Fifth & Mission

The newly elected Oakland school board reversed the controversial decision to shutter several elementary schools. Chronicle reporter Jill Tucker joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss how that reversal may have serious consequences across the district, as well as the financial uncertainty that continues. ​| Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Chronicle analysis of more than three years of police data has found that San Francisco cops used terms like “marijuana” and “baggy” clothing to justify searches of Black residents that yielded no contraband. Chronicle columnist Justin Phillips and reporter Susie Neilson join host Cecilia Lei to explain the issue and the city’s plan to end pretextual stops. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay Bridge has sparkled for 10 years with a light installation designed by artist Leo Villareal. But the display costs millions to maintain and, with funds drying up, could soon go dark forever. Columnist and TotalSF podcast co-host Heather Knight and urban design critic John King join host Cecilia Lei to argue the cases for — and against — a fund-raising campaign to preserve the Bay Lights. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate change has unleashed flurries of rain on a city with an antiquated sewer system, and the severity of future storms is not going to lessen. Reporter St. John "Sinjin" Barned-Smith joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what San Francisco officials can and can't do, and a brewing fight over who will pay for the extensive damage. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Chronicle Weather: sfchronicle.com/weather Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Entrepreneur Roger Lee started tracking tech sector layoffs in March 2020. Since then, Bay Area tech companies — including Twitter, Meta, Salesforce and Lyft — have laid off more than 93,000 employees. Lee joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about the scale of recent layoffs, their effects on the tech sector, and what job seekers might expect in the coming months. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of covering California disasters, Chronicle photojournalist Jessica Christian turned the lens to Sunol, where she grew up. The small town flooded during recent heavy rains, and she shares with host Demian Bulwa what it was like to watch her family’s memories and relics get destroyed — and how her local community came together to support one another. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally published Dec. 7, 2021: The pandemic has upended the traditional work week and some Bay Area employers are experimenting with a switch to a 32-hour work week. Critics say that the model would be costly and stunt job growth but Chronicle reporter Carolyn Said joins host Cecilia Lei to share results that say otherwise. Also: CommonFuture's VP of People Operations, Joann Lee Wagner, talks about why the four-day work week is about equity. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The clip that captured an art gallery owner spraying a homeless woman with a hose sparked massive outrage. Chronicle columnist and editorial writer Nuala Bishari joins host Cecilia Lei to explain why San Francisco's failure to manage homelessness has fueled tensions in the city and why human compassion is key to finding solutions. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID-19 hit local nightlife hard, and it hasn’t come all the way back. Bar owners are struggling to find ways to attract customers who have changed their socializing habits during the pandemic. Chronicle senior wine critic Esther Mobley joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about the how bar owners are adapting and what's at stake if bar culture doesn't bounce back. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After nearly five decades of public service and 15 years representing San Francisco and San Mateo counties in the House of Representatives, Jackie Speier has retired from Congress. Washington correspondent Shira Stein joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the conversation she shared with Speier near the end of her term, which included thoughts on her legacy as well as her personal tragedies and regrets. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Related: Scroll to the Nov. 16, 2021 episode to hear Speier talk to Joe Garofoli about her retirement announcement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though incumbent San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton was favored to be reelected, deadlocked votes and an impasse led to Peskin winning the job. Chronicle reporter J.D. Morris joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the dramatic election and what Peskin's leadership may signal for city governance. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Other Bay Area cities have used tiny homes to address the housing crisis, but San Francisco has been slow to embrace the model. Chronicle reporter Trisha Thadani joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss a proposal to build a temporary tiny cabin village at 16th and Mission, and why that may signal a shift in how the city is addressing homelessness. ​| Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's governor was to be inaugurated for his second term Friday after facing down a number of challenges, including a recall election and the COVID-19 pandemic. Chronicle political reporters Dustin Gardiner and Sophia Bollag join host Cecilia Lei to reflect on the highs and lows of his leadership and his increasing national influence. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sheng Thao will soon be inaugurated as Oakland’s new mayor. The daughter of Hmong refugees and survivor of domestic violence joins host Joe Garofoli to speak about her journey to the mayor's office, including how she plans to tackle Oakland’s homelessness crisis — something she’s experienced firsthand. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While some Bay Area residents are still recovering from the New Year’s Eve storm, Wednesday’s “bomb cyclone” storm is threatening the region with further devastation. Chronicle meteorologist Gerry Diaz joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss what to expect, why this latest storm is dangerous and how you can stay safe. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exercising and healthy eating are common new year's resolutions but Dr. Elissa Epel, author of "The Stress Prescription: 7 Days to More Joy and Ease," shares why stress management might be the most important goal you make this year. She joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss simple tips to alleviate stress and anxiety as we enter another year of the pandemic and tackle other uncertainties. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last Fifth & Mission episode of the year, Chronicle reporters and editors talk about the news story that surprised them the most in 2022, and what story they think the newsroom overlooked. Plus, editor-in-chief Emilio Garcia-Ruiz joins host Cecilia Lei to reflect on what it's been like to lead the newsroom since coming to San Francisco in 2020, and he shares his thoughts on the future of journalism. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maksym Dubkov, a Ukrainian graduate student who spoke to Fifth & Mission shortly after Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, paused his graduate studies to return home over the summer. He founded a volunteer organization to provide humanitarian aid to the areas most affected by the war. He joins Cecilia Lei to talk about his experience and what he wants Americans to understand about Ukraine. Plus, volunteer paramedic Olha Bihotska and university student Kateryna Vazhnenko talk about their lives since Russia's invasion. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Calavera is an upscale Mexican restaurant in Uptown Oakland that claims to be influenced by Oaxacan culture. But Chronicle food critic Cesar Hernandez says the restaurant exemplifies "food gentrification." He joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the fine line between upscale Mexican food and cultural appropriation, and how restaurant patrons can be more conscious in their dining choices. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's workplace regulators have passed a new set of rules that no longer require employers to pay workers to stay home if they catch the virus. Reporter Chase DiFeliciantonio joins host Demian Bulwa with details. Plus: Reporter Mallory Moench talks about staff shortages at San Francisco General Hospital and 911 dispatch as COVID surges. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco has made efforts to address its drug overdose crisis, but the city has largely overlooked one area: its own supportive housing system. A disproportionate number of people are dying of drug overdoses inside city-funded single room occupancy buildings, or SROs. Chronicle reporters Joaquin Palomino and Trisha Thadani join host Cecilia Lei to discuss their latest investigation and how the city has neglected to protect its most vulnerable residents. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco has a bad reputation when it comes to building housing: It takes a staggeringly long time. That's not good in a city in the midst of a housing crisis, struggling to meet state-mandated quotes for building. Chronicle reporters Dustin Gardiner and Susie Neilson join host Cecilia Lei to discuss just how long it takes to get a permit, why it's gotten this bad, and the larger costs of the city's flawed system. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blue-collar labor is supporting the researchers, scholars and graduate workers who have walked out at the University of California. Reporter Ryan Kost tells host Dominic Fracassa that the teamsters, electricians and hotel workers showing solidarity with what used to be considered "ivory tower" types are signaling a shift in what it means to be “working class.” | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Along with ugly sweaters and vows not to discuss politics, COVID is again poised to be a major theme of the holidays. In the Bay Area, a surge of the virus has begun, thanks to a range of factors including the spread of new immune-evasive omicron subvariants. What does the winter have in store? Chronicle reporters Aidin Vaziri and Claire Hao join host Demian Bulwa to discuss what listeners need to know right now about booster vaccines, treatments, the strain on hospitals and the (very slim) possibility of mask mandates. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Campofreda turned from prescribed oxycodone to heroin and then fentanyl to treat chronic back pain. Unlike more than 500 people who have died from accidental overdoses in San Francisco this year, he fought his way to sobriety. Columnist and Total SF co-host Heather Knight talks to Cecilia Lei about his remarkable story, and we hear from Ben himself, who says the city has to do more for people trying to navigate its system of aid. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All of a sudden in recent weeks, everyone in San Francisco was talking about killer robots. What happened? Chronicle reporter J.D. Morris joins host Demian Bulwa to talk about why San Francisco police sought approval to use robots to kill suspects in extreme circumstances — and why the Board of Supervisors flip-flopped amid backlash. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pandemic has upended the traditional work week and some Bay Area employers are experimenting with a switch to a 32-hour work week. Critics say that the model would be costly and stunt job growth but Chronicle reporter Carolyn Said joins host Cecilia Lei to share results that say otherwise. Also: CommonFuture's VP of People Operations, Joann Lee Wagner, talks about why the four-day work week is about equity. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency a year ago to quickly open the Tenderloin Center as a response to San Francisco's drug overdose crisis. It provided treatment options, meals and a space for safe drug consumption. After less than a year of operations, the controversial center shut down. Chronicle reporter Mallory Moench joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss why, and to talk about how the city plans to address its drug epidemic now. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed nearly 1,000 bills into law in 2022, the most productive law-making year since the start of the pandemic. Chronicle reporters Sophia Bollag and Dustin Gardiner join host Cecilia Lei to discuss a handful that you should know about, from big issues like gun safety and abortion to smaller ones like jaywalking and selling fur. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Denver Riggleman, who worked for the Jan. 6 committee after losing his reelection bid in 2020, has written a book on that work called "The Breach." He talks to host Joe Garofoli about what's next for the investigation, how Republicans aren't likely to abandon Trump, and what motivates the likely next speaker of the House. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A partnership between Stanford and John Muir Health has promised convenient and quality pediatric care for families in the East Bay, but the deaths of four children are raising questions about the hospital's capabilities. Chronicle reporters Matthias Gafni and Cynthia Dizikes join host Cecilia Lei to discuss their follow-up investigation into John Muir Health and the care provided in the hospital's pediatric intensive care unit. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod See also: The April 7, 2022, episode of Fifth & Mission Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 37-year-old progressive will be the first Hmong American to lead a major U.S. city. How does she plan to tackle its biggest issues? Chronicle reporter Sarah Ravani joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what Thao plans to do in her first months as mayor to address Oakland's pressing problems around public safety, homelessness and economic uncertainty. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Silicon Valley tech heavyweights like Twitter and Meta cutting jobs, thousands of people are looking for work. But for immigrants on H-1B visas, the consequence of not finding something quickly can be life-changing. Chronicle reporter Carolyn Said tells host Demian Bulwa about her recent conversations with these laid-off workers — and whether anything can or should be done to change things. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka and Klay Thompson are some of the pro athletes who have opened up about their issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic has both created mental health challenges and spotlighted the opportunity to discuss them in a new way. Chronicle sportswriters Marisa Ingemi and Connor Letourneau join host Cecilia Lei to talk about the changing attitudes — from the NBA to youth sports, crowd behavior to injury treatment — and why that matters for everyone. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're sharing this episode of the Fixing Our City podcast from The Chronicle's SFNext Project in which host Laura Wenus talks to Dr. João Goulão, Portugal's drug policy coordinator, about that country's decision to decriminalize drug possession in response to an opioid epidemic similar to the one San Francisco is struggling with. That was in 2001. Today, Portugal has dramatically reduced the number of overdose deaths, HIV infections associated with drug use, and problematic heroin use. Fifth & Mission returns with new episodes Monday. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Fifth & Mission returns with new episodes Monday. | UnlimitedChronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This might be the most normal holiday season in recent years, except for the "tripledemic." That collision of COVID-19, the flu and RSV — a troubling respiratory virus affecting young children — is worrying health experts. UCSF's Dr. Peter Chin-Hong joins Cecilia Lei to discuss what makes this season challenging and how to stay safe, as well as his reflections on nearly three years of the coronavirus pandemic. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that the two-time speaker has announced that she's stepping down from leadership, who will succeed her, and can they lead as successfully as she did? It's All Political on Fifth & Mission host Joe Garofoli joins Cecilia Lei to talk about the next two years, and then Joe chats with John Lawrence, Pelosi’s former chief of staff and the author of the book “Arc of Power, Inside Nancy Pelosi’s Speakership, 2005-2010,” about her leadership style. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The former president on the ballot for a second presidential term is bad news for California Republicans — not to mention all the people he’s maligned with his racist, sexist, homophobic rhetoric. Reporters Shira Stein and Dustin Gardiner join host Joe Garofoli to talk about the Former Guy's new White House run. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amid a groundswell of labor actions in recent years, University of California academic workers have organized the largest strike in the history of U.S. higher education. Chronicle reporter Nanette Asimov joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss what they're demanding, and Ken Jacobs, the director of UC Berkeley's Labor Center, explains why organized labor is making a comeback. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors is expected to adopt legislation Tuesday that will establish a Pacific Islander Cultural District. Reporter Elissa Miolene joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the unique challenges facing the population, and activist Gaynorann Siataga talks about the decades of work that have made the cultural district a reality. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since buying Twitter, the billionaire's leadership has resulted in massive layoffs, executive resignations and other questionable business decisions. Casey Newton, editor of the Platformer newsletter and co-host of the Hard Fork podcast, joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the internal chaos at Twitter, and the tech industry's future as a possible recession nears. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At a supportive housing complex near Oracle Park, 62 military veterans who were once on the streets have started new lives. There are counseling offices, a computer lab and a garden. The Edwin M. Lee Apartments are a model for how to attack homelessness, Chronicle reporter Kevin Fagan tells host Demian Bulwa. Fagan discusses why the national homeless count among veterans dropped dramatically from 2010 to 2016 — and why that trend stalled under the Trump administration. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The San Francisco Giants icon is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. A new HBO documentary, "Say Hey, Willie Mays!" tells his story, from growing up in the Jim Crow South to capturing the imaginations of fans across the country. Chronicle national baseball writer and Mays biographer John Shea, who is featured in the film, joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the racism Mays faced when the Giants moved from New York to San Francisco after the 1957 season, his quiet civil rights activism, and why everyone should learn about his legacy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gavin Newsom was re-elected, San Francisco D.A. Brooke Jenkins was heading toward victory and California voters were defeating efforts to legalize sports betting. Nationally, the Republicans' "red wave" didn't materialize as abortion rights and the specter of Donald Trump and election denial loomed large. Joe Garofoli, Mallory Moench and Demian Bulwa break down the results from Tuesday's pivotal election. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new survey found that one in five elections officials say they are likely to leave their jobs before the 2024 election. Escalating hostility and conspiracy theories, including 2020's "Big Lie," are to blame. Chronicle reporter Shwanika Narayan joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about how election workers are faring during the midterms, and Contra Costa County's deputy chief clerk recorder, Tommy Gong, shares what's needed to keep election workers safe. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brazen thefts of catalytic converters are exploding around the Bay Area, costing people thousands of dollars and in some cases leading to violence. So what's going on and why can't we stop it? Chronicle reporter Nora Mishanec tells host Demian Bulwa the answers lie in a shocking case in which the converters were sawed off cars, trafficked through a Northern California family and shipped across the country. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The richest person on earth and self-proclaimed "free speech absolutist" has taken over the bird app. What does that mean for the platform's content moderation and users? Emily Dreyfuss, the co-author of “Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America,” joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about how Musk may fundamentally change Twitter — and the entire social media landscape. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In response to high living costs, many California residents have moved to more affordable areas of the state that will also face the highest temperature increases by the end of the century. Chronicle reporter Yoohyun Jung joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss her latest data analysis — and how non-white communities will face key challenges to adapt to climate change. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final week before Election Day, the Oakland mayoral race is still a toss up with plenty of homestretch drama. Two front runners have emerged from a field of 10, and some candidates are forming alliances to try to influence the ranked choice vote. Bay Area Democratic consultant Jim Ross tells It’s All Political on Fifth & Mission host Joe Garofoli why that may not be the best idea, then Chronicle East Bay reporter Sarah Ravani explains an ongoing ethical investigation into one of the leading candidates. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Note: This episode has been edited to correct an error about the number of candidates San Francisco voters can rank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices