KQED's Forum - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Can California Save Hollywood? Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

Southern California is facing a potential economic crisis as film and television productions increasingly migrate to rival states and international cities. More favorable tax incentives, expanding soundstage infrastructure and industry-friendly policies are pulling billions in production away from Hollywood. With New York poised to become the nation’s biggest production hub, local crews and lawmakers are worried about the exodus of talent and dollars. We talk with entertainment journalists about new tax incentives to keep productions in-state, and the long-term future of Hollywood.

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Super El Niño Threatens Heavy Storms, Flooding and Coastal Erosion Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

Communities up and down California are bracing for what experts are calling a “Super El Niño” that could bring an unusually wet winter. El Niño is a cyclical climate pattern during which a huge swath of Pacific Ocean waters heat up. The warmer water has long-ranging effects such as higher sea levels and a robust storm season. Some low-lying areas of the state are expecting heavy flooding and some coastal areas are concerned about erosion and mudslides. We’ll talk with experts on what would make this El Niño climate pattern “super” and what you need to know to prepare.

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Immigrants are Dying in ICE Detention Centers. Can California Hold DHS Accountable? Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

The Adelanto ICE Processing Center, an immigration detention facility located northeast of Los Angeles, has been riddled with allegations of abuse, unsafe drinking water and detainees being denied medical care. In 2025, a detainee at Adelanto, Ismael Ayala Uribe, died in ICE custody after repeatedly requesting medical attention. What is happening behind the locked doors of ICE detention centers in California? What power does the state have to hold DHS accountable? Join us as we speak with journalists investigating California detention facilities and the creators of the new Al Jazeera documentary, “Dying in Detention.”

Guests:

Natasha Del Toro, host and correspondent for Fault Lines, Al Jazeera English
Jeremy Young, senior producer for Fault Lines, Al Jazeera English
Andrea Castillo, staff writer covering immigration, LA Times

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Understanding the Corruption Trial of Oakland’s Former Mayor Sheng Thao Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

The long-awaited federal corruption trial of former Oakland mayor Sheng Thao kicked off last week, with prosecutors arguing that Thao put her power up for sale and defense attorneys attacking the credibility of key government witnesses. It’s been nearly two years since a federal grand jury indicted Thao and three codefendants in an alleged “pay to play” scheme. Thao — alongside her former romantic partner Andre Jones, California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and his son, Andy Duong — have pleaded not guilty to charges that include bribery and conspiracy. We’ll talk about the alleged scheme, how the case is unfolding and what to expect from the six-week trial.

Guests:

Alex Hall, enterprise and accountability reporter. KQED
Robert Weisberg, law professor and co-director of Criminal Justice Center, Stanford Law School
Davina Hurt, government ethics director of The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University; former mayor of Belmont

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We Hear From California’s Insurance Commissioner Candidates Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

This November, Californians will elect their next insurance commissioner. The role is charged with regulating property and casualty insurance rates and with consumer advocacy. California’s insurance market — the fourth-largest in the world — is increasingly in the spotlight as disasters caused by climate change prompt private insurers to hike policy rates and decrease coverage. We’ll speak with the two candidates on the ballot, Democrats Ben Allen and Jane Kim, about their visions and priorities for the role. And we’ll hear your questions for the candidates.

Guests:

Danielle Venton, KQED climate and science reporter
Jane Kim, consumer advocate and attorney; former San Francisco supervisor
Ben Allen, state senator representing Santa Monica

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What's on the Ballot in San Francisco Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie joins us to talk about the ballot measures he’s supporting in this year’s election. He’s backing Prop. A, which would reduce the number of city boards and commissions, and Prop. D, which would increase requirements for placing measures on the ballot. San Francisco voters have numerous other propositions and races to decide on such as Prop. B, which asks voters to authorize a public bank. In addition two heavily contested supervisor seats in District 8 and District 10 are also up for grabs. We’ll talk about what’s on San Francisco’s ballot and how wealthy campaign donors are shaping races.

Guests:

Sydney Johnson, reporter, KQED news
Joe Eskenazi, managing editor and columnist, Mission Local
Daniel Lurie, mayor, San Francisco, founder and former CEO of Tipping Point Community, a foundation focused on fighting poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area
Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, politics reporter, The San Francisco Standard

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New Investigation Spotlights Toll of Farmed Fish Industry Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

Fish farming was supposed to relieve pressure on the world’s oceans. Instead, the burgeoning
industry is contributing to overfishing, environmental destruction and human rights abuses. That’s according to Ian Urbina, director of The Outlaw Ocean Project, whose five-year investigation into the farmed seafood supply chain – from fishing vessels to fishmeal plants to aquaculture farms reveals costs that are largely invisible to consumers. We talk to Urbina about why it’s so difficult to hold the industry to account and how to buy and eat seafood responsibly.

Guests:

Ian Urbina, director, The Outlaw Ocean Project

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Back-to-Landers Built Their Utopia in Northern California. It’s Slowly Disappearing Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

In the late 1960s and 70s, nearly a million Americans went back to the land. Seeking a simpler life, free from government intervention and the era’s strict social mores, they gathered in communes or built on their own plots of land. The lives they led and the homes they built – geodesic domes, psychedelic stained glass hideaways, and homes from chicken coops and recycled lumber – are documented in a new book, “Handmade Utopia: Back-to-the-Land Architecture in Northern California.” We talk to its author, David Jacob Kramer and a few of the folks featured, many now in their eighties, who built their utopia from hand.

Guests:

David Jacob Kramer, author, “Handmade Utopia: Back-to-the-Land Architecture in Northern California”

Tom Hessler, artist

Karen Hessler, ceo, Amaranth Farms

Diana Wiedemann, architect, Wiedemann was an original member of Trillium, a lesbian commune that published “Country Woman” magazine

Chris Larson, featured in book “Handmade Utopia”

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‘Oh, Mary!’ National Tour Comes to California Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

Mary Todd Lincoln served as first lady from 1861 until President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865. 144 years later, comedian Cole Escola sent themself an email asking: What if Lincoln’s death had been “a good thing” for Mary Todd? That tongue-in-cheek question became the basis for the smash-hit Broadway comedy “Oh, Mary!”, which has now won two Tonys and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in drama. Following Escola’s departure as Mary Todd Lincoln, the role has been taken on by actors including Bowen Yang, Maya Rudolph, John Cameron Mitchell, Jane Krakowski and Titus Burgess — and is now being played by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Alaska in a national tour. We’ll speak with the director and stars about the play’s unexpected success, its blend of stupidity and wit, and the long, queer legacy of camp.

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Poet and Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander’s New Book Examines How Art Can Bridge Distances Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

“Poems are not mere breadcrumbs left behind,” writes the acclaimed poet Elizabeth Alexander in her new book “Signals Across Vast Distances: Essays and Talks.” “They are fireflies, a path of light, a way to find our way to each other and know what we have lived.” Alexander, who drew national attention for the poem she read for President Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, is a longtime educator, scholar, and cultural advocate. She now heads the Mellon Foundation, the largest arts funder in the U.S. She joins us to talk about her book, which examines how art, literature and history shape civic life and can help us find our way to each other. As she observes, while these times may seem unprecedented, we have faced these challenges before.

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