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Statewide Election Special: The 2021 California Gubernatorial Recall - Part 1 Sep 15, 2021

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The petition to recall Governor Gavin Newsom began in February of last year. Now, more than a year and a half later, California voters decided against the effort. On the day after the final ballots were cast, we analyze the election results and discuss what they tell us about the future of Gavin Newsom, the state’s Republican party, California’s pandemic response and more.

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Mary Roach Explores Collision of Human and Animal Worlds in 'Fuzz' Sep 14, 2021

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Bears who break and enter, elephants who commit manslaughter and deer who jaywalk: they’re all the subject of science writer Mary Roach’s latest book “Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law.” Roach spent two years immersed in the quirky, complex world of human-wildlife conflict prevention -- embedding with elephant attack specialists, bear forensics investigators and professional bird scarers. We talk to Roach about why wild animals encroach on human spaces and how we can coexist more peacefully with our animal neighbors.

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How a Climate Disaster Is Also a Sign of Hope Sep 14, 2021

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Lake Powell, a 190-mile long reservoir in Utah that holds back the Colorado River, and which can hold 24 million acres of water, has dropped 140 feet since 2000 and 50 feet in the last year. But as the lake's surface recedes, leaving a bathtub-like ring marking its evaporation, Glen Canyon, a natural wonder which was partially flooded by the dam, has reemerged. As Elizabeth Kolbert writes, in that canyon, we are seeing the Colorado River restore itself in real time. Well talk to Kolbert about what it's like to celebrate "the effects of what, by most standards counts as a disaster" and the confounding feelings of finding silver linings in climate change.

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California Counts Down to Tuesday Recall Election Sep 13, 2021

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The special election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is Tuesday. As of Sept. 9, a third of mailed ballots have been returned, according to Political Data, Inc. Current polls show Gov. Newsom in position to survive the recall effort. Still, get out the vote efforts remain strong with President Biden visiting California on Monday to help campaign for Newsom. Conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder continues to lead polling for the candidate to replace Newsom, should he be recalled. One critical voting bloc campaigns are vying for is Latinos, who have propelled Democrats to a complete lock on the Legislature and every statewide office from the Governor’s office on down. We’ll hear reporting on how Latinos are reacting to campaign messages targeting them both for and against the recall, and get the latest voter turnout news on the eve of the election.

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Efforts to Restrict Voting Access Gain Traction Nationwide Sep 13, 2021

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During the past year, state legislatures across the country have implemented restrictive voting laws that experts say will stop some voters from casting ballots. Voter suppression is not a new phenomenon in the United States, but lawmakers are coming up with new ways to restrict voting access. In Texas for example, a recently passed state law limits the use of ballot drop boxes and impedes election officials from promoting vote-by-mail, according to the New York Times. Efforts to protect voting rights and access at the federal level have stalled in Congress. Meanwhile, California finds itself in the middle of a gubernatorial recall election in which a small minority of voters could decide the fate of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who overwhelmingly won his office in 2018. We talk about laws and policies limiting voting access and their threat to democracy.

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Thousands of Californians Face Eviction as Moratorium Nears Expiration Sep 10, 2021

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California’s eviction moratorium expires on Sept. 30. Renters can still apply for state assistance and receive limited protections through March of next year, but tenants and advocates say the protections offer a patchwork solution and that the rental relief program rollout has been slow and tedious. In fact, only about 18 percent of renters who applied for state rental relief have received money. Meanwhile, more than 750,000 households in California are behind on rent owing an estimated $2.8 billion, according to the National Equity Atlas, a database focused on racial and economic equity. We’ll hear from tenants who have struggled to pay rent during the pandemic and how they are coping with limited state assistance and possible eviction.

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Looking Back to 20 Years Ago Today, at Life Before 9/11 Sep 10, 2021

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Looking back at the news headlines in the Bay Area on September 10, 2001 gives us a snapshot of what consumed us that day. There was violence: a mass shooting in Sacramento, the murder of a family in Bernal Heights. Barry Bonds reached 63 home runs the day before. Democrats were hitting President George W. Bush on the sluggish economy. The Dow Industrial Average neared 10,000. It wouldn’t reach that level again until 2009. We look back at life, politics and culture on 9/10/01 to take measure of what changed after that next day.

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The Texas Abortion Law: One Week Later Sep 09, 2021

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The Texas anti-abortion law which the Supreme Court declined to block, took many by surprise. The law prohibits abortions after six weeks, even in the case of rape and incest, and includes a novel civil enforcement provision that would allow private citizens to sue anyone who provides or aids and abets an abortion procedure. In remarks defending the law, Texas Governor Greg Abbott claimed a rape victim could obtain an abortion in the six-week period. Critics, like the Planned Parenthood PAC, responded forcefully tweeting: If you don't understand many people don't even know they're pregnant until after 6 weeks, then you shouldn't be restricting their options. Well talk about the impact the Texas law has had in the state and throughout the nation and how it is resetting the debate on abortion rights.

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50 Years After the Attica Prison Rebellion, the Struggle for Prison Reform Continues Sep 09, 2021

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Fifty years ago this week, people incarcerated at Attica Correctional Facility in New York rebelled, taking hostages after their requests for reform were denied by prison administrators. Attica State Prison was overpopulated at the time and the majority Black and Latino prisoners lived in dehumanizing conditions, including physical and mental abuse and allowances of only one shower a week. In taking over the prison, one of the voices of the rebellion, Elliot “L.D.” Barkley declared: “We are men! We are not beasts and we do not intend to be driven or beaten as such!” When New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller ordered state police to retake the prison after four days of failed negotiations, 39 people were killed in what the subsequent McKay Commission called “the bloodiest one-day encounter between Americans since the Civil War.” On this anniversary, we’ll reflect on the Attica Prison Rebellion of 1971, its legacy and ties to numerous prison rebellions at the time — including in California — and what it has meant for today’s reform efforts.

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California Nursing Shortage, Made Worse by the Pandemic, Expected to Persist Sep 08, 2021

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California faces a shortfall of more than 40,000 full-time equivalent registered nurses, a gap that's expected to last until 2026, according to a new UCSF report. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced experienced nurses to quit the field owing to exhaustion and burnout, and hospitals are struggling to fill positions. We'll talk about the toll the staffing shortage is taking on nurses, patients and hospitals and how to mitigate it.

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