Fifth & Mission

An ex-girlfriend says she was sexually assaulted by the Windsor mayor. Meanwhile, some residents of the town are launching a recall bid. Foppoli released a statement denying the allegations and attacking lawmakers who have called for his resignation. One of those now calling for him to step down? His older brother. Reporters Alexandria Bordas and Cynthia Dizikes have the latest on the story they b...

Hours after The Chronicle published an investigation into Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office opened a criminal probe. It was a response to the accounts of four women who said Foppoli sexually assaulted them in incidents from 2003 to 2019. Foppoli, through his attorney, denied the allegations. The Chronicle's story also prompted more than a dozen local elected leaders...

Four women have told The Chronicle that winery owner and Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli isolated and assaulted them after nights of drinking. The incidents span from 2003 to 2019. Foppoli denies the allegations. Reporters Alexandria Bordas and Cynthia Dizikes discuss their findings and how they reported the story. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Listener alert: This episode contai...

With vaccinations growing, Gov. Newsom delivered staggering news on Tuesday: California plans to lift most pandemic restrictions and fully reopen on June 15. Unless something changes, that means the end of the color-coded tier system for counties. Reporters Erin Allday and Aidin Vaziri discuss what this means for schools, for events like concerts and for mask-wearing — and whether there's still a...

If beloved Blowfish Sushi closed in December, how can people still order sushi from a restaurant of the same name in the same space? Not to mention from a Japan-based restaurant famous for its $180 sandwiches. Reporter Janelle Bitker has been following this fishy story. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cardinal's NCAA title adds to the remarkable legacy of coach Tara VanDerveer. Her team is the most consistently successful in Bay Area sports, but this was their first title in 29 years. Sports columnists Ann Killion and Scott Ostler talk about Stanford's decades of success and frustration. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

There are few more obvious tokens of the pandemic than the masks covering everyone’s faces. But despite the rising number of vaccination rates, Californians shouldn’t expect to tear them off any time soon. Health writer Erin Allday joins to explain why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have we entered a new era for LGBTQ politicians? Reporter and columnist Tony Bravo talks about the groundbreaking rise of gay and transgender leaders, the response to progress by forces on the right, and how veteran politicians are reflecting on what has changed — and what has not. Plus: Rachel Swan breaks down the tension over responding to anti-Asian crimes. Is a focus on punishment for hate cri...

But there aren’t enough shots. Reporters Catherine Ho and Nanette Asimov discuss what the Bay Area can expect as eligibility opens for those 50 and over. Plus: Alexei Koseff talks about the nearly $8 million Bay Area lawmakers squeezed out of the Newsom administration to help the region’s poorest residents get vaccinated. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad c...

A new poll shows opponents of California Gov Gavin Newsom have a lot of work to do. A strong 56% of likely voters oppose the recall, compared to 40% backing it. Meanwhile, Newsom’s job approval rating among likely voters is 53%, virtually unchanged from the before the pandemic that ignited anger against him. The Chronicle's Joe Garofoli explains the numbers, how the pandemic is at the center of re...

People are posting inoculation selfies and beginning to restart their lives. But what about those who haven't yet got their shots? Reporter Ryan Kost on Fear of Missing Out. Plus: Erin Allday on President Biden's plea for continued mask mandates and rising fears of a fourth surge of the pandemic. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

Lenore Estrada's Three Babes Bakeshop lost its customer base when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Her efforts to distribute leftover pies led to her co-founding SF New Deal, which has paid 184 restaurants to provide 1.83 million meals to the hungry. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Related: Extra Spicy | A New Deal for Restaurants pod.fo/e/1f66c  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Starting April 1, all Californians 50 and older will be eligible for a shot, and anyone 16 and older will qualify on April 15. Health reporters Catherine Ho and Erin Allday talk about the big news, which doesn't mean everyone will be able to get an appointment immediately. Also, there's new concern about the P.1 variant of the coronavirus, which has been fueling a deadly surge in Brazil. | Unlimit...

There's enough office space for lease in the city to fill 11 Salesforce Towers. Can it be turned into housing? Chronicle reporter Roland Li explains why that's a lot harder than it sounds -- and also gives some alarming statistics on plunging San Francisco tourism dollars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oakland will launch one of the country's biggest guaranteed income programs this spring. The idea is to give 600 residents – all of them low-income parents of color – a monthly payment of $500 a month for at least 18 months with no strings attached. Chronicle reporter Sarah Ravani talks about why the idea is spreading, and how supporters are looking for proof that basic income can boost people’s h...

Education reporter Jill Tucker discusses the tweets attacking Asian Americans that have prompted broad calls for the resignation of San Francisco school board member Alison Collins. She posted the tweets in 2016, but they resurfaced at a time of deep pain over racism against the Asian American community. Yet Collins has said her tweets were misinterpreted, and she has not deleted them. What happen...

The stunning scenery is a given, but pretty much everything else about California's beloved national park remains up in the air. Park officials are still deciding whether to cap daily visitors due to the coronavirus or allow everybody in at once. Chronicle reporter Kurtis Alexander previews what to expect on a visit. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choice...

It's happening: The Bay Area is moving toward post-pandemic life. San Francisco, Marin and Santa Clara counties are poised to join San Mateo with fewer restrictions. And while virus variants are coming our way, the news looks good so far as vaccinations grow. Reporters Trisha Thadani and Erin Allday talk about what's reopening and what could still set us back. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchron...

As the nation reels from the Atlanta mass shooting, Vox’s Cecilia Lei, an Asian American Journalists Association president, speaks with Heather Knight about how the rise in anti-Asian attacks has affected her and her family, and about how journalists and news organizations can better cover this type of violence.  | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. V...

The Chronicle's Raheem Hosseini tells the story of Jeremy Puckett, a Northern California man who spent 19 years behind bars for a murder he didn't commit. He was exonerated and released days before California sheltered in place for the coronavirus pandemic. But while the pandemic made his return to society more difficult, he used skills he'd learned in prison to find his way. | Unlimited Chronicle...

He's covered the Zodiac, the Unabomber and others. Now, Kevin Fagan turns his attention to a forgotten serial killer who preyed on San Francisco's gay community in the '70s for The Chronicle's new true-crime miniseries, The Doodler. He talks to Demian Bulwa about the investigation and plays an excerpt from Episode 1. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod   Follow The Doodler: sfchronic...

Health reporter Erin Allday joins hosts Heather Knight and Demian Bulwa to talk about life in the coronavirus pandemic one year after the Bay Area's shutdown order. We hear from listeners, medical workers and former Fifth & Mission host Audrey Cooper. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Maya Kotas of UCSF talked to Fifth & Mission from New York last May when she was volunteering to help at the epicenter of COVID-19. Now, she talks again to the Chronicle's Sarah Feldberg about the last heartbreaking year. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Related: A San Francisco Doctor at the COVID-19 Epicenter: pod.fo/e/1b483 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....

Supervisor Ahsha Safai is backing Mayor London Breed's legislation to let those makeshift structures in parking spaces remain forever as a way to boost struggling small businesses. He also discusses his idea to remake the school board and why the city should purchase more hotels for homeless people. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...

As society reopens and vaccinations spread, COVID-19 is on the run. But as Chronicle reporter Annie Vainshtein reports, health experts say the Bay Area may see a fourth pandemic surge — thanks to more contagious variants, the relaxing of rules and spring break. Also, sports writer Ron Kroichick talks about fans returning to Giants and A's games, and whether that's a good idea. | Unlimited Chronicl...