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Demand for Office Space has Plummeted. What Does That Mean for San Francisco and the Bay Area? Mar 16, 2023

Show notes

San Francisco’s once-redhot office market has waned since the pandemic. Less than half of the workers who used to fill downtown office towers are working in person most days. That has led to high office building vacancies, lower revenue from property and sales taxes, and fewer workers riding transit and supporting local businesses. Now that working from home continues to be the norm, city leaders, landlords and merchants are wondering what to do next. We’ll dig into what this massive shift in the office market means for our region’s urban centers, economy and workers.

Guests:

Ted Egan, chief economist, San Francisco Controller's Office

Karen Chapple, professor of city and regional planning, University of California, Berkeley

Kevin Truong, staff writer, The San Francisco Standard

Colin Yasukochi, executive director, CBRE Tech Insights Center

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Century of Black Filmmakers Celebrated in The New Black Film Canon Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

The Black Film Canon, published in 2016 by Slate, accumulated the 50 best films by Black filmmakers, including movies like “Do The Right Thing” and the 1920 silent film “Within Our Gates.” Thanks to films like “Moonlight” and “Get Out,” a 2023 update was due, and in collaboration with NPR The New Black Film Canon was born. The collection now includes 75 films, where they’re streaming and what made them groundbreaking. Pop Culture Happy Hour’s Aisha Harris and Slate’s Dan Kois join us to celebrate, look back and examine how “we’re now living in a different world for Black film.”

Related Link(s):

The New Black Film Canon

Guests:

Aisha Harris, host of Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR

Dan Kois, writer, Slate

W. Kamau Bell, comedian; host, CNN's United Shades of America

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All You Can Eat: The Bay Area’s Hip-Hop Food Hustles Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

The Bay Area has a storied hip hop legacy. We’ve also got a legendary food scene. Maybe it’s natural that these two core components of the Bay Area would find each other. In our latest edition of All You Can Eat, our series on Bay Area food cultures with KQED food editor Luke Tsai, we’ll talk about Bay Area rappers in the food world. E-40 is selling ice cream and pre-packaged burritos, Larry June has a boba company and Don Toriano is lining up customers at his Vegan Mob barbecue spots. We talk Bay Area Hip Hop Food Hustles.

Guests:

Alan Chazaro, food reporter, KQED - He is also a rapper and educator

Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts and Culture

Droop E, rapper and record producer; represents Goon With The Spoon; son of E-40

Clyde Carson, Oakland rapper, co-owner of Hyphy Juice

Don Toriano, rapper; owner, Vegan Mob

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Why Qualified Immunity Makes Police 'Untouchable' Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

Qualified immunity, writes UCLA law professor Joanna Schwartz, "has come to represent all that is wrong with police accountability." It’s the Supreme Court-created doctrine that protects police officers from civil liability for excessive force and other misconduct unless there is a prior court case where an officer violated another person’s rights in exactly the same way – a standard that she says is virtually impossible to meet. And, Schwartz explains, it’s just one of multiple barriers that the Court and states like California have erected to make justice through civil rights lawsuits “profoundly elusive.” We’ll talk to Schwartz about how qualified immunity plays out in California and hear about efforts to reform it. Schwartz’s new book is “Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable.”

Guests:

Joanna Schwartz, professor of law, University of California, Los Angeles - Her new book is "Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable"

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Silicon Valley Bank Failure Roils Tech and Finance Industries Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

After experiencing a classic bank run with depositors withdrawing $42 billion in one day, Silicon Valley Bank was shut down by federal regulators on Friday. For many startups, SVB was the bank of choice, and its closure has roiled the tech industry. While federal regulators announced on Monday that 100% of Silicon Valley Bank’s deposits would be repaid, that has not stopped turmoil in the market. Shares in San Francisco-based First Republic Bank dropped over 60% on Monday with other bank stocks following suit. Added to this are last week’s failures of both Signature Bank, a regional bank in New York closed by regulators this weekend, and Silvergate, a banking concern favored by cryptocurrency investors. We’ll talk about how these banking issues are impacting the Bay Area and what it means for customers and the tech industry.

Guests:

Natasha Mascarenhas, senior reporter, TechCrunch

Mark Calvey, senior reporter covering banking and finance, San Francisco Business Times

Margaret O'Mara, historian of the modern United States, University of Washington - She writes and teaches about the growth of the high-tech economy, the history of American politics, and the connections between the two.

Lizette Chapman, reporter, Bloomberg

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Plant-Based Milks Go Mainstream Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

Soy, almond, oat and other plant-based milk alternatives have skyrocketed in popularity over the last few decades. And now new draft guidance from the FDA would allow these drinks officially to be marketed as “milks,” putting to rest arguments by the dairy industry and others that only animal products can be called milk. We’ll look at what makes milk “milk” and how plant-based options measure up against milk from cows. And we’ll hear from you: have you converted to plant-based milks?

Guests:

Charlotte Biltekoff, associate professor of American Studies and Food Science and Technology, UC Davis

Yasmin Tayag, staff writer, The Atlantic

Dave Ritterbush, CEO, Califia Farms

Priera Panescu, senior scientist, The Good Food Institute

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Remembering Legendary Disability Rights Activist Judy Heumann Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

Judith Heumann, known as the mother of the disability rights movement, died this month at the age of 75. Heumann’s activism and leadership in Berkeley’s pioneering disability rights movement included the “504 sit-in,” a 26-day occupation of San Francisco’s federal building that eventually led to the passage of the Americans with Disability Act. Heumann used a wheelchair following a childhood case of polio, and when she tried to attend school, the administration denied her as “a fire hazard.” Heumann went on to work with the Clinton and Obama administrations as well as the World Bank on issues of accessibility. We’ll talk with disability rights advocates who knew her about her legacy, and where the movement is headed going forward.

Guests:

Sandy Ho, philanthropist; founder, Disability and Intersectionality Summit; director, the Disability Inclusion Fund at Borealis Philanthropy

Yomi Sachiko Wrong, Oakland-based disability justice activist, dreamer

Jim LeBrecht, filmmaker and co-director with Nicole Newnham, "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution"

Arlene Mayerson, directing attorney, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)

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More Severe Winter Storms Slam California Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

Communities throughout California are bracing for another round of severe storms this week. An atmospheric river is poised to dump several inches of rain, which could melt snow reserves in mountains and cause flooding. Mountainous areas of the state are already dealing with power outages, road closures, and collapsed roofs after a series of heavy rain and snow during the past couple of months. We’ll talk about how Californians are managing severe weather and what to expect in the days to come.

Guests:

Gerry Díaz, newsroom meteorologist, San Francisco Chronicle

Katie Kay Mead, resident, Lake Arrowhead, California

Bob Thurman, resident near Nevada City, California

Mike Scrivano, contractor, North Lake Home Services in Truckee

Hanna Lykke, reporter, San Bernardino Sun, Southern California News Group

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Jenny Odell Saves Time, and Herself, by Living Beyond the Clock Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

What if time isn’t money? What if time is actually rocks and beans? And what if time is not running out? Jenny Odell, author of “How to Do Nothing,” ponders these questions as she takes us on a road trip through the Bay Area in her new book, “Saving Time.” Pausing at the Port of Oakland, reflecting in Pescadero and Pacifica, and nodding at the Interstate 880 minion, Odell questions who benefits when we see time as hours or minutes, rather than the changes in place, space and ourselves. She joins us to explain how advocating for a better future begins with looking beyond the clock.

Guests:

Jenny Odell, author, "Saving Time: Discovering A Life Beyond the Clock." Odell is also the author of "How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy."

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How Has Fox News Affected Your Life? Mar 09, 2023

Show notes

Fox News Chairman Rupert Murdoch did not believe that Dominion Voting Systems stole the 2020 presidential election from Donald Trump, according to testimony released Tuesday. The evidence is part of the record in Dominion's $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit, set for trial in April, arguing that Fox executives and hosts deliberately spread the falsehood that Dominion's electronic machines manipulated the vote count. We’ll talk about the case and look at the impact Fox News has had on our culture — and democracy. And we’ll hear from you: How has Fox News affected you, your views and your relationships?

Guests:

Jeremy W. Peters, reporter covering the media and its intersection with politics, culture and law, The New York Times; author, "Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted"

Sarah Ellison, reporter covering media and its intersection with politics and technology, The Washington Post

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