Visiting Yosemite During the Government Shutdown

On Oct. 14, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors removed first-term Sheriff Christina Corpus. For more than a year, her office was mired in allegations of retaliation, misconduct, and abuse of power, largely stemming from an alleged relationship with her former chief of staff, Victor Aenlle. KQED reporter Brian Krans joins us to break down this long and bitter chapter in San Mateo county politics. Links: San Mateo County Sheriff Is Ousted in Historic Final Vote by Supervisors | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this October edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, we discuss the impact of the federal government shutdown on hunger in the Bay Area, and how local governments are responding. We also discuss Uber’s plans to enter the driverless vehicle market, and how the California condor is making a comeback after near-extinction. Plus, we pay tribute to KQED transportation editor Dan Brekke, who is retiring after nearly 50 years in Bay Area journalism. Links: Contra Costa County plans to give CalFresh recipients food money if SNAP is paused San Francisco Will Cover SNAP Benefits for November Amid Federal Shutdown With SNAP Benefits Delayed, Restaurants Step Up to Feed Bay Area Families Uber will challenge Waymo’s robotaxi dominance in San Francisco For a century, they were gone. But California condors are making a comeback in these parts of the Bay Area Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There have been mixed reports of the situation at Yosemite National Park since the federal government shutdown began on Oct. 1. Some say the park is rife with unruly visitors, trash, and illegal behavior, while others say it’s perfectly normal. So KQED reporter Sarah Wright went to go see for herself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Gavin Newsom is accusing the Trump Administration of “rigging” California’s special election after the Department of Justice announced its plans to send election monitors to California polling places this November. Gov. Newsom sits down with KQED’s Political Breakdown podcast in this wide-ranging interview at our studios in San Francisco.  Links: Watch this interview on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Update Friday Oct. 24, 2025 12:43 p.m.: After bracing for a surge of federal immigration actions, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said Friday afternoon that border patrol operations have been cancelled for the entire Bay Area, including Oakland. The Bay Area started bracing for federal troops Wednesday night after the San Francisco Chronicle first reported that nearly 100 federal agents, including from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, would be coming to the U.S. Coast Guard Island in Alameda for a major immigration enforcement operation in the region. Then on Thursday morning, Mayor Daniel Lurie announced that President Donald Trump had called off the “surge” in San Francisco.  Links: Federal Agents Injure Activists at Coast Guard Base During Immigration Crackdown Lurie: Trump Is ‘Calling Off’ Plans to Send Federal Troops to San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's wine harvest season in California. And between tariffs, decreased demand, and a cooler summer, the industry has had a tough year. KQED's Elize Manoukian visits one vineyard in Healdsburg to see how the season is going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This November, Californians are being asked to decide whether the state can redraw our congressional districts with Proposition 50.  California Democrats say Prop. 50 is their answer to pressure from President Trump on red states like Texas, which redrew its congressional maps to favor Republicans in next year’s midterm elections. Opponents say it tramples on California’s independent redistricting process, which voters approved more than a decade ago. This episode originally aired on Aug. 10, 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Franciscans can expect to see up to 100 new, large temporary art installations around the city over the next three years, thanks to a billionaire-backed foundation’s project known as the Big Art Loop. These pieces are also being set up much faster — and with less public oversight — than permanent public art pieces in San Francisco.  Links: Who Has a Say in the Flood of Public Art Coming to San Francisco? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The city of San Jose is coming up with a plan to make it unlawful for federal immigration officers to conceal their identities while working in the city. The ban, along with California’s new “No Secret Police Act,” tees up a potential legal showdown with the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement operations.  Links: San José City Council Supports ICE Mask Ban After Plainclothes Arrest South Bay Day Laborer Center Staff ‘Devastated’ Over Immigration Arrest Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Santa Clara County officials are worried about how big cuts to Medicaid under President  Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will hurt the area’s four county-run hospitals, which rely heavily on Medicaid reimbursements.  Now, voters are being asked to weigh in on Measure A, which would increase the county sales tax by 0.625% over 5 years to fill in roughly one-third of the county’s projected annual losses from federal cuts. Links: Measure A voter guide Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices