Bay Curious

Prop 45: Faster Environmental Reviews for Certain Projects

The California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, requires state and local agencies to consider the environmental impact of public and private projects. Prop 45 on the 2

Prop 44: Health Clinic Spending Requirements

Proposition 44 on the 2026 California ballot would require private non-profit health clinics serving the lowest income Californians to spend 90% of their revenue on medic

Prop 43: Special Tax Voter Threshold

Proposition 43 on the 2026 California ballot would increase the vote threshold to pass new local taxes earmarked for special causes. Additional Resources: Read the tra

Prop 42: Bans New State Taxes on Investments and Personal Property

Proposition 42 on the 2026 California ballot prohibits new state personal property taxes and certain retroactive state taxes. Additional Resources: Read the transcript

Prop 41: Requires Audits of New Special Taxes

Proposition 41 on the 2026 California ballot would require more audits on the programs that are funded by special taxes. Is it good governance? Or red tape meant to make

Prop 40: One Time Tax on Billionaires

Proposition 40 would impose a one time 5% tax on Californians whose net worth is over a billion dollars. The resulting revenue would be primarily used to replace cuts to

Prop 39: Requires Voters Show ID to Cast A Ballot

Proposition 39 on the 2026 California ballot would require voters to show a valid ID when casting their ballot. Currently, voters have to show ID to register to vote, but

Prop 38: Immunology Research Bond

Proposition 38 on the 2026 California ballot would authorize the state to borrow money to fund immunology research. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this

Prop 37: Creates Middle-Income Homebuyer Program

Proposition 37 on the 2026 California ballot authorizes the state to borrow money to create a middle-income homebuyers program. Additional Resources: Read the transcri

Prop 5: Recall Reform

Proposition 5 on the 2026 California ballot would change the rules around recalls of elected officials. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode Ca

Prop 4: Public Financing For Political Campaigns

Proposition 4 on the California 2026 ballot would repeal an earlier statewide ban on public financing programs. It would open the door for state and local governments to

Prop 2: The Rainy Day Fund

Proposition 2 on your 2026 California ballot would make changes to how the state's Rainy Day Fund would work. It would both allow lawmakers to set aside more money during

Prop 3: Tax on High-Income Earners

California has what’s known as a “progressive tax system” – basically, the more money you make, the more you pay in income taxes. For years, California voters have approv

Prop 1: Affordable Housing Bond

Proposition 1 on the 2026 California ballot authorizes the state to take out an $11.25 billion bond to fund an array of affordable housing programs, including the constru

Bay Curious Presents: The Speaker

Nancy Pelosi is many things: Trailblazer. Lightning rod. First woman Speaker of the House. Mom of five. To some, she’s an out-of-touch elitist, to others, a champion for

The Best Scary Movies Set in the Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area isn't as popular of a filming location as Los Angeles or Vancouver, Canada, but there are some very creepy films that use our unique weather an

The Forgotten Chinese Flower Growers in the S.F. Bay Area

For much of the 20th century, swaths of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties were home to seas of chrysanthemums, asters and irises. About 200 acres of chrysanthemums — rou

The Island Lighthouse Turned Romantic B&B

Just off San Pablo Point, near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, there's a tiny spec of an island with a beautiful Victorian-era building on it. East Brother Light Station

Why So Many Golf Courses in Public Parks?

Bay Curious listener Mary Newsom went on a lot of walks during the coronavirus pandemic. While hiking in the Oakland and Berkeley hills, she noticed that wildlife had com

Why Flock License Plate Readers Are So Controversial

Many Bay Area cities from Oakland to San Francisco have contracts with Flock Safety, a surveillance company that offers license plate readers that yield far more data tha