Fifth & Mission

A year and a half into the pandemic, hospitals in Northern California's rural counties are running out of room, stricken with a contagious delta variant and communities with low vaccination rates. Patients are suffering. Doctors and nurses are exhausted and pleading with the public to get the shots before it's too late. On this episode of the Fifth & Mission podcast, Chronicle reporter Shwanika Narayan tells host Demian Bulwa how bad the surge is getting in these places, and Dr. Stephanie Dittmer, a physician in Humboldt County, describes being right in the middle of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An Alameda County Superior Court judge striking down the measure is a win for Uber and Lyft drivers and others, but reporter Carolyn Said tells host Cecilia Lei that there are more legal battles ahead before companies must classify them as employees. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The utility has been linked to some of California's most destructive and deadliest wildfires, and fire victims have had to wait for compensation — none longer than survivors of the 2015 Butte Fire. Reporter J.D. Morris joins host Cecilia Lei to explain why the amount they’ll be able to collect could be affected by the company’s role in the massive Dixie Fire, which is burning now. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Chronicle Fire Map & Tracker: sfchronicle.com/firemap Chronicle wildfires coverage: sfchronicle.com/wildfires Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chronicle reporters went to the Bay Area ZIP codes with the lowest vaccination rates and asked people why they hadn't gotten the shots. Reporter Julie Johnson tells host Demian Bulwa that people offered a mix of reasons, from lack of trust in medical authorities to belief in conspiracies, from laziness to lack of access. Plus: Reporter Ryan Kost digs into the plight of the immunocompromised as the delta variant surges. What are their lives like, and what are officials doing to help? | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2019, Christina Lalanne found a century-old diary in her San Francisco home. She spent two years chasing its ghosts around the city and across the Atlantic, uncovering a love story that was almost lost to history. Sarah Feldberg reports. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan continues to develop, for some California residents the latest news is more than a headline. Host Cecilia Lei talks to local Afghans and Afghan Americans about their hopes and fears for their home country, including Khaled Hosseini, author of “The Kite Runner,” Afghan-American professor Halima Kazem, and two 16-year-old twin sisters who made it back to the U.S. just in time before the fall of Kabul. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s recall election may have begun as a right wing endeavor, but it is now a legitimate threat for Gov. Newsom. Will Democrats be able to mobilize enough of the state’s voter base to counter any dissatisfaction with Newsom’s handling of issues like wildfires, homelessness or the pandemic? Cecilia Lei discusses the latest on the recall with the Chronicle’s state capitol reporter, Dustin Gardiner, and senior political writer and “It’s All Political” podcast host, Joe Garofoli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fifth & Mission presents an episode of the Chronicle's politics podcast, It's All Political, featuring Rep. Barbara Lee. The progressive icon talks to host Joe Garofoli about her famous no vote on war authorization, how her East Bay district is the "wokest" in America, the personal struggles she overcame — something she's rarely discussed publicly — and the new documentary about her, “Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power.” | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Listen to It's All Political: podfollow.com/its-all-political Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Camp Fire, the nation's deadliest wildfire in a century, destroyed the Butte County town of Paradise in 2018. Former Chronicle reporter Lizzie Johnson, now with the Washington Post, tenaciously covered the tragedy, from training with firefighters to interviewing hundreds of Paradise residents. She joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about her new book, "Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire," and to share the vital lessons she's learned as another catastrophic wildfire season is under way. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Episodes of Fifth & Mission featuring Lizzie Johnson: To Catch a Fire-Setter: pod.fo/e/ad07c The Life and Death of Braden Varney: pod.fo/e/ade1a Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Proof of vaccination will be required starting Aug. 20 at many businesses in San Francisco, including restaurants, bars, gyms and some of the biggest event venues. The city decided to put in one of the nation's toughest mandates, both to keep people safer from COVID-19 and to push holdouts to get their shots. Trisha Thadani talks to host Demian Bulwa about how the new rules work, and Janelle Bitker takes you behind the scenes at Bay Area restaurants that have been demanding proof of vaccination for several weeks. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fruitvale neighborhood has one of the lowest vaccination rates and highest COVID case rates in Alameda County. Reporter Deepa Fernandes joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss an outreach program that's hoping to change that with the help of key ambassadors in the community: children of immigrants. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The enhanced federal safety net has helped keep more than a million Californians from poverty this year, but the extra payouts are set to end on Labor Day. Chronicle reporter Carolyn Said joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about who will be affected the most and how jobless people will have to cope in the months ahead as the delta variant continues to threaten the economy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the delta variant on the rise, concerned parents are demanding a distance learning option from school districts. Education reporter Jill Tucker joins Cecilia Lei to talk about this week's bumpy start to the new in-person school year. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's happened again: A California community wiped out by flames. The Dixie Fire tore through the Gold Country town of Greenville last week even as neighborhoods in places like Santa Rosa, Redding and Paradise continue to rebuild after past catastrophes. What's it like to lose everything? Host Demian Bulwa talks to Margaret Elysia Garcia, who was evacuated from Greenville, and Melissa Geissinger, who lost her Santa Rosa home in the 2017 Tubbs Fire. Read Garcia's Eulogy for Greenville in the Plumas News: bit.ly/3lEvSvr Visit Geissinger's website: survivaloversurrender.com Read Out of the Fire by Lizzie Johnson: bit.ly/2VAwyHD Listen to the accompanying podcast City of Ash: spoti.fi/3lGtg0m Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Delta variant has been a tough reality check, so Chronicle reporters went out into the field to ask Bay Area residents about how they're feeling at this stage of the pandemic. Internationally known stress scientist Dr. Elissa Epel joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss how we can maintain our emotional health, even as a prolonged pandemic stirs strong emotions of anger and frustration. | Get full digital access to the Chronicle: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All over the Bay Area, the pandemic left hundreds of thousands of people and families unable to afford their rent. But as Chronicle reporter Lauren Helper reports, government programs designed to provide aid and shore up local communities have been slow to disperse the funds. As of mid-July, only 10% of $889 million in available aid had been distributed. Hepler tells host Demian Bulwa how these programs work, how they are breaking down, and what is at stake for renters, landlords and everyone else. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Indoor mask mandates are back in seven Bay Area counties because of the highly transmissible delta variant, and the risk isn't just for unvaccinated people: post-vaccination cases are also on the rise. UCSF's Dr. Bob Wachter joins host Cecilia Lei to explain breakthrough cases, and what the latest public health guidance means for the future of the pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Bay Area residents moved away from cities like San Francisco and Oakland during the pandemic and landed in the places that are most vulnerable to wildfires. Chronicle reporter Susie Neilson joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the trend and why some people are knowingly placing themselves closer to the blazes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For more than four decades, Gilbert Baker's iconic rainbow flag has been the global symbol of the LGBTQ community. But critics say it's time for the flag to be updated and inclusive of other groups, including Black and transgender people. The Chronicle's Tony Bravo joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss what's happening with the flagpole at Castro and Market streets, which stands at the center of the debate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's another huge moment in the pandemic: the full return of in-person instruction at Bay Area public schools. But what will that look like? And are we ready amid the frightening surge of the delta variant of the coronavirus? Chronicle health reporter Jill Tucker tells host Demian Bulwa how school officials are preparing, including what they are requiring in terms of vaccinations, masks and social distancing. She talks about how students are transitioning back. And she discusses the prospect of potential lockdowns in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanks to the delta variant, the Bay Area is now an emerging coronavirus hotspot and now, restaurant and bar owners are taking matters into their own hands to protect the health of their workers and businesses. Chronicle food and wine editor Tanay Warerkar joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about how the vaccination requirement movement is gaining momentum in the Bay Area, and Ben Bleiman, the president of the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance, explains why implementing the vaccination requirement was a no-brainer decision. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The effort to oust California's governor started as a fringe right-wing movement, but things have gotten serious. While Californians oppose the recall generally, likely voters are closely split with the election mere weeks away. Reporter Alexei Koseff talks to host Cecilia Lei about how the governor has to motivate what's so far been an unenthusiastic Democratic base. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As two major fires burn in the Sierra, reporter J.D. Morris joins Cecilia Lei to talk about what Northern California should brace itself for, what we've learned from previous disasters and how major stakeholders like PG&E are shifting their strategies. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanks to the delta variant, Bay Area coronavirus cases are rising yet again, just six weeks after California's big reopening. But this is a different kind of surge with very different lessons, says Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday. She tells host Demian Bulwa why the latest case rates may be a flawed measurement, and talks about what we need to know about breakthrough infections and booster shots. Also: Do mask-wearing and social distancing need reconsideration in a post-vaccine world? | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joshua Barbeau was 26 when his fiancee, Jessica Pereira, died from a rare liver disease. Eight years later, still grieving, he turned to Project December, a website that allowed him to text with an artificial intelligence simulation of Jessica. The Chronicle's Jason Fagone talks to host Cecilia Lei about his story about love and A.I., and Joshua Barbeau discusses how a chatbot helped him cope with loss. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

These Olympics, which officially begin Friday U.S. time, are sorely lacking in the usual camaraderie and brotherhood. Fans are absent. COVID protocols already aren't working as planned. Athletes are nervous about being put into quarantine and missing training or events. And what if the star of stars, Simone Biles, is compromised? Ann Killion reports from a nervous, unhappy Tokyo. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of people live in Wood Street, an unhoused community under Interstate 880. It's one of the city's largest encampments with its own health clinic, communal kitchen and other amenities. But it's been placed in the crosshairs for eviction by the city of Oakland and CalTrans. Caron Creighton reports on a tight-knit community that's fighting to survive. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's not exactly the bottom of the ninth, but it's a big day for the A’s proposed ballpark along the Oakland waterfront. The City Council will weigh in on dueling visions for a $12 billion development at Howard Terminal, and club officials say they'll be forced to move the team if they don't get their way. Chronicle reporter Sarah Ravani and sports columnist Scott Ostler join Demian Bulwa to talk about the issues at play, including the bill for taxpayers, affordable housing, and whether Oakland might lose another pro sports team. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With violence in the city surging, some Black community leaders are feeling the pressure to plead for peace alongside Oakland police, despite not trusting them. Chronicle columnist Justin Phillips joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about a unique moment, and why he says police alone can't quell violence in Oakland. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanks to Proposition C, San Francisco now has a huge amount to spend on homelessness, and the pressure is on for that money to make a difference. Chronicle reporter Trisha Thadani chats with host Cecilia Lei about how it will be spent. Then, Shireen McSpadden, the new director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, explains how Prop C funds are a game changer for her department. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Outdoor restaurant spaces that sprouted up during the COVID-19 pandemic are here to stay. That's good for the restaurants and their customers, but advocates for the disabled, the elderly and the homeless, and those who believe San Francisco is fighting an unproductive war on cars, aren't so thrilled. Reporter Mallory Moench joins Dominic Fracassa to talk about the reaction from businesses and groups affected by the popular fixtures. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A spike in Bay Area COVID cases. Breakthrough infections on the rise. New mask mandates for schools. Reporter Erin Allday talks to Cecilia Lei about how worried we should be about headlines like this, and how we can stay safe. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Viral videos and news coverage have painted San Francisco as a crime-riddled city, but Mayor London Breed and SFPD Chief Bill Scott say the portrayal is inaccurate. Crime reporter Megan Cassidy chats with host Cecilia Lei about what the latest crime stats actually say, and what city leaders are highlighting about policing. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Jorge A. Caballero went viral on Twitter when he announced his resignation from Stanford University. The former clinical instructor says Stanford repeatedly passed him over for career advancement after he spoke up about racial bias in the residency selection process in 2014. His inspiration? Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, who recently declined an offer of tenure at the University of North Carolina — which had been delayed when a conservative donor had objected to her hire. Caballero chats with host Cecilia Lei about what it means to push back on historically white institutions, and what led him to step away from medicine. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As social lives resume, people are negotiating another new normal: being socially awkward. While we stumble all over ourselves getting reacquainted with loved ones and strangers alike, Chronicle arts and culture columnist Tony Bravo says there's only one way to get through: embrace it — and practice what he calls "FOMOR," the fear of missing out ... responsibly. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The politics of housing may be slowly changing. But in the Bay Area, the reality isn't. The region’s median price recently hit $1.3 million, while a new report finds that for every one new home permitted in the San Francisco and San Jose metro areas in 2009-19, more than three jobs were created. The Chronicle's housing crisis reporter, Lauren Hepler, discusses the tension between NIMBYs and YIMBYs, the surprising impact of the pandemic on housing, and who is left out when communities become more and more unaffordable. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In smaller towns across the Bay Area, police use-of-force is less subject to oversight than in places like San Francisco or Oakland. The death of Angelo Quinto after an Antioch police officer restrained him during a mental health episode triggered reforms — but modest ones in comparison to those in major cities. Reporter Rachel Swan talks to Cecilia Lei about why that is. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She was praised for her early pandemic leadership, but can she work efficiently now that old dynamics between herself and the Board of Supervisors have resumed? Host Cecilia Lei chats with reporter Trisha Thadani about the challenges facing the mayor, and then Kultivate Labs executive director Desi Danganan shares his perspective on how city bureaucracy affects business owners and community leaders. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will future generations only know meatless burgers and other food alternatives? It sounds dystopian, but that is a legitimate possibility if Silicon Valley gets its way. On this episode of The Chronicle's Extra Spicy podcast, hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips talk with journalist Larissa Zimberoff about her latest book, “Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley’s Mission to Change What We Eat” and whether demand for “alternative” foods will overcome California’s farm-to-table culture. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Fifth & Mission is taking the holiday off and will return with a new episode Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A week after a 12-story building collapsed in Florida, host Cecilia Lei talks to Emily Guglielmo, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California. Beyond earthquakes, how much should we worry about building safety in the Bay Area? | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Chronicle once got taunting letters and cryptograms from the Zodiac Killer. More than 50 years later, it still gets a stream of tips, many identifying a suspect they think ought to be arrested. Those messages mostly go to Kevin Fagan, the veteran reporter who knows more about the case than almost anyone. He joins Demian Bulwa to talk about how he sifts through the info from online sleuths, and he weighs in on the recent news that some of the Zodiac's ciphers have been decoded. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two weeks after the state's reopening, Los Angeles County now urges masks indoors for everyone as the delta variant spreads. Host Cecilia Lei checks in with reporter Aidin Vaziri, who warns Bay Area residents to stay vigilant during this stage of the pandemic. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1970's, Allan Baird entered Harvey Milk's camera shop in San Francisco and asked for the support of the LGBTQ community in boycotting Coors Beer. It began a decades long coalition between gay and labor movements. Decades later, local activists sought to honor Baird's little known role in queer history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chronicle reporter Roland Li traveled to Austin, Texas, to take a closer look at why many Californians are moving to the fast-growing tech hub. As he tells host Demian Bulwa, he found people looking for a lower cost of living and less traffic and headaches, in a place with abundant jobs and vibrant nightlife. But he also found that Austin is starting to confront California-like problems, including housing bidding wars, gentrification and displacement. As Austin booms, does it threaten California's future? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, a white professor on the proudly diverse campus of Cal State East Bay in Hayward taught misinformation — that Black and Latino students were inherently less smart. Race, he said, predicted intelligence. But even after students and faculty complained, little was done to address the harm caused by Prof. Gregory Christainsen. Chronicle reporter Jason Fagone discusses his examination of what happened at the school, when efforts to confront legacies of racism collided with complex notions of academic freedom and a brand of racist pseudoscience that is deeply rooted in America and in higher education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though the economy is finally recovering, many California tenants are anxiously waiting to see whether the state’s eviction moratorium will be extended beyond June 30. Chronicle reporter Alexei Koseff joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss what’s at stake and how negotiations between state lawmakers are going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thirty-nine years ago, Vincent Chin was beaten to death by two white men. His murder prompted Black political activist Rev. Jesse Jackson to visit San Francisco Chinatown in 1984 to help speak out against anti-Asian violence. Longtime Chinatown activist Rev. Norman Fong joins host Cecilia Lei to reflect on the challenges of Asian and Black community solidarity as anti-Asian violence persists in the Bay Area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday reveals new numbers on the rise of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus in California. One Bay Area county saw infections triple in the past month. Allday explains why health experts are worried about the strain, which has caused chaos among unvaccinated populations and could set back our immense progress in emerging from the pandemic. Also, Allday discusses the plight of families who have children under age 12 — kids who can’t yet be vaccinated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco's biggest environmental justice battle is back, colliding with the city's need to address housing shortages. Chronicle reporter Lauren Hepler joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss why community members want to stop the construction of 12,000 new homes on the Hunters Point shipyard. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The San Francisco Chronicle presents an exclusive series of conversations with Black Bay Area leaders, including Betty Reid Soskin, Harry Edwards, Rev. Amos Brown and Barbara Rodgers. After last year's racial reckoning in America, they 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 choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices