Today’s episode features interviews with two of my favorite local journalists – Rick Paulas and Sam LeFebvre.
In the first segment, I chat with Rick Paulas, who has written about East Bay-related topics for outlets such as the New York Times, Vice, and many others. He’s been based in Oakland for the past few years, but sadly, he’ll be leaving us soon, so consider this a bit of an exit interview. Here are links to Rick’s stories that we discuss in this interview:
A Hot Take on the Steamy History of the Jacuzzi (Spoiler alert: It was invented in Berkeley!)
What Happened to Doomsday Prophet Harold Camping After the World Didn’t End? (Spoiler alert: The people who gave him $100 million to fund his apocalyptic ad campaign didn’t get their money back!)
For the second segment, I talk with Sam LeFebvre, who has written for just about every local outlet that you can think of – mainly about the local music industry, the arts community, and housing issues. This interview focuses on an article Sam wrote for Open Space all about one of my favorite abandoned buildings in Oakland. I have a small, but meaningful personal connection to this space, so I’m so grateful that Sam dug up the fascinating history behind this very prominent, very decrepit location. [Note: This interview appeared previously on episode 35 of the podcast. To see more photos related to this story, click here.]
One more thing: I’m going to be leading a series of waterfront history tours starting next month. We’ll be cruising from the Emeryville marina out to Yerba Buena Island, up through the Oakland estuary and around Alameda. I just did a test run — and we saw an osprey eating a rat on the Berkeley Pier, so… who knows what else we might see out there next time! For more details and a link to tickets, click here: https://eastbayyesterday.com/journey-through-centuries-of-waterfront-history/
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