Reporting
Health Equity
Immigrant seniors lose Medicare coverage despite paying for it
Rosa María Carranza has worked and paid taxes for more than two decades, but a provision in the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will make her and an estimated 100,000 other lawfully present immigrant seniors ineligible for Medicare. Now Carranza’s once secure retirement is in question.
Deadly lookalikes
A surge in toxic mushroom growth after heavy rain has disproportionately sickened Spanish-speaking and immigrant communities across California, with the heaviest concentration in the Bay Area.
These new state and federal policies will reshape health care access for immigrants in 2026
Here’s what to expect—and who’s affected—by each policy change, from Medi-Cal to food assistance.
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Immigrant Rights
Hundreds gather for International Working Women’s Day in Oakland
Organizers use the original name for the global women’s day and focus on immigrant working women.
The Bay Area bears witness in Minneapolis
Why a delegation of Bay Area immigrants’ rights groups traveled to the Twin Cities to offer support and music to a city facing an immigration crackdown.
Hundreds rally in Fruitvale Plaza for anti-ICE ‘National Shutdown’ protest
The demonstration was part of a nationwide general strike held in solidarity with immigrants and residents of Minneapolis as ICE agents intensify immigration enforcement.
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Housing
San Pablo passes tenant protection ordinance that some say lacks teeth
The ordinance, which passed without rent control provisions, is not what some residents had hoped for.
Without a rent control ordinance, San Pablo mobile home park residents face unchecked hikes
Residents of local mobile home parks call for a rent stabilization ordinance from the city.
Soaring housing costs make life even more challenging for Oakland’s unaccompanied minors
Amid staggering cost of living and debt, young migrants’ mental health needs take a back seat.
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Labor & Economics
What we heard: The impact of SNAP delays on Latino immigrant families
The delay in SNAP payments due to the Trump administration’s refusal to fund the program during the government shutdown increased financial and emotional stress for low-income Latino families facing food insecurity according to our El Tímpano subscribers.
New rules aim to protect California farmworkers after extreme heat cut last year’s work short
Now, farmworkers in Contra Costa County look anxiously ahead to March.
Cultural healing in the fields of Half Moon Bay
In Half Moon Bay, an innovative music class led by the son of music royalty helps farmworkers cope with trauma.
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Tales of La Pulga, a beloved East Bay Swap Meet
Memories of the market
In photos and audio, patrons and vendors at Oakland’s Coliseum Swap Meet, also known as “La Pulga,” share their stories of joy, hardship, and success.
‘There are migrants who flee from their evils, others come for their dreams’
Luis Ángel Urbina emigrated to the U.S. due to a heartbreak that led him to alcoholism. Now sober, he sells Micheladas and other drinks at “La Pulga” in Oakland.
Portraits from La Pulga
We photographed and interviewed nearly 75 patrons and vendors at Oakland’s Coliseum Swap Meet – from multigenerational families to sellers of Mexican handicrafts.
Public Safety
Voices from the community: Hopes for East Bay youth / Voces de la comunidad: Esperanzas para los jóvenes del este de la bahía
Amid fears of violence, families call for more resources and support for young people. / Entre miedo de violencia, las familias piden más recursos y apoyo para los jóvenes.
Preventing the next tragedy
Senseless killings and the Oakland-based organization trying to fight them.
The day the text never came
After the murder of 15-year-old Derbing Alvarado, his loved ones confront grief, the ripples of gun violence and systemic gaps in support.
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Mi historia
My daughter needed a liver transplant to save her life. BART is key to her ongoing care.
A Fremont mother reflects on her BART trips to Oakland and San Francisco for her daughter’s specialized care and how potential station closures would impact her family.
‘It’s like another pandemic’
Community health ambassador, Maria L., on the parallels between the COVID lockdown and the immigration crackdown, and how speaking up about her mental health led her to support others.
‘I am afraid of the immigration situation’: A mother navigates the complexities of the immigration system and her son’s lifelong medical needs
Yanira Gómez, age 53, reflects on her journey from El Salvador to the U.S. for her son’s hemophilia treatment
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Culture
This Children’s Day, Bay Area immigrant families reflect on what it means to be young
We invited kids and adults to exchange advice—kids reminded their parents of the importance of play, and adults told their younger selves to believe in their worth.
At a Spanish language book club in Newark, residents read to remember themselves
Started by two local promotoras, the club has become a source of community and self expansion.
From day laborers to teachers, these are love letters to the Bay Area residents who carry our communities
This Valentine’s Day, we invited community members to write notes of appreciation for the people who often go unrecognized.
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En español
Mi hija necesitó un trasplante de hígado para salvar su vida. BART es importante para su tratamiento médico.
Los viajes mensuales que realiza una madre de Fremont a Oakland y San Francisco para que su hija reciba atención especializada son a la vez un ritual y una necesidad.
Hemos recibido miles de mensajes de texto desde principios de 2026. Esto es lo que hemos escuchado hasta ahora.
Un resumen de las preguntas y preocupaciones más urgentes que surgieron durante los tres primeros meses del año.
Este Día del Niño y la Niña, familias inmigrantes del Área de la Bahía reflexionan sobre lo que significa la niñez
Invitamos a niños y adultos a intercambiar consejos. Los niños le recordaron a sus padres la importancia de jugar, mientras que los adultos le dijeron a sus versiones más jóvenes, que crean en su valor como personas.
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