Talk of the Bay KSQD - Latest News

If you spend enough time walking the California coast you’re bound to eventually see some signs of whale activity — the signs are just gonna be really small; a tiny spout of white water, the breach of a dark blue figure that spins and slaps the waves as it tumbles into the sea. Don’t get […]

Host Omar Dieguez welcomes Ana Nallely Mendoza Hernández to Talk of the Bay/From the Streets. Ana is a first-generation college graduate, a single mother, and the proud daughter of migrant farm-working parents. Her life has been shaped by housing insecurity, mental health challenges, and the struggle of navigating systems that often leave working families behind. […]

For almost 50 years Hospice of Santa Cruz County has provided end-of-life care to patients and their families throughout the Central Coast region. That work, and its broad reach throughout the community, was publicly honored late last year by the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce, which awarded the nonprofit its 2025 Organization of the […]

  Lizbeth Silva is the Program Manager at Watsonville Law Center, where she oversees community-based legal programs, outreach initiatives, and partnerships that expand access to justice for families across Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties. Having lived most of her life in San Benito County, Lizbeth’s roots in the region and her family’s experience […]

Host Chris Krohn interviews actor, playwright, and director Michael Gene Sullivan of the San Francisco Mime Troupe. The interview centers on the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s upcoming performances of Wreckage, a musical tragicomedy written by and starring Sullivan, and a bit of history of his involvement with the Troupe. The Tony Award winning San Francisco […]

Omar and Adela welcome Melita León, a proud Watsonville native and daughter of farmworker parents from Mexico. Melita is a Health Program Specialist with the California Department of Public Health and a lecturer in Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. Together we’ll explore the power of Ethnic Studies, Public Health, and why building healthier, […]

Hosts Omar Dieguez and Adela welcome historian, author, artist, and retired Cabrillo College professor Dr. Enrique M. Buelna for an inspiring conversation about Chicano history, identity, and social justice. Dr. Buelna discusses his journey from the son of Mexican immigrants to becoming a leading scholar of Chicano studies, the importance of preserving overlooked histories, the […]

  Shira Cion is the Executive and Artistic Director of the renowned Bay Area women’s ensemble Kitka. Shira was born in Hartford, CT, to an Eastern European Jewish family known for its compulsive harmonizing habits. Active as a performer, producer, arts administrator, and cultural worker since her teens, Shira received her musical education in classical […]

On KSQD’s Talk of the Bay, host Cheryl Williams in conversation with filmmaker Aaron Johnson about his short film Dark and Tender. The film explores the prejudices and stereotypes that Black men face and the ways those experiences can shape identity, relationships, and community. Community members are invited to attend a screening of Dark and […]

Enjoy Andrew Schoneberg’s lively conversation with Alison Van Diggelen. She’s a journalist and interviewer for the BBC, PRX, and other public broadcasters. And she’s the author of a recent book entitled “The Love Project”. It’s based on her conversations with people from the Monterey area, sharing their stories of love, loss, resilience, and joy.

Host Omar Dieguez welcomes members of the Tri-County Doula collective in Watsonville. These women promote and provide culturally rooted, multilingual care for families through pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

Parades and parties had a strong showing across the nation this July 4. Some endured sweltering heat and humidity, but in Aptos, K-Squid enjoyed the fog, and the crowds, and hooped it up with the rest of the community for American’s 250 anniversary while Squid on the Street Suki Wessling swam through the happy attendees […]

Omar Dieguez and Adela welcome Bobby Marchessault, Watsonville educator and Vice President of the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers Committee on Political Education. The discussed important work being done in the PVUSD and some of the biggest issues facing schools today: transparency and accountability, as well as recent cuts to mental health services, counselors, and […]

Saru Jayaraman (JD, Yale, MPP Harvard) is an academic at UC Berkeley and the President of One Fair Wage, which organizes to raise wages and end subminimum wages nationwide. She was named one of CNN’s “Top10 Visionary Women”, a White House Champion of Change in 2014, a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award winner (2015), […]

Omar Dieguez speaks with Mark Weller for an update on the campaign to eliminate the use of toxic pesticides near schools and communities on the central coast. Nine months after Omar’s hunger strike to raise awareness about this community health issue, what progress has been made, and what remains to be done?

If you’re interested in children’s education, quiz games, storytelling, or poetry, I’ll bet you’ll find this program facinating. My guest is Howard Schrager. He’s the owner of Lemon Tree Press, which publishes educational books for elementary school aged children which he writes. Howard was a Waldorf teacher for 29 years.

Omar Dieguez and Adela Naranjo sit down with Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) Executive Director Consuelo Alba and filmmaker Brenda Avila-Hanna to discuss the profound impact of storytelling, community healing, and art as resistance. The conversation highlights how the festival grew from a passionate, grassroots volunteer effort in 2012 into a vital year-round nonprofit ecosystem that […]

Omar Dieguez hosts a powerful and heartfelt conversation exploring the human connections between Gaza and the Central Coast. Many people see Gaza as a distant conflict, but for members of our own community, its impacts are deeply personal and immediate. This program brings together stories of loss, resilience, culture, and solidarity from people whose lives […]

Coming up on Inside Education on Sunday at 7PM, meet Andres Martinez, a high school junior who’s already making a difference in his community. From coaching youth sports and serving on the City Youth Council to advocating for local issues like Protect Salinas Renters, Andres shares how faith, service, and leadership shape his vision for […]

WIth only 58% of the votes in California’s governor’s race counted, we look at the decided races in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties and discuss what all this could mean for the midterms. With former Senator Bill Monning, and reporters P.K. Hattis, Jesse Kathan, and Tony Russomanno.

Writer Steve Kettmann joined Talk of the Bay on May 27th to talk about Dusty Baker, who spent nearly 50 years in professional baseball as both a player and coach before stepping away from the game in 2023. Kettmann co-authored Baker’s autobiography called Crossroads: A Memoir in Baseball and Life in which Baker reflects on […]

From The Streets, hosts Omar and Adela  feature the inspiring HOPE Club from Watsonville High School, a youth-led movement creating safe spaces for healing, unity, peace, and support. Hear powerful conversations about grief, mental wellness, leadership, and community healing. “May Peace Prevail on Earth” Watsonville High Hope Club Unveils Peace Pole, Watsonville, California, USA.

Music and stories by Uncle George Kahumoku, Jr. George Kahumoku Jr. is often called Hawai‘i’s Renaissance Man—and for good reason. A multiple Grammy and Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning slack key guitar master, George is also a prolific songwriter, performer, teacher, visual artist, storyteller, author, farmer, and entrepreneur. In 2003, he launched The Slack Key Show: […]

Professor Nolan Higdon of UC Santa Cruz and the Gaslight Gazette Blog on Substack attempts to untangle the tangle of hype and hyperbole surrounding the insertion of AI into most aspects of our online lives. This interview is by Humanities Intern, Daymia Rousseau.

In 2012, Wayne Harris was invited by the U.S. State Department to travel to Palestine to do workshops and perform a piece about Martin Luther King, Jr. Feeling at times a tool of the Government, spreading a story of peace to oppressed people, he falls into an unexpected journey . . . and maybe the […]

From the Streets hosts Omar Dieguez & Adela Naranjowe, sit down with Watsonville familia Araceli Gonzales, Primo Gonzales, and their daughters Abby & Emilia to talk about keeping Chicano, Pachuco, Pachuca, Rockabilly, and Lowrider culture alive for future generations. From classic cars and vintage fashion to community work, toy drives, and cultural pride—this family represents […]

On May 6, 2026, a candidate’s forum was held live on the air that included all five candidates: Joy Schendeldecker, Chris Krohn, Gillian Greensite, Ryan Coonerty, and Ami Chen-Mills. Talk of the Bay host Len Beyea was the moderator.

In April, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to establish the county’s first-ever youth commission. The commission was tasked with studying how the county can foster greater youth participation in local government in order to share recommendations with elected leaders who can actually change policy. To tell us more about the freshly-formed […]

Look up! It’s the night sky and billions and billions of stars and planets, if you are lucky enough to see a few. Join “Cosmic” Joe Jordan, former NASA scientist and dark sky enthusiast of all things astronomy for some star talks up at Costanoa resort or right here on the radio!

An election of a judge is a fairly rare thing, given the governor usually appoints one to a vacancy. Bryan Hackett and Alisa Thomas are both attorneys vying for the judge’s seat on the Santa Cruz Superior Court. KSQD reached out multiple times to Ms. Thomas but did not get a reply to our invitation […]

Meilin Obinata interviews Friends of the Rail & Trail (FORT) board members, Matt Farrell and Sally Arnold about the threats to our rail and trail future and how FORT is launching a Summer of Action to keep our county on track.  Listeners are invited to a Rally to Save Our Tracks on May 20, next […]

Omar’s guest, Ricardo Chavez, takes us on a deep dive into the labor movement into which he was born. The year of his birth was the year that the United Farm Workers saw the death of five martyrs: five organizers who were killed for their work in the movement. It is in this crucible of […]

On this episode of From the Streets, host Omar Dieguez facilitates a raw and powerful conversation with community leaders Elias Gonzalez and Edgar Ernesto Ibarra Gutierrez regarding the true meaning of service. Central to their discussion is the concept of palabra, or the sacredness of one’s word, which both men view as the bedrock of building […]

Mark Silberstein is retiring after 43 years as the leader of the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, the organization that is a land steward and advocate for scientific research and education about our precious wetlands.  He talks about the importance of protecting these special places in California as fish nurseries, places to enjoy sea otters and birds, […]

Awardees of the Queer Youth Leadership awards talk about their experiences and perspectives living in a time of stress and awakening. Guests were Stuart Rosenstein, Everest Vasquez, Dr. Cassie, and Petra King.

It’s always good being a vegan in Santa Cruz County, but April is especially appetizing. A whole new slate of vegan menu items rolled out in restaurants and cafes across Santa Cruz County for the entire month as part of the Santa Cruz Vegan Chef Challenge. To tell us more about the meat and dairy-free […]

There are seven candidates running to be our next representative in Congress from California’s 19th District, which runs from south San Jose out to the coast, then down the coast all the way to northern San Luis Obispo County, including the cities of Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, Capitola, Seaside, Monterey, Carmel, Paso Robles, and Atascadero. […]

A relatively small earthquake like the one that recently woke up residents from sleep can be a wake-up call for preparedness. Got your go bag ready? This piece was reported by Daymia Rousseau, KSQD’s Humanities intern from UCSC. Transcript: Hello, I’m Daymia Rousseau, a UCSC Intern reporting for KSQD. Even though Earthquake tremors are constant […]

Talk of the Bay host Omar Dieguez brings us a new episode of FROM THE STREETS, where he asks: What’s really being sprayed near our schools… our homes… our children? In this powerful episode, Omar sits down with frontline advocates, educators, and community leaders to break down the truth about harmful pesticides in our communities […]

In this episode, we peel back the curtain to peek behind the scenes of KSQD and explore the twists and turns that led to the creation of the station.