Talk of the Bay from KSQD

Sara Niedzwieck is a professor of politics at UC Santa Cruz and studies South American politics. She offers her analysis of what is currently happening in Venezuela, a developing story.

On January 3rd the U.S. military conducted a strike on the capital of Venezuela, Caracas, killing dozens of people, and capturing President Maduro and his wife and bringing them to New York to stand trial. What does this mean for the region? What is it really about?  Michael Fox is a Latin America-based media maker and the former director of video production at teleSUR English. He puts the action into context.

Omar Dieguez reports live from the vigil marking the killing by an ICE agent of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.

From the Streets brings you a powerful live podcast and performance featuring Dub Souljah, Safaa (Baytal), Miguel Kultura, and Shinelight—artists using resistance music to inspire, awaken, and empower our youth to rise as leaders. Join us January 24, 2026, at the Veterans Hall, 846 Front St. Doors open at 12 PM. Featuring additional performances by The Neighborhood Kids and The Indigenous Cats, plus vendors, drum circles, and danzantes. Part of the proceeds benefit The Center for Farmworkers. Come show love, build community, and support the movement.

This event is sponsored by Indigenous Justice.

More info: @RESISTANCE.ENTERTAINMENT ✊🔥

https...

Mark Toney has been the Executive Director of The Utility Reform Network (TURN) since 2008. Mark has transformed TURN into a social movement organization, whose 27 staff are two-thirds women and two-thirds people of color, and has expanded its impact to promote and win racial and economic justice in energy affordability, climate action, and broadband equity.

Mark was appointed in 2020 to the California State Bar Board of Trustees by Governor Newsom and reappointed in 2024. He also currently serves on the National Whistleblower Center board, and previously served on the boards of ACLU Northern California and California Shakespeare T...

Christine Barrington starts a new show on KSQD this Friday: Apocalyptic Supper Club. But Christine is hardly new to KSQD—in fact, she’s a Squid super-volunteer. Apart from hosting Talk of the Bay for several years, Christine was a board member, volunteer coordinator, behind-the-scenes producer, and host of a series called Behind the Mic. In this series she interviewed many of the roster of fascinating people who make up KSQD’s volunteer on-air presence.

This week, Babblery host Suki Wessling turns the tables and sends Christine to the other side of the board so she can talk a...

Long-time arts and culture journalist for Santa Cruz, Wallace Baine is retiring from his post at Lookout, the online news site, but not before they won the Pulitzer Prize for local journalism. We look back at some of his most exciting interviews with the likes of Randy Newman and Carol Burnett, plus his take on the changes he’s seen over his thirty year tenure covering the cultural life of our community.

Dr. David Ebert is an expert on shark biology with the Moss Landing Marine Laboratory and San Jose State University with the Pacific Shark Research Center. In the wake of the death of triathlete Erika Fox at Lover’s Point in Pacific Grove, sharks are once again in the news. But are they the human killers they’ve been made out to be in the media? What motivates them? Why are some encounters fatal and others survivable? Do those bracelets marketed as shark repellents actually work? How are sharks doing in our Monterey Bay? These are just a few of t...

🎙️ FROM THE STREETS | Special Broadcast

Hosted by Omar Dieguez on KSQD

This Monday’s episode of From the Streets was a powerful and necessary conversation, broadcast live from a special School Board meeting addressing the devastating cuts proposed in our school district.

Parents, students, and school board members spoke directly about the impact of eliminating mental health clinicians, school counselors, special education services, and art programs—programs our youth desperately need to survive and thrive.

KSQD once again opened the mic and created space for our communit...

Last Night is a do-it-yourself, decentralized, collective, spontaneous, open, public New Year’s Eve celebration in Santa Cruz, California since 2005. Celebrating what we can do as a community when we work together. Sunset on New Year’s Eve every year starting at Pacific & Spruce (behind Ace Hardware), and ending with a street party at Pacific and Cooper!

Guests: Stacey Falls has been an active participant in the last night DIY parade for 20 years. Though she is not one of the original founders, she has been invested in keeping it going as a wonderful Santa Cruz cultural phenomenon.Stac...

When he was a young man of college age, Richard Hodge was attending seminary and thought he was going to become a Methodist minister. As the fates would have it, he instead went on to become a lawyer, who defended some of the most notorious, and politically charged, crime cases in America, including the Oakland 7, the Soledad 3, and Los Siete. He later developed a specialization in entertainment law, and represented a wide range of clients, including Richard Brautigan, Kenny Loggins, the Steve Miller Band, Boz Scaggs, and many others. He eventually became a judge in the Alameda C...

KSQD Community Radio Hosts Critical Conversation on PVUSD Cuts Impacting Student Mental Health

On Talk of the Bay From the Streets, we aired a one-hour program addressing recent cuts within Pajaro Valley Unified School District that have reduced mental health clinicians, counselors, and special education supports.

Hosted by community advocate Omar Eduardo Dieguez, the program features:

The discussion centers student safety, transparency, environmental justice, and the urgent need for community-driven sol...

On Talk of the Bay host Meilin Obinata, welcomes Christopher Barrera of the Salinas chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens known as LULAC and Salinas City Councilmember Andrew Sandoval. Barrera discusses the civil rights concerns LULAC has regarding the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office investigations into the signature gathering process of the Protect Salinas Renters campaign, while Sandoval, a major supporter of the Protect Salinas Renters Coalition, shares his experience of facing a censure motion from his colleagues which has ultimately been postponed.

46th Annual Eco-Farm Conference at Asilomar (Jan 21-24) – Talk of The Bay

On Tuesday, Dec. 9th, Talk of The Bay host George Cadman spoke with Rebecca North (Executive Director of the Ecological Farming Association) and Ken Foster (co-owner of Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping & permaculture instructor at Cabrillo College) about the upcoming 46th annual Eco-Farm conference which will be held at Asilomar from Jan. 21st to Jan. 24th.

EcoFarm is the oldest and largest organic farming conference west of the Mississippi, bringing together more than 1,500 farmers, ranchers, and food system leaders each year. It’s an insp...

Anjelka Stipanovich, Anna Michel, and Julia Alaimo are the Program Coordinators for the Resilient Central Coast program at Ecology Action. The program is only a few months old.

Resilient Central Coast introduces everyday actions and local resources to help you prepare for the unexpected, electrify your home, and build community climate resilience.

Hello, I’m Daymia Rousseau, a UCSC Intern reporting for KSQD. The Trump Administration’s attacks on DEI programs have hit especially hard when it comes to access to gender affirming care for trans youth. Regardless of the intense pressure on schools by the Department of education to remove all forms of “gender ideology”, many schools and healthcare settings are challenging this position and moving to protect trans youth.

Adam : “There are implicit and explicit impacts that trans youth, and trans young adults, are experiencing right now. The explicit ones…are that Gender affirming care is becoming more difficu...

What does Santa Cruz love about the holiday season? Squid on the Street spoke to parade participants and attendees at the 2025 Holiday Parade in downtown Santa Cruz. It was a joyous celebration of food, song, costumes, and above all, community. Listen to their voices and click here to see a gallery of photos.

Lindsay Owens, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Groundwork Collaborative. Widely known for her ability to communicate pressing economic concepts and arguments, Lindsay has been credited with changing the way we understand inflation by leading the charge to expose – and articulate – the role of firm pricing power and corporate profiteering in price increases. Her work has been hailed by Jon Stewart as “music to my ears” and consumer advocate Ralph Nader described her as “a burst of new energy in the civic community in Washington, D.C.” Washingtonian Magazine named her one of the “Most Influential Peo...

On this episode of Talk of the Bay, with host Meilin Obinata, guests James Weller, a land title expert and Barry Scott a clean energy educator bust the latest myths and misunderstandings regarding the Rail and Trail Project of Santa Cruz County.

Our third guest, Debora Fudge, has multiple decades of experience serving on the board of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) and as the chair for multiple terms. SMART was able to build a 43 mile passenger (and freight) rail project with a trail out of an existing set of train tracks, a situation extremely...

For decades Santa Cruz Community Health has faithfully pursued its mission to improve the health of its patients and the community and advocate the feminist goals of social, political, and economic equality. On December 4th the public is invited to enjoy “The Power of Her Voice” featuring Poet Ellen Bass and many others. Join host Christine Barrington interviewing Dena Loijos, Community Health’s Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, along with event lead, Patrice Vecchione, and poet Dion O’Reilly to share why this event is a call to come together in a moment when progress must be defended, and the voic...

In this podcast we hear from Welton Jordan, chief real estate development officer with EAH, about a new housing project for veterans at the former Fort Ord military base in Marina. Lightfighter Village will house 71 homeless veterans. It has wrap around services for residents needing help with health, job training, or economic issues. It may surprise people that so many people (estimated 400 in Monterey County alone) who served our country experience homelessness, but it’s a sad fact. Now, Monterey County veterans without homes will have supportive housing, thanks to the new Lightfighter Village complex which had its grand op...

On Thursday, November 20th, Rep. Jimmy Panetta joined a virtual press call with Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and other Congressional Democrats to respond to the Trump administration’s newly released five-year offshore leasing plan which includes 2 lease sales off the Central Coast. KSQD was there to capture the Q and A segment.

In attendance were:

Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.)

Len Beyea has been a host of KSQD’s Talk of the Bay program since 2019. In this episode, the roles are switched, and Len is interviewed by David Thiermann. Len and Dave have known each other since 1970, when Len took a Swahili class from David at UCSC. David suggested the role reversal, and here is the interview that resulted from that.

David Thiermann has worked in Tanzania, Brazil, and Japan. He owned a juice bar & cafe in Santa Cruz in the late 70s and early 80s, where he hosted performers from all over the central coa...

Charles Pasternak has served as the Artistic Director for Santa Cruz Shakespeare since 2023. Before that, he served as Artistic Director of The Porters of Hellsgate Theatre Co in Los Angeles for over fifteen years. He has had a wide-ranging career as an actor and director at theatres across this country including American Players Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Clarence Brown Theatre, The Denver Center, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, three seasons with The Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis and four with Shakespeare Santa Cruz.

Alicia Gibson i...

Rachel Anne Goodman interviews Deputy Insurance Commissioner, Michael Soller about the crisis in home insurance in fire-prone areas, including Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. A recent New York Times article revealed some alarming details about the way the new regulations and rates were negotiated. It raised questions about the future of real estate in California, and the prospect of even higher costs of insuring a home with fewer choices of companies willing to write policies. Then, Justin Kloczko and Carmen Balber join in from Citizen Watchdog, some Lara’s loudest critics calling for his resignation due to his handling of...

Heather Houston is the Artistic Director of the women’s choir Yala Lati. Heather is a well-established Santa Cruz-based musician, recording artist, vocal coach, song circle leader, and choral director, whose spirit uplifts hearts and weaves community through the power of singing. Over the last 3 decades, you may have heard her singing 3-part harmony with her acappella groups Dis Moi and Sirenz, singing jazz with the Steve Abrams Trio, leading large crowds in song at demonstrations and marches, or singing at Bay Area and central coast spiritual centers. She offers live transforming events internationally, online, and in per...

Humanities intern Daymia Rousseau has this look at how AI is impacting students and professors at UCSC.

Third District Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings weighs in on threats to the California coast from offshore drilling and seabed mining, and what local governments are doing to ready themselves for the right to protect our coast.

What happened after November 4th? Find out from Tony Russomanno.

Two Aptos High students, Emily and Lucy, talk about their work as podcasters and environmental activists. The Aptos Community Youth Program is a free youth leadership and arts engagement program offered to students in the Santa Cruz County area. As part of their work digital media and visual art outlets such as podcasting, film production, photography, and painting murals have become part of their work in sharing stories of the youth as well as taking on projects that benefit the community such as school supply drives, volunteering with local non-profits, and working with elders in the community. Two students...

Join Tony Russomanno with guests Chris Krohn and Laz Meiman for a special report in advance of the Nov. 4 election.

Cynthia Ranii, a Santa Cruz resident and elite table tennis player, is competing for a slot in the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games.

Ranii became paralyzed from the chest down in 2005 at age 58 after sudden onset of a rare neuro-immunologic disorder known as transverse myelitis. Ranii was at the peak of her career as a school district superintendent, she had a loving family that was expanding and she was athletic, active and healthy. Everything changed almost overnight.

Ranii was suddenly thrust into a new reality where almost nothing was comfortable or familiar. And it was then...

When was the last time you ran your weekend errands without getting behind the wheel of a car? How about commuting to work? What about a trip to the beach?

It’s not easy in our modern world to get around without a personal four-wheeler, but that hasn’t stopped Santa Cruz County transportation leaders from challenging the public–and elected officials–to give it a shot.

Multiple local transportation agencies helped organize Santa Cruz County’s first-ever Week Without Driving campaign, which lasted from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5. Talk of the Bay host PK Hattis was joined...

Matt Miller, the director of mobility transformation at Ecology Action, returned to Talk of the Bay in September to talk about the Santa Cruz Bikeway, a new 11-mile route encircling the city of Santa Cruz using only existing roads and infrastructure. While the two month pilot project wrapped up Oct. 8, and along with it most of the 160 yellow “bikeway” signs posted on street corners across the city, the route itself remains completely available to the public.

Matt joined the show Sept. 3rd to talk about what purpose the route is meant to serve and what his team hope...

Hedge funds and secretive investors are buying up local papers and stripping them for parts. These so-called vulture capitalists and their attack on journalism are the subject of a new film out on PBS, “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink by Rick Goldsmith. We hear from Goldsmith and investigative journalist Julie Reynolds about the film and the impact on our democracy of losing so many local papers such as the Monterey Herald, the Santa Cruz Sentinel and the San Jose Mercury News.

You can stream the film here: https://www.pbs.org/video/stripped-for-parts-american-journalism-on-the-brink-dyEAIs/

...

CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank, Erica Padilla-Chavez is in the eye of the storm of hungry people seeking food in the wake of pending cuts to CalFresh/SNAP (EBT, food stamps). They are seeking 75 new volunteers to help with the influx of new clients suddenly in need of food in our communities. You can help by donating at thefoodbank.org.

For advocacy, you can write to your state and federal representatives and indicate you support full funding of SNAP.

On October 28, 2025, George Cadman was joined on Talk of The Bay by Ken Reichman and Denise Allen of Indivisible Of Santa Cruz County to discuss the No Kings rally & march on Oct 18th, what’s next, how members of ISCC are working to protect our community from ICE, and how people can join one of their action teams and get involved.

In this episode of Talk of the Bay, host Meilin Obinata speaks with two people experiencing different aspects of the rent crisis in the City Salinas: Sam Messenger, a person who received a visit on October 13, 2025 from the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office investigator who was investigating him about his decision to sign a petition in favor of the renter protection ordinances at the Oldtown Farmer’s Market one day, and Councilmember Andrew Sandoval of the Protect Salinas Renters Coalition. Monterey County Now ran a piece “Investigation into petition signatures in Salinas casts suspicion all around” on Wednesday, October...

On Talk of The Bay on Tues Oct 21st, at 5 pm, host George Cadman interviewed local author, psychotherapist and Family Constellation facilitator, Molly Salans. They discussed her psychological thriller, A Break in The Fog, about a family in turmoil and a dangerous cult, which explores how faith can be used to heal, but also to abuse, and how love and family is what matters most in the end.

Molly and George also talked about: cults more generally (including the cult of Trump); what draws someone into a cult or controlling system; the longing to belong – and how th...

Interviews with Adam Scow and Dr. Ann Lopez:

Adam Bolaños Scow is a Public-Interest Advocate, Violinist, and Music Teacher. For over 15 years Adam has helped win environmental campaigns in the Monterey Bay region including the efforts to ban fracking in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties. He is a co-founder of the Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture (CORA), a grassroots group working to transition agricultural fields away from toxic pesticides to organic in the Watsonville area. He has served on the boards of Regeneración Pajaro Valley Climate Action, Watsonville Wetlands Watch, and the...

Talk of the Bay Host George Cadman interviews Jenni Veitch-Olson about California Proposition 50.

Jenni is a compassionate community leader. Jenni is the Director of Development for Emerge California, the premier training program for Democratic women who want to run for office and win.

She served as the Vice Chair of the Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee, prior to being elected the Chair in January 2025. She also serves as a Watsonville Planning Commissioner.

In 2024, Jenni was awarded Santa Cruz County’s Democrat of the Year for her mobilization of resources to those affected by...

KSQD’s Talk of the Bay, Meilin Obinata welcomes Omar Dieguez to discuss his month-long hunger strike to raise awareness of the dangers of pesticide use in agriculture, and his work to ban pesticide use in the community.

From Suki Wessling:

Reporting from the October 18 No Kings Rally in Downtown Santa Cruz today, I heard a clear message: What’s happening in this country is not OK. People from all walks of life came together with a message of unity and hope. Although there was anger, there was a distinct lack of partisanship and hateful speech. Listen in to what locals had to say about the state of our democracy and the message they hope to send.

To learn more about future events, join your local Invisible’s mailing list.

S...

Did you know having a dark sky is healthier for humans and other animals? Many creatures rely on the stars to navigate or know where to migrate. Dark Sky International is a movement to reclaim the sky at night, led by amateur astronomers and scientists. Light pollution disrupts wildlife, impacts human health, wastes money and energy, contributes to climate change, and blocks our view of the universe. In this interview with three group members, we hear ideas of what we can do to help darken the night sky again.

Even in a banner year for coastal storm damage, Seacliff and New Brighton State Beaches stood out in 2022 and early 2023. A relentless flurry of atmospheric river storms slammed the popular seaside destinations, snapping the historic Seacliff pier in two, dramatically flooding the day-use area with sand and debris and striping away much of the park’s infill material to such a degree that the campground area remains offline to this day.

The indelible images even inspired a visit from then-President Joe Biden, who delivered a speech on the impacts of climate change right outside Seacliff’s Welcome Cent...

On this episode of Talk of the Bay, host George Cadman talks with Elaine Johnson, Executive Director of Housing Santa Cruz County, about Measure C, the proposed Workforce Housing Affordability Act appearing on the November ballot in Santa Cruz.

They discuss how the measure came about, what kinds of taxes it would establish, how the funds would be used, and what oversight would guide spending. Johnson also responds to concerns raised by community members and outlines the intended goals for addressing local housing needs.

It’s an informative and balanced look at...

Roaring Camp Railroads  is hosting a magical walk in the giant redwoods lit up by movie lighting artists and lamp-makers. I went on a preview of the event with the artists and about 200 other curious folks, and have this story.

ROARING CAMP INTRODUCES “SEQUOIAS AT NIGHT” FAMILY-FRIENDLY STROLL THROUGH ILLUMINATED GIANT REDWOOD FOREST

VIEW TOWERING 250-FOOT REDWOODS IN A NEW LIGHT, FEATURING HANGING, LIGHTED LANTERNS CREATED BY LOCAL METALSMITH ARTISTS

FELTON, CA – SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 – Roaring Camp, Inc. (Roaring Camp) today introduced “Sequoias at Night,” its new family-friendly experience beneath towering 250-foot-tall redwood trees in the S...

Across the country, there has been a huge increase in attempts to ban books from libraries and schools. The American Library Association is fighting back against attempts to censor books from libraries by raising awareness of protecting our right to read what we choose. We hear from Heather Norquist, youth programs coordinator for the Santa Cruz Public Libraries about how important it is to nurture a love of reading in young people, and not remove books by authors of color or ones that contain LGBTQ+ themes.

On Talk of the Bay, host Meilin Obinata welcomes Paul Kmiec the director of the Santa Cruz Film Festival. Join us in learning how this 25 year old film festival is rejuvenating itself with Paul, a filmmaker in his own right, at the helm. Most importantly, be sure to attend the free parties and meet the filmmakers who are coming to town for this celebration of creativity and independence from Wednesday October 8th through Sunday October 12th!

SCFF Schedule

https://www.santacruzfilmfestivals.org

Tim Eagan, beloved cartoonist, satirist, radio drama guy and all around cultural icon of Santa Cruz passed away in August of 2025. We hear from friend and radio host Bruce Larsen, and poet Stephen Kessler about his legacy and we hear an interview I did with Tim in April, 2022 upon the release of his graphic novel.’

On this episode of Talk of The Bay, host George Cadman is joined by Tony Nuñez, Marketing & Communications Director at Community Bridges, where he leads strategic messaging to highlight the impact of the nonprofit’s 10 programs serving more than 20,000 children, families, and seniors each year across Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties. These programs deliver hot meals to homebound seniors, provide accessible transportation to medical appointments, connect families to food and housing resources, nurture children through early education, and offer critical recovery support during disasters. Tony and George will discuss the important work of Community Bridges in our...

The Arts Council of Santa Cruz County kicks off their Open Studios Art Tour the first weekend in October. Celebrating their 40th year Open studios is bigger than ever featuring over 340 artists! Working in 22 mediums from seasoned professionals to new and emerging, Open Studios presents an opportunity for everyone to discover, experience, and connect with artists and their work.

KSQD Host Christine Barrington welcomes Open Studios Program Manager, Bree Karpavage along with two participating artists to share behind the scenes details into what makes Open Studios an event you do not want to miss.

Featured...

Dr. Janice Hadlock is a professor of acupuncture and a well-known researcher in the field of Chinese medicine. She has been published in the top journals in the field and has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine regarding treatments for Parkinson’s Disease. She is the first non-MD acupuncturist to be published in that medical journal.

Early in the COVID pandemic, she discovered that the symptoms of COVID, and of Long COVID, are caused by a trio of electrical blockages in the subdermal fascia. Through successive treatments of COVID patients in 2019 and 2020, she...

In this episode of Talk of the Bay, host Janet Quinn sits down with Brian Sweeney and Omar Guzman of the Homeless Garden Project. They share how the project provides job training, community, and hope for people experiencing homelessness, while also growing fresh food, handmade goods, and deep connections in Santa Cruz.

From the upcoming Sustain Supper fundraiser featuring chef Jozseph Schultz and poet Jane Hirshfield, to the excitement of securing a permanent farm site, this conversation highlights the power of collaboration, resilience, and renewal rooted in the soil.

Listen now to hear...

On Talk of the Bay host Christine Barrington interviews Sally Weiss, Director of The Cabrillo Stroke and Disability Learning Center. The center is celebrating its 50th Anniversary with an event at Cabrillo’s Samper Hall on October 17 at 10am-Noon.  Sally Weiss shares with the community the terrific offerings of this long-standing program.

Every two seconds, someone in the world suffers a stroke. Every six, someone’s quality of life will forever be changed. To meet this challenge locally, the Stroke and Disability Learning Center provides an interdisciplinary educational program for adults who have survived a stroke or are l...

Join host Suki Wessling on Talk of the Bay for her informative interview with Monterey Jazz Managing Director Bobbie Young. You’ll learn about all aspects of the festival and hear clips from some of this year’s great artists.

Do you have your go bag ready in case of a fire, flood, earthquake or tsunami? Do you have a plan for you pet? At the preparedness fair and tsunami fun run, ocal experts from the Red Cross, Scouts, and Animal Shelter help sort out what to do to be ready for any eventuality.

The annual coastal cleanup is Saturday, September 20th from 9 AM to noon. Sign up to help clean a beach or river near you. We talk with Katie Thompson, Director of Save Our Shores about the trash situation in our coastal area. Sign up online here: https://saveourshores.org/coastal-cleanup/

Community theater has always been a special place in the local theater scene. Mountain Community Theater is planning an extravaganza musical based on the tv show and cartoon of the 1960s, the Addams Family. Join Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday and Pugsley for a gothic romp with a tango number thrown in for good measure. We hear from director, Daria Troxell, and actors Amy Carlson (Morticia) and Dave Leon (Gomez).’

Lo0kout Santa Cruz reporter Chris Neely was 11 on 9-11, 2001 and living in a suburb of New Jersey where the majority of parents commuted in to Manhattan. His teacher was sobbing, half a dozen of his classmates were called out of class not to return, and the principal cancelled recess, fibbing there was a bee swarm. What there really was was a fear of a toxic cloud drifting over the school from the twin towers on wire. Chris talks about his vivid memories and the way his neighbors back home still take a silent moment to look across the...

Monday on Talk of the Bay we meet Laura February Strange and members of the cast of “Karen with a K: A musical temper tantrum.” If you haven’t had the chance to experience this local garage-rock musical it’s coming around once more at the Kummbwa Jazz Center in downtown Santa Cruz.  “Karen with a K” features a band of talented musicians, singers and actors that deliver a rollicking, powerhouse hour and fifteen minute performance that leaves crowds cheering on their feet. 

All songs written by Laura February Strange and performed by Strange Bedfellows, featuring Laura February Strang...

When Gail Pellerin lost her husband to suicide, she knew she needed to learn more about the causes and prevention as part of her healing process. Now, she is advocating for awareness through a resolution declaring September Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. In addition, she is honoring “Mental Health Heroes” in her district. KSQD is proud that host, Debra Sloss is among those being honored, for her work on radio and podcasting.

Sacramento, CA – Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz) invited mental health advocates and survivors to the Capitol for her presentation of ACR 70, which proclaims September as Suicide Preven...

7,200 UC Research and Public Service Professionals Vote Yes to Form a Union

They are the latest group of professional staff to join the UAW organizing movement

Berkeley/Los Angeles, CA  – Today, votes were tallied in a union election for 7,200 Research and Public Service Professionals (RPSPs) across all campuses of the University of California. RPSPs voted overwhelmingly for their union, RPSP-UAW, 3,080 to 612 — 83% voting yes. RPSPs are full-time, professional staff who perform work critical to UC’s academic and research mission—and who have been organizing to gain greater power to sustain and improve that work.

Hundreds of protesters lined Ocean Street in Santa Cruz waving signs in opposition to the labor policies of the Trump administration as the labor day beach traffic left town. Cars honked in support and there was an air of determination and solidarity among those I spoke with.

Organizer Lynda Marin talks about Sun Day and why it’s important. Sun Day is a day of action to celebrate the power of clean energy. On September 21st, people everywhere will be showcasing solar installations, electric homes and vehicles running on clean power. By organizing thousands of events on the fall Equinox, Sun Day will help accelerate the ongoing clean energy revolution: we have the technology and the solutions, all we need is to build the political will to scale-up and accelerate clean energy and make it accessible to all.

In Santa Cruz, the event will ta...

Author Bill McKibben talks about the hope of a solar energy future and a chance to heal the planet as he discusses his new book, Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization.

Transcript:

Rachel: I’m here on Talk of the Bay with Bill McKibben. He has a brand new book out called, here Comes The Sun, A Last Chance For The Climate and a Fresh Chance For Civilization.

A provocative title from an author who has relentlessly pushed the idea that we can. De...

On KSQD’s Talk of the Bay, From the Streets host Omar Dieguez welcomes Watsonville resident Adela Naranjo-Bernabé. As a first-generation immigrant and a graduate of Cabrillo College and Watsonville High, she knows firsthand the challenges and triumphs of the migrant experience.

As the DREAM Resource and Summer Migrant Programs Coordinator at Cabrillo College, she’s dedicated to ensuring that undocumented and mixed-status students feel a sense of belonging and have the resources to succeed. Her work is more than just a job; it’s a commitment to social justice and a resistance against systemic barriers.

Omar and Ade...

This summer, I taught 25 UC Santa Cruz students podcasting. They’d never tried anything like it, but dove in feet first. The assignment was to come up with a topic about a local cultural practice or person, and produce a 7-8 minute audio story as a group. Here we hear their short audio stories, collected during their six-week study abroad in the small coastal town of Dingle, Ireland, in County Kerry. It’s a place rich in music, where Irish is the spoken language and sheep outnumber the people. They interviewed locals about set dancing, Irish identity, poetry, myths and food...

Kymberly Lacross of Growing Greatness has a message for people feeling isolated. Come on out and play! Information is below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kymberly Lacrosse Growing Greatness Phone: (831) 234-2046 Email: kymberly@growing-greatness.com Website: www.growinggreatness.net

Community Celebration “Comunidad en Movimiento – Semillas de Bienestar” Cultivates Wellness and Connection in Watsonville

Watsonville, CA — August 16, 2025 — Growing Greatness, Ecology Action, Gardenia y Bienestar, and Watsonville NDMA are proud to announce Comunidad en Movimiento – Semillas de Bienestar (Community in Movement – Seeds of Wellness). This FREE EVENT will be filled with vibrant, family-friendly activities that cel...

Duration: 00:00:00

Greg “Sea Lion” Cotten talks about a nonviolent protest he is helping organize against the Israeli policy of prohibited Gazans, many of who are starving, from fishing or swimming in the ocean. Red Line in the Sand protests are sweeping Europe and now the U.S. as a statement of opposition to the war.

Reporter Celia Jimenez does a deep dive into how people’s behavior and actions are changing as a result of fears of detention and family separation by ICE. Her cover story in Monterey County Weekly takes a comprehensive look at how immigrants are faring in an era of fear and mistrust driven by increased ICE raids in California communities.

Transcript:

Hello and welcome to talk of the Bay brought to you every weekday afternoon at five o’clock right here on Community Radio. I’m your host, Rachel Anne Goodman, and today we take a look a...

Zane Gustafson is a writer from Seattle, WA. He is the author of a new book on constitutional reform titled Polemic for Democracy, which was published one week before the 2024 election. He also writes about the energy transition, and his work has been published at the Sightline Institute and the Ohio River Valley Institute.

More about Zane can be found on Instagram and YouTube at @politicalzane

It’s been 5 years since the CZU fires devastated the region, and in particular, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, but nature has been hard at work renewing her landscapes, and on Monday, August 18th, a special remembrance and renewal event will take place from 10am-1pm as a collaboration between Big Basin Redwoods State Park and the Mountain Parks Foundation. 

This is a Family-Friendly Gathering honoring the community experience of the CZU Fire & Celebrating Renewal. This event will feature community members sharing their reflections on the CZU fire, a guided walk, art and looking ahead at the rei...

On this episode of Talk of the Bay, host George Cadman welcomes Lourdes and Gabriel Barraza, Ami Chen Mills, Julia Monahan, of Get The Flock Out — a grassroots group raising the alarm about mass surveillance in Santa Cruz County. Also joining the show: Peter Gelblum of the Northern California ACLU, who has been tracking the installation and use of “Flock” cameras in our county for several years.

Their concern? Flock license plate reader cameras, now installed in multiple cities across the county, including Santa Cruz, Capitola, and Watsonville (Watsonville has twice as many as the other...

On today’s Talk of the Bay, at 5PM host Meilin Obinata introduces you to Youth Against Displacement, a grassroots organization which racked up multiple rounds of victories against gentrification and displacement of long-time residents in the real estate capital of America, New York City, regardless of Mayors Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams. How do the issues of affordable housing, small businesses, workers’ rights, zoning limits on building heights, stealing workers’ wages to build luxury towers, identity politics, the role of academia in forming narratives and even the emotions of burnout and misplaced guilt all collide in Chin...

Charles Pasternak is the Artistic Director for Santa Cruz Shakespeare, where he has served in that role since 2023. Before that he served as Artistic Director of The Porters of Hellsgate Theatre Company in Los Angeles for over fifteen years. He has had a wide-ranging career as an actor and director at theatres across this country including American Players Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Clarence Brown Theatre, The Denver Center, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, three seasons with The Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis and four with Shakespeare Santa C...

The Western Flyer has returned from a remarkable 100-day expedition (March 16, 2025 to June 24, 2025) to the Gulf of California — retracing the 1940 voyage of John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts and bringing their story into a new century.

From tide pool surveys to classroom visits, from dockside festivals to long days at sea, this was more than a scientific expedition — it was a layered, collaborative journey fueled by curiosity and connection. Students, scientists, artists, and community partners across two countries came together to make it happen.

Sherry Flumerfelt is the Executive Director of the Western flyer Found...

KSQD’s David Bean presents street interviews with locals protesting on August 2, 2025 in Monterey.

Host Meilin Obinata introduces you to Andrew Sandoval, City of Salinas Councilmember of District Five. What is it like to survive a recall campaign when the big money is after you? Or what it’s like to advocate for renters rights when the majority of the city council isn’t? And what it was like to be the one to blow the whistle on the new Amazon distribution center? Let’s get to know Salinas City Councilmember Sandoval and his perspective on all things Salinas. 

On this episode of Talk of the Bay, host PK Hattis speaks with Amanda Poulsen, Assistant Vector Control Manager for Santa Cruz County, about one of summer’s most persistent pests: mosquitoes.

On this episode of Talk of the Bay, host PK Hattis is joined by Dan Emmanuel, Director of Research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, for a critical conversation. They dive into the freshly released 2025 Out of Reach Report, which once again names Santa Cruz County the least affordable rental market in the country, for the third straight year.

Renter Wages vs. Reality

By contrast, the average renter wage in Santa Cruz is about $22.13 per hour, meaning a worker would need 3.7 full-time jobs at that wage just to afford rent.

N...

Duration: 00:29:03

Talk of the Bay’s host Omar Diéguez brings you an interview with Sylvia Reyes on From the Streets.

In this episode of Talk of the Bay: From the Streets host Omar Diéguez. welcomes a powerful voice of entrepreneurship, empowerment, and corazón, Sylvia Reyes. A proud Latina and dynamic force in Santa Cruz County, Sylvia wears many hats: She’s the owner of California Coffee in Aptos, where café cultura meets live music, local education, and warm community. She’s also a seasoned business broker with Coast Business Brokerage, guiding others through the j...

In this episode of Talk of the Bay, your host Meilin Obinata welcomes Pastor Julie of Somos Watsonville to the KSQD studio! Learn about a new way to practice ministry and fellowshipping from Pastor Julie. What is Somos about? Why is a church campus hosting health clinics for young people? What’s the secret to a great mocha? What makes a place into a destination for creating community? And how did a Southern Californian like her, armed with an Ivy-league education, end up as a pastor despite all her attempts to resist becoming one (and when everyone says it wasn...

In this episode of Talk of the Bay, host Omar Dieguez introduces you guests Dr. Ann López  and Adam Bolaños Scow who are alerting us to the dangers of pesticides being sprayed near schools in Watsonville and Pajaro. Over ten schools sit near fields owned by Driscolls, who continue to spray harmful pesticides, harming our community, teachers, students, Indigenous community farmworkers, and Mother Earth.  

Guest Adam Bolaños Scow is a Public-Interest Advocate, Violinist, and Music Teacher. 

For over 15 years Adam has helped win environmental campaigns in the Monter...

On this episode of Moment of Truth, host Meilin Obinata introduces you to the Chair of the Housing Committee and District 10 California State Senator Aisha Wahab. In this housing-centric conversation, you’ll hear about her personal experiences as a rare renter in the state legislature, her views on affordable housing and her concerns about the “silver tsunami” of seniors who will need housing that matches their income as they leave the workforce.  Our conversation also included consumer protection topics beyond housing, such as her battle with investor-owned utilities such as PG&E (SB 332) and online pricing protections to ensur...

Host Suki Wessling of the Babblery spoke to Aptos residents out for the “Good Trouble” protest on July 17, 2025. Visit goodtroubleliveson.org and www.indivisiblesantacruzcounty.com for more information.

Photos by Suki Wessling.

On this episode of Talk of the Bay, your host Meilin Obinata spoke with Heather Edney a pioneering co-founder of the Santa Cruz Needle Exchange Program which made history in the early 1990’s for being one of a handful of needle exchange harm reduction programs in the United States, in the grip of the AIDS epidemic. How did a group of young women stigmatized as sex workers and injection drug users save lives of their peers when the medical establishment wasn't? What did mayonnaise jars in front of Dominican Hospital send a message to the medical establishment? Wha...

Marichka is a Ukrainian-Canadian singer and human rights advocate, winner of the Amnesty International Prize and creator of the folk music website, https://folk-ukraine.com. She is the former lead singer with Balaklava Blues and Lemon Bucket Orkestra. She has performed at top venues around the world including Carnegie Hall in New York, The Barbican Centre in London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

In 2023 Marichka joined Ukrainian Army Forces as a volunteer combat medic and an embedded journalist in the Donbás region in Eastern Ukraine.

Her latest project is producing, composing and si...

On Tuesday, June 24th, 2025, host George Cadman interviewed Paul Johnston of the Santa Cruz Welcoming Network, a 100% volunteer-run community network that is dedicated to welcoming and supporting asylum seekers and other refugees in Santa Cruz County. Paul Johnston is a sociologist and labor/community organizer. He has been an advocate for immigrant rights in the Monterey Bay region for decades.  As a young man he was an organizer against the Vietnam War, both in the army and among veterans, and also an organizer for the United Farm Workers and for the Service Employees International Union.  More recently he served as ex...

Douglas Rushkoff is an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. His twenty books include the just-published Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, as well as the recent Team Human, based on his podcast, and the bestsellers Present Shock, Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus, Program or Be Programmed, Life Inc, and Media Virus. He also made the PBS Frontline documentaries Generation Like, The Persuaders, and Merchants of Cool. His book Coercion won the Marshall McLuhan Award, and the Media Ecology Association honored him with the first Neil Postman A...

Charles Hood is a naturalist, adventurer, and poet. He has also been a factory worker, a ski instructor, a dishwasher, and a nature guide in Africa. Nature study has taken him to all 50 U.S. states, 80 countries, and the South Pole. Along the way, he has been lost in a whiteout in Tibet, contracted and survived bubonic plague, and published 20 books and over 800 photographs. His essay collection A Salad Only the Devil Would Eat was named the Nonfiction Book of the Year by the editors of Foreword book review. He lives in the Mojave Desert with two k...

Michael Gene Sullivan is an Actor/Writer/Director/Activist based in SF. He is an alum of the Playwrights Foundation, and has been awarded both a Djerassi Arts Center Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship as a dramatist. Michael is also Resident Playwright for the Tony and OBIE award-winning SF Mime Troupe, where he has written or co-written over 30 plays, including “1600 Transylvania Avenue”, “Too Big To Fail”, “Freedomland”, “Making a Killing”, and “Back To The Way Thing Were”, as well as the Tales of the Resistance radio/podcast series. In 2024, in addition to writing SFMT’s summer hit “American Dreams”, his pla...

You may have heard of President Donald Trump’s spending bill moving through Congress known as “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act” Yes, that’s the actual title of the 1,000 plus page piece of legislature.

In fact, if you’re a regular listener of Talk of the Bay have indeed because we’ve had many guests on in recent weeks to discuss the myriad ways the bill is expected to impact communities across the Central Coast and country as a whole. While the president and Republicans in Congress insist it is meant to weed out waste, fraud and abuse, D...

Remembering Mike Rotkin: A Special Talk of the Bay Tribute

Hello again, Santa Cruz and beyond!

Welcome to Talk of the Bay on KSQD 90.7 FM — now proudly broadcasting to more of our coastal neighbors in Salinas and Monterey too! This week’s show is a heartfelt special: “Remembering Mike” — a tribute to the life and legacy of former Santa Cruz mayor, educator, union organizer, and all-around community force, Michael E. Rotkin.

Mike passed away peacefully at his home in Santa Cruz on June 18th, 2025. He leaves behind a deep imprint on our city and our people. Duration: 00:58:26

This Talk of the Bay episode from Monday, June 16th, 2025 was originally a two part show starting with a conversation with the comedian and impresario DNA. That conversation with DNA will be released as a separate podcast later. We spent the rest of the hour with community organizer Hector Marin. In 2024, he ran as a candidate for Santa Cruz City Council District 2, earning 40.6% of the vote as a first-time challenger against the 58% garnered by incumbent Sonja Brunner. He is a staunch advocate for affordable housing, is a renter himself, and is a community organizer. Our conversation covered the weekend...

On this episode of From the Streets, Omar Dieguez speaks with Rolla Alaydi, a Palestinian American organizer who has spent months fighting to evacuate her family from Gaza. Since November 2023, Rolla has made countless appeals to Representative Jimmy Panetta’s office—pleas that have been met with silence, even as she has lost over 100 loved ones to Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.Joining us are two of Rolla’s supporters: Christine Hong, a local ethnic studies educator, and Unghae Langis, a member of Panetta Vigil—a grassroots group demanding that Rep. Panetta support an arms embargo on Israel and reject...

Talk of the Bay: From the Streets host Omar Dieguez, a mentor with Barrios Unidos, sits down with a group of girls from Pajaro Valley High School to discuss the powerful role mentors play in schools.

Listen in as they share how Barrios Unidos creates safe spaces for students to express themselves, connect with their cultura, and find empowerment through education. The conversation also explores how Barrios Unidos supports students beyond the classroom—teaching them about their communities, standing up for their rights, and even advocating for them in the courts.

Discover the ma...

KSQD presents a conversation between Chris Krohn and Mike Rotkin, recorded just 2 months before Rotkin’s death on Wednesday (06/18/2025). Rotkin served 25 years on the Santa Cruz City Council, and 5 terms as mayor. He was active in local political and social issues for more than 50 years, and loved and respected for his teaching Community Studies at the University of California Santa Cruz.  This show was not previously aired till now.

On Tuesday, June 10th, host Meilin Obinata spoke with Dr. John Silva from the Protect Salinas Renters coalition. This coalition is seeking signatures for a referendum campaign to repeal the Salinas City Council's recent vote to repeal four renters' rights ordinances including one for rent stabilization. We learn from Dr. Silva, whose years of treating patients taught him about the health impacts of precarious housing. 

Host George Cadman discusses the civil rights issues raised by recent ICE deportation raids with constitutional law attorney, Mauni Jalali. Jalali is instituting a call to action, to motivate local electeds to answer to the voters.  He has developed expertise in administrative law matters, government regulation, and plaintiff-side antitrust, with particular emphasis on cases involving big tech, big agriculture, big pharma, and ticketing services. He has worked on investment risk analysis due to presidential impoundments, SEC securities actions, and assessing APA challenges to FTC rulemaking. His recent work includes drafting appellate briefing on nationwide injunctions protecting thousands of international s...