Bay Curious KQED

Have you ever looked at your grocery receipt and seen a charge that says "CRV" next to your canned soda or bottled beer? That stands for California Redemption Value, and it's supposed to be a $.05 or $.10 deposit that consumers can then get refunded when they recycle the beverage container. The problem is, most people never get their money back because... well, it's hard to find a place to trade them in. Reporter Steven Rascón follows the money to see what happens to all those nickels and dimes we don't get back, and how the state is trying to improve things.
Additional Reading:

Cashing In on the Future of California's Bottle Deposit System

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What Happens to San Francisco's Recycling Once It Leaves the Curb?

'You Can't Recycle Your Way Out': California's Plastic Problem and What We Can Do About It

How Does Oakland Turn Food Scraps to Soil?

California’s Plastic Problem | KQED Newsroom

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This story was reported by Steven Rascón. Bay Curious is made by Amanda Font, Christopher Beale, and me, Olivia-Allen Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Cesar Saldana, Maha Sanad and Holly Kernan.

You may have seen articles use "Mission-style" to describe a certain kind of burrito you can find at taquerias in San Francisco's Mission District. They're wrapped in foil, loaded with delicious stuff, and weigh almost as much as a newborn. But does the term "Mission-style" really mean anything? Reporter César Saldaña went to the neighborhood to talk with some long-time taqueria owners to find out more about these big burritos.
Additional Reading:

What Is a Mission-Style Burrito? Maybe … a Myth

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This story was reported by César Saldaña. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from César Saldaña, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Attila Pelit and Holly Kernan.

The Claremont Hotel in Oakland was once the biggest hotel on the West Coast. With it’s castle-like architecture and primo views, it’s been a stomping grounds for celebrities and dignitaries since it opened in 1915. But in the years before and after Prohibition, the hotel lacked an amenity that might surprise you. It didn’t have a bar. Speculation has long flown around about why — and this week on Bay Curious we talk to the experts to set the record straight.
Additional Reading:

A ‘No Booze Zone’ Around UC Berkeley? It’s Real — and Why the Claremont Hotel Was Dry for Decades

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This story was reported by Katherine Monahan. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

The San Mateo-Hayward Bridge is the longest bridge in California. But the one you drive across today is not the original bridge — that one was built in 1929. Reporter Rachael Myrow looks into the history of the first bridge to cross the San Francisco Bay, and what happened to it.
Additional Reading:

The First San Mateo-Hayward Bridge was a Big Deal in 1929

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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts
This story was reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Attila Pelit and Holly Kernan.

At 3841 18th Street in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood sits a light blue Victorian, not unlike the countless other homes of that style in the city. Except this one is a major tourist destination—if you're French, that is. What makes this particular Blue House so special? We turn to NPR Culture Correspondent Chloe Veltman (who is half French herself) for the the very musical answer to this question.
Additional Reading:

The San Francisco Landmark You’ve Never Heard Of … Unless You’re French

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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts
This story was reported by Chloe Veltman. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Attila Pelit and Holly Kernan.

If you were walking down San Francisco’s Fillmore Street in the 1950s, chances are you might run into Billie Holiday stepping out of a restaurant. Or Ella Fitzgerald trying on hats. Or Thelonious Monk smoking a cigarette. In this episode, originally aired in 2020, reporter Bianca Taylor explores the rise of the Fillmore as a cultural center for jazz, and the "urban renewal" that ultimately changed the identity of the neighborhood, and forced out many of its residents.
Additional Reading:

How ‘Urban Renewal’ Decimated the Fillmore District, and Took Jazz With It

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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts
This story was reported by Bianca Taylor. This episode was produced by Katrina Schwartz and Asal Ehsanipour. Audio engineering was by Rob Speight and Christopher Beale. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, and Holly Kernan.