Kqeds Forum

As the lockdown ends, Bay Area arts exhibits and shows are re-emerging. Through a free app Kronos Quartet and Composer Ellen Reid present a curated, GPS-based experience that encourages reflection and exploration of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. How does it work, and why Golden Gate Park? We’ll speak with the team behind this new interactive experience.

Across the Bay Area, employers in retail, restaurants and other industries, report that there are more jobs available than workers to fill them. As California re-opens for business, concern is rising that a labor shortage may impede the state’s ability to bounce back from the pandemic. While there appears to be no single reason for the worker shortage, economists say the high cost of living, wage stagnation, and worker demands are among the reasons that employees cite for not taking available jobs or even staying out of the job market altogether. We’ll talk to a panel of experts and hear from employers and employees about the latest labor dynamics.

Forecasters are predicting an intense, multi-day heat wave in California this week that could shatter records for mid-June. Cities across the state are expected to see triple-digit temperatures, and parts of the Central Valley could reach 120 degrees. We'll talk about what the heat wave might signal for the state's warming climate, as well as how to best stay cool this week.

For more than a year, thousands of renters in California have been able to stave off evictions thanks to a state moratorium. But that moratorium is set to expire at the end of June unless state lawmakers grant an extension. Meanwhile, more than 900,000 households are behind on paying rent, according to the National Equity Atlas. So far, government programs aimed at helping renters have only reached a small fraction of eligible tenants. We talk about the prospects of extending eviction protections and the impacts on renters if the moratorium ends this month.

Before the pandemic took hold, some higher education institutions -- particularly community colleges and small or mid-sized private schools -- were struggling with declining enrollment and financial problems. And those challenges became far worse during the shutdown. By Spring 2021, the total number of undergraduates fell by five percent from 2020 — 727,000 students in all — according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Educators and policymakers say the drop indicates that many would-be college students are struggling to access or afford college— even if a degree could help them advance economically. We talk about these enrollment challenges and how they can be addressed.

California heads toward a full reopening of its economy on Tuesday, as COVID-19 infections reach their lowest levels in 14 months in the state. Capacity restrictions on most businesses will be lifted and physical distancing requirements will be gone. Some decisions still need to be made, such as whether fully vaccinated workers can go maskless. We’ll get the latest on exactly what reopening will look like and what it means for Bay Area businesses and the economy. And we’ll hear from you. Are you ready for a full reopening?

As Californians get ready to go to the beach this summer, there's a new worry to consider: ticks that carry Lyme disease. A new four-year study has found that the coastal brushlands from Mendocino to Monterey are home to Lyme disease-carrying ticks, which were previously thought to populate mainly inland areas. We'll talk about the study and how you can protect yourself from tick bites.

The Consumer Price Index rose by five percent in May compared to the same period a year ago — the sharpest increase since 2008. The new Labor Department numbers come as consumers are experiencing sticker shock over products like lumber and used cars. We'll talk about whether the price increases are a temporary byproduct of pandemic-related shortages or a sign of an inflationary period to come.

In his latest book “Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal,” author and Atlantic staff writer George Packer argues that the country is not divided in two camps, but rather that it’s split into four Americas. Those Americas — Free America, Smart America, Real America, and Just America — are separated along political, economic, educational, religious and social justice lines, and Packer notes, “I don’t much want to live in the republic of any of them.” Instead, he says we need to find a way to trust one another to create a nation with the eye on the prize: to be an Equal America. We’ll talk to Packer about his book.

From celebrities like Harry Styles and the members of boy band BTS to social media beauty influencers like Patrick Starrr and Kenneth Senegal, more and more men and nonbinary folk are publicly embracing makeup in their daily lives. And as author and journalist David Yi argues in their new book, the male beauty influencers of today have ancient cultural precedents. “Pretty Boys” traces male beauty figures throughout history, from Ramses the Great to ‘80s glam rockers to drag culture newly entering the mainstream. We’ll hear about how beauty influencers, both past and present, have explored gender through makeup.

Ahmed Muhammad recently became the first Black male valedictorian in Oakland Technical High School’s over 100 year history. In his graduation speech Muhammad said, "there is absolutely no way you can tell me I am the first Black person capable of being valedictorian." Ahmed joins us to speak about his homage to those who "had the ability but not the opportunity" and his plans to continue supporting the youth of Oakland and the greater Bay Area community.

From the 1969 Stonewall riots to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, activism has been at the core of the LGBTQ community. That activism has led to landmark changes such as legalizing same sex marriage, which, according to a recent Gallup poll, 70% of Americans support. The meaning of Pride has also evolved as the battle for rights and equality continues.  We talk with three generations of queer activists about how the struggles and victories in the past 50 years laid the groundwork for the legal, political and cultural advances we see today.

For decades, police misconduct investigations in California were kept secret from the public. That all changed when a 2018 law, SB 1421, made many of those records accessible under the California Public Records Act. “On Our Watch,” a new podcast by KQED and NPR, examines how California law enforcement investigates complaints of misconduct, the harm experienced by the people who filed these complaints — and how that harm was sometimes furthered in the process of seeking accountability. The podcast tells stories of police killings, sexual harassment and excessive force that in many cases left survivors and families demanding justice for years. We’ll hear about those stories and the shadow world of police discipline.

As the drought worsens, Santa Clara County has declared a water shortage emergency, paving the way for mandatory water restrictions for the county's residents. While most individual water usage is drop in the bucket compared with agricultural water use, many residents and businesses want to do something to help. Did you know that you can save approximately 25 gallons of water by taking a five-minute shower instead of a 10-minute shower? We’ll get the latest on how the drought is affecting the Bay Area, and learn some tips for conserving water usage at home and at work.

According to a recent report published by ProPublica, some of the nation’s richest executives — Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Mike Bloomberg, to name a few — pay little to no income tax. This news may come as no surprise to many, but one startling fact stands out: the methods and deductions these billionaires use are all perfectly legal. Using a trove of leaked IRS files, reporters from ProPublica analyzed more than 15 years worth of tax returns to unveil the ways in which the wealthiest among us avoid paying federal income tax. We’ll hear about the report.

It’s been 40 years since the CDC first reported cases of a deadly, rare lung infection in five previously healthy gay men in Los Angeles. The infection came later to be understood as a symptom of HIV-AIDS, the syndrome that has claimed more than 700,000 American lives. We’ll hear reflections from those who knew and cared for the earliest and sickest patients, in an era of scarce public health information and widespread homophobia.

As part of his $12 billion two-year plan to address homelessness, Governor Newsom initially earmarked $7 billion to be used for a variety of housing measures, including Project Homekey, a state-sponsored program that buys existing motels, hotels and office buildings to convert them into housing. Housing advocates say this is a game changer that could create 43,000 units of housing that would help alleviate the suffering of the 161,000 people in California without a home. But some experts say it’s unlikely to be sufficient, as the state’s homeless population grows due to unemployment from the pandemic and the looming end of the statewide eviction moratorium. We’ll talk about how Homekey works, who it serves and whether this ambitious program is a sustainable solution for what has been an intractable problem.

More than 2.5 million people in the United States -- the majority of whom are women, immigrants and people of color -- work in what’s known as the care economy. They’re house cleaners, nannies and caregivers for the elderly. During the pandemic, many lost their jobs while others took immense risks to keep working. Ai-Jen Poo, who heads the National Domestic Workers Alliance, joins us to talk about the fight to secure better pay and benefits for workers and why she believes that domestic work should be treated as essential infrastructure.

Nancy Reagan is one of the most controversial first ladies in U.S. history. She rewrote the role of political spouse first in Sacramento when her husband was governor, then in the White House. In her new biography, “The Triumph of Nancy Reagan,” Washington Post political columnist Karen Tumulty traces Nancy Reagan's personal history and the path that led to her becoming so influential in the Reagan Whitehouse. Tumulty joins us to discuss her in-depth portrayal of the first lady.

A Federal judge in San Diego struck down California’s ban on assault-style guns on Friday. The state is appealing the ruling, but how effective is the ban? California has 107 laws on the books aimed at gun control, but it also has the most mass-shootings in the nation. We’ll examine the court decision and the future and effectiveness of gun laws in California.