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KQED

KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California.

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Featured Writers

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Tash Kimmell

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Emma Silvers

Arts & culture writer, editor, grump

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Amy Mayer

Reporter, producer, writer, editorA teary-eyed farmer recalls his family's struggle to hold onto the farm in the 1980s. A biologist, disguised to hide her humanity, provides nutrition to an abandoned …

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Joan Greve

Hi! My name's Joan Greve, and I am a political journalist with nearly a decade of experience covering the White House, Capitol Hill and campaigns.

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Daniel Eduardo Hernandez

Bilingual multimedia journalist working in Southern California

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Octavio Peña

Freelance writer with KQED, Eater, Serious Eats, Food & Wine, and more

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Latest Articles

This San Jose Restaurant Has Been Feeding Portuguese Immigrants for Nearly 80 Years

In the heart of San Jose’s Little Portugal, a grocery store the size of a 7-Eleven features a wall of Ports and Vinho Verdes, stacks of garlicky linguiça and cases of imported cheese. But Bacalhau Grill isn’t just a specialty food market. If you peek over the shelves, you’ll see …
By Octavio Peña
• KQED

This San Jose Tortilleria Makes the Best Sonoran Flour Tortillas in the South Bay

In the United States, many Mexican food enthusiasts don’t consider flour tortillas to be as “authentic” as corn tortillas, arguing that they’re not a real part of the cuisine. And it’s true that the mass-produced flour tortillas you find in a Crunchwrap Supreme or packaged at the grocery store tend …
By Octavio Peña
• KQED

'There Is Such Optimism': Activists, Workers Welcome Deal Ending Boycott of Amy's Kitchen Products

Activists and Amy’s Kitchen workers welcomed the end of a boycott of the Petaluma-based organic food company over labor violations and unsafe working conditions and expressed optimism about the path ahead. Boycott leaders from the food justice nonprofit Food Empowerment Project announced the end of the two-year boycott on Wednesday …
By Daniel Eduardo Hernandez
• KQED

Tio's Tacos, a 30-Year Journey of Authentic Mexican Cuisine and Recycled Art

“I saw an opportunity in the garbage, in recycling,” Sanchez said. “I don’t have money to buy materials, but I have bottles. I have cans. I have what the restaurant throws away.” Sanchez’s love for his hometown of Sahuayo, in the Mexican state of Michoacánis, is reflected in many of …
By Daniel Eduardo Hernandez
• KQED

Salvadoran American Voters in San Francisco Divided Over Tough-on-Crime Approach

Salvadorans are the second-largest Latino population in San Francisco, and with concerns about rising crime throughout the city, the idea of voting for a more law-and-order-leaning candidate is a political force in the community. Bukele’s popularity, however, has also moved progressives in the area to mobilize against the Salvadoran president’s …
By Daniel Eduardo Hernandez
• KQED

San Jose’s Most Creative Paleta Cart Is Leveling Up the Mexican Ice Pop

On a hot summer day, the sound of a paleta cart’s bells usually signals the arrival of bright red paletas de fresa, ice cream sandwiches and gumball-eyed Spider-Man popsicles. But the ice pops inside Paleta Planeta’s galaxy-wrapped cart in San Jose are different. While the cart does sell some traditional …
By Octavio Peña
• KQED

Empanadas Are the Star of This San Jose Cafe's Vast Mexican American Menu | KQED

Cheff Che Cafe & Bar is one of those restaurants that seems to have a hundred miscellaneous dishes on the menu. It slings classic American brunch fare, homestyle Mexican breakfast and amalgamations of the two, like a fajitas Benedict and omelets smothered in mole. It serves burgers, hard tacos, crepes …
By Octavio Peña
• KQED

As Ukraine War Nears 2-Year Mark, Funding Stalls in Congress

As the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on without any clear momentum on either side, Republicans in Congress are balking at more U.S. aid to defeat Putin, while the Biden Administration pursues a deal that would include tougher border enforcement. We’ll discuss the standoff over Ukraine funding in Congress …
By Joan Greve
• KQED

This San Jose Brewery Turns Mushrooms Into Beer, Leftover Bread Into Miso

At Fox Tale Fermentation Project, cashews are blended into vegan queso, sourdough bread gets transformed into miso and whole oysters are brewed into beer. As its name suggests, the downtown San Jose brewery is known for its experimental approach to its beers, which are made by fermenting special ingredients like …
By Octavio Peña
• KQED

Family Of Farmworker Killed By Police Call For Accountability

New Carbon Capture Funding Could Help California Meet Climate Goals The Department of Energy has announced $100 million in funding for 19 carbon capture projects nationwide. One of those projects is destined for the Kern County foothills, near Taft. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Santa Rosa Vigil Marks One Year Since …
By Tash Kimmell
• KQED

A New Food Truck Brings Indigenous Mexican Flavors to San Jose | KQED

At the Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine food truck, a taco might come seasoned with a Mayan spice paste, stuffed with huitlacoche or drizzled with fiery xni-pec salsa — all ingredients that predate Spain’s colonization of Mexico by hundreds of years. That makes it one of just a handful of food businesses …
By Octavio Peña
• KQED

Bay Area Chicana Blues Singer's New Album Is a Celebration of Spanish — a Language She Fought to Learn

But it was expensive to hire a teacher, and Crouse’s family couldn’t afford to help support her education. Crouse, who grew up in a lower-income, single-parent home, needed financial security, and wasn’t sure her love of music would translate into a true career. Still, after college, graduate school, and a …
By Amy Mayer
• KQED

California's Working-Age Latinos Are Disproportionately Dying of COVID-19

On Dec. 20, as many Bay Area families prepared to celebrate an unusual pandemic Christmas, Maribel Alvarado’s family confronted some shocking news. The vibrant 38-year-old had died suddenly from COVID-19 that day, at a Kaiser Hospital in San Jose. Alvarado had started feeling symptoms less than a week before, and …
By Mohar Chatterjee
• KQED

Fentanyl Is Killing More People During the Pandemic. In Santa Clara County, Victims Are Getting Younger

In April, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office filed murder charges against one of those alleged dealers for selling fake pills that killed an 18-year-old woman. Grace Bhardwaj and her 17-year-old boyfriend had purchased what they thought were Percocet pills on Snapchat on April 5, according to the county's …
By Mohar Chatterjee
• KQED

Youth Takeover: Thrift Shopping Has Become More Popular — and Controversial

The garment industry is a major global polluter and a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. With the rise of social apps like TikTok, fashion trends come and go in a flash, and the fast-fashion industry is expanding to keep up. In an effort to be more environmentally conscious, many …
By Melina Kritikopoulos
• KQED