Fifth & Mission

As President Biden drops in the polls, some Democrats are shopping for a 2024 candidate. Newsom says he isn’t running, but the way he’s taking on high profile Republicans, including Florida governor Ron DeSantis, is making some wonder whether he’s defending Democratic ideals or prepping in case Biden fades. Chronicle reporter Sophia Bollag joins It's All Political on Fifth and Mission host Joe Gar...

Five months after city voters tossed out three school board members in a landslide recall, things have changed. The board, once lambasted for infighting and focusing on issues like renaming schools, is vowing to pivot back to a core issue — student performance. And the challenges are great, including disparities among racial groups and soaring absenteeism. Just 58% of students were deemed proficie...

Racial disparities in traffic and pedestrian stops by law enforcement have been a historical problem, but now California has the data to see how bad it actually is. Chronicle reporters Dustin Gardiner and Susie Neilson join host Cecilia Lei to discuss the most recent data and how racial profiling in the Bay Area compares to other major cities in the state, as well as the limits of data collection....

The latest Covid-19 pandemic twist is the new Omicron subvariant BA.5, which evades immunity from vaccinations, boosters and previous infections. Dr. Bob Wachter, UCSF's chair of medicine, joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what makes this variant different, and offers guidance on future boosters and how to calculate risks. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your...

An Alameda County grand jury report has found that the local mental health system is making the area's homeless crisis worse. Among the findings is a lack of basic consensus on solutions, which cause mentally ill residents to cycle in and out of ERs and jails. Chronicle reporter Lauren Hepler joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the holes in the county's social services. | Unlimited Chronicle access:...

Mayor London Breed appointed former Recall Chesa Boudin spokesperson Brooke Jenkins as San Francisco's new district attorney last week. The prosecutor has promised to bring accountability and balance to the office, but critics say the mayor’s pick is a return to tough-on-crime policies. Reporters Mallory Moench and Rachel Swan discuss with host Cecilia Lei the changes that Jenkins might bring to t...

On this episode of The Chronicle's Total SF podcast: Longtime Castro Theatre organ player David Hegarty got a scare earlier this year, when Another Planet Entertainment took over operations of the 100-year-old cinema and the future seemed unclear. But the music will go on — the Castro is continuing to employ Hegarty, has been screening movies and a new generation will get to hear "San Francisco" b...

First published March 21: For months, a rooster living in a Tenderloin yard has been terrorizing the neighborhood with its all-day crowing. Longtime resident Adriel Lively wanted to do something about it, but she only found dead ends. Chronicle reporter Ryan Kost joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss Lively's ordeal and why a story about an annoying bird -- in a neighborhood riddled with serious probl...

First published Feb. 3, 2022: San Francisco's death toll from fentanyl overdoses is nearly double the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chronicle reporter Trisha Thadani takes us into the center of the city's fentanyl crisis and introduces us to people who are suffering from addiction firsthand — and she explores the limits of the city's strategy to curb the deadly opioid. | Unlimited Chronicle acces...

The debut episode of The Chronicle’s new podcast seeking solutions for San Francisco’s seemingly intractable problems: A 2015 apartment building fire at Mission and 22nd streets killed one person and displaced 50. Seven years later, there’s an empty lot, gathering trash and growing weeds. In the middle of a housing crisis. Why has nothing been built in the years since? The answers to that question...

California drivers will pay about 3 cents more per gallon in gas taxes after state legislators rejected a push to suspend the increase amid soaring costs at the pump. The tax is built into the price of gas in California, which is about $6.30 per gallon — by far the highest in the nation. Chronicle reporter Dustin Gardiner speaks with host Dominic Fracassa about why this change went into effect. |...

As abortion clinics close around the country after the fall of Roe v. Wade, residents in states where abortion is now illegal will have to seek services elsewhere. Their digital footprints, including Google searches and text messages, leave them vulnerable to prosecution. Chronicle reporter Camryn Pak joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about the risks that face abortion seekers — and how they could pr...

The deciding factor on whether the Oakland A's will be able to move forward with their $12 billion development plan for a ballpark at Howard Terminal lies in the hands of one key state agency. Port workers are concerned, while others see it as a critical part of Oakland's future. Chronicle reporter Sarah Ravani joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss what's at stake in Thursday's vote. | Unlimited Chron...

Will we ever be able to get ahead of this relentless virus? It's surpassed the expectations of health experts and scientists: With each mutation, it's been able to evade immunity and become more infectious. Pandemic fatigue nothwithstanding, the coronavirus will still play a major role in our lives. Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday explains the evolution of the virus to host Cecilia Lei. | Un...

California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis says the six justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade have discredited the court. Talking to It's All Political on Fifth & Mission host Joe Garofoli, she also says she’s also worried about whether a national abortion ban would supersede California’s laws protecting the right to choose. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad...

In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, there are countless questions about what comes next. Will people who travel out of state for abortions face arrest? Will the doctors who counsel them be prosecuted? And will California be able to maintain its status as an abortion haven in a post-Roe world? Carole Joffe is a UCSF professor and an expert on the societal impacts of reproducti...

For months, Fifth & Mission has been talking to health care workers, advocates and people who have had personal experience with abortion care about what a post-Roe world would look like. Now that we're in that world, listen to some of what they've said. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California has long been a pioneering mecca for LGBTQ politicians. But John Bauters, one of just eight out mayors in the state, says it can also be exhausting and scary as leaders like him face attacks and threats. It's All Political on Fifth & Mission host Joe Garofoli sits down with Bauters to talk about those tensions and how he's trying to use his platform to help younger LGBTQ people. | Unlim...

Why have some people managed to avoid catching the virus despite the latest variants being highly transmissible? And will they eventually become infected? Chronicle reporter Danielle Echeverria joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss what health experts have to say about dodging COVID and why that is still worth the effort. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choic...

The Drag Queen Story Hour is a beloved community program where drag queens perform songs and tell stories to children in libraries. The program originated in San Francisco, and it's become fodder for right-wing media. A recent disruption by protesters at a San Lorenzo library has the LGBTQ community on edge. Chronicle reporter Ryan Kost joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the anxiety among Bay Area...

With the Supreme Court expected to overturn Roe v. Wade soon, California is preparing for an influx of out-state patients who will be seeking abortion care. Chronicle reporter Lauren Hepler joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the myth that the state is a post-Roe "sanctuary" and how reproductive services have already been limited in the Central Valley. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/p...

A new Chronicle podcast aims to find solutions to San Francisco's biggest challenges. As part of the SFNext initiative, Fixing Our City is tackling issues like housing and affordability by talking directly to community residents. The team behind the show, Laura Wenus and Cintia Lopez, joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about the premiere episode, which examines why a vacant lot in the Mission is emble...

Unlike impeachment or the Mueller hearings, the committee is putting on a show, and the ratings have been good. San Jose Rep. Zoe Lofgren had a star turn. But who is the audience, and what outcomes might be possible? Washington correspondent Tal Kopan joins Joe Garofoli on It's All Political on Fifth & Mission to talk about how the explosive hearings have gone so far and ask why those close to Tru...

Few issues have roiled San Francisco politics like the fight over admissions to prestigious Lowell High. And a school board with three new members — the result of a recall — must decide what to do going forward. The options: stick with a lottery-based admissions system designed to promote diversity, or revert to the competitive system that Lowell used for years. Chronicle reporter Jill Tucker tell...

Hot, dry weather in California means the state will face persistent problems this summer: increasing water restrictions, rolling blackouts, wildfires and smoke. Chronicle reporter Kurtis Alexander joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what Bay Area residents should expect. Plus: State Capitol reporter Dustin Gardiner analyzes why Gov. Gavin Newsom has been hesitant to issue statewide water restrict...