to our infrastructure and reprioritizing how we use water throughout the state. Additional Reading: 12 Important Things to Know About California's Drought One of the Most Important New Water Laws in 50 Years Explained Will California Drought Force Changes in Historic Water Rights? Reported by Ezra David Romero. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Buchelli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kevin Stark, Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

A lot of listeners, including Steve Held, want to know why Bay Area cities aren't investing more in desalination plants as a long term fix to our water problems. We’re a state with 840 miles of coastline. Most of our big population areas are near the ocean. Why don’t we have more desalination plants? In this episode, we'll also talk about wastewater recycling and water budgeting. Additional Reading: What Can Local Water Agencies Do to Boost Water Supply? (Transcript) Desalination's Future in California Is Clouded by Cost and Controversy KQED's Desalination archive Water Recycling Comes of Age in Silicon Valley Reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kevin Stark, Bianca Taylor, Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Isabeth Mendoza, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

Even though California’s population has grown since 2017, we’re using 16% less water. Good job everyone! We’ve already made some big strides in water conservation that are paying off. Today, we’re going to look at more ways individuals can conserve water at home. Additional Reading: Three Big Ways to Save Water at Home 12 Simple Ways to Conserve Water at Home During a California Drought Reported by Nina Sparling. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Kevin Stark, Katie McMurran and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Isabeth Mendoza, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

We've been flirting with exceptional drought on and off in California for many years now. Bay Curious listener Nicholas Hardy is wondering if it's time to call it a megadrought. That got us wondering: what is a megadrought and are we in one? Additional Reading: Is California In A Megadrought? (Transcript) Megadrought Conditions Not Seen For 400+ Years Have Returned to the West, Scientists Say Reported by Amy Mayer. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Kevin Stark, Katie McMurran and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Isabeth Mendoza, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

For most of us in the Bay Area, the journey our water takes to reach us is hidden from view. It travels long distances, sometimes more than a hundred miles! That can leave us disconnected from the source. We go about our days oblivious to how precarious our water resources might be. Today we’re going to answer what seems like a really simple question: where does our water come from? Because where your city gets its water has a lot to do with how you’re experiencing the drought right now.  Additional Reading Bay Area: Do You Know Where Your Water Comes From? Russian River Drought: Sonoma and Mendocino Residents Save the Little Water They Have San Jose Relies On Water From the Sierra Nevada. Climate Change Is Challenging That System Gripped By Drought, Marin Considers Desalination, Water Pipeline Over the Richmond Bridge Reported by Ezra David Romero. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Buchelli, and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kevin Stark, Erika Aguila

California is in drought. Again. And the infrastructure used to sustain the state's 40 million residents — and $50 billion agriculture industry — hasn't kept up with new climate patterns. In Episode 1 of our State of Drought series we explore why some experts say changing our mindset about drought may be the hardest, and best, thing we can do to survive a hotter, drier future. Additional Reading: How Should We Be Thinking About A Hotter, Drier Future? (Transcript) A Delta In Distress Will California Drought Force Change to Historic Water Rights?

Dutch Crunch is a common find at Bay Area sandwich shops, but get 10 miles outside of the Bay and that option disappears. Jonathan Hillis and Lauren Alexander sent this question to the Bay Curious team: “Where does Dutch Crunch bread come from? How does everyone know about San Francisco sourdough, but not about the Bay Area’s best bread?” Reporter Amanda Font took on the task to bring us the goods. Additional Reading:  Dutch Crunch: A Bay Area Favorite, But Not a Bay Area Original Reported by Amanda Font. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, and Vinnee Tong.

You may have thought we were done with elections for a little while, but there's another big one coming up. On September 14th, Californians will vote on whether or not to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. Here's a primer with nitty-gritty voting details, some context for the campaign, and what you'll find on your ballot. Additional Reading: Your Guide to the Gavin Newsom Recall Election How to Make Sure Your Mail-In Ballot Isn't Rejected Please take the Bay Curious survey! Reported by Guy Marzorati. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

Bay Curious listener Ricky Tjandra used to work helping international students find families to stay with in the Bay Area. In Daly City, he worked with many Filipino families, which got him wondering how the city became such a hub for Filipino Americans. Additional Reading In Daly City, the Bayanihan Spirit Is Alive and Well Little Manila: Filipinos in California's Heartland Little Manila Perseveres: How FilipinX Leaders in Stockton Are Organizing For the Next Generation Reported by Amanda Stupi. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Chris Hoff. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.