Mayor London Breed appointed former Recall Chesa Boudin spokesperson Brooke Jenkins as San Francisco's new district attorney last week. The prosecutor has promised to bring accountability and balance to the office, but critics say the mayor’s pick is a return to tough-on-crime policies. Reporters Mallory Moench and Rachel Swan discuss with host Cecilia Lei the changes that Jenkins might bring to the city, and SFSU professor Jason McDaniel explains why Breed's pick is "risky". Learn more about yo...
Jul 11, 2022•30 min
On this episode of The Chronicle's Total SF podcast: Longtime Castro Theatre organ player David Hegarty got a scare earlier this year, when Another Planet Entertainment took over operations of the 100-year-old cinema and the future seemed unclear. But the music will go on — the Castro is continuing to employ Hegarty, has been screening movies and a new generation will get to hear "San Francisco" before every show. Hegarty talks about his start as an organ player (including a stint at Pizza &...
Jul 08, 2022•29 min
First published March 21: For months, a rooster living in a Tenderloin yard has been terrorizing the neighborhood with its all-day crowing. Longtime resident Adriel Lively wanted to do something about it, but she only found dead ends. Chronicle reporter Ryan Kost joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss Lively's ordeal and why a story about an annoying bird -- in a neighborhood riddled with serious problems -- still matters. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Fifth & Mission will ret...
Jul 07, 2022•15 min
First published Feb. 3, 2022: San Francisco's death toll from fentanyl overdoses is nearly double the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chronicle reporter Trisha Thadani takes us into the center of the city's fentanyl crisis and introduces us to people who are suffering from addiction firsthand — and she explores the limits of the city's strategy to curb the deadly opioid. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Fifth & Mission will return with new episodes on July 11. Learn more abou...
Jul 06, 2022•24 min
The debut episode of The Chronicle’s new podcast seeking solutions for San Francisco’s seemingly intractable problems: A 2015 apartment building fire at Mission and 22nd streets killed one person and displaced 50. Seven years later, there’s an empty lot, gathering trash and growing weeds. In the middle of a housing crisis. Why has nothing been built in the years since? The answers to that question are painfully emblematic of some of the biggest problems facing San Francisco.| Unlimited Chronicle...
Jul 05, 2022•27 min
California drivers will pay about 3 cents more per gallon in gas taxes after state legislators rejected a push to suspend the increase amid soaring costs at the pump. The tax is built into the price of gas in California, which is about $6.30 per gallon — by far the highest in the nation. Chronicle reporter Dustin Gardiner speaks with host Dominic Fracassa about why this change went into effect. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Fifth & Mission will return with new episodes on...
Jul 01, 2022•12 min
As abortion clinics close around the country after the fall of Roe v. Wade, residents in states where abortion is now illegal will have to seek services elsewhere. Their digital footprints, including Google searches and text messages, leave them vulnerable to prosecution. Chronicle reporter Camryn Pak joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about the risks that face abortion seekers — and how they could protect themselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 30, 2022•15 min
The deciding factor on whether the Oakland A's will be able to move forward with their $12 billion development plan for a ballpark at Howard Terminal lies in the hands of one key state agency. Port workers are concerned, while others see it as a critical part of Oakland's future. Chronicle reporter Sarah Ravani joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss what's at stake in Thursday's vote. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 29, 2022•17 min
Will we ever be able to get ahead of this relentless virus? It's surpassed the expectations of health experts and scientists: With each mutation, it's been able to evade immunity and become more infectious. Pandemic fatigue nothwithstanding, the coronavirus will still play a major role in our lives. Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday explains the evolution of the virus to host Cecilia Lei. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...
Jun 28, 2022•19 min
California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis says the six justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade have discredited the court. Talking to It's All Political on Fifth & Mission host Joe Garofoli, she also says she’s also worried about whether a national abortion ban would supersede California’s laws protecting the right to choose. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 27, 2022•22 min
In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, there are countless questions about what comes next. Will people who travel out of state for abortions face arrest? Will the doctors who counsel them be prosecuted? And will California be able to maintain its status as an abortion haven in a post-Roe world? Carole Joffe is a UCSF professor and an expert on the societal impacts of reproductive health care. She joins host Dominic Fracassa to talk about the consequences of ending Roe, and wh...
Jun 25, 2022•22 min
For months, Fifth & Mission has been talking to health care workers, advocates and people who have had personal experience with abortion care about what a post-Roe world would look like. Now that we're in that world, listen to some of what they've said. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 24, 2022•22 min
California has long been a pioneering mecca for LGBTQ politicians. But John Bauters, one of just eight out mayors in the state, says it can also be exhausting and scary as leaders like him face attacks and threats. It's All Political on Fifth & Mission host Joe Garofoli sits down with Bauters to talk about those tensions and how he's trying to use his platform to help younger LGBTQ people. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...
Jun 24, 2022•25 min
Why have some people managed to avoid catching the virus despite the latest variants being highly transmissible? And will they eventually become infected? Chronicle reporter Danielle Echeverria joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss what health experts have to say about dodging COVID and why that is still worth the effort. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 23, 2022•13 min
The Drag Queen Story Hour is a beloved community program where drag queens perform songs and tell stories to children in libraries. The program originated in San Francisco, and it's become fodder for right-wing media. A recent disruption by protesters at a San Lorenzo library has the LGBTQ community on edge. Chronicle reporter Ryan Kost joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the anxiety among Bay Area drag queens, and Per Sia — one of the founding queens of Drag Queen Story Hour — shares her perspect...
Jun 22, 2022•21 min
A new Chronicle podcast aims to find solutions to San Francisco's biggest challenges. As part of the SFNext initiative, Fixing Our City is tackling issues like housing and affordability by talking directly to community residents. The team behind the show, Laura Wenus and Cintia Lopez, joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about the premiere episode, which examines why a vacant lot in the Mission is emblematic of why the city's problems seem so intractable. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/...
Jun 20, 2022•19 min
With the Supreme Court expected to overturn Roe v. Wade soon, California is preparing for an influx of out-state patients who will be seeking abortion care. Chronicle reporter Lauren Hepler joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the myth that the state is a post-Roe "sanctuary" and how reproductive services have already been limited in the Central Valley. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 20, 2022•18 min
Unlike impeachment or the Mueller hearings, the committee is putting on a show, and the ratings have been good. San Jose Rep. Zoe Lofgren had a star turn. But who is the audience, and what outcomes might be possible? Washington correspondent Tal Kopan joins Joe Garofoli on It's All Political on Fifth & Mission to talk about how the explosive hearings have gone so far and ask why those close to Trump who told him his election fraud claims were nonsense didn't speak out then. | Unlimited Chron...
Jun 17, 2022•24 min
Few issues have roiled San Francisco politics like the fight over admissions to prestigious Lowell High. And a school board with three new members — the result of a recall — must decide what to do going forward. The options: stick with a lottery-based admissions system designed to promote diversity, or revert to the competitive system that Lowell used for years. Chronicle reporter Jill Tucker tells host Demian Bulwa how she expects the vote to go, and how the debate will continue. | Unlimited Ch...
Jun 16, 2022•20 min
Hot, dry weather in California means the state will face persistent problems this summer: increasing water restrictions, rolling blackouts, wildfires and smoke. Chronicle reporter Kurtis Alexander joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what Bay Area residents should expect. Plus: State Capitol reporter Dustin Gardiner analyzes why Gov. Gavin Newsom has been hesitant to issue statewide water restrictions. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...
Jun 15, 2022•25 min
A Chronicle special project looks at textured hair: How it’s represented in the media and why it’s so central to the Black community. Newsroom developer Katlyn Sofaea Alo Alapati and reporter Shwanika Narayan join host Cecilia Lei to talk about what they’ve learned. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 14, 2022•27 min
With Covid infections — and reinfections — becoming more common, many doctors recommend having a strategy in place for the latest Covid tools, including Paxlovid. Chronicle health reporter Catherine Ho joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what we've learned about the anti-viral pill. Plus: What should Bay Area parents expect once vaccines for kids 5 and under are authorized? | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 13, 2022•18 min
The Chesa Boudin recall has spotlighted the activism and political power of Asian Americans, but the Bay Area already has a long history of Asian American activism. While the latest generation has been motivated by public safety concerns, that doesn't mean they're all advocating for more policing. Justin Zhu, the co-founder and executive director of Stand With Asian Americans, joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about his pivot from Silicon Valley to organizing, and what this moment means for him. | ...
Jun 10, 2022•23 min
Some of the most contested races of the California primaries have one central issue in common: how to deal with public safety. From the recall of San Francisco district attorney Chesa Boudin, to the state attorney general and governor's race. Chronicle data reporter Susie Neilson joins host Cecilia Lei to explain the breakdown of the Boudin recall election by neighborhood, and then state Capitol reporter Dustin Gardiner explains what went down in the statewide primary races -- and whether the Bo...
Jun 09, 2022•29 min
Chesa Boudin was decisively voted out of office in a recall election Tuesday. Chronicle crime reporter Megan Cassidy and senior political writer/It's All Political on Fifth & Mission host Joe Garofoli talk to host Demian Bulwa about what went wrong for the district attorney and what the vote means for San Francisco, police reform and the national progressive D.A. movement. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 08, 2022•23 min
With Golden State back in the NBA Finals after a 2-year absence, the Chase Center emcee talks with host Demian Bulwa about how he got his job, what it means to him to be the only Asian American hype man in the league, and how he became a Warriors superfan to avoid bedtime as a kid. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 07, 2022•26 min
The weapon used in the devastating mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, was once banned in the United States. The Federal Assault Weapons Ban was signed into law in 1994, but 10 years later, the landmark legislation was allowed to expire. Stanford law professor and gun law expert John Donahue has studied the impact of the assault weapons ban, and he tells host Cecilia Lei that it worked. But he says gun lobby disinformation and a GOP that won’t stand up to the NRA means new federal gun restrictions a...
Jun 06, 2022•26 min
California has some of the toughest gun restrictions in the country, including an assault weapons ban, which was passed in 1989. The law remains at the heart of the state's debate over how to regulate guns. Host Cecilia Lei speaks with one of the ban's co-authors, former California Assemblyman Mike Roos, to discuss the legacy of the law in light of the most recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...
Jun 03, 2022•23 min
The embattled San Francisco district attorney, who could be recalled by voters Tuesday, tells host Demian Bulwa that he's just as frustrated with crime in the city as everyone else, but he says much of what ails the city isn't in his power to change, and his foes are offering no solutions. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 02, 2022•38 min
Joe Garofoli rides Planned Parenthood's "Bans Off Our Bodies" bus around the state with three top advocates for abortion rights. Jodi Hicks of Planned Parenthood, East Bay Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and Jessica Pinckney of ACCESS Reproductive Justice talk about how California would be affected if the Supreme Court, as expected, overturns Roe v Wade this month. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 01, 2022•31 min
