Oakland Pet Lovers Provide Care to Unhoused Residents’ Furry Friends

For people living outside, a trip to the vet is often out of reach. Meg McAdam's Human and Pet Initiative drives through Oakland's homeless encampments, handing out kibble and vaccinating dogs and cats for free – no questions asked. Reporter Alastair Boone rides along for a day and finds that caring for the animals is also how McAdam earns the trust of their owners. This story originally aired on KALW's "Crosscurrents."

A Humboldt County Field Trip Becomes a Race to Save a Baby Whale

When a group of Humboldt County elementary students took a field trip to their local tide pools, they expected to find crabs and sea anemones. They also witnessed a pod of orcas attack a mother whale and her calf just offshore. Teachers and students found themselves at the center of a desperate rescue when the injured calf washed up on the beach in front of them. This story was produced by KQED's Sukey Lewis and first aired on "Snap Judgment."

At Sutro Heights, Strangers Gather to Scream at the Sea

Did you just get laid off? Is your love life a disaster? Did not one, but two, of your violins get stolen? These are all good reasons to release a “guttural scream at the sea” according to Danielle Egan, who invited a crowd of strangers to join her in a collective wail at the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco.

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Ultramarathoning Helped Him Train for Life After Prison

When Cesar Quijano was paroled from Ironwood State Prison in 2022, he'd spent most of his adult life behind bars. Quijano joined a reentry program near San Diego, but he still struggled to disrupt old patterns – and to alter his path for good. Then, a new mentor suggested he take up running. Reporter Lucy Copp follows Quijano’s journey as he goes from fighting to finish a mile, to taking on a grueling 100-mile race through the mountains of San Diego. This is an excerpt from LAist Studios' podcast "Imperfect Paradise,” where the story recently won a national Murrow award.

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This SF Renter Is Trying to Beat the AI-Fueled Housing Boom With an Analog Approach  

Facing a rental market where even a shared apartment can cost thousands per month, San Francisco resident Harlow Srain has spent nine months cold-calling landlords and property managers, to see if they might be willing to charge less for rent. KQED Housing Reporter Adhiti Bandlamudi follows Srain's search as she fights to stay in the community she's built, rather than move to a cheaper apartment farther away.

Inside the Unlikely Dance That Brought Two Cultures Together at San Quentin 

Amu Wynn and Angel Rodriguez are both incarcerated at San Quentin, where Wynn dances with the prison's Native Hawaiian group and Rodriguez leads its Aztec Dance troupe. For the prison's annual Day of Peace, the two broke with prison norms to stage an unprecedented joint performance blending their traditions. This is an excerpt from KALW’s podcast "Uncuffed." 

Meet the Woman Attempting to Swim the Entire California Coast 

In July, Catherine Breed got in the ocean near the Oregon border with a goal: to swim all 900 miles of California's coastline and end near the Mexico border by October. She swims up to 15 miles a day, calling the journey her love letter to the California coast — a tribute to the women in sports who came before her. 

Inside the Nation's Biggest National Park Cleanup, Now in Its Third Decade at Yosemite 

Yosemite has seen record visitor numbers this year after the park dropped its reservation system. And more visitors means more garbage. Right now, thousands of volunteers are descending for its annual "Facelift" cleanup, hauling everything from cigarette butts to smashed bicycles out of the park. Susan Valot reports on the event, which has removed more than a million pounds of trash from Yosemite since its founding. 

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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 crisis — a race Pelosi narrowly won on her way to becoming one of the most powerful women in American politics.

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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 spiritual practice. What began as a living room listening clinic in the 1960s grew into a congregation that has weathered evictions and a copyright lawsuit. Still, they persist in the belief that Coltrane's saxophone carries a divine message.

Old Timers and Newbies Look to Cash in by Panning in Gold Country

With gold prices hovering near record highs, a new wave of prospectors is showing up along California's Yuba and American rivers, joining old-timers who've been panning for generations. KQED's Katherine Monahan talks to sixth-generation miners, gold-shop owners and newcomers about whether the modern gold rush is worth the effort or mostly hype.

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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 killed her three daughters, all under age 3. The two tragedies are very similar: psychiatric experts argued that both Clancy and Coronado were suffering from postpartum psychosis. And lawyers for both women pursued an insanity defense. These are topics KQED health reporter April Dembosky has spent years investigating, and she discovered that over the last three decades, it’s actually gotten harder to win an insanity defense based on postpartum psychosis.

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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 Movement

A pair of majestic bald eagles named Jackie and Shadow became internet sensations after a devoted admirer set up a camera and began livestreaming their nest. Their rise to stardom sparked a movement to protect their fragile habitat above Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains. But the story took a sad turn earlier this month when one of the eagles died. Host Sasha Khokha checked in with KVCR's Madison Aument about what’s next for the remaining eagle and its fans.

How One Professor is Teaching About Cesar Chavez Now

Last spring, when sexual abuse allegations first surfaced about labor leader Cesar Chavez, communities across the state took immediate action – from taking down statues to renaming buildings and painting over murals. But educators had to rethink how they taught students about the farmworker movement. Oliver Rosales teaches history and ethnic studies at Bakersfield College in Delano, where the United Farmer Workers were based. He spoke with host Sasha Khokha about how his curriculum has changed this fall. 

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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 custody at his green card interview in November 2025. As KQED early education reporter Daisy Nguyen reports, the sudden separation took a toll not only on him and his wife, but also on their developing baby. 

At This Los Angeles Rehab, Moms in Recovery Live With Their Children

Mothers who struggle with addiction and substance abuse are often reluctant to get treatment because going through a rehabilitation program could mean leaving their kids behind at home. Residential rehabs that let mothers bring their kids are extremely rare. But there is one program in Southern California that’s one of the very few across the country, where moms and kids under six years old can stay together. Reporter Clare Wiley takes us inside. 

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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 local Round Valley Indian Tribes, industry and wildlife. 

In Altadena, A Youth Music Scene Crops Up from Eaton Fire’s Ashes

After the 2025 Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles, music lovers organized fundraisers to reconnect artists with instruments lost in the fire. Now live music shows in Altadena’s vacant lots and backyards have sprouted a new scene, where teenage punk and indie bands draw audiences from across Southern California. Reporter Steven Cuevas has the story.

Looking for a Last-Minute Summer Road Trip? Try Pinnacles National Park

Pinnacles National Park doesn’t have the name recognition as Yosemite or Joshua Tree, but it stokes just as much wonder. For our Hidden Gems series, KQED outdoors reporter Sarah Wright traveled to this small park just an hour east of Monterey to find out why it's worth a summer getaway.

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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.

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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. That’s where a Bay Area program hosted at San Francisco International Airport can help. For nearly 50 years, they’ve been helping uneasy travelers get back in the air. Reporter Evan Roberts brings us the story from five miles up.

⁠San José’s Batman, Fighting for the Unhoused, Is the Real Life Superhero ‘We Need’⁠

If you happen to be in downtown San José at night, you might spot a man in a mask, wearing a black and purple cape and toting a cart full of supplies.. This is the Batman of San José — a volunteer who has spent nearly eight years walking the city at night to help unhoused residents. He’s a far cry from the vigilantes of comic books. He isn’t swooping from rooftops, seeking revenge or delivering justice through fists. His superpower is noticing people who feel ignored, and offering them food, first aid supplies, and sometimes, being someone they can confide in. KQED’s Srishti Prabha brings us his story.

This episode orginally aired on January 16, 2026

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