Bay Curious - Why Are Private Schools So Popular In San Francisco?

When it comes to private school enrollment, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Marin counties are all well above the state average. But why? In today's episode, we'll explore the many reasons San Francisco families choose to send their kids to private schools. It's a trend rooted in the history of desegregation that's been hard to reverse.


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This story was reported by Pauline Bartolone. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

Bay Curious - A Peek Into The Lives Of Four Bay Area Teens

As part of Youth Takeover Week at KQED The Bay and Bay Curious have teamed up to collaborate with four high school students who live in San Pablo, Fremont, Walnut Creek and San Jose. For several months, these teenagers — two juniors and two seniors — have shared what’s going on in their lives, what’s got them worried, what’s making them excited and what they're passionate about. 


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This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, Jessica Kariisa, Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Mel Velasquez, Kyana Moghadam, Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

Bay Curious - Olivia’s Out On Maternity Leave

Olivia Allen-Price will be taking a step back from the show for a few months to give birth to her second child. Bay Curious producer and editor Katrina Schwartz will be stepping into the host role while she's gone. The two are both parents of young children in the Bay Area, so for this bonus hand-off episode they discuss some of the ways living here has changed since becoming mothers, including the high cost of housing in San Francisco and San Mateo.


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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts


Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

Bay Curious - Who is the ‘Stevens’ of Stevens Creek?

A lot of things in the South Bay, specifically around Cupertino and Mountain View, are named after somebody called Stevens. There’s Stevens Creek Boulevard, the Stevens Creek watershed, and Stevens Creek Reservoir, to name a few. Our question asker, Pete Smoot, wants to know: Who exactly was Stevens? Turns out we should really be asking: "Who was Stephens?" with a P-H! We've been misspelling the name of Elisha Stephens for decades. In this episode we learn more about the man behind the name, and his adventurous pioneer life in early California.


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This story was reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Olivia Allen-Price and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Gabriela Glueck, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

On Our Watch - On Our Watch Presents: Suave Season 2 from Futuro Studios

Today we're sharing with you the trailer for Season 2 of Suave, the Pulitzer Prize-winning podcast from Futuro Studios. “Suave” Gonzalez was released from prison after 31 years serving a life sentence without parole. He was one of thousands of juvenile lifers granted a second chance at life. Season 2 is his story about life after incarceration—and the search for the true meaning of freedom.


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Bay Curious - How Canned Salmon Became Big Business in San Francisco

Starting in the mid-1800s, salmon canneries were big business along the West Coast, stretching all the way up to Alaska. San Francisco played an outsized role in the industry — especially in providing the workers who did the tough, dirty, low-paid work in the canneries. We trace the salmon connections between San Francisco and Alaska and learn about the early workers who made the industry possible.


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This story was reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

Bay Curious - The Berkeley Park That Was Once All Trash

Bay Curious listener Tom Rauch grew up in Berkeley in the 1960s. Some of his most vivid memories from that time are of the old Berkeley dump. “It really was just this big, giant pit where you backed up your car, opened up your trunk and just shoveled whatever you had into this open pit,” he said. Fast forward to today, and the dump is long gone. In its place is César Chávez Park, a big grassy expanse with sweeping views of the entire San Francisco Bay.


Rauch recently started to wonder about the old dump, and submitted some questions to Bay Curious. How did it go from a squalid mass of junk to a beautiful shoreline park where people go to walk their dogs, fly kites and have picnics? And what are some of the challenges of turning a big pile of trash into a recreational space? Reporter Dana Cronin takes us on the journey to find out.


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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts


This story was reported by Dana Cronin. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Bay Curious - Behind the Fillmore’s Iconic Music Posters

These days, when you see a show at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, you might be lucky enough to get your very own poster for free. They’re a highly anticipated parting gift given out at the biggest shows. “The posters are artifacts, pieces of time,” says this week's question asker ,Ben Kaiser. “They’re as much [a part] of the concert as the concert.” That got him wondering: the posters of the Fillmore are so legendary, who is the person behind them? From 1985 to 2019, the answer was Arlene Owseichik. In this episode, we meet the woman behind the posters, and learn about the creative process that went into the creation of each one.


Bay Curious answers your questions about the San Francisco Bay Area each week. If you have a question you'd like us to answer, submit it at baycurious.org.


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This story was reported by Bianca Taylor. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Bay Curious - Your Bay Area Transit Questions, Answered: Bridge Tolls, Lane Closures and Vanity Plates Too

One of the topics we get the most questions about from our audience is transportation. Today we round up answers to a handful of your questions, including: Where does all that toll money from Bay Area bridges go? Why has one toll booth on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge been closed for years? Why are do so many of our interstates end in "80"? And: Are there more vanity plates in the Bay Area? Plus a few more! We're joined by KQED's Dan Brekke, who has been covering transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 20 years.


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You can submit a question to Bay Curious.


Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts


This story was reported by Dan Brekke. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.