KQED's Forum

“Not everyone should get a say” seems counterintuitive to the idea of democracy. But according to Atlantic writer Jerusalem Demsas, when it comes to new housing or infrastructure projects, sometimes community input can be undemocratic. Often a vocal and persistent minority is able to stymie much-needed proposals. We’ll talk with Demsas and experts about how participatory democracy can get in the way of progress and whether it can be fixed. Guests: Jerusalem Demsas, staff writer, Atlantic Magazine Katherine Levine Einstein, associate professor, political science and director of Undergraduate Studies, Boston University; co-author, "Neighborhood Defenders: Participatory Politics and America's Housing Crisis" Paul Sabin, Randolph W. Townsend, Jr. Professor of History and Professor of American Studies, Yale University; author, "Public Citizens: The Attack on Big Government and the Remaking of American Liberalism;" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When last week’s 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit near San Jose, more than two million people received an alert — up to 19 seconds before they felt shaking. But how do earthquake early warning systems work, exactly? And what should we do when we get an alert? From how to “drop, cover, and hold on” to how to evaluate your home’s seismic resiliency, we’ll answer your earthquake questions with seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones. And we’ll hear about how California has been — and should be — prepared for earthquakes big and small. Resource(s) mentioned on air: "Brace + Bolt" grant program for California homeowners Guests: Dr. Lucy Jones, research associate Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology; author, "The Big Ones: How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us (and What We Can Do About Them)"; founder, Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next week San Francisco voters will decide whether to approve a new parcel tax to fund City College, which has faced severe financial struggles for the past decade. City College, and almost all of California’s community colleges, have seen enrollment dip since 2020 despite an infusion of state money systemwide aimed at bringing students back. Forum talks about the future of community colleges in a changing education landscape. Guests: Jessie Ryan, executive vice president, The Campaign for College Opportunity Organization: a non-profit policy and research organization that advocates for Californians to attend and succeed in college. Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, reporter/producer covering politics, KQED News. Sara Goldrick-Rab, author, "Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream." Vick Chung, former city college student trustee and candidate for city college board of trustees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly a third of Americans -- and nearly 60% of MAGA Republicans -- say that resorting to violence to achieve political objectives is usually or always justified, according to new research from U.C. Davis. The findings come as prosecutors charge the man who last week violently attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, and as threats against members of Congress continue to surge, having increased by nearly tenfold since 2016. We’ll talk about the growing threat of political violence in the United States and what’s driving it. Guests: Garen Wintemute M.D., director, Violence Prevention Research Program at UC-Davis - He also practices and teaches emergency medicine at the UC-Davis School of Medicine. Catie Edmondson, congressional reporter, The New York Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When New Yorker writer Hua Hsu was growing up in Cupertino in the 1990s as the only child of Taiwanese immigrants, he created mixtapes and zines – homemade Xerox pastiches of writing, photos and collages – as a “way to find a tribe.” Hsu’s search for his people eventually led him to UC Berkeley where he, a lover of esoteric and undiscovered bands, forged an unlikely friendship with Ken, a Japanese-American frat boy whose love of the Dave Matthews Band, initially repelled Hsu. That friendship and Ken’s murder are at the heart of Hsu’s new memoir “Stay True,” which documents the profound and the mundane moments of a 90s kid seeking to forge his identity. Guests: Hua Hsu, author, "Stay True;" staff writer, the New Yorker; professor of Literature, Bard College Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When LA Times associate editor Jessica Roy had her wallet stolen, she braced for the worst: She froze her credit, filed a federal identity theft complaint and requested a police report. But when thieves began using her name to obtain bank accounts, car loans and bail bonds, she wasn't prepared for the bureaucratic nightmare that followed as she tried to recover her money and restore her credit. Her experience might sound familiar — a recent survey estimates that 42 million Americans were victimized by some type of identity fraud in 2021, with total losses estimated at $52 billion. Roy joins us to talk about how banks, credit agencies and law enforcement can do more to protect us. Guests: Jessica Roy, assistant editor, utility journalism, LA Times Eva Velasquez, president/CEO, Identity Theft Resource Center - a nonprofit based in San Diego that provides assistance to victims of identity theft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon Musk took ownership of the San Francisco based social media network Twitter less than a week ago and he’s already overhauling the company. Musk immediately fired several executives and board members and news organizations have reported that mass layoffs could be imminent. He also tweeted he wants to charge a monthly fee for users to retain verified status. We dive into what this new era at Twitter means for the Bay Area, users and the social media landscape. Guests: Annalee Newitz, Science journalist and author of "Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction" - Newitz is also the author of the novels "The Future of Another Timeline," and "Autonomous." Website: techsploitation.com Damon Beres, senior editor focused on technology, The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared skeptical of race-conscious admission policies at the University of North Carolina and Harvard University throughout five hours of oral arguments on Monday. If the Court decides against the universities, it could issue a ruling broad enough to overturn decades of precedent permitting the limited use of race in college admissions and even, according to Vox Supreme Court correspondent Ian Millhiser, “prohibit the government from considering race in virtually any context, including efforts to voluntarily integrate racially segregated grade schools and other institutions." We’ll talk about the cases and their potential outcomes and what they may mean for California. Guests: Michele Goodwin, Chancellor's professor, UC Irvine School of Law - Her books include "Policing the Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood" Ian Millhiser, senior correspondent, Vox - His books include "Injustices: The Supreme Court's History of Comforting the Comfortable and Afflicting the Afflicted" and "The Agenda: How a Republican Supreme Court is Reshaping America." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Saunders is widely considered one of the greatest fiction writers alive, attested to by all the prizes, the respect of other writers, and even book sales. He’s got his first book of short stories in a decade. It’s called Liberation Day, and it will surprise no one that it is a brilliant work filled with generosity, pain, and characters who can’t quite answer the door when honesty comes knocking. The book affirms that lurking in every office, off every highway, underneath the ground, there are humans, and so there are stories. Forum talks to George Saunders about his new book, the changing political climate for fiction, and the magic of short stories. Guests: George Saunders, writer, MacArthur "genius" and Booker Prize winner, "Liberation Day: Stories" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one knows you like your sibling. They are the keepers of family secrets. They know how to push your buttons. They are probably the longest-lasting relationship you’ll have in your life. Why is it that the outside world considers you a functioning adult, but your siblings still treat you like the family crybaby? What happens when parents pass and siblings drift apart? We look at sibling relationships and hear from you: what do you love most or find hardest about your sibling relationship? Guests: Aretha Hampton, licensed clinical social worker, sole proprietor of Roots Consultation Services in Berkeley. Laurie Kramer, Professor, Applied Psychology, Northeastern University. Catherine Carr, Host of the podcast "Relatively" which focuses on siblings and their dynamics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Terms such as artificial intelligence, big data and machine learning bring to mind computers processing loads of data into uses for the real world. But the authors of a recent essay published in the magazine Noema say the truth is much uglier, and often ignored. “Far from the sophisticated, sentient machines portrayed in media and pop culture, so-called AI systems are fueled by millions of underpaid workers around the world, performing repetitive tasks under precarious labor conditions,” they write in the essay, “The Exploited Labor Behind Artificial Intelligence.” One of the authors, Timnit Gebru, lost her job at Google for raising ethical concerns about AI, and now advocates for better practices and regulations to protect people. Another, Adrienne Williams, is a former Amazon delivery driver who organized in protest of unsafe conditions. They join us to discuss the hidden dangers and ethical questions surrounding AI. Guests: Adrienne Williams, a former Amazon delivery driver and organizer. Timnit Gebru, computer scientist and artificial intelligence researcher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Gillespie is a cancer survivor and cat lover who used to work for Nerds On Call in Illinois. Fabian Wosar is a high school dropout from Germany who became obsessed with computer viruses at age 11. Sarah White is a computer science prodigy who became a malware expert as a teenager. They’re all members of the Ransomware Hunting Team, an invitation-only group of elite coders who crack ransomware attacks across the globe. We learn more about these cybercrime fighters from Pro Publica reporters Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden, authors of the new book “TheRansomware Hunting Team.” Guests: Renee Dudley, technology reporter, Pro Publica - co-author, "The Ransomware Hunting Team: A Band of Misfits' Improbable Crusade to Save the World from Cybercrime." Daniel Golden, senior editor and reporter, Pro Publica - co-author, "The Ransomware Hunting Team: A Band of Misfits' Improbable Crusade to Save the World from Cybercrime." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What has the Democratic Party become under Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s leadership, and how is it changing? How does the government actually function, as viewed from the inside? We’ll ask a man with a front-row seat: John Lawrence, who was Pelosi’s chief of staff during some of the tensest and most pivotal decisions in recent American history. Guests: John Lawrence, former chief of staff for Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Author, "Arc of Power: Inside Nancy Pelosi's Speakership 2005-2010." Visiting Professor, University of California Washington Center. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plastic is designed to last. And last it does. Often composed of “forever chemicals” which take thousands of years to break down, it flakes throughout its life into microplastics — fragments, fibers and films less than 5 millimeters long. Microplastics are everywhere: they’re in our air, our water and our food, and they’re in our own bodies. And their effect on human health is still largely unknown, writes Wired science journalist Matt Simon in his new book “A Poison Like No Other.” Simon joins us to discuss the extent of the microplastic threat and what we can do. Guests: Matt Simon, science journalist, WIRED; author, “A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies”, "Plight of the Living Dead: What Real-Life Zombies Reveal About Our World—and Ourselves" and "The Wasp That Brainwashed the Caterpillar: Evolution's Unbelievable Solutions to Life's Biggest Problems." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crime in Oakland is up. The problem of homelessness seems intractable. And the A’s may or may not be leaving for Las Vegas. These are only some of the issues facing Oakland’s next mayor. Ten candidates are vying for the spot, and ranked choice voting will play a role in who comes out ahead. We’ll talk to reporters about who is running, the candidates’ positions, and we’ll hear from you: What do you want the next mayor to focus on? Guests: Darwin BondGraham, News editor, Oaklandside Maria Fernanda Bernal, reporter, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rants by rap artist Kanye West put antisemitism front and center over the weekend as a hate group amplified West’s remarks on banners hung from a Southern California freeway overpass. According to the Anti-Defamation League, a record number of antisemitic incidents were reported from 2019 to 2020. Corporations from Adidas to Facebook plus celebrities and politicians have come out strongly against antisemitism. We’ll talk about the roots of antisemitism and why some Jewish Americans struggle to speak out against antisemitism in the context of the country’s current tensions. Guests: Dov Waxman, professor of Political Science, UCLA; director, UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies and the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair of Israel Studies at UCLA Emily Tamkin, author, "Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities;" senior US editor, The New Statesmen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wednesday, by actual Congressional decree, is Public Radio Music Day. We’re celebrating by listening to some of our favorite live music performances from Forum and from the KQED Live series, which hosts performances, discussions, food experiences and live storytelling in our beautiful KQED building. We’ll listen back to Mexican musician Silvana Estrada – who was in town earlier this year for the San Jose Jazz Festival – and local musicians Fantastic Negrito, Salami Rose Joe Louis and La Doña. Guests: Fantastic Negrito, Grammy Award winning Oakland-based musician Silvana Estrada, Mexican musician, singer and songwriter Salami Rose Joe Louis, Bay Area based musician, composer, producer and planetary scientist La Doña, San Francisco native musician, activist and educator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2022 MacArthur fellow Martha Gonzalez describes herself as an ‘artivista’ – at once an artist and an activist. The frontwoman of the East Los Angeles band Quetzal, Gonzalez focuses on the ways communities of color use music and creative expression as political tools toward social justice. From community fandango workshops to recording projects between women in L.A. and Veracruz, Mexico, Gonzalez makes music a conduit for conversation centering communities and their challenges. We’ll talk with Gonzalez about how her music practice and her activism influence each other. Guests: Martha Gonzalez, Associate Professor in the Intercollegiate Department of Chicana/o Latina/o Studies, Scripps/Claremont College; 2022 MacArthur ‘genius grant’ recipient; singer/songwriter/percussionist, the East Los Angeles band Quetzal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2021, Khristian Rabut bought a gas station along Interstate 205 in Tracy. Instead of just offering customers the usual gas station fare, he and his wife Marie added a Filipino-themed ice cream shop and bakery. “It’s an unexpected but deliciously welcome surprise,” wrote KQED food writer Alan Chazaro about the gas station-creamery-bakery. He and KQED food editor Luke Tsai share a love of unusual places that serve up amazing dishes. In our next installment of All You Can Eat, our regular segment about Bay Area food cultures, we’ll discuss hidden food treasures. And we want to hear from you, what are some unlikely places where you found exceptional food? Guests: Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Alan Chazaro, food reporter, KQED; poet and educator Susana Guerrero, food reporter, SFGATE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Citing dramatically reduced Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths, Governor Gavin Newsom announced this week that he's lifting California's Covid-19 state of emergency at the end of February. But as uptake of the new bivalent booster remains low, there may be reason for caution as winter approaches. That's according to UCSF's Dr. Bob Wachter, who joins us to answer your questions about case rates, subvariants, vaccines and more. Guests: Dr. Robert "Bob" Wachter, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve heard the stories and seen the headlines – life-saving drugs can be so expensive, people have to choose between them and buying food or paying rent. Oakland’s Priti Krishtel is working on a solution to this terrifying problem – she wants to reform the patent system. Pharmaceutical companies hold patents on their products, creating an ongoing monopoly that prevents competitors from bringing cheaper medications to the market to drive prices down. We’ll talk with Krishtel, who was recently awarded a MacArthur grant, about how she got into health justice and how she plans to update the patent system to bring equity to the medical system and save lives. Guests: Priti Krishtel, health justice lawyer and co-founder and co-executive director Organization: I-MAK. - a non-profit building a more just and equitable medicines system. She is also a 2022 MacArthur fellow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remember former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, who pleaded guilty in August to running a years-long tax evasion scheme? He’s set to testify in the tax fraud trial of the Trump Organization that begins in New York on Monday, the first time Trump’s businesses have faced criminal proceedings. That’s just one in an array of civil and criminal cases and investigations involving the former president and his associates and businesses. We’ll take stock of Trump’s legal liabilities and look at what we can expect next from prosecutors. Guests: Jennifer Taub, professor of law, Western New England School of Law; author, "Big Dirty Money: The Shocking Injustice and Unseen Cost of White Collar Crime." Luke Broadwater, congressional reporter, New York Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you browse the self-help aisles or click on a TED Talk, you will rarely be given the advice that “it’s OK to be mediocre.” You’re more likely to be told how to achieve excellence, how to rise above the fray to distinguish yourself and how, if you get good enough at your hobby, you can make it a side hustle. But maybe it’s best if we embrace the joy of being average in our pursuits, and just do what we like even if we are not good at it. We’ll talk about the freedom of stinking at things, and finding pleasure in the process, rather than obsessing over the product and result. And we’ll hear from you: What’s something that you’re perfectly happy to be bad at? Guests: Rachel Feintzeig, columnist, Wall Street Journal - She wrote the article "Go Ahead. Let Yourself Be Bad at Something." Brigid Schulte, author, "Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time"; director, Better Life Lab at New America, a public policy nonprofit. Thea Monyee, licensed marriage and family therapist, Founder - MarleyAyo, a creative wellness consulting company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, removing Americans’ constitutional right to an abortion, a dozen states have enacted near-total bans on the procedure and more are expected to do so in the coming months. That’s causing many candidates in California and across the nation to emphasize their support for reproductive rights, and Pew Research Center polling shows the issue is important to a majority of voters across both parties. We’ll talk about the role abortion is playing in the midterms here and in key states, and we want to hear from you: Is abortion driving your vote? Guests: Joe Garofoli, senior political writer, San Francisco Chronicle; host, the podcast “It’s All Political on Fifth and Mission” Maya Prabhu, state government reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Lauren Rankin , writer, speaker, and activist; author, "Bodies on the Line: At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America" Melanie Mason, national political correspondent, Los Angeles Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 44% of Californians rent their homes, but the vast majority of state legislators don’t. In the state assembly, only three out of 80 members are solely renters: Matt Haney, D-San Francisco; Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles; and Alex Lee, D-San Jose. The lawmakers say the imbalance between assembly members who are renters and those who are homeowners leads to fewer laws that address tenant needs. We’ll talk to Haney, Lee and Bryan about a caucus they are launching in the state assembly to advocate for tenants’ rights amid California’s ongoing housing crisis. Guests: Matt Haney, member, California State Assembly - represents the eastern portion of San Francisco. Isaac Bryan, member, California State Assembly - he represents much of South Central Los Angeles. Alex Lee, member, California State Assembly - he represents Santa Clara, Milpitas, Fremont, Newark and a small portion of western San Jose. He is the youngest state Asian American, first openly bisexual, and first Gen Z legislator state legislator in California history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this November’s ballot, voters will decide on whether to legalize sports betting and whether to tax the rich to subsidize electric cars. Proposition 26 would legalize sports betting in Indian casinos and horse tracks and is opposed by gaming businesses. Proposition 27 would allow online betting and is generally opposed by gaming tribes. Together supporters and opponents of the two propositions have spent over $500 million on their campaigns, and polls predict that both will fail. Proposition 30 proposes a tax on personal income over two million dollars with 80% of the proceeds going to subsidize electric cars and charging stations and the remaining going to wildfire safety. We’ll talk about the three measures with our KQED Politics team and take your questions. Guests: Guy Marzorati, reporter and producer, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Kevin Stark, Reporter, KQED Science Maanvi Singh, West Coast reporter, Guardian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pandemic shutdowns forced millions of small businesses across the country to close up shop or barely hang on. Journalist Gary Rivlin spent months following a group of small business owners struggling to survive the pandemic in his new book, “Saving Main Street: Small Business in the Time of COVID-19.” His book chronicles the personal and financial risks the owners had to take amid a contentious presidential election, confusing government aid programs and contradictory safety guidelines. Rivlin joins us to talk about how the pandemic forever changed how small businesses operate and how they are faring now. Guests: Gary Rivlin, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and author, "Saving Main Street Small Business in the Tine of COVID-19" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On March 16, 2021, eight people were killed by a gunman in Atlanta, GA — the majority of whom were Asian women. The murders galvanized a political and social movement, according to Titi Yu, director of the new PBS documentary “Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March.” We’ll hear from family members of victims of anti-Asian violence about their attempts to bring justice to their loved ones, and the difficulties advocates and legislators face in attempting to prosecute acts of anti-Asian violence as hate crimes. Guests: Robert Peterson, son of Yong Ae Yue, who was killed in the Atlanta spa shootings on March 16, 2021 Titi Yu, director, "Rising Against Asian Hate" Monthanus Ratanapakdee, daughter of Vicha Ratanapakdee who was fatally assaulted in San Francisco on January 28, 2021 Charles Jung, executive director, California Asian Pacific American Bar Association (Cal-APABA) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Jose voters will decide on several key races this election including selecting the mayor, several city council members and the county sheriff. In the mayoral race, county supervisor Cindy Chavez and city council member Matt Mahan are competing to lead the nation’s 10th largest city. At the county level, voters will select a replacement for Sheriff Laurie Smith, who is not running for reelection amid grand jury allegations of misconduct and an ongoing investigation into cases of abuse at county jails. As part of KQED’s politics team’s takeover of Forum this week, we’ll talk about the candidates and the issues dominating the races – including housing, homelessness and crime – and we’ll take your election questions. Guests: Garrick Percival, professor and department chair, Department of Political Science, San Jose State University Guy Marzorati, reporter and producer, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Alex Shoor, executive director and co-founder, Catalyze SV, a nonprofit focused on creating sustainable, equitable, and vibrant places for people in Silicon Valley Trân Nguyễn, investigative reporter, San Jose Spotlight, and Report For America Corps Member Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The outcomes of a number of competitive races up and down the state could determine which party controls the House of Representatives come January. We’ll talk about the congressional races in California to keep an eye on, and we’ll break down the statewide races on your ballot, from governor to controller to attorney general. Guests: Scott Shafer, senior editor for KQED’s California Politics and Government desk and co-host of Political Breakdown Guy Marzorati, reporter and producer, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Seema Mehta, politics reporter, Los Angeles Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ballots have landed in mailboxes across California. Now comes the hard part: figuring out what all the ballot measures mean. Senior editor Scott Shafer and the rest of KQED’s politics team has youcovered. We’ll talk about the most interesting items on Bay Area ballots, including mayoral and DA races, a slew of local housing measures and a state proposition that taxes the rich to tackle climate change. We’re here to answer your ballot questions. Guests: Guy Marzorati, reporter and producer, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk. Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED - Co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown show. Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Reporter/Producer covering politics, KQED News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As an 11-year old kid growing up in the L.A. suburbs, writer Jonathan Abrams managed to wheedle a Tupac Shakur cassette from a sympathetic Circuit City employee. When his mom discovered the tape with its parental advisory sticker, she made him return it, but that didn’t deter Abrams’ love for hip-hop. In his new oral history of hip-hop “The Come Up,” Abrams goes back to the genre’s roots and traces its iterations, innovations, and impact on not just music, but global culture. We’ll talk to Abrams and hear from you, who’s your go to hip-hop artist and what’s on your essential hip-hop playlist? Guests: Jonathan Abrams, "The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop," Abrams is a staff writer for the New York Times and author of "All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of the Wire" and "Boys Among Men. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cal Berkeley alum Sheng Wang never expected himself to pursue a career in comedy. But after twenty years as a comedian, practicing his material at San Francisco venues, his hour-long Netflix special “Sweet and Juicy” has propelled him into the spotlight. We’ll talk with Sheng about the road to his new found fame and we’ll check in with local comedians about the Bay Area comedy scene. Guests: Sheng Wang, comedian, writer and actor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Our lives would have been impossible without Ronald Reagan,” says Patty Rodriguez in the opening episode of the podcast series, Out of the Shadows: Children of 86. Rodriguez and co-host Erick Galindo created the series to explore the complicated legacy of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. The act, which provided amnesty and a path to legal status to millions of undocumented residents, came about because of an unlikely ally: then-President Reagan. We’ll talk about the history of the 1986 law, the millions of lives it changed and the families it brought out of the shadows. Guests: Erick Galindo, journalist, writer, podcast creator, television showrunner, producer and co-host, Out of the Shadows: Children of 86 podcast. Ana Raquel Minian Andjel, associate professor of History, Stanford University; author, "Undocumented Lives: The Untold Story of Mexican Migration." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During a raucous L.A. city council meeting yesterday, a crowd of demonstrators demanded the resignations of Nury Martinez, Kevin DeLeón, and Gil Cedillo, three council members who had been caught on tape making racist and derogatory comments about Blacks, Jews, Central Americans, and Armenians, among others. Amidst the shouting, the one moment of quiet came as council member Michael Bonin tearfully shared his outrage over racist remarks made by Martinez, the council’s Latina president, about Bonin's adopted Black son, who Martinez, using a racist slur, called a monkey in need of a “beatdown." Though Martinez resigned from her position as council president, none of the three members has offered to resign from the council. We’ll talk to political analysts about the fallout and the racial and political fault lines revealed by this scandal. Guests: Erika D. Smith, columnist, Los Angeles Times Saul Gonzalez, co-host, The California Report at KQED Gustavo Arellano, columnist, Los Angeles Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco chef Anna Voloshyna’s new cookbook Budmo! is a celebration of Ukrainian food and a call to rescue the regional diversity of her home country’s cuisine from the cultural erasure of Soviet occupation. Voloshyna’s hometown in southern Ukraine is now on the front lines of the Russian retreat and she’s been hosting pop-ups and fundraisers for Ukraine relief. We’ll talk food-memories, recipes and about “Budmo!” a toast that means “let us be”. “Whenever I hear it, I know there will be delicious food, blazing drinks, and countless toasts,” she writes. “This word is fierce and vigorous—a perfect embodiment of Eastern European cuisine.” Forum talks with Voloshyna as part of All You Can Eat, our series on the food cultures of the Bay Area. Guests: Anna Voloshyna, chef, blogger, culinary instructor; author, Budmo! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Californians are contributing their dollars and time to elections in states like Michigan and Arizona where the winning party will have control over reproductive rights, redistricting and potentially the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. We’ll talk to Russell Berman about what’s at stake in state races across the country, as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a case that could expand statehouse authority over federal elections. Berman’s recent piece for the Atlantic is “The Next Presidential Election Is Happening Right Now in the States.” Guests: Russell Berman, staff writer, The Atlantic Craig Mauger, state politics reporter, The Detroit News Mary Jo Pitzl, state policy, politics and elections reporter, The Arizona Republic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two Bay Area scientists have won the 2022 Nobel Prize. Stanford’s Carolyn Bertozzi is one of just eight women to ever win the prize in chemistry (out of 189 total winners). The Nobel committee described her as “an inspiration for women and queer people in STEM.” John Clauser, now 79 years old, received the prize in physics for research he conducted 50 years ago on quantum entanglement - research that he says was considered irrelevant at the time, but has since provided the foundation for quantum computation and quantum communication. Bertozzi and Clauser join Forum to talk about their work and take your science questions. Guests: Dr. John Clauser, winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in physics Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; professor, Stanford University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of struggling and fighting for every role, actor Constance Wu had a popular TV show and a starring role in the hit movie “Crazy Rich Asians.” Then one day she sent out a tweet that nearly cratered her career. The backlash that ensued became the impetus for her new book “Making A Scene,” a collection of essays in which Wu reflects on the burden and responsibility of being a women of color in an industry run largely by men, her childhood as the daughter of immigrants who were not " tiger parents” and her journey as an artist. Wu joins us to talk about what it takes to make a scene and be heard. Guests: Constance Wu, Author, "Making a Scene." Wu has starred in the films "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Hustlers." She previously starred in the series "Fresh Off the Boat." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For thousands of years and hundreds of generations, the Ohlone people have lived on the land that is now known as the East Bay. They were forcibly removed from their land with the arrival of Europeans beginning in the 18th Century. To begin to address the historic harms of the city’s founding, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and tribal Chairperson Corrina Gould started a conversation in 2018 that has grown into a partnership between the City of Oakland and the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust. With final city council approval in November, the trust will be given the rights to a section of Joaquin Miller park known as Sequoia Point, and Oakland will become the first city in California to use municipal property as reparations for land stolen from Native American territories. On this Indigenous Peoples day, we’ll talk to Corrina Gould and Mayor Schaaf about what this means for the Native community in the Bay and how it can serve as precedent for other cities. Related articles: Rematriate the Land Fund - The Sogorea Te Land Trust Guests: Corrina Gould, Director, Sogorea Te’ Land Trust; spokeswoman and Tribal Chair of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan/Ohlone; Co-Founder and Lead Organizer, Indian People Organizing for Change. Libby Schaaf, Mayor, Oakland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In San Francisco, more than half of people experiencing homelessness are unsheltered. In contrast, just three percent of Boston’s unhoused people are living on the streets. With another winter coming on, what steps might California take? What can we learn from Massachusetts? Guests: Darrell Steinberg, Mayor, Sacramento Erin Baldassari, housing affordability reporter, KQED Lyndia Downie, president and executive director, Pine Street Inn - a homeless services provider in Boston, MA Jennifer Friedenbach, Executive Director, Coalition on Homelessness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Craft beer has a long history in California with breweries such as Anchor Steam that started in San Francisco in the mid-1800s and still brews there today. But lately, the industry has exploded. In the past decade the number of craft breweries in California has tripled to 1,100 – and growing. It’s a competitive landscape out there for small, independent beer makers. We’ll talk about what is driving the growth of craft beer in California, why IPAs still dominate beer lists and hear your picks for your favorite local brews. Guests: Barry Braden, co-founder and owner, Fieldwork Brewing Eric Ortega, craft beer specialist and taproom coordinator, Almanac Beer Company Herlinda Heras, artisan beverage expert and co-host of Brew HaHa, a craft beer show, KSRO in Sonoma Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans last month to mobilize more troops to wage his campaign against Ukraine, the reality of the war is setting in for ordinary Russians, according to the Washington Post’s Mary Ilyushina, who’s reporting near the region. Hundreds of thousands of Russians have fled to neighboring countries to avoid the draft, and anti-war protests are mounting. We’ll look at how the mobilization is changing how Russians perceive the war and their government. Guests: Michael Kimmage, professor and history department chair, Catholic University of America; co-author, "What Mobilization Means for Russia: The End of Putin's Bargain with the People" Mary Ilyushina, Russia reporter, Washington Post Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many California lawmakers agree that the lack of unaffordable housing is a huge challenge, but for years they have not agreed on how to fix the problem. This year, the Legislature passed more than 40 laws that promise to boost housing construction. One law allows developers to turn empty strip malls and office buildings into housing. Other laws reduce parking requirements for new housing developments and make it easier for school districts to build teacher housing. Advocates say that though the laws are mostly incremental tweaks to existing policies, they could add up to big changes in the long run. We’ll take a look at this year’s new housing laws and what they could mean for you. Guests: David Garcia, policy director, Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley Buffy Wicks, member, California State Assembly - She represents California’s 15th Assembly District, which includes all or portions of the cities of Oakland, Richmond, Berkeley, Emeryville, Albany, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Pinole, El Sobrante, Hercules, Kensington, and Piedmont. Alfred Twu, architect; housing activist; commissioner, Berkeley Planning and Landmarks commissions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stretching 2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada, the Pacific Crest Trail winds through the Mojave Desert, up to the Sierras and along the Cascades. Backpackers who have hit the trail rave about its beauty and many include “thru hiking” the entirety of the trail on their bucket lists. But what has always been a difficult journey is now getting even harder due to climate change. We’ll talk about how extreme weather, drought and wildfires have impacted the trail, known as the PCT, from beginning to end. Have you hiked the PCT? What was your journey like? Guests: Rowan Moore Gerety, Reporter, Gerety's recent piece for the New York Times is titled "Heat, Water, Fire: How Climate Change Is Transforming the Pacific Crest Trail." Jazmin Ortega, Pacific Crest Trail Thru Hiker, Ortega thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2019. Her trail name is Flamethrower. Scott Wilkinson, Content Development Director, Pacific Crest Trail Association, a nonprofit focused on protecting and preserving the Pacific Crest National Scenic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of the Bay Area’s industrial sites are situated on the waterfront, right next to communities of color. As climate change causes groundwater levels to rise, toxic chemicals buried there threaten to release into the neighborhoods, exacerbating a decades-long pattern of environmental and economic injustice. Now some community advocates are calling for reparations in the form of climate justice, asking for money and services to repair the harms caused by the decision to allow toxic industries in their communities. Forum talks about the threat of toxic flooding and what can be done to prevent it. Guests: Kristina Hill, director, Institute for Urban and Regional Development, College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley. Ezra David Romero, climate reporter, KQED Margaret Gordon, co-director, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most everyone recognizes Prince's masterpiece "Purple Rain," the Grammy Award-winning album engineered by Susan Rogers. But do you know why you love this record? In her new book "This is What It Sounds Like," Rogers explains that we all have a unique "listener profile," determined by how we respond to seven musical elements, such as lyrics, melody and timbre. Rogers joins us to explain what the music we love says about us. Guests: Susan Rogers, cognitive neuroscientist and a professor, Berklee College of Music; multiplatinum record producer; sound engineer for Prince’s; recipient of the Music Producer’s Guild Outstanding Contribution to U.K. Music award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two Berkeley High School students were shot and killed at an Oakland birthday party on Saturday. On Wednesday six adults were shot at an Oakland school. The week before, two men were killed near their mosque after attending services, and in a shooting outside of city hall during a city council meeting, one man was killed, one injured. Forum talks with Oakland’s mayor, chief of police, and the city’s chief of violence prevention about what explains the surge in violent crime and what can be done about it. Guests: Libby Schaaf, Oakland mayor LeRonne Armstrong, police chief, Oakland Police Department Guillermo Cespedes, chief of Violence Prevention, City of Oakland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many small California towns that were devastated by recent wildfires are determined to rebuild, such as Greenville, which is the community at the focus of the Los Angeles Times series "Rebuild,Reburn." But as climate change intensifies wildfires -- and political extremism -- the state is facing a dilemma as resources dwindle. How long will it be sustainable to send aid to rebuild towns that face continual danger from wildfires? We'll talk with journalists who investigated the unrest growing in rural towns and what people on both sides have to say. Guests: Erika D. Smith, columnist, Los Angeles Times. Anita Chabria, columnist, Los Angeles Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julia Morgan is best known as the architect of opulent, eccentric Hearst Castle, but she designed roughly 700 buildings in her 50-year career. From her first commission, the El Campanil bell tower at Mill’s college, to the Arts and Crafts Asilomar and the Gothic and Moorish Berkeley City Club, the Oakland-raised architect created many of California’s most distinctive and disparate buildings in a time when architecture was an almost exclusively male field. We’ll talk with Victoria Kastner, author of “Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect” and we’ll hear from listeners: What’s your favorite Julia Morgan building? Guests: Victoria Kastner, author, "Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices