The Colorado Fire, which is burning through parts of Big Sur this week, is a rare winter coastal fire. As the state enters its third year of a historic drought, scientists warn that the window for wildfires has grown and California’s fire season is now longer than it was. Chronicle reporter Kurtis Alexander joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss what Big Sur’s winter wildfire means for the rest of this year’s fire season. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choi...
Jan 26, 2022•15 min
Who are the people at the center of the Bay Area's epidemic of drug addiction and fatal overdoses? Columnist Heather Knight discusses her three years following a man named Jeffrey Choate through the ups and downs of painful addiction and hopeful recovery, from his teenage years getting hooked on painkillers to his time as a prison firefighter to his worst days on the streets of San Francisco's Tenderloin. Knight tells host Demian Bulwa that Jeffrey's story ended tragically but carries lessons ab...
Jan 25, 2022•18 min
The debut episode of It's All Political on Fifth and Mission features a conversation between senior political writer Joe Garofoli and Sen. Alex Padilla. The first Latino U.S. senator from California reflects on his first year in the Senate, including the battle over voting rights, progressive policies, and what it's like working in a polarized Senate. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 24, 2022•23 min
The Castro Theatre, San Francisco’s beloved movie palace and an internationally known symbol of the Bay Area LGBTQ community, is getting a major makeover. Will renovations and an expanded slate of programming under new management change this cultural landmark? Host Cecilia Lei discusses the legacy of the theater with Chronicle Arts & Culture reporter Tony Bravo. Plus: How is the community reacting to the news? Events producer Marc Heustis and drag performer Peaches Christ share concerns and ...
Jan 21, 2022•24 min
Voters will determine the fate of three San Francisco Board of Education commissioners on Feb. 15, and make their picks for the city’s assessor-recorder and in a primary for its newest Assembly member. Education reporter Jill Tucker joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the intense debate over the school board recall, and City Hall reporter Mallory Moench explains how the state Assembly race is highlighting the city's top issues. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about you...
Jan 20, 2022•22 min
We know now that fully vaccinated people can avoid serious illness or death from COVID-19, but not a lot is known about whether vaccines prevent long COVID, a condition whose symptoms can range from shortness of breath to psychosis. But as reporter Nanette Asimov tells host Cecilia Lei, researchers are starting to learn how the shot can help prevent and lessen the disease. Plus: A fully vaccinated woman who's had long COVID for months talks about her often-frightening situation. | Unlimited Chro...
Jan 19, 2022•14 min
A bill to change the controversial Ellis Act is making its way through Sacramento. But for some tenants, it's already too late. Reporter Lauren Hepler joins host Dominic Fracassa to discuss what the new bill would do, where it would apply and who could still be left behind. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 18, 2022•15 min
To honor the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Fifth & Mission offers this encore presentation of the June 18, 2021, episode. Part of an exclusive series of conversations with Black Bay Area leaders, Betty Reid Soskin, Harry Edwards, Rev. Amos Brown and Barbara Rodgers share stories of the past and offer visions for future generations. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod See the project online, with full interviews and videos: sfchronicle.com/voice Learn more about your ad choice...
Jan 17, 2022•22 min
Last October, the Oakland Unified School District became one of the first in the state to require students ages 12 and older to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Chronicle education reporter Jill Tucker joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss how the mandate is going, and what the stakes are for the district, as well as families who are choosing to not vaccinate their kids. | Unlimited Chronicle access:sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 14, 2022•16 min
Last month, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced a police crackdown in the Tenderloin to combat rampant drug use and crime. Chronicle reporter Megan Cassidy checked in with the mayor to see how it's going. She joins host Cecilia Lei to share what's next for the neighborhood. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 13, 2022•12 min
The omicron variant is breaking daily COVID-19 case records in the Bay Area — and prompting us to reevaluate how we live with the virus. Reporter Catherine Ho joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss why new antiviral pills could be a game changer for the pandemic. Plus: Reporter Erin Allday discusses Sonoma County's new shelter-in-place recommendation and why it isn't a return to the early days of the pandemic. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...
Jan 12, 2022•22 min
California's governor unveils his budget proposal, kicking off a months-long process of deciding how the state will spend its money — including a $46 billion surplus. Chronicle reporter Dustin Gardiner and senior political writer Joe Garofoli join host Cecilia Lei to chat about what Newsom's priorities are, and what they say about his leadership as he wraps up his first term this year. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...
Jan 11, 2022•19 min
UCSF's Dr. Bob Wachter joins host Cecilia Lei and Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday to offer clarity during this record-breaking omicron surge, including isolation guidelines, advice for parents of kids under 5 and when the pandemic might become endemic. This conversation was recorded live on Twitter Spaces on Jan. 7. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 10, 2022•27 min
Pandemic tension is exploding again in schools — including in San Francisco, where public campuses were down nearly 900 teachers and aides on Thursday. As Chronicle reporter Jill Tucker tells host Demian Bulwa, some of the teachers were sick with COVID-19 while others were agitating for tests, masks and other protections against the surge. Similar fights are being waged in Chicago and other cities, frustrating parents who are worried both about the virus and the growing cost of children missing ...
Jan 07, 2022•19 min
One year after the Capitol was invaded by angry Trump supporters, America is still assessing the damage. Chronicle reporters Tal Kopan, Joe Garofoli and Matthias Gafni join host Cecilia Lei to discuss how prosecutions are going, what Bay Area lawmakers and California Republicans are feeling, and the growing threat to American democracy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 06, 2022•22 min
A new law requires the state to dramatically expand its composting abilities and shrink the amount of waste sent to landfills by 2025. Chronicle reporter Chase DiFeliciantonio joins host Cecilia Lei to explain why this is a climate change fight. Plus: Reporter Dustin Gardiner discusses major infrastructure problems in the state’s recycling program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 05, 2022•23 min
The highly infectious variant is already surpassing the case numbers of last winter. Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about how widespread COVID-19 infections are in the Bay Area, and why there may be a silver lining. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 04, 2022•19 min
Rain and snow storms helped usher in a new year in California, but are they drought busters? Chronicle reporter Kurtis Alexander joins host Cecilia Lei to give updates on the Sierra snowpack, water reservoir levels and what water restrictions may look like in the months ahead. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 03, 2022•16 min
For our last episode of 2021, hosts Cecilia Lei and Demian Bulwa ask Chronicle journalists and other notable Bay Area figures to answer the question: "What issue or story are you most curious about or interested in following in 2022?" Listen to answers from KQED's Alexis Madrigal, activist Cat Brooks, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff and others. Ending soon! Unlimited Chronicle access for 26 weeks for 99 cents: sfchronicle.com/pod Fifth & Mission will return with new daily episodes on Jan. 3. Lear...
Dec 21, 2021•26 min
Oakland has seen a bigger jump in its unhoused population than any other Bay Area city. In a Chronicle Live virtual event in November, reporter Kevin Fagan speaks with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and housing advocates Tomiquia Moss and Chelsea Andrews about what can be done to address the city's crisis. The episode is followed by an aftershow about housing presented by Fifth & Mission sponsor the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Get unlimited Chronicle access for 26 weeks for 99 cents: sfchronicle...
Dec 20, 2021•36 min
"Immunocompromised" and "immunosuppressed" are familiar terms now, but they are also umbrellas for many different health situations. The CDC estimates that 7 million U.S. adults are moderately to severely immunocompromised. As the U.S. death toll surpasses 800,000 and the omicron variant rises, the most vulnerable in our communities remind us that good health is never a guarantee. Producer Téa Francesca Price shares the pandemic experiences of those with compromised immune systems. Get unlimited...
Dec 17, 2021•19 min
The governor is co-opting the Lone Star State's end run around the courts on abortion to target illegal homemade firearms. As reporter Dustin Gardiner tells host Demian Bulwa, Newsom sees his gambit as an attempt to use a bad tactic for something good. But the ploy faces the same problem the cops know all too well: Ghost guns are all but impossible to trace. Get unlimited Chronicle access for 26 weeks for 99 cents: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...
Dec 16, 2021•17 min
Mayor London Breed unveiled a strategy that would significantly boost police presence in S.F.'s Tenderloin district in order to manage increased gun violence and open air drug dealing. Despite promoting alternatives to policing recently, Breed's latest plan indicates an abrupt change in tone. Chronicle reporter Trisha Thadani joins host Cecilia Lei to explain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 15, 2021•35 min
UCSF's Dr. Bob Wachter and Dr. Monica Gandhi have turned into Twitter celebrities during the coronavirus pandemic. In this Twitter Spaces conversation with host Cecilia Lei and health reporter Erin Allday, they offer their advice on the omicron variant, mask mandates and how to gather safely during the holidays. They also chat about their differing perspectives on what constitutes safe behavior. Get unlimited Chronicle access for 26 weeks for 99 cents: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your a...
Dec 14, 2021•24 min
That's the question Bay Area communities are answering as money is distributed from the bipartisan infrastructure bill and possibly President Biden's Build Back Better bill. Political correspondent Tal Kopan joins host Demian Bulwa to talk about the big local projects that stand to benefit, from improving train lines and the Golden Gate Bridge to fighting drought and wildfires. Get unlimited Chronicle access for 26 weeks for 99 cents: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...
Dec 13, 2021•22 min
It's a holiday tradition that brings the flavor of Victorian London to the Cow Palace. But some participants are boycotting over what they say is the parent company's failure to make the fair safe and inclusive for all. LaToya Tooles and Arielle Kesweder join host Cecilia Lei to talk about the problems haunting the event. Get unlimited Chronicle access for 26 weeks for 99 cents: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 10, 2021•25 min
What you need to know about the emergence of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in Northern California. Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday talks to host Demian Bulwa about how contagious and dangerous it is, and how well vaccinations and boosters protect against it. Allday also discusses the rising number of cases in the Bay Area heading into the holidays, and explains the link between the world's vaccine effort and the fight to better treat HIV. Get unlimited Chronicle access for 26 weeks for 9...
Dec 09, 2021•19 min
The small and mighty East Bay city is on track to exceed its regional housing development goals, unlike other cities in the Bay Area. Emeryville has long had a reputation of welcoming development of all kinds, including affordable housing. Chronicle reporter J.K. Dineen joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss why the city is uniquely positioned to do so, and what other cities can learn from its approach. Get unlimited Chronicle access for 26 weeks for 99 cents: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about you...
Dec 08, 2021•14 min
They've been a lifeline to restaurants, who were thrilled when the city made them permanent. But a slew of new rules might mean many will have to go. Zack Schwab, who owns the Pacific Heights bar the Snug, and Chronicle food reporter Janelle Bitker join Cecilia Lei to talk about it. Get unlimited Chronicle access for 26 weeks for 99 cents: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 07, 2021•26 min
Fifth & Mission Host Demian Bulwa speaks with columnist Heather Knight and photographer Gabrielle Lurie about their story following a mother's desperate search to find her daughter in San Francisco, and get her clean from fentanyl. Laurie Steves quit her job, left her home in a Seattle suburb and moved to San Francisco with the desperate hope that she would not lose another child to drug addiction, but she had no idea how challenging that process would be. Learn more about your ad choices. V...
Dec 06, 2021•24 min
