Fifth & Mission

The CDC says it’s OK to stop wearing them if you’re vaccinated, but host Demian Bulwa isn’t so sure he’s ready — or that he trusts others that they’ve really gotten the jab. Reporter Erin Allday says that makes sense. We’ve all been through trauma and we’re nervous and scared. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The CDC urged city officials to avoid clearing homeless encampments during the COVID-19 pandemic. But now that the virus is subsiding and cities want to reclaim public space, some unhoused people face eviction and uncertain futures. Reporter Lauren Hepler discusses those tensions and how Gov. Gavin Newsom is responding. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad cho...

Two San Francisco supervisors advanced their plan for three free months of Muni rides on Wednesday, but Muni officials don't like the idea. The Chronicle's transportation reporter Ricardo Cano explains why. Plus: The upcoming return of the city's historic streetcars, current ridership trends and the ongoing battle over car-free JFK Drive.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

Despite the pandemic, state officials are projecting a $38 billion surplus in the upcoming fiscal year. The question: How to spend it? It's a good problem to have for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who's facing a recall election and is pushing ideas including more stimulus payments and expanding an intriguing program for unhoused people. Joining the podcast is Chronicle Sacramento reporter Alexei Koseff, who...

Reporter Catherine Ho talks about the latest pandemic breakthrough: federal approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children 12-15. But when, and where, will shots start going in arms? Will enough parents actually give permission, considering the coronavirus hasn't hit young people as hard? Plus: A 15-year-old talks about what vaccine approval means to her. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com...

San Francisco public schools moved Algebra 1 out of middle school and into high school for all students in 2014, and the state might recommend that all public school districts do the same. But some parents don't like the controversial move, saying kids should be able to advance in math if they're able. Education reporter Jill Tucker adds it all up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...

San Franciscans fled the city in droves during the pandemic. Now that the city's reopening, will its citizens return? Chronicle data reporter Susie Neilson explains what numbers can tell us about pandemic migration, the Bay Area's "baby bust" and vaccine hesitancy in communities of color. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

S.F. Giants great Willie Mays celebrates his 90th birthday today. The Major League Baseball Hall of Famer is a San Francisco icon and an ambassador for the sport who was still a regular at Giants games pre-pandemic. San Francisco Chronicle national baseball writer and sports columnist John Shea, who co-authored the book "24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid" with Mays, talks about the...

It became official Tuesday: San Francisco is advancing to the yellow tier of coronavirus restrictions. On Thursday the city will start easing the rules on large gatherings and indoor bars, among other things. Restaurants, movie theaters, gyms — they can all expand capacity. Chronicle reporters Aidin Vaziri and Erin Allday explain the news, lay out what comes next and discuss a difficult question:...

Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday discusses her look at reports of sexually transmitted diseases in the past year. Turns out, STDs including HIV were way down — but that may not be a result of people isolating themselves, and it may not be a good thing. According to experts, it may be the side effect of less testing. People were still getting STDs, Allday says, but many of them just didn’t kno...

One minute, people are relaxing at a Bay Area beach. The next, they're in a life-or-death struggle in the water. In recent months, a series of massive, out-of-nowhere waves have crashed over unsuspecting beachgoers again and again, including Arunay Pruthi, 12, who was swept to sea in front of his family. Reporter Nora Mishanec tells the story of the effort to rescue the boy, and to keep these trag...

As life in the United States is beginning to return to normal, India has been crushed by a deadly surge of the coronavirus. Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday discusses why that country is getting hit so hard now and how it's affecting the 300,000 Bay Area residents with ties to India. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

San Francisco 49ers fans are on pins and needles as they await Thursday's NFL Draft. The reason? The team of Joe Montana, Steve Young and Colin Kaepernick is under intense pressure to pick a quarterback of the future. But which QB? And what will happen to the current Niners starter, Jimmy Garoppolo? Chronicle sports columnists Ann Killion and Scott Ostler weigh in on the tension, give their prefer...

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera has been nominated to take over the Public Utilities Commission after 20 years of representing the city in court. He talks about some of his biggest cases, his frustrating loss in trying to reopen schools and how the city has changed without President Trump as its biggest foil. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad cho...

For the first time in history, California is about to lose an elected representative in Congress, even as Texas picks up two seats. The shift was cemented by numbers released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau. What does it mean for California? What about the balance of power between Republicans and Democrats? And how will the state form its new congressional districts? Chronicle Washington correspo...

From Michigan to Maine, communities are dangling incentives of up to $20,000 to out-of-state folks, hoping to convince tech workers and others in the expanding remote workforce to move in. Reporter Carolyn Said talks about these pandemic perks, which in some places include home lots, bicycles and even free Jimmy John's sandwiches — though you have to commit to staying for awhile. Learn more about...

City Hall is debating fixes for San Francisco's most pressing problems including funding sanctioned tent encampments and opening a long-discussed safe injection site. Reporter Mallory Moench explains the proposals and why they're far from sure things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli has been accused of sexual assault by five women — and now another is sharing her story with The Chronicle. Reporter Cynthia Dizikes discusses the latest allegations and why the woman's email about them to town officials in 2017 didn't accomplish much. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The former Minneapolis cop's conviction on three charges in the killing of George Floyd was met with relief — and two more police-related deaths. Dominic Fracassa talks to Black Lives Matter organizer Melina Abdullah, police reform expert Alex Vitale, Oakland activist Akil Riley and Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer about where America goes from here. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/po...

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is trying to add HOV lanes to highways in the city, but some residents are fighting back. Reporter Ricardo Cano explains why the SFMTA seems to be at the center of so many pandemic squabbles. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Daunte Wright the latest in a long string of Black men dying at the hands of police, Wanda Johnson says it's past time for the country to get armed cops out of traffic stops. Columnist Justin Phillips agrees, and remembers "the talk" his parents had with him, even though his own dad was a cop. "Not every cop's going to be like your dad." | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn...

Anti-Asian attacks and rhetoric are rising, and they're impacting Asian food workers who have to interact with the public in a big way. Chronicle food reporter Janelle Bitker explains how Asian restaurants are coping with the disturbing trend. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco has fared well, but not every part of the city has been equally fortunate. Reporter Susie Neilson talks about the Chronicle's analysis of Covid-19 cases by neighborhood. Plus: Trisha Thadani on the’s city’s efforts to vaccinate its hardest-hit communities. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pause on one of the country's three vaccines comes at a bad time as everyone 16 and up becomes eligible to get shots this week in California. Reporter Erin Allday talks about why it happened, what it means for the race to herd immunity, and whether it might delay Gov. Newsom's plans to reopen the state's economy in June. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your a...

Education reporter Jill Tucker takes you behind the scenes of the first day back in school in San Francisco. The district, among the last big public systems in the country to bring students back, opened 22 elementary schools, with more on the way. This is after months of worry over the coronavirus spreading, political bickering, labor negotiations and a lawsuit. There are challenges ahead, includi...