Valero’s Benicia refinery employed hundreds of people and contributed millions in taxes to the local government for decades. Now, with the refinery on its way out, local leaders hope Benicia can be a leading example for how cities transition away from the fossil fuel industry. But with tight city budgets and a global fuel crisis looming, that’s much easier said than done.

Links:

• California’s Fuel Fears Threaten Benicia’s ‘Just Transition’ to Green Economy

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San Francisco has seen a 22% decrease in people sleeping on the streets, according to preliminary data from this year’s Point In Time count. But the number of families experiencing homelessness has gone up 15%. Recent changes have allowed families to stay longer in shelters, but securing affordable housing remains a challenge. In this episode, we meet one family caught up in the city’s shelter system as they wait for more permanent housing. 

This episode originally aired Aug 4, 2025

Links:

• Fewer People Are Sleeping on San Francisco Streets. But Family Homelessness Is Up

• SF Families Win Shelter Extension Rights, Still Face Long Waits for Housing
  

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Community-based preschools across the state have struggled to compete with California’s free, universal transitional-kindergarten program, where enrollment grew to 213,000 students this year. Now, hundreds of preschools have shuttered — worsening the shortage of licensed child care spaces for children younger than 4 years old.

Links:

• As Transitional Kindergarten Grows, Hundreds of Child Care Centers Close

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.

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Workers at San Francisco International Airport who clean planes, handle baggage, and push wheelchairs told city supervisors at a recent hearing that they’re sleeping in their cars and surviving on rice and oatmeal. Now city supervisors say their labor fight for higher wages is on notice. 

Links:

• San Francisco Airport Labor Fight Hits City Hall This Week

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.

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According to a KQED analysis, the average Pacific Gas & Electric utility bill went up nearly 70% between 2020 and March 2025. But understanding what you’re actually paying for can be confusing. In this episode, KQED’s climate reporter Laura Klivans helps Ericka decode her PG&E bill. 

This episode originally aired Dec 17, 2025

Links:

• The Average PG&E Utility Bill Has Gone Up Nearly 70% Since 2020 | KQED

• Bay Area Electricity Bills Are Some of the Highest. Where Does Your Money Go? | KQED

• PG&E Bills Keep Rising. What Can You Do to (Potentially) Lower Your Bills? | KQED

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.

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The Golden State Valkyries’ first season was a huge success. The team sold out every home game and became the first WNBA team ever to make the playoffs in their expansion season.

This year, expectations are high. Marisa Ingemi of Valkyries Beat joins us to preview the Valkyries’ second season season, and provide some helpful tips for new fans.

Links:

• 2026 WNBA Season Preview from a Valkyries perspective (Valkyries Beat)

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Jurors and journalists are getting a peek into the world of OpenAI and its founding as two of the richest, most powerful men in tech duke it out in an Oakland federal courthouse.

Elon Musk claims that Sam Altman and other co-founders of OpenAI abandoned their founding promise to develop AI for the benefit of humanity. But does anyone here really have our best interests at heart? KQED’s Rachael Myrow takes us inside.

Links:

• How to Unscramble an Omelet in Silicon Valley: The Musk v. Altman Trial That Will Try

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Raising kids is expensive, and doing so in the Bay comes with compromises. Whether it’s with space, commutes, or affordability, having a kid here means something’s gotta give. KQED reporter Adhiti Bandlamudi introduces us to three different families and tells us what they’re doing to get by.

Links:

• How We Get By | KQED
• In the Bay Area, Raising Kids Comes With Compromise

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Since 2023, a private initiative called the Civic Joy Fund has financially supported hundreds of arts and culture events in San Francisco. But a growing group of artists are calling for a boycott of events affiliated with the Civic Joy Fund, citing its connections to the Bay Area’s ultra-wealthy who already play an outsized role in local and state politics.

Emma Silvers, journalist and co-owner of COYOTE Media Collective, explains why Bay Area artists are talking about the Civic Joy Fund right now. 

Links:

• Bay Area Artists Are Turning on the Civic Joy Fund (Coyote Media)

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In this month’s edition of The Bay’s news roundup, Ericka, Alan, and KQED outdoors reporter Sarah Wright discuss Oakland’s new policy that will make it easier to sweep homeless encampments and RVs. Plus, a measure to tax the wealth of California’s billionaires seems headed for the November ballot, and a small group of lucky booklovers gets married at the San Francisco Public Library. 

Links:

• Oakland Passes Controversial Policy Easing Restrictions on Encampment Sweeps | KQED

• California Billionaire Tax Nears the November Ballot | KQED

• Bay Area Book Lovers: We Have Highly Literary Date (or Friend Hang) Ideas for Your Weekend | KQED

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Nuclear power has always been hotly debated. 9% of California’s power comes from the last operating nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, in San Luis Obispo County. But after initial plans to close it by 2025, an about-face by Gov. Gavin Newsom led the state to extend its operations until 2030 — with lawmakers now debating whether to keep it open for even longer in order to bolster California's ability to provide power in the face of climate change. 

Links:

• The Debate for Keeping Diablo Canyon Open Past 2030 Is On. What Could It Mean for Your Bills?

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