Best East Bay Yesterday Podcasts (2025)

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Industry makes and breaks the Bay Area: A crash course with Richard Walker 1:11:07

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about 12 hours ago1:11:07

1:11:07

From the gold rush to the tech boom, this region has been shaped by successive waves of business growth and decline. Every generation, new investments, innovations, and industries have led the way in building the Bay Area, attracting immigrants, and impacting every aspect of life here. For better or worse, the legacy of these trends is the world we…

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People of the Pacific Circuit: Oakland’s place in the global economy 1:11:46

23 days ago1:11:46

1:11:46

On March 25, I interviewed Alexis Madrigal and Noni Session in front of a sold out crowd at Spire in West Oakland. Madrigal is the author of an essential new book called “The Pacific Circuit: A Globalized Account of the Battle for the Soul of an American City.” He is also host of KQED’s Forum, a longtime journalist, and a dear friend. Noni Session …

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“Crockett became Italy”: How a sugar factory created an immigrant enclave 1:02:09

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about a year ago1:02:09

1:02:09

On the western outskirts of Crockett, on the bluffs overlooking the Carquinez strait, there’s a small unincorporated neighborhood called Valona. These days, this community isn’t that different from any of the others that stretch along this northern edge of Contra Costa County, but things used to be a lot different. If you were in Valona a century a…

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“A town in the middle of a city”: Live from Jingletown with the Co-Founders crew 1:21:07

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about a year ago1:21:07

1:21:07

Anyone who has ever driven on 880 and noticed that there appears to be ancient brick walls closing in on you as you pass through Oakland’s Jingletown neighborhood has probably wondered about the history of this post-industrial landscape. The California Cotton Mill was founded in 1883 and employed more than 1200 workers at its peak. Many of the work…

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Punks on film: How Murray Bowles captured “the physical expression of drama” 1:17:56

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about a year ago1:17:56

1:17:56

Since the dawn of the smartphone era, everybody has carried a camera with them at all times. If anything, there are too many photos and videos being recorded at concerts. We all know the annoyance of being distracted from the music by outstretched arms holding up glowing screens in front of the stage. During the early years of the Bay Area punk sce…

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A century of mysteries: Exploring the Fox Theater’s hazy history 1:11:09

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about a year ago1:11:09

1:11:09

Despite being one of Oakland’s most iconic buildings, the history of the Fox Theater is filled with unsolved mysteries. In preparation for his ongoing tours of the nearly century-old structure, architectural historian J.M. Marriner has been digging into the archives and looking for answers. This episode features our conversation on everything from …

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Freight trains, plants, and a vanishing world: Joey Santore on industry and ecology 1:05:01

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about a year ago1:05:01

1:05:01

About 20 years ago, Joey Santore went from illegally riding freight trains across the country to working as a “train man” for Union Pacific. His official duties, which included driving the trains, gave him a unique look at the decline of the East Bay’s industrial sector and blue collar workforce. Spending time in decaying factories and train yards …

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The missing chapter: Filling in the blanks of the Bay Area’s Native American history 1:01:45

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about a year ago1:01:45

1:01:45

“Contrary to popular belief, most Native American people in the United States live in urban areas and not reservations.” Those words are from “Refusing Settler Domesticity: Native Women’s Labor and Resistance in the Bay Area Outing Program,” a new book by historian Caitlin Keliiaa. Caitlin grew up in Hayward and her family is part of what she descr…

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Sea walls won’t save us: The past and future of the Bay’s shifting shorelines 1:00:43

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about a year ago1:00:43

1:00:43

Many communities in the East Bay’s flatlands are built in areas that were either wetlands or completely underwater less than two centuries ago. Following the Gold Rush, much of the Bay was filled in so that industry, neighborhoods and landfills could be developed along the shoreline. Now these areas are at risk not only from increasing sea levels, …

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“These stories still matter”: Bay Area Lesbian Archives starts a new chapter 1:01:10

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about a year ago1:01:10

1:01:10

Although Oakland has one of the highest concentrations of lesbians in the country, the history—and impact—of this community is relatively unknown. Lenn Keller tried to change that by creating the Bay Area Lesbian Archives, a wide-ranging collection of photographs, activist materials, meeting notes, videos and more. In this episode, Keller shares st…

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“The mecca of pleasure seekers in California”: Exploring the rise of the amusement industry 1:05:50

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about a year ago1:05:50

1:05:50

Idora Park was much more than just the largest amusement park that ever existed in Oakland. Developed by real estate moguls who also owned a network of electric streetcars, this “mecca of pleasure seekers” played a significant role in the development of the East Bay, especially after the park sheltered thousands of refugees following San Francisco’…

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“Those wonderful smells”: A Bay Area coffee history crash course 1:03:45

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about a year ago1:03:45

1:03:45

Before the 1960s, coffee was a faceless commodity: hot brown beanwater with caffeine. Alfred Peet began a revolution in America’s coffee culture when he opened his first shop in Berkeley in 1966. Peet changed the way coffee was imported, the way it was roasted, the way it was sold, and even the way it was savored. He also trained multiple generatio…

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“Everybody wants it preserved”: Time is running out to save this Oakland landmark 56:37

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about a year ago56:37

56:37

The 16th Street Station was built in 1912 to serve as the western depot for Southern Pacific’s transcontinental railroad. For millions of people migrating to California, their first up-close glimpse of the Golden State was getting off the train in West Oakland and entering the station’s 13,000-square-foot main hall. The room’s massive, arched windo…

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"A crazy gamble": Celebrating 75 years of KPFA radio 1:08:31

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about a year ago1:08:31

1:08:31

In 1949, a group of pacifists launched America’s first listener-supported radio station. Despite government repression, infighting, and countless financial crises, KPFA has managed to survive 75 years. This episode explores the stories of some of the people who helped the station achieve this remarkable milestone. Featuring interviews with former a…

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“The jewel of Oakland”: Exploring Lake Merritt and Children’s Fairyland 1:02:30

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about a year ago1:02:30

1:02:30

With the weather warming up, now is the perfect time for a deep dive into Lake Merritt (not literally!). First, this episode explores the wild side of this body of water (which is technically a tidal estuary) with Constance Taylor, a naturalist with California Center for Natural History. Next, I interview C.J. Hirschfield, former director of Childr…

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“The neighborhood time forgot”: A strange sliver of waterfront 55:38

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about a year ago55:38

55:38

There’s a small stretch of Oakland’s shoreline unlike any place else. Nestled between the restaurants of Jack London Square and the modern apartment blocks of Brooklyn Basin sits 5th Avenue Marina. This collection of rusty warehouses, eclectic studios, and surreal art installations recalls a bygone era, when crafty Bohemians dwelled amongst decayin…

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“Climbing was all I had”: A history of bouldering in the Berkeley Hills 43:51

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about a year ago43:51

43:51

It would be easy to overlook the significance of Indian Rock and Mortar Rock, two relatively modest outcroppings located in the Berkeley Hills. Unlike the towering cliffs of Yosemite, which dominate the landscape, these boulders are partially obscured by the homes and trees that surround them. But for nearly a century, some of America’s most influe…

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“The streets have changed”: “Drug Lords of Oakland” author on the rise and fall of local kingpins 43:26

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about a year ago43:26

43:26

After spending more than three decades working in the underground economy, Titus Lee Barnes compiled his stunning stories of “the street life” into a self-published book titled “Drug Lords of Oakland: The untold stories of California’s most notorious kingpins of the 1970s, 80s and 90s.” Starting with the rise of infamous heroin kingpin Felix Mitche…

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"Rotten City" no more: The history of a tiny town's transformation 1:09:01

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about a year ago1:09:01

1:09:01

Emeryville is a tiny town – less than 2 square miles. It’s nestled between Oakland and Berkeley, right at the foot of the Bay Bridge, and most people probably think of it as a place to go shopping. Two major freeways cut through Eville and from your car, while you’re inevitably sitting in traffic, you can see giant signs for Ikea, Target, and Bay S…

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“He was bringing people together”: Why was Dr. Marcus Foster murdered? 1:10:52

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about a year ago1:10:52

1:10:52

In 1970, Dr. Marcus Foster was hired as the first Black superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District. Widely recognized as one of the greatest educators of his generation, he was brought here to help rescue a deeply troubled system. Within three years of his arrival, exactly 50 years ago this month, Foster was assassinated by a shady milit…

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Unearthing “lives of the dead”: A tour of Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery 1:13:16

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about a year ago1:13:16

1:13:16

When Oakland’s most prominent graveyard celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2015, SF Gate honored the occasion with this description: “There are 177,000 people at historic Mountain View Cemetery, many of them famous and all of them dead.” The permanent residents of this picturesque site may indeed be deceased, but their stories live on through Mich…

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Abortion, poetry, and stink-bombs: A different kind of “self-help” movement 1:00:23

2 years ago1:00:23

1:00:23

19-year-old Laura Brown started the Oakland Feminist Women’s Health Center in 1972. In the early days, Laura would answer the clinic’s phone using different voices so it sounded like there were multiple people working there. From its humble beginnings in a tiny Temescal house, this DIY project would eventually grow into an institution that would se…

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Tales from the pit: Lessons from Berkeley’s landfill 1:00:18

2 years ago1:00:18

1:00:18

These days the East Bay’s waterfront is lined with parks, restored wetlands, marinas, and beaches, but for most of the twentieth century this shoreline was a dirty, dangerous wasteland. Factories stretching from Emeryville to Richmond treated the San Francisco Bay as a garbage bin. The habit of using the Bay as a dump was so common in Berkeley that…

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"End of the line": How we lost the Key System 48:20

2 years ago48:20

48:20

Long before BART or AC Transit, East Bay commuters relied on the Key System, a network of electric streetcars, for local travel and even to cross the Bay (there used to be tracks on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge!). Despite serving millions of passengers annually, the rails were ripped out and the network was completely dismantled by 1958. This e…

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Long Lost Puzzle: What happened to the grizzly bears and old growth redwoods? 41:16

2 years ago41:16

41:16

Up until the 1850s, the East Bay was home to hundreds of grizzlies and some of the tallest redwoods in the history of the planet. Within about a decade of the Gold Rush, nearly all of the bears and the trees were wiped out. This episode looks back at the local environment before colonization—and explores how such a massive wave of devastation was a…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

East Bay Yesterday Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

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Black Mirror Season 7 28:30

1
East Bay Yesterday

East Bay Yesterday

1
Industry makes and breaks the Bay Area: A crash course with Richard Walker 1:11:07

1
People of the Pacific Circuit: Oakland’s place in the global economy 1:11:46

1
“Crockett became Italy”: How a sugar factory created an immigrant enclave 1:02:09

1
“A town in the middle of a city”: Live from Jingletown with the Co-Founders crew 1:21:07

1
Punks on film: How Murray Bowles captured “the physical expression of drama” 1:17:56

1
A century of mysteries: Exploring the Fox Theater’s hazy history 1:11:09

1
Freight trains, plants, and a vanishing world: Joey Santore on industry and ecology 1:05:01

1
The missing chapter: Filling in the blanks of the Bay Area’s Native American history 1:01:45

1
Sea walls won’t save us: The past and future of the Bay’s shifting shorelines 1:00:43

1
“These stories still matter”: Bay Area Lesbian Archives starts a new chapter 1:01:10

1
“The mecca of pleasure seekers in California”: Exploring the rise of the amusement industry 1:05:50

1
“Those wonderful smells”: A Bay Area coffee history crash course 1:03:45

1
“Everybody wants it preserved”: Time is running out to save this Oakland landmark 56:37

1
"A crazy gamble": Celebrating 75 years of KPFA radio 1:08:31

1
“The jewel of Oakland”: Exploring Lake Merritt and Children’s Fairyland 1:02:30

1
“The neighborhood time forgot”: A strange sliver of waterfront 55:38

1
“Climbing was all I had”: A history of bouldering in the Berkeley Hills 43:51

1
“The streets have changed”: “Drug Lords of Oakland” author on the rise and fall of local kingpins 43:26

1
"Rotten City" no more: The history of a tiny town's transformation 1:09:01

1
“He was bringing people together”: Why was Dr. Marcus Foster murdered? 1:10:52

1
Unearthing “lives of the dead”: A tour of Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery 1:13:16

1
Abortion, poetry, and stink-bombs: A different kind of “self-help” movement 1:00:23

1
Tales from the pit: Lessons from Berkeley’s landfill 1:00:18

1
"End of the line": How we lost the Key System 48:20

1
Long Lost Puzzle: What happened to the grizzly bears and old growth redwoods? 41:16

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