Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Jonathan Weber: City on the Edge, the Fight for the Soul of San Francisco Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

From boom to collapse? Veteran San Francisco journalist Jonathan Weber joins us for a deep-dive into San Francisco’s meteoric transformation into a global capital of technology—and how the same forces that gave rise to its boom nearly engineered its end.
In the early 1990s, San Francisco was a beautiful if somewhat troubled mid-sized metropolis, still reeling from the AIDS epidemic and the Loma Prieta earthquake; its economy was stuck in a post-industrial torpor. The city that had once been considered the capital of the American West and later a home of counterculture, the city by the bay faced an uncertain future. But at that same time, a new wave of technology entrepreneurs were busy inventing the next stage of the internet, and the city would soon undergo an epic political, social and economic transformation into the tech capital of the world. Local politicians, including Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris, became rising stars in the Democratic Party nationally.
So, crisis averted? No. A host of urban ills were waiting to grab the limelight: homelessness, drug addiction, mental illness, and a crippling lack of new housing. The city’s famous left-wing political establishment struggled to get its arms around the problems, becoming a punching bag for President Trump and the resurgent right. When the pandemic arrived in 2020, it created new crises and laid old ones bare, shattering a “City Family” that had ruled for more than 30 years and prompting a sharp rightward turn by the once liberal tech industry.

Weber saw it all up close as a reporter and newsroom leader. In his new book City on the Edge, he offers a sweeping history of a city that rose to dizzying heights, only to be undone by the heedlessness of a tech industry it did so much to spawn and politicians who had lost the plot. Hear all about the war waged for the heart of San Francisco—one that anticipated the culture wars raging around the world. Its outcome would have an impact far beyond the city’s famed Golden Gate.

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CLIMATE ONE: Cleaner Steel is Coming. Will the Communities That Built the Industry Benefit? Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

Making steel accounts for around 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But the industry could reduce that number by removing coal from the steel-making process entirely. Three of the U.S.’s last seven coal-based steel mills are situated along Lake Michigan. Together, these facilities produce nearly half of the steel made in the U.S., supplying skyscraper beams, car doors, and appliances across the country. And right now, in Northwest Indiana, a once-in-a-generation decision is on the table.

Nippon Steel, the owners of the Gary Works steel mill, can either extend the life of their aging blast furnaces for another 20 years and continuing coal-based production, or invest in cleaner, next-generation steelmaking. Other steelmakers have already moved towards decarbonization. Will Nippon switch to cleaner steelmaking for the next generation, or double-down on coal?

Guests:

Terry Steagall, Retired Steelworker, United Steelworker Union activist

Hilary Lewis, Steel Director, Industrious Labs

Roger Smith, Asia Lead, SteelWatch

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

1:55 Terry Steagall on the importance of the steel industry in northwest Indiana

4:31 Terry Steagall on relining blast furnaces

11:16 Terry Steagall on cleaner steel for the next generation

14:27 Hilary Lewis on steel industry emissions

19:36 Hilary Lewis on the realistic path to decarbonizing the steel industry

23:03 Hilary Lewis on the pressure facing the industry to make cleaner steel

27:57 Hilary Lewis on the industry’s move to southern states

34:01 Roger Smith on the scale of US Steel’s acquisition by Nippon Steel

36:58 Roger Smith on the “golden share” the Trump administration received

46:33 Roger Smith on the viable technology for cleaner steel

For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit our ⁠⁠⁠episode page⁠⁠⁠ at climateone.org

***

Join Climate One for an induction cooking demonstration night on July 21, at 6 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Come enjoy delicious food and wine, and learn about why cooking with magnets beats cooking with gas. Tickets available at ⁠⁠⁠climateone.org/events⁠⁠⁠

***

Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠⁠.

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Healthy Society Series—America @250: What Kind of America Do You Want? Jul 15, 2026

Show notes

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was issued, and it contains the DNA of the future United States of America.

At the heart of this remarkable document that sought to overthrow existing governmental institutions is the profound statement that echoes through the ages. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter, or abolish it, and to establish a new Government . . . as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

As we celebrate 250 years since this document was created, we will ask the question: What kind of America do you want? This is at a time of great social disruption, with many people believing that their life, liberty and happiness are under daily threat. This discussion will focus on where we go from here.

A Health & Medicine Member-led Forum program. Forums and Chapters at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.

Organizer: Robert Lee Kilpatrick

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A Story for Everything: An Afternoon with Corey Rosen, Host of ‘The Moth’ Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

Come and meet author and master storyteller Corey Rosen for an unforgettable evening as he talks about his new book, A Story for Everything, a practical and inspiring guide to telling meaningful stories in everyday life.

In this engaging discussion, Rosen will share his personal experiences behind the book, the storytelling frameworks he teaches around the country, and the surprising ways stories shape our relationships, careers and communities.

Rosen will share insights from hosting “The Moth,” why everyone has more stories than they think, the difference between a memory and a story, the “Moment, Meaning, Message” framework and how storytelling builds connection and trust.

About the Speaker

Corey Rosen is a writer, actor, visual effects producer and storytelling teacher based in San Francisco. He is the author of Your Story, Well Told: Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience, a laugh-out-loud, funny, practical and inspiring manual to develop true stories from concept through presentation. And his newly released book, A Story for Everything: Mastering Diverse Storytelling for Any Occasion, is a comprehensive guide to storytelling for professional, educational and personal success.

Rosen got his start writing for Comedy Central and Jim Henson Productions. As staff writer for Lucasfilm Animation and Tippett Studio, he wrote the screenplays for several films and theme park rides and attractions exhibiting around the world. He has been featured on “The Moth Radio Hour,” is a regular contributor and on-air personality for Alice Radio’s “The Sarah and Vinnie Show” and is a company performer at BATS Improv, one of the world’s foremost centers for Improvisational Theater. Rosen also hosts The Moth StorySlams and GrandSlams.

A Grownups Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.

Organizer: Denise Michaud

This program contains EXPLICIT language.

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Simone Stolzoff: How to Not Know Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

Famously or infamously, in 2002 Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters that “[A]s we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

That comment stoked a lot of mockery among his critics, but he was addressing something that all people feel. It is difficult to deal with uncertainty at times when our lives have never felt less certain in a world of increasing change.

Now journalist and former IDEO design lead Simone Stolzoff comes to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to discuss his guide to navigating uncertainty, spelled out in his new book How to Not Know. From politics to our careers to our personal lives, we don’t know what the future holds. Yet, Stolzoff says, our capacity to tolerate this uncertainty is declining.

Stoloff shares stories of people who have grappled with big problems with no easy answers—such as an economist trying to predict the next market crash, or an island nation facing the existential impact of climate change. How can one be comfortable with ambiguity and the unknown? Join us to hear Stolzoff’s answers.

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Humanities West Presents The Etruscans Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

The Etruscan culture, which flourished from the ninth to the first centuries B.C. in Tuscany, left behind a rich history with many unique traditions that are reflected in the artistic objects found in their tombs, temples, sanctuaries and homes. Renée Dreyfus and Lisa Pieraccini will discuss the latest advances in scholarship and archeological discoveries, and in the translation of the Etruscan language, which have been leading historians to an ever better understanding of the Etruscan contributions to Roman architecture, art and engineering.

Renée Dreyfus, the curator of the current exhibit on the Etruscans at the Legion of Honor, has worked on bringing that exhibit to San Francisco for years: “This exhibition tells the story of this overlooked culture, featuring icons of Etruscan art surrounded by equally stunning and fascinating works that are little known or even unknown. Many of these works have never been seen in the United States before.”

Lisa Pieraccini consulted on Dreyfus’s Legion of Honor exhibit. She also leads a project to study the Etruscan artifacts at the Phoebe Hearst Museum at UC Berkeley, where she teaches a seminar focusing on its largely unpublished collection.

Join us, either before or after attending the Etruscans exhibit at the Legion of Honor, to hear from the curator and the consultant all about the nearly 200 objects from that ancient civilization that are on display—such as terracotta vessels and sculptures, dazzling gold jewelry, mirrors, recently excavated bronze sculptures demonstrating the Etruscans’ renowned metalworking skills, and the Linen Book of Zagreb: a third-century B.C. calendar of rituals and sacrifices for specific days of the year that is the longest Etruscan inscription known to exist.

A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.

In association with Humanities West and the Italian Cultural Institute.

Photos courtesy of the speakers; vessel image courtesy The Legion of Honor.

Organizer: George Hammond

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Will It Ever End? San Francisco’s Drug and Homeless Crisis and Overdose Epidemic Jul 12, 2026

Show notes

San Francisco’s drug and homelessness crisis is impacting everyone, and the community is sounding the alarm. As San Franciscans raise issues of safety, over the last 5 years the city has lost more than 4,500 people to fatal overdoses. Although San Francisco has poured billions of dollars into proposed solutions, our public health systems continue to fail the community. Many people continue to deny the link between addiction, homelessness, and crime, while others with lived experience are calling for balanced, common-sense strategies.

The Way Out is a recovery-focused homeless initiative of the Salvation Army at the intersection of drug addiction and homelessness, grounded in the belief that people recover when given the right support, structure and opportunity. Built on an abstinence-based model (including medication-assisted treatment, or MAT), The Way Out provides real-time access to services and a clear pathway from the streets to stability and independence. Delivered through a comprehensive Recovery System of Care, services include a recovery-focused shelter, stabilization, and withdrawal management; residential drug treatment; recovery housing and independent living; workforce development and life skills, and an alumni support network.

Organizer: Robert Lee Kilpatrick

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CLIMATE ONE: Beyond the Rights of Nature: Land that Owns Itself Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

The “⁠rights of nature⁠” is the idea that if a corporation can have legal standing as a person, why can’t a river or a mountain? Thomas Linzey, one of the early architects of a legal framework for granting rights to nature, now believes that structure doesn’t go far enough: Even when ecosystems are granted rights, the land is still owned by someone or some entity, even if that is a land trust or conservancy.

Through Linzey’s work in collaboration with the ⁠Sacred Contract Coalition⁠, a 30-acre mountain in Colorado was recognized in June 2025 as the first mountain to own itself. What could this mean for protecting other places?

Guests:

Thomas Linzey, Senior Legal Counsel, Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights

Crystal Wolfchild, Guardian of The Mountain

Kumu Ramsay Taum, Cultural Advisor

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

02:30 – Thomas Linzey on his career fighting projects on behalf of communities

05:40 – Linzey on why federal environmental laws don’t protect air, water, or communities

11:00 – Linzey explains rights of nature legal framework

16:30 – Successful rights of nature cases in other parts of the world

19:15 – Rights of nature is Western law catching up with Indigenous cosmovisions

21:45 – Going beyond the rights of nature to land that owns itself

35:00 – Crystal Wolfchild on what it means to be a guardian of the Mountain

40:30 – Wolfchild on what this case could mean for other places

44:00 – Ramsay Taum on incorporating Hawaiian sense of environmental responsibility with Western worldviews

50:45 – Taum on the connection between restoring sovereignty and the rights of nature

56:00 – How to respond to climate changes like rising sea levels

58:00 – Climate One More Thing

For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit our ⁠⁠episode page⁠⁠ at climateone.org

***

Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠.

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CLIMATE ONE ENCORE - Dead Heat: The Danger Of Home Power Shutoffs Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

Summer is here, temperatures are rising — and so are electric bills. That also means many people are facing a severely overlooked issue: power shutoffs. According to a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2024 utility companies disconnected U.S. households from electricity more than 13.4 million times due to a customer’s inability to pay. When that happens, people can’t turn on their lights, keep food refrigerated, or cool down the home. And regulations preventing shutoffs during extreme heat events are woefully inadequate.

But when utilities help pay the upfront costs of efficiency upgrades, the customers and utilities can both save energy — and money. How do we protect the most vulnerable people from the dangers of home power shutoffs?

Guests:

Jean Su, Energy Justice Director, Center for Biological Diversity

Sanya Carley, Co-Director, Energy Justice Lab, University of Pennsylvania

Tamara Jones, Co-Executive Director, Clean Energy Works

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction

4:15 Jean Su on topline takeaways from nationwide data

10:04 Jean Su on why utilities don’t cover the cost of non-payment

12:55 Jean Su on polices to prevent shutoffs

16:16 Jean Su on the reality of underreported shutoffs

22:17 Sanya Carley on what happens to a household when a shutoff occurs

25:15 Sanya Carley on seeking help after a shutoff

27:44 Sanya Carley on federal impact on shutoffs

29:56 Sanya Carley on what state legislatures can do

35:25 Tamara Jones on working for justice

38:09 Tamara Jones on who is impacted by energy injustice

46:14 Tamara Jones on examples of where policy gets it right

50:56 Tamara Jones on what work needs to be done in policy and regulation

For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit our ⁠episode page⁠ at climateone.org

*** Join Climate One for an induction cooking demonstration night on July 21, at 6 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Come enjoy delicious food and wine, and learn about why cooking with magnets beats cooking with gas. Tickets available at ⁠climateone.org/events⁠

***

Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠Patreon⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠Sign up today⁠.

***

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CLIMATE ONE: When Your New Neighbor Is… a Data Center Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

Across the country, developers are racing to build huge new buildings to house computers to fuel the AI boom, creating an explosive demand for new energy. While some hyperscalers seek renewable energy, others are turning to fossil fuels. But concerns around high electric bills, air and noise pollution and water depletion have generated widespread community pushback against these giant facilities, and it seems opposing data centers is a bipartisan issue. Many cities and states are working to rapidly update zoning and other local regulations to respond to the dual pressures of developer interest and constituent backlash.

Since data center development isn’t slowing down, what policies or creative strategies can lessen the impacts for local communities and ratepayers?

Guests:

KeShaun Pearson, Executive Director, Memphis Community Against Pollution

Rebecca Egan McCarthy, Freelance Journalist

Jason Plautz, Reporter, E&E News and Politico

Astrid Atkinson, CEO, Camus

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction

3:15KeShaun Pearson on updates to the Colossus data center pollution

6:18 KeShaun Pearson on state regulators allowing an expansion of gas turbines

8:08 KeShaun Pearson on the effect of the pollution on the community

16:24 KeShaun Pearson on what he hopes the lawsuits can achieve

19:38 Rebecca Egan McCarthy on Archbald and data center development

22:26 Rebecca Egan McCarthy on who has the power to regulate data center projects

28:16 Rebecca Egan McCarthy on data center development outside of Archbald

30:21 Jason Plautz on changing attitudes toward data centers

34:32 Jason Plautz on where there is meaningful regulation happening

39:27 Jason Plautz on state level regulatory changes

41:26 Jason Plautz on the pace of data center development

44:45 Astrid Atkinson on the effects of data center energy load on the grid

46:19 Astrid Atkinson on what flexibility means in the energy world

50:39 Astrid Atkinson on hyperscalers paying for their energy

55:22 Astrid Atkinson on how some policy changes can help communities

For show notes and related links, visit our episode page at climateone.org

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