Kqeds Forum

We take a deep dive into Proposition 36 on California’s November ballot. The measure would impose harsher penalties on some theft and drug possession offenses by rolling back Proposition 47, approved by voters in 2014. More than 70% of likely voters say they support Prop 36, according to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California. We’ll look at why and hear from both sides of the campaign. Guests: Darrell Steinberg, mayor, Sacramento Jeff Reisig, district attorney of Yolo County Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown

The 2020 elections brought in a wave of progressive politicians from mayors to district attorneys. But many of those leaders were subjected to recalls or even ousted from office. In a piece for the New York Times, columnist Nicholas Kristof, who recently ran for governor of Oregon, offered this rejoinder to critics of liberals running cities struggling with rising crime and homelessness: “[T]he problem isn’t with liberalism. It’s with West Coast liberalism.” According to Kristof, in governance, progressives were valuing intentions over outcomes. As San Francisco prepares to elect its next mayor, and as Oakland decides whether to recall theirs, we launch a new Forum series examining progressive politics in our region. To kick off this series, we talk to experts about the state of progressive politics and hear from you: How do you feel about progressivism? What has it done right? What has it done wrong? Guests: Alicia John-Baptiste, president and CEO, SPUR Jessica Trounstine, centennial chair and professor of p

Lots of movies are filmed in Los Angeles, but only a relative few give a leading role to the city itself. Yet a new series at Berkeley’s Pacific Film Archive “considers a selection of films that foreground the history, architecture, and neighborhoods of Los Angeles.” The series includes mainstream picks like “Chinatown” and “La La Land”, but also under the radar gems like “Killer of Sheep,” a milestone in Black indie film, and the landmark Asian Pacific American feature “Hito Hata: Raise the Banner.” We’ll talk with film critics about those movies and more…and we want to hear from you…what’s your most essential LA movie? Guests: Elvis Mitchell, culture critic and historian; host of KCRW's The Treatment, an inside look at the creators of popular culture; director of the 2022 Netflix documentary "Is That Black Enough for You?!? Amy Nicholson, LA-based film critic; host of the podcast "Unspooled" May Hong HaDuong, director, UCLA Film & Television Archive; Film and Television Archive - which collaborated wit

On the surface, a ritual is simply an act that carries a special meaning. It can be as ordinary as saying a blessing before a meal or as elaborate as a three-day Indian wedding. Underneath the surface, rituals can be very powerful and add deep meaning to our lives. They may or may not be rooted in spirituality, but they have to be special. But our increasingly secular modern world is full of distractions that often pull people away from traditions and rites. We’ll talk about how rituals add meaning to our lives, how to practice them and we’ll hear from you, what are the rituals you have stuck with? Guests: Dr. Vanessa Calderón, physician, professional coach and resiliency expert. She also hosts "The Empowered Brain" podcast Ezra Bookman, a ritual designer, artist; facilitator and founder of Ritualist, a creative studio specializing in secular rituals

More Americans in 2024 are taking on a ‘no-buy challenge,’ according to the Associated Press. They’re pledging for at least a year to purchase only essential items to curb impulse spending, reduce credit card debt or become more environmentally conscious. We hear from someone who’s taken on the challenge and the impact it’s had on her, and we explore why we’re tempted to overspend in the first place. Have you attempted a ‘no buy challenge?’ Guests: Adriana Morga, reporter covering financial literacy and personal finance, Associated Press Aparna Labroo, professor of marketing and consumer psychologist, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University; co-editor of the Journal of Consumer Psychology Elysia Berman, creative director and content creator, @elysiaberman on TikTok

California’s public schools will be required to restrict cell phone use on campuses by 2026, under a bill awaiting Governor Newsom’s signature. Many Bay Area schools have already banned, or limited, the use of phones during the school day. We’ll check in with teachers, administrators and students about what’s working, what’s not and whether limiting phones has helped kids concentrate in class. Guests: Diego Ochoa, superintendent, San Mateo-Foster City School District Maximus Simmons, junior at Oakland High School and a student director on the Oakland Unified School Board, Oakland High School Hasmig Minassian, 9th grade ethnic studies teacher, Berkeley High School Nico Fischer, junior, Santa Clara High School Yvonne Shiu, principal, San Mateo High School

Thanks to cooler weather, firefighters are making progress this week on three major Southern California wildfires. But the Airport, Line and Bridge fires have already burned through more than 100,000 acres, destroyed dozens of homes, and forced thousands to evacuate. And experts say California’s fire season could get worse before it gets better. We’ll get updates on the fires and hear about the latest research on the health effects of wildfire smoke, and what you can do to protect yourself. Guests: Madison Aument, reporter, KVCR Nick Shuler, Deputy Director, CALFIRE Amy MacPherson, Information Officer, California Air Resources Board Joan Casey, Associate Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington

After California made it illegal for pet stores to sell puppies in 2019, a vast underground market developed supplied by breeders in the Midwest that ship truckloads of puppies here. A new Los Angeles Times investigation found that often those puppies had been born in mass breeding facilities where they were neglected and not given adequate medical care. Families, who paid thousands of dollars for pets they were told were bred locally, often ended up with sick animals. Over the course of 14 months, the Times investigated how these unscrupulous puppy supply chains operate, the lack of protections for dogs, and why abusive breeders and brokers face few consequences. We’ll talk with the reporters about their investigation and how you can avoid getting duped by unscrupulous sellers. Guests: Melody Gutierrez, investigative reporter, Los Angeles Times Alene Tchekmedyian, investigative reporter, Los Angeles Times Melanie Sadek, president, Valley Humane Society

A tight race is on for control of the House of Representatives this fall, and California voters could play a pivotal role in the outcome. Republicans are seeking to defend seats in highly competitive races in the Central Valley and the Inland Empire while Democrats are focusing on protecting the seat held by Representative Katie Porter in Orange County. We preview the congressional races and hear what contests you’re keeping an eye on. Guests: Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government; co-host, Political Breakdown Catie Edmondson, congressional correspondent, The New York Times Laura J Nelson, staff writer covering politics and campaign finances, LA Times

Marine biologist and climate activist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, like the rest of us, has heard plenty of terrifying warnings about the dangers of failing to act on climate change. What she’s heard less is a question she says is not asked enough about our climate crisis: What if we get it right? That question is the title of her new book of interviews with innovators in the climate movement about what the world could be “if we charge ahead with the array of climate solutions we have at our fingertips.” We talk with Johnson about that future world and how we can get there. Guests: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, marine biologist, co-founder of think tank Urban Ocean Lab, author, What if we Get it Right? Visions of Climate Futures - co creator of the Blue New Deal, a road map for including the ocean in climate policy

Do you have a TV show you hate-watch? As streaming platforms and their algorithms collect more data on the types of shows we like to watch, they feed us shows that are so close to something we’ve loved in the past, but something about them is off. What starts as an earnest TV show tune-in becomes a show you can’t stop complaining about at happy hour. As New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson writes, “you can only hate-watch a show that you theoretically should have loved.” We’ll talk with Wilkinson about how a hate-watch is different from a guilty pleasure, why we participate in this weird cultural phenomenon, and we hear from you: What are you hate-watching? Guests: Alissa Wilkinson, movie critic, New York Times

Most Americans are now acutely aware that we have a housing crisis, but Atlantic writer Jerusalem Demsas says that we have much less clarity about what’s causing it. “All too often,” she writes, “explanations center around identifying a villain: greedy developers, or private equity companies, or racist neighbors, or gentrifiers, or corrupt politicians.” All which may be true, she says, but they fail to identify the root cause, that housing decisions are made at the hyper local level, in a tangle of zoning boards, historical preservation committees and sparsely attended meetings, “where no one is watching and no one is accountable.” We talk to Demsas about her new collection of essays, “On the Housing Crisis: Land, Development, Democracy” and why she thinks local governments are to blame for the housing shortage. Guests: Jerusalem Demsas, staff writer, Atlantic Magazine; author, On the Housing Crisis: Land, Development, Democracy

Voice actors and motion-capture artists in SAG-AFTRA have been striking against major video game companies since July to secure protections against the use of "digital replicas" created by artificial intelligence. The union is demanding greater transparency, consent requirements, and fair compensation for A.I. use. We'll talk to video game performers on how the strike is impacting them and what it means for the industry. Guests: Mandalit del Barco, correspondent, NPR Alberto Menache, motion capture specialist, co-founder of NPCx Sarah Elmaleh , voice artist, director, chair of SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Andi Norris, actor, stunt and movement performer, member of SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee

The Bay Area is home to a surprising number of symphonies and philharmonic orchestras. They’re found not just in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland, but Walnut Creek, Santa Rosa Berkeley and other smaller cities also manage to support orchestras. September ushers in the start of a new season for many of these groups. But sustaining local performing arts organizations and introducing new audiences to classical music remains a huge challenge. We check in with local orchestras about their upcoming performances and how you can support the arts. Guests: Donato Cabrera, music and artistic director, California Symphony Jessica Bejarano, founder and music director, San Francisco Philharmonic Kedrick Armstrong, music director and conductor, Oakland Symphony Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts & Culture

Americans love big cars. But a new data analysis by the Economist finds the bigger the cars, the deadlier they are for pedestrians, for people driving smaller cars and for our roads and infrastructure. As the Economist’s Daniel Knowles writes, “for every life the heaviest 1% of SUVs or trucks saves in America, more than a dozen lives are lost in smaller vehicles.” Regulators are starting to consider ways car design could be safer for pedestrians and other drivers. But advocates say more needs to be done. As part of our In Transit series, we’ll take a closer look at the impact of big cars and hear from you: Do you love your big car? Why? Guests: Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, UC Berkeley School of Law; host of the podcast, Climate Break Daniel Knowles, Midwest correspondent, the Economist Angie Schmitt, journalist, author of "RIGHT OF WAY: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America", founder at 3MPH Planning and Con

For years, people felt good drinking a glass or two of red wine for the supposed health benefits, but last year the World Health Organization declared that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.” The debate over alcohol and health is happening as the federal government prepares to release new dietary and nutrition guidelines next year. We’ll talk to experts about whether light drinking is harmful and what we can expect from the new guidelines. And we want to hear from you, how much alcohol do you deem safe? Guests: Esther Mobley, senior wine critic, San Francisco Chronicle Dr. Gregory Marcus, cardiologist, electrophysiologist and professor of medicine, University of California, San Francisco Adam Sherk, scientist, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria - He is also a researcher for the World Health Organization's Collaborating Centre for Alcohol and Public Health Policy.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump take the stage Tuesday night for their first Presidential debate. The only debate on the books before November’s election, it’s being held in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. Political analysts are watching for how the two challenge each other on the key issues of immigration, health care and the economy – as well as for the pair’s cadence and debate strategies. Mics will only be turned on for the candidate speaking; there will be no in-room audience. Thirty percent of Americans say the debate will inform their vote, according to a NPR-Marist poll released Tuesday morning. We’ll recap the major takeaways with KQED’s politics team and hear your reactions. Guests: Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED - co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government; co-host, Political Breakdown Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk

Michael Blecker spent three years as an infantryman in Vietnam, and the last four decades fighting for veterans as the executive director of the nonprofit Swords to Plowshares. In that role, Blecker has spearheaded efforts to help vets suffering from the psychic and physical wounds of war. He’s concentrated his work on issues that have plagued veterans including poverty, illnesses like Agent Orange or Gulf War Syndromes, homelessness and despair. Along the way, Blecker has earned praise as one of the country’s leading and most effective advocates for veterans. Nancy Pelosi, calls him an “American hero.” Blecker retires this year, and we talk to him about his life in service. Guests: Michael Blecker, Executive Director, Swords to Plowshares, a nonprofit based in San Francisco and focused on supporting veterans

During her first major interview since becoming the Democratic party nominee, Kamala Harris was asked by CNN if she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet. She replied, “I would,” and added, “I think it’s important to have people at the table and when some of the most important decisions are being made that have different views, different experiences.” In response, vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance told Fox News that former President Trump would appoint a Democrat to his cabinet if elected. While the U.S. hasn’t had an opposite-party cabinet member since the Obama Administration, there’s significant precedent for the practice. We’ll look at the history of presidents, from Lincoln to Obama, appointing cabinet members not from their party, what impact those appointments had and what’s possible in today’s politically polarized environment. Guests: Lindsay Chervinsky, presidential historian; executive director, George Washington Presidential Library - author, “Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Prece

What a difference a few months makes. June’s presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump made history, as Biden’s poor performance led to his withdrawal from the race. On Tuesday, his replacement, Kamala Harris, will debate Trump for the first, and perhaps only time. With polls showing a tightening race (the closest in 60 years, according to CNN), both campaigns are hoping this debate moves the needle. Harris is trying to define herself for the many voters who say they don’t know enough about who she is and where she stands. For his part, Trump has been claiming without evidence that the debate is “rigged” on Harris’ behalf. We’ll preview the debate and get the latest on the race, with less than two months before Election Day. Guests: James Fallows, contributing writer, The Atlantic - and author of the newsletter Breaking the News. He was chief White House speechwriter for Jimmy Carter Sabrina Siddiqui , White House Reporter, Wall Street Journal