Talk of the Bay from KSQD

  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 ensure all consumers are paying the same price for a service or product (SB 259).

In this Part II of our series on “Sad Francisco,” we continue our deep dive into the history of the tech executives, crypto billionaires and venture capital/incubator heads who have attempted a (relatively successful) coup in San Francisco and now appear to be organizing a coup on behalf Donald Trump and JD Vance, who worked in San Franciso for Peter Thiel’s Mithril. Long time Bay Area journalists D. Scot Miller and Kevin L. Jones, with the Doom Loop Dispatch podcast weigh in on the connections between Thiel and other VC and tech execs like Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Garry Tan, Balaji Srinivasan, Ron Conway and others who, aligned with the YIMBY movement, have tilted San Francisco politics right of center and are now allied with MAGA. How might this impact Santa Cruz, CA or your own “Blue” city? Just what do these people want? Is anti-Blackness at the heart of this agenda? Links and Resources: David Talbot and a Season of the Witch interview Emily Mills on Twitter, formerly known as Prince, now known as Cr*p. (Yes, we are dead-naming Twitter) Gil Duran’s essential article at The New Republic, from April, 2024 Gil Duran on Twitter Gil Duran on Substack. The Sad Franciso Podcast, with Toshio Meronek The Doom Loop Dispatch Pod Strive CEO Matt Cole on Linked In (funded by JD Vance’s Narya) The Phoenix Papers report (Part I) on Big Money in SF Politics Peter Thiel’s Praxis Co. plans an autonomous city in the Mediterranean International “Network State” projects Kelly Hayes on Christo-nationalism and Techno-fascism News outlets reporting on all this: 48 Hills Mission Local The San Francisco Standard (note funded by billionaire Michael Moritz, who is also allied with California Forever, etc.) One of our early shows with Ali Collins, a recalled School Board Trustee in San Francisco

Just ahead of his sold-out talk in Santa Cruz on April 25th, Ami Chen Mills grabbed a half hour with actor, comedian and author Rainn Wilson (formerly Dwight Schrute of “The Office”) to discuss his book SoulBoom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution, his Ba’hai faith, the kind of God he believes in, how spirituality has become too individualistic and consumeristic … and many other profound concerns for the human race. This is a shorter version of this interview, edited for KSQD’s spring pledge drive. Find the full interview (“Director’s Cut”) at Moment of Truth with Ami Chen Mills soon at the show page here at KSQD and at all your favorite podcast sites.

In this extraordinary interview with Palestinian Dr. and Professor Izzeldin Abuelaish, who lost three daughters and a niece to Israeli tank shelling in Gaza in 2009—the same day, 15 years ago, as this program–and who recently lost 22 family members in the Gaza Strip to the Israel-Hamas war, Dr. Izzeldin pleads for an end to the siege on Gaza and addresses co-existence, hate, anger, forgiveness and how to move forward toward peace. … We begin with a report on the tumultuous events of Jan. 9 and beyond, when the Santa Cruz City Council considered a community-drafted ceasefire resolution; what happened at that meeting and what happened after that. Dr. Abuelaish addresses comments from local participants in that meeting as well as calls and emails from live listeners. This show was aired as a special production of both the “Talk of the Bay” program and “Moment of Truth with Ami Chen Mills” at KSQD. Show Notes and Resources Please see Dr. Abuelaish’s biography below: Professor and Doctor Izzeldin Abuelaish is a Palestinian Canadian physician and internationally recognized human rights and peace activist devoted to advancing health and education opportunities for women and girls in the Middle East. Dr. Abuelaish was born and raised in Jabalia Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. He lived through many hardships there, including poverty, violence, and the horrific tragedy of his three daughters’ and a niece’s deaths in the 2009 Gaza War. Professor Abuelaish has been nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and is known as the Nelson Mandela and “Martin Luther King of the Middle East,” having dedicated his life to using health as a vehicle for peace. Prof. Abuelaish’ s book, I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity, an international best seller and autobiography of his loss and transformation, has achieved worldwide acclaim.  Published in 2010, now translated into 23 languages, this book was  inspired by the loss of his three daughters – Bessan, Mayar, and Aya – and their cousin Noor who were murdered by Israeli tank shelling on January 16th, 2009, the book has become a testament to Izzeldin’s commitment to forgiveness as the solution to conflict and the catalyst towards peace.   I Shall Not Hate has become both a documentary, due out this year and a play. Past US President Jimmy Carter has said of  Dr Abuelaish … “He has expressed a remarkable commitment to forgiveness and reconciliation that describes the foundation for a permanent peace in the Holy Land.” Professor Abuelaish has been awarded nine honorary doctorates, The Order of Ontario, The Meritorious Service Cross, the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award of Canada; and many other international-level awards. Doctor Abuelaish founded the Canadian charity, Daughters for Life, in memory of his daughters. Daughters for Life provides young women with the opportunity to pursue higher education and to become strong agents of change.  Currently, Dr. Abuelaish lives in Toronto and is a Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.  I Shall Not Hate, the book: https://www.amazon.com/Shall-Not-Hate-Doctors-Journey/dp/0802779492 The Daughters for Life Foundation: https://daughtersforlife.com/

On Talk of the Bay at 5PM, March 2, 2026, host Meilin Obinata dives into the proposed California Billionaire Tax Act with Seema Kanani from the SEIU-United Healthcare Workers union and Kris Cuaresma-Primm who are supporting this voter initiative aimed at helping make up shortfalls caused by deep cuts to federal programs.    Obinata also welcomes activist Langdon Sepulveda from Stop Gilroy Data Center Now and Francisco Leal from NIMBY Imperial. They are both resisting the development of data centers dependent upon lithium ion battery storage. Whether billionaires or data centers, what does it look like when people rise up? That’s today at 5PM, on KSQD’s Talk of the Bay.

To kick off Women’s History Month, on March 6th a very special event returns to the Museum of Art and History in downtown Santa Cruz. It is called HERstory, and it celebrates the important women of Santa Cruz County—past, present, and future. The event features performances, special activities and, most importantly, talks from extraordinary women who were nominated by the community and selected by a diverse committee representing local organizations dedicated to supporting and uplifting women. In this conversation, we meet event organizers Stephanie Sumarna (County Office of Education) and Jessie Durant (Museum of Art and History), as well as two of the event’s honorees, Amara Anderson (Santa Cruz High Black Student Union President) and Ivory Woodson (Student Leader & Founding Black Student Union President, Soquel High School Black Student Union, Countywide BSU). The guests talk about their backgrounds and the upcoming event. For more information and registration, visit the event page at https://santacruzcoe.my.canva.site/herstory.

In a victory in the indigenous landback movement. The Amah Mutsun Land Trust and Peninsula Open Space Trust have purchased the 2,284 acre Juristac property,(Formerly Sargeant Ranch),  preventing the building of a gravel pit mine, and returning the land to its original inhabitants. We hear from Amah Mutsun tribal chairman, Ed Ketchum about the history of his people in relation to this land and what plans are for its future.

Guest Tom Llewellyn grew up in the small rural enclave of Canyon, California, where sharing food, road work days, and fighting fires together as a community was common. Full disclosure, I also grew up there, but we didn’t cross paths until recently in Bonny Doon. Growing out of that belief in the collective wisdom of communities working together, Tom is now Program Director for the nonprofit, Shareable. Far beyond ride shares, this organization promotes libraries of things, lending libraries of tools and other useful items, and leads trainings around the world to fuel this growing movement. If you’ve ever used a tiny neighborhood library or organized a car pool, you know the joy of the sharing economy. So far, there is no tool lending library in Santa Cruz. Anyone want to start one? https://www.shareable.net/about/

Andrew Schoneberg was fortunate to meet and interview Dr. Elisa Lagana.  Dr. Lagana is a natural psychic, remote viewer and clairvoyant. For the past 15 years, she has worked professionally as a remote viewer, offering accurate, real-world insight to clients across the globe. Her work has contributed to the prediction of major world events outcomes months in advance. Her skills include locating missing persons, which she’s done for the CIA and law enforcement agencies. Elisa shares that at the heart of her work is a devotion to healing. Her greatest joy comes from helping people understand the language of energy—how it moves, speaks, and guides.

Joan Hammell is a board member with the Santa Cruz County SPCA. More than just a place to adopt or give up a beloved pet, the organization has broadened its mission to help humans and animals help each other in often profound ways.

Fraud and identity theft targeting immigrants are on the rise, according to Claudia Abasto Rivella of Latinan, a legal aid nonprofit serving three central coast counties, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey. Even Ms. Abasto Revilla, a lawyer, has had her identity stolen and used to extort people in North Carolina seeking green cards. She warns people to never conduct business of a legal nature over the phone or internet, but to work in person.

  Consuelo Alba is the Executive Director & Co-Founder of the Watsonville Film Festival. Consuelo is a visionary arts leader harnessing the transformative power of film and culture to ignite social change in Santa Cruz County and beyond.  Under her leadership, the Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) has grown from a grassroots collective into a nationally recognized cultural force offering year-round programming, supporting local filmmakers and redefining what a film festival can be: an inclusive, community-centered space for dialogue, joy and inspiration. Consuelo was born and raised in Mexico City. Her early career as a journalist laid the foundation for her lifelong commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices. As a documentary filmmaker, Consuelo explores cultural identity, healing and justice. Her award-winning short documentary El Andalón / The Healer screened at more than 30 international festivals, won seven awards, and was broadcast on Mexican public television. She is co-director of a new film, The Long Labor. LiliArlen Gomez is the Production Coordinator of the Watsonville Film Fest. LiliArlen was born in Monterey, California and raised in Oaxaca, Mexico, where traditions and storytelling deeply influenced her path as a filmmaker. After earning her degree in Cinematic Arts and Technology from Cal State University Monterey Bay, she worked on projects with Apple, Google, and 20th Century Studios, with her collaborative work reaching festivals like Sundance, SXSW, and Watsonville. LiliArlen is excited to bring her passion, creativity, and production experience to help uplift diverse voices and strengthen the Watsonville Film Festival’s presence in the community. The 14th annual Watsonville Film Festival begins Thursday March 12th, and runs through Saturday March 21st, with showings in Watsonville, and during the second weekend, in Salinas and Santa Cruz. You can view the schedule of films and events here. This recording includes an interview of ~54 minutes with Consuelo Alba, followed by an interview of ~3 minutes with LiliArlen Gomez.

David Hahklotubbe is a Death Doula and Gerontologist, as well as a motivational speaker.  Death Doulas serve people who are about to die, their families and loved ones.  Their goal is to provide counseling, wisdom, and peace of mind, as well as practical help for families and loved ones navigating the practical aspects of dealing with this life transition. Based on his experience witnessing over 1000 deaths, David believes that the worst pain many suffer at death is regret — regret at wishes and goals not pursued, relationships not healed, etc.  So as a motivational speaker and author, David Hahklotubbe advocates for living the lives we truly wish for, while we still can.  And he imparts his wisdom about how to have a “good” death. In this interview with Andrew Schoneberg, David shares that many people have communications from loved ones who’ve recently passed.  He says if we are open to it, this is a common occurrence, and evidence that consciousness doesn’t end at death.

Host Meilin Obinata takes a deep dive with an environmental activist, professional musician and educator: Adam Scow. In this conversation, we learn about Adam’s musical life, his origin story, and what motivates him to engage in public service. He also provides some surprising lessons for activists about political life, plus advice and encouragement to those who wish to run for office. He even gives out his personal email if you wish to seek his guidance!

The IRS funds a program, Project SCOUT, which offers free help with tax preparation and filing for low-income residents, including seniors and those on disability. In this interview we speak with two volunteers working with Project SCOUT during tax season, Mathilde Rand and Jan Shirchild about how listeners can get assistance in Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties.

Members of the Teamsters local 2010 labor union were out on strike all week in the freezing rain, pressing the CSUs to come back to then negotiating table. This interview with Anthony Cardinale, Union Representative for CSUMB explores the who, what, why and how of the strike.

  On Monday’s Talk of the Bay, at 5pm, host Meilin Obinata welcomed two Salinas area activists to the show to discuss the role of money in Salinas politics: rapper and activist Cal Paradox, who recently released an album dedicated to Salinas politics called “Politics As Usual”, and president of LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) Salinas Chapter 2055, a leading civil rights organization and community thought leader Christopher Barrera. We will learn about what gets people engaged in local issues and make a difference in their communities. We learned about the inspiration for particular songs from Cal Paradox's album, including Taylor Farms, Salinas City Council and more. We learned from Chris Barrera about LULAC's first president, Crecencio Padilla's suggestion about taxing agriculture. The guests also discuss California's Proposition 50 from November 2025. Barrera's shares experiences of helping renters in his role at LULAC as well as his perspective as a realtor interacting with landlords.You can connect with our guests in the following ways: Chris Barrera's email and phone number are: barrerasr86@yahoo.com, 831-206-9089Cal Paradox's Instagram account is: cal_paradoxThat’s Monday at 5pm, right here on KSQD, KSQT, at 89.5, 89.7 and 90.7 FM, and on your smart device at KSQD.org.

Arts Council For Monterey County is a non-profit, who’s goal is to make arts accessable to everyone in Monterey County.  Arts4MC connects local artists and arts groups with local communities and schools.  They fund music, theater, dance, and fine arts instuction in schools.  Arts4MC sponsors public art, such as murals and exhibitions, and provides grants to arts organizations and individual artists, and provides scholorships for young people persuing arts careers. In August 2025 Andrew Schoneberg interviewed Jacquie Atchison, Arts4MC’s Executive Director.      

This short feature was produced by Daymia Rousseau, Humanities intern from UCSC, with editing help from Rachel Anne Goodman and Howard Feldstein. What follows is the transcript. Hello, I’m Daymia Rousseau, a UCSC Intern reporting for KSQD. AI data centers are a booming business, and California is one of the leading states in building them. Along with concerns about the environmental costs, critics are saying the financial burden of these energy-hungry facilities falls unfairly on customers. One of its biggest critics is alternative energy expert, Amory Lovins. Lovins : “I’m mightily puzzled why 38 states subsidized data centers with tax breaks, and why they’re thought to be economically advantageous. They’re good if you’re in the construction industry; they’re not so good if you’re looking for long-term jobs. These are highly automated operations, and enormous amounts of capital get sucked out of the rest of the economy. ” Professor Lovins is a physicist, AI data center designer, writer, and lecturer at Stanford University. He’s written several critical pieces on the setbacks of Nuclear Energy & AI data centers, as well as many articles on the best ways to utilize alternative, solar & wind-power energy. He’s concerned about customers bearing the brunt of cost overreach. Lovins : “There’s quite a bit of political unease around the country, and protests around burdens falling on other customers. Partly because the contract with the data center may not cover all the costs of data extensions and other expenses needed to keep the grid going with the big new load…And also because many of the data centers proposed will not be built, or when built will not thrive…in other words, it looks like they’re set to earn a tenth as much of the revenue they would need to support the enormous investments they’re making.” So data centers are expected to earn less revenue than it takes to construct them? Currently, data centers consume 1-2% of global energy. However, research from investment companies such as Goldman Sachs project data center’s energy demand will grow 160% by the year 2030. And not even Bill Gates predicts a viable energy plan until the year 2050. So data centers are expected to operate for 25 years, functionally, at an over 100% increase in power usage. And that’s only if AI demand can finance it. According to Professor Lovins, this financial strategy effectively cannibalizes itself. Lovins : “One of the reasons the financial community is concerned, and sees AI as a bubble, is that it’s indulging in what’s known as ‘circular transactions’. My company invests in your company, which then buys my products, so we can both afford to do that. But it doesn’t really sustain an increase in wealth, so much as to conceal that we’re not making money the conventional way by selling a product people wanna pay a lot for. And it’s also concerning that 120 Billion dollars has now been financed off balance sheets, so it doesn’t show up in the financial accounts. Between that and circular transactions, it’s really hard to tell what condition the tech companies are in…and that heightens the risk… So I think the concern about unexpected burdens falling on localities is well founded. I would also suggest that you shouldn’t automatically assume that because AI can make various operations efficient and save energy, that means it’s a net good for climate.” One big worry is the capacity of the grid to distribute heavy energy demand during peak hours. Who will pay for upgrading it? The AI companies or the public? What about blackouts? Many tech companies such as Google & Microsoft, claim they can fund “green premiums” by 2030 to sustain energy demand through market returns.  However, the fragility of the “AI bubble” in global markets casts doubt on that strategy. Lovins : “Initially, it was more about making the hardware more effi

  Professor Rebecca Braslau has served on the faculty at UC Santa Cruz since 1991, where she is a professor of chemistry. She has a BA from Reed College, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, and carried out postdoctoral studies with Bernd Giese at Universitat Basel, the oldest university in Switzerland. She has been a visiting professor at other universities, including in Bangkok Thailand, Galway Ireland, Melbourne Australia, Eindhoven the Netherlands, and Paris France. In 2014 she earned the Excellence in Teaching Award at UC Santa Cruz. Professor Braslau is the director of the Braslau Lab at UC Santa Cruz. The Braslau Lab is a synthetic organic chemistry group, currently focused on material science projects. Given the Crisis of Persistent Plastics in our environment, researchers are currently focused on developing methodologies to chemically upcycle post-consumer waste PVC. Over the past decade, they have focused on developing non-migratory “internal” plasticizers to replace phthalates, a pervasive class of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds.