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When one of your appliances or electronics breaks, do you buy a new one or try to fix it yourself? Manufacturers have made it hard for consumers to fix their own stuff. But people have been pushing back in what's called the "right to repair" movement. KQED's Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman takes us to a "Fixit clinic" in Redwood City, where people learn how to fix their broken items. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.

This March, the politics of crime in San Francisco can be found up and down the ballot, from judicial races to local ballot measures.  KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez joins us to unpack Proposition E, a measure put forward by Mayor London Breed that would expand the power of the San Francisco Police Department. Links: KQED Voter Guide: Proposition E Subscribe to KQED's Political Breakdown newsletter Episode transcript This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.

Queer Palestinian artists in the Bay are calling for a ceasefire as Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza. Some say that the conflict has forced them to “come out as Palestinian” to the Bay Area LGBTQ+ community. KQED’s Nisa Khan talks to us about how Palestinian artists are pushing San Francisco’s queer community to stand up for Palestine.  Links: Episode Transcript ‘This Is Resistance’: Queer Palestinian Artists and Activists in the Bay Area Are Speaking Out This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.

As we head into the 2024 election, voters will have to navigate a slew of disinformation created by AI, like deep fakes and robocalls. In this episode of KQED’s Political Breakdown, Scott Shafer speaks to Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause, to discuss the threats AI could pose to our election process and efforts to regulate it in California.

The people who regulate air quality in the Bay Area say they’ve scored a “decisive victory” in a legal fight with Big Oil. On Tuesday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced that Chevron, which runs a 120-year-old refinery in Richmond, and the Martinez Refining Company have dropped lawsuits against a rule that will require them to drastically cut air pollution from their facilities.  Links: Bay Air District Hails 'Decisive Victory' in Battle to Cut Refinery Pollution Episode transcript This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra

This Valentine’s Day, KQED community engagement reporter Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli joins us to talk about growing up in San Francisco’s Mission District — and one particular mural that he loves and remembers dearly. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Alan Montecillo and Ericka Cruz Guevarra

The California primary is coming up, and ballots have been sent out! Today, our friends at Bay Curious break down Proposition 1. Prop. 1 asks two big questions: Should mental health funding be used for housing? And should California borrow money to build more housing and treatment facilities? Links: Episode transcript KQED Voter Guide

The San Francisco 49ers are back in the Super Bowl, and fans are chomping at the bit for the team to bring home its first championship since 1994. They’ll be facing the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated them in the Super Bowl 4 years ago. David Lombardi with The Athletic breaks down why the Niners have a great chance of winning it all this time.  Episode transcript This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Dana Cronin, and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo.

A huge storm system hit the Bay Area this past weekend, leaving many across the nine counties without power. At its peak, an estimated 1.5 million customers were without electricity statewide, marking the third-largest single-day outage in PG&E’s history.  KQED’s Dan Brekke tells us why this storm was so bad, what about our infrastructure is lacking, and how we can be better prepared for more storms like this one going forward. Episode transcript This episode was produced by Dana Cronin and Alan Montecillo, with production help from Ellie Prickett-Morgan. It was guest hosted by Alan Montecillo.

We're making an episode about the fallout from this weekend's storms. Have you been affected? If so, consider leaving us a voicemail at 415-710-9223, and we may play it on Wednesday's show.

The biannual “point in time” count of unhoused residents is imperfect but an important part of tracking the homelessness crisis in cities across the country. KQED’s Sydney Johnson joined city workers as they drove around one San Francisco neighborhood to count the number of people living on the streets. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra

From 2012-2019, Oakland’s Operation Ceasefire has been credited with helping the city reduce homicides by nearly half. At its height, it targeted the handful of individuals responsible for the bulk of gun violence and offered services. But a recent audit requested by Mayor Sheng Thao revealed several factors that led to the breakdown of the program. Now, she wants to revive it. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.