Kqeds Forum

The last few weeks have brought welcome news of promising vaccines, and at least a faint light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. But for many of the Bay Area’s struggling music venues, the end of restrictions might not come soon enough. Those clubs and theaters say they desperately need government help -- or will go out of business permanently. We’ll check in on the local music scene and find out about efforts to help venues and artists.

Nearly 20 years ago George Gascón was the assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. This month he was elected as the city’s new district attorney overcoming fierce opposition from law enforcement groups. Gascón, the former district attorney and police chief of San Francisco, campaigned on a platform of criminal justice reform, including a promise to stop prosecuting children as adults, not seeking the death penalty and possibly reopening investigations into fatal shootings by police officers. We’ll talk to Gascón about his ideas for reform and his close election, defeating LA’s first Black district attorney partly by galvanizing the support of Black Lives Matter activists.

In a recent tweet, Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, wrote that in “about 3 weeks we’re going to have real vaccine doses and real people who want their shots.” Officials will have to make difficult decisions and provide clear guidance on who should be the first to receive a coronavirus vaccine. “Folks need to be able to trust the process,” Wachter tweeted. We’ll be covering vaccine distribution in detail in the coming days and weeks. But right now, we have a few minutes with Bob Wachter to give us a preview of how UCSF -- and the Bay Area -- could handle early shipments of a vaccine.

Before the election, Silicon Valley congressman Ro Khanna criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for refusing to take up President Trump’s $1.8 trillion coronavirus relief deal. He’s a firm believer in universal sick leave and guaranteed safety protections now more than ever. He joins us to talk about what Congress should do immediately to provide pandemic relief. And, we’ll hear his take on president-elect Joe Biden’s political appointments.

Many of us take money for granted as a certainty, but what exactly is money? Jacob Goldstein, co-host of NPR’s Planet Money podcast, explores that question in his book, “Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing.” Goldstein argues that monetary systems depend on a collective belief that an object, such as a piece of metal or paper, is worth a given amount. The history of money stretches back centuries and continues to evolve in surprising ways. We’ll talk with Goldstein about the origin of money as a fictional concept that nonetheless shapes our lives.

K-12 education has gone online, prompting no shortage of complaints from parents and kids alike. But as teachers get better at engaging students with screens, some educators and technologists see an opportunity to customize instruction and let kids work at their own pace. We'll hear from one of online learning’s early innovators: Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy. The non-profit site became a key resource for teachers during the pandemic shutdown. What advice does he have for distance learning, part two?

In this hour, we’re going to focus on elementary age children and organized outdoor play during the pandemic. California’s stay at home order and pandemic guidance saw schools close and effectively suspended youth sports back in March. In late July, state health officials began allowing training, conditioning and physical education under specific circumstances. More recently, some schools have returned to in-person learning, complete with PE and recess. What are we learning about how to do outdoor organized play safely, and how can we apply it to activities at home to keep kids healthy? We’ll hear from experts who have some ideas and answers for us.

The new Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit” follows a chess prodigy named Beth who takes on the male-dominated world of chess in the 1960s. We’ll hear how the series is sparking renewed interest in the game to the point of making chess sets a best-selling holiday gift this year. Chess, a type of board game that evolved centuries ago and has been played in its current form since the 1500s, is known for requiring intellectual skill and maneuvering. We’ll discuss efforts to make professional chess, which has historically excluded women and people of color, more inclusive.

General Services Administration chief Emily Murphy informed President-elect Joe Biden Monday that she would release the post-election funds and resources necessary for his transition to the presidency. The news came just after Michigan certified its election results, allocating its 16 electoral votes to Biden and ending Trump's multi-pronged campaign to overturn the results based on false claims of voter fraud.  Despite those developments, Trump has still refused to concede, tweeting Monday that he'd "keep up the good fight." We'll talk about the effect these last few weeks of political uncertainty have had on the nation and its institutions.

Four years ago, Lisa Lucas became the first African American to lead the National Book Foundation, the organization that runs the National Book Awards and promotes reading and writing. Lucas will move into a new job in January as senior vice president at Penguin Random House. As she wraps up her current role, she has called on the book industry to take more risks, publish and advocate for more writers of color, and in general, “do better.” She joined the foundation after serving as publisher of arts magazine Guernica and director of education at the Tribeca Film Institute. We’ll talk with her about her career, diversity in the publishing industry and her holiday book picks.

In a long-awaited move, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin filed charges against a police officer who fatally shot a man in 2017 after a car chase. The shooting happened nearly three years ago, well before Boudin took office, but has been seen as a pivotal case for Boudin, who campaigned on a promise to hold police accountable for brutality and killings. Boudin’s office said the charges against former San Francisco Police Department Officer Chris Samayoa are the first homicide prosecution against a law enforcement officer in the city’s history. We talk with Boudin about the case and his broader vision for police accountability.

California has seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases since the end of October, as well as an increase in hospitalizations. The state coronavirus test positivity rate is now above five percent, yet that's relatively low when compared to much of the rest of the country. While California hospitals still have capacity, other parts of the nation are already strained, some overwhelmed, by this latest surge. We'll talk to Ed Yong, science writer for the Atlantic, about preparations hospitals are making and what front line workers face.

California’s unemployment agency has been under scrutiny ever since claims surged as the pandemic took a toll on jobs. Criticism has revolved around outdated technology, claims backlogs and a revamped customer help center still unable to accommodate all the calls. Most recently, the Employment Development Department sent out 38 million pieces of mail containing social security numbers, putting claimants at risk of identity theft. We’ll hear what a new state audit of the EDD found and get the latest on the agency’s struggles to support unemployed Californians.

Businesses across the country are struggling because of the pandemic, but Asian American establishments face particular challenges. In addition to steep drops in revenue and little help from the government , racism and xenophobia are also taking a toll. Now that the pandemic has stretched on for almost a year, some owners are scrambling to survive as consumers spend less at restaurants, nail salons, and dry cleaners. In the Bay Area, a “Save our Chinatowns” campaign is urging people to support Asian-owned businesses. We’ll look at how the pandemic is affecting California’s Asian-American businesses and find out about efforts to support them.

As coronavirus cases surge in the state, Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a curfew for most of the state and many counties are reinstating restrictions that were only recently lifted. Add to that the winter cold and rains, which make it harder to gather outside, and the coming holidays which remind us of more festive times. It’s leaving many of us with severe cases of pandemic fatigue. We’ll talk about what we’re experiencing and ways to alleviate it.

Governor Gavin Newsom this week announced a dramatic rollback of reopening plans--including a curfew in a majority of the state’s counties. But the governor himself is under fire for attending a birthday party for a friend-- and powerful lobbyist -- at the exclusive French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley. Among the other attendees were top officials from the California Medical Association, Politico reported on Thursday. Meanwhile more details are emerging about a recent trip by a group of California officials to a conference in Maui, which is also raising eyebrows. 

With coronavirus case numbers rising in California and across the country, public officials are telling families to stay home and avoid gathering for Thanksgiving. Many families are now reworking their usual game plans -- whether that means holding a virtual gathering, ordering takeout or abandoning typical Thanksgiving rules to cook something you might not normally cook. This hour, we’ll hear how you’re reimagining your holiday traditions and get expert tips on ways to have a safe, fulfilling holiday.

Programs that temporarily house elderly and vulnerable homeless people in hotel rooms during the pandemic got a boost earlier this week when Governor Newsom announced an additional $62 million in funding. But finding permanent housing for these individuals remains challenging. San Francisco plans to begin shutting down the first seven of 29 shelter-in-place hotels by Dec. 21, and concern is growing over where up to 500 individuals will go as the cold and rain sets in. Other counties, such as Marin, have already moved nearly everyone out of their hotels. Meanwhile Bay Area suburbs like Novato and Milpitas are pushing back against plans to convert hotels into permanent supportive housing. We’ll get an update on programs to help the homeless during the pandemic and what’s being done to ensure permanent solutions to the housing crisis.  

The coronavirus pandemic has jolted many industries and Hollywood is no exception. With only a few weeks of material left to shoot, the blockbuster “Jurassic World: Dominion” halted production after a few positive coronavirus tests. Movie theaters nationwide are hurting from restrictive measures on indoor viewings. Even media conglomerates such as Disney have suffered financial losses. But there is hope your favorite TV shows and much-anticipated movies may be out soon. We’ll look at how movies and shows are still getting made and what the movie industry might look like after the pandemic.

Stanford University distanced itself from Trump administration task force member and Hoover Institution senior fellow Dr. Scott Atlas on Monday after Atlas tweeted that Michigan residents should "rise up" over new coronavirus restrictions. In a written statement, Stanford said his views were “inconsistent with the university’s approach” and emphasized the use of masks, social distancing and following public health guidelines. In September, a large group of Stanford colleagues signed a letter criticizing Atlas for undermining public health by misrepresenting the science on how to tackle the pandemic. We hear about the controversies and how they tie into long-standing tensions between university faculty and the free-market leaning Hoover Institution.