Mayor London Breed's brother, Napoleon Brown, has served more than two decades in prison. While his case has mostly been a footnote in the mayor's story, public scrutiny was raised once Breed appointed new D.A. Brooke Jenkins. Chronicle reporter Megan Cassidy joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the new state laws that could reduce Brown's prison term — and how S.F. politics is impacting his case. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...
Oct 04, 2022•16 min
The Canal neighborhood is over 90 percent Latino and is the most segregated neighborhood in the Bay Area. When body-camera footage revealed the police beating of a day laborer, Latino residents decried what they say is the longstanding mistreatment by the city's police. Chronicle reporters Joshua Sharpe and Joel Umanzor join host Cecilia Lei to discuss the incident and the limits of local police reforms. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...
Oct 03, 2022•19 min
Around the Bay Area, a new movement has emerged from the ruin of the pandemic. Cities like Concord, Richmond and Petaluma are moving to enact protections for renters, much to the frustration of property owners. The latest salvo came in Antioch, where leaders this week approved capping many landlords at 3% annual price increases. Chronicle housing reporter Lauren Hepler joins host Demian Bulwa to discuss the debate and why it has spread beyond tenant advocacy hot spots like San Francisco. | Unlim...
Sep 30, 2022•18 min
Though her name doesn't appear on the ballot, the upcoming November election may be consequential for Mayor London Breed's political future. Voters will weigh in on local measures and the fate of five Breed appointees, including District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. Chronicle reporter Mallory Moench joins host Cecilia Lei to breakdown the ballot and how it matters for the mayor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 29, 2022•16 min
In 2021, a San Francisco Superior Court judge dismissed a case against Bill Gene Hobbs, a man with a long record who had allegedly harassed a teenage girl. Since then, women have turned to social media to allege they've also been stalked and harassed by Hobbs. Chronicle columnist Heather Knight joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss why the saga highlights the shortcomings of the city's criminal justice system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 28, 2022•22 min
When the pandemic closed offices and quieted cities, hundreds of office workers ditched the Bay Area for greener pastures: Hawaii. In exchange for free airplane tickets, remote nomads signed up to boost the local economy during a tourism downturn. Chronicle reporter Chase DiFeliciantonio joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about how remote workers impacted the state, and why some people in Hawaii are still urging them to stay, even as companies are urging a return to the office. | Unlimited Chronicle...
Sep 27, 2022•16 min
Chronic absenteeism — missing at least 10% of school days — has reached devastating levels in San Francisco. Last year, almost a third of public school students were chronically absent, and those missed days can add up to serious repercussions for kids’ learning and progress. Education reporter Jill Tucker joins host Demian Bulwa to discuss how the pandemic contributed to an absenteeism crisis, which students are most affected and what schools are doing to get kids back in class. | Unlimited Chr...
Sep 26, 2022•16 min
Poor financial health can keep people from accessing city services like affordable housing. Even if they otherwise qualify. So San Francisco has developed a program that provides anyone who lives in, works in or gets services from the city with a financial coach free of charge. On this episode of The Chronicle's Fixing Our City podcast, producer Cintia Lopez test-drives the program by talking to a Smart Money Coach about her own finances. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Fixing ...
Sep 23, 2022•25 min
The Oakland mayor’s race is heating up. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and San Francisco Mayor London Breed have both thrown their support behind Council Member Loren Taylor. But those endorsements could be a double-edged sword. Chronicle East Bay Reporter Sarah Ravani and Senior Political Writer Joe Garofoli join host Cecilia Lei to discuss the outlook for the race, the controversy it has created and who is Taylor’s greatest challenger. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more a...
Sep 22, 2022•15 min
On "60 Minutes" Sunday, the president declared the end of the pandemic. Many public health experts disagreed with Biden's comment while others aligned with the sentiment. Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss how the Bay Area is doing with COVID-19 and the implications of Biden's statement. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 21, 2022•16 min
Property ownership and management in the Bay Area have become more corporatized, making it difficult for some tenants to figure out who exactly is their landlord. In one of its biggest data projects to-date, The Chronicle created a centralized database to help residents figure that out. Editor Dan Kopf and reporter Susie Neilson join host Cecilia Lei to discuss why it matters. Plus: Reporter Lauren Hepler shares her reporting on Veritas, a company that operates thousands of rental units in San F...
Sep 20, 2022•31 min
A lawsuit on behalf of a pair of former San Francisco students is raising questions about the public district's response to sexual abuse claims. Both women say they were sexually abused by the same athletic director when they were students at George Washington High. After an internal investigation, The Chronicle found, the district moved to fire the man — but then allowed him to quietly resign in a settlement. Investigative reporter Cynthia Dizikes joins host Demian Bulwa to discuss the case and...
Sep 19, 2022•15 min
The COVID pandemic caused a roller skating boom. Now, skaters in West Oakland are fighting for a rink of their own. Producer Caron Creighton reports on the efforts of the skating group Panther Skate, the history of Black roller skating and why the sport is deeply personal for the community. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 16, 2022•16 min
A quartet of sports superstars, three of whom became leaders away from the field, roamed the West Oakland campus at the same time in the '50s. Reporter Ron Kroichick joins Demian Bulwa to talk about how the school and the community nurtured future icons Bill Russell, Frank Robinson and Curt Flood. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 15, 2022•21 min
By 2035, all new cars sold in California will be zero-emission. Sonoma County environmentalists have proposed one of the most aggressive policy ideas yet to help the state's transition to electric cars: Ban construction of new gas stations. Activist Woody Hastings joins host Cecilia Lei to explain the local effort that is quickly spreading across the state and beyond. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 14, 2022•17 min
Local and state governments have been trying to figure out how to undo historical harms for some communities of color. Oakland has handed land back to Indigenous control and Hayward is exploring reparations for Russell City, a city that was erased nearly 60 years ago. Chronicle reporter Sarah Ravani and columnist Justin Phillips join host Cecilia Lei to discuss the latest local efforts and the challenges ahead. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. V...
Sep 13, 2022•18 min
The latest round of shots is a milestone in how quickly science is able to respond to ever-evolving COVID-19. But with pandemic and vaccination fatigue setting in, does such a breakthrough even matter? Chronicle health reporter Catherine Ho joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about how to think about boosters, and if and when you should get them. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 12, 2022•16 min
Bay Area Rapid Transit began service 50 years ago, on Sept. 11, 1972. Chronicle urban design critic John King and Total SF co-host Peter Hartlaub join host Cecilia Lei to discuss how far the system's come from its original vision, what's still missing, and some of BART's stranger moments. Plus: Newsroom developer Emma Stiefel talks about a game that lets YOU design the future of BART. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 09, 2022•23 min
As mayor of San Francisco, Gov. Gavin Newsom said that "shelters don't solve homelessness." But the state has continued to rely on shelters as stopgap solutions, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chronicle housing reporter Lauren Hepler joins host Cecilia Lei to explain how shelters are making a policy comeback — and creating new debates over the merits of "right to shelter" proposals. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...
Sep 08, 2022•17 min
The Bay Area and Northern California have been punished by record-breaking temperatures for almost a week. In some cities, the mercury has climbed past 110 degrees. Chronicle meteorologist Gerry Diaz joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what's causing it, the future of heat waves — and how you can beat the heat. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Chronicle heat live blog: sfchronicle.com/heatwave Chronicle wildfire tracker: sfchronicle.com/firemap Learn more about your ad choices....
Sep 07, 2022•15 min
In honor of Labor Day, five Chronicle photojournalists embedded with working moms for 24 hours. Photographers Brontë Wittpenn, Gabrielle Lurie and Lea Suzuki join Lily Janiak to talk about what they documented and what it meant to them as the women spent sometimes hectic days working their jobs — including the ones at home that don't come with a paycheck. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 06, 2022•19 min
California's Legislature passed groundbreaking bills on homelessness and climate change before adjourning for the year. Now, that legislation is in the hands of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Capitol reporters Sophia Bollag and Dustin Gardiner, fresh off a late night reporting on the final session, talk to It's All Political on Fifth & Mission host Joe Garofoli about how Newsom drove those policies and how they'll affect his national profile. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more ...
Sep 02, 2022•24 min
Scientists are using underwater audio technology to listen in as the behemoths talk to each other about things like ocean conditions and where to find the best krill to feed on. Reporters Tara Duggan and Yoohyun Jung tell host Dominic Fracassa that what researchers are hearing suggests that whales are more complex, and more adaptable to the changing climate, than previously believed. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 01, 2022•14 min
California officials are poised to move roughly 200 unhoused people from the sprawling homeless encampment in West Oakland. The action follows a series of fires and a court battle over whether the government can and will provide sufficient shelter. It also represents larger tensions over the homelessness crisis that have played out in cities like Berkeley, San Francisco and Santa Rosa. Chronicle East Bay reporter Sarah Ravani and Fifth & Mission Producer Caron Creighton join host Demian Bulw...
Aug 31, 2022•17 min
Fish are going belly up around San Francisco Bay, including in Lake Merritt in Oakland. The water is turning an alarming brown. And people are being warned to limit their exposure to the bay as well. It's all due to a vast algae bloom first spotted last month near Alameda and spreading fast. What's behind the bloom? Is it related to climate change or the drought? When will it go away? Host Demian Bulwa is joined by Dave Senn of the San Francisco Estuary Institute and Keith Bouma-Gregson of the U...
Aug 30, 2022•19 min
An estimated 16 million adults in the United States suffer from long COVID symptoms, with no cure or treatment in sight. Chronicle reporter Nanette Asimov joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the alternative treatments that some sufferers are turning to. Plus: Chronicle reporter Yoohyun Jung shares her debilitating long COVID experience. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 29, 2022•19 min
San Franciscans are increasingly using tracking devices like Apple AirTag to locate their stolen bikes, computers and cars. But what happens when police can't assist? Chronicle reporter Megan Cassidy joins host Demian Bulwa to discuss how this technology — which Cassidy used herself when her car was stolen recently — often clashes with the realities of big-city policing, and how some victims are confronting thieves at their own risk. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more a...
Aug 26, 2022•17 min
In their follow up investigation to San Francisco's permanent supportive housing program, Chronicle reporters Joaquin Palomino and Trisha Thadani examine how tenants in single room occupancy units, or SROs, are often evicted for the same reasons that qualified them for their rooms. They join host Cecilia Lei to discuss how San Francisco's central solution to homelessness lacks a critical safety net. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...
Aug 25, 2022•30 min
Critics say Gov. Gavin Newsom’s national political ambitions moved him to veto legislation that would have allowed San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles to open supervised injection sites as a way to curb California’s overdose crisis. But as City Hall reporter Mallory Moench and host Joe Garofoli discuss, the politics are more complicated than that. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 24, 2022•17 min
Suburban and rural school boards are among the few places Republicans can win elections and change policies in this deep-blue state. Reporter Ryan Kost talks to host Demian Bulwa about their efforts to push issues that energize conservative voters, such as loosening COVID rules, banning discussion of systemic racism and questioning LGBTQ rights on California campuses. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 23, 2022•17 min
