The Manny's Podcast

Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, and Coach Steve Kerr of the Warriors - together on stage with Manny in San Francisco, November 3, 2025. Two of San Francisco's most innovative and inspirational leaders discuss leadership, technology, the Warriors, OpenAI, and how San Francisco has played an important role in their lives.

Within minutes of the debate beginning last Thursday, texts and calls were being fielded across the Democratic apparatus asking one very big question: Should Biden stay in the race? The past few days have seen an eruption of chatter around that question, with folks from every end of the political spectrum weighing in on what should be done. What kinds of conversations are happening in the White Ho...

Since 1988, Joshua Kosman has been the leading critical voice on classical music in the Bay Area, covering everything from blockbuster Yo-Yo Ma concerts and Opera at the Ballpark to week-long Wagner cycles and contemporary music that only a mother (or a true connoisseur) could love. In his decades holding major institutions accountable and championing the offbeat, he’s helped the Bay Area hear bet...

Do you ever find yourself reading or talking about the worldwide climate crisis – coral reef devastation, melting glaciers, catastrophic weather – and wondering “But what can I do?” For those of us who live in urban environments, climate change may sometimes feel like a concept far removed from our daily lives. And yet, the biodiversity and nature right under our noses – and integrated into our ci...

Though it encompasses just a single square block, Union Square has loomed large in San Francisco. Today, it’s in flux. Over the past few years, the luxury retail destination and its surrounding blocks have lost a number of notable tenants, but none as big as Macy’s flagship San Francisco store, which announced its pending departure earlier this year. So, what will become of Macy’s 400,000-square-f...

2025 will be the inagural season of the Golden State WNBA team. We are SO excited to welcome this franchise, the players, and all the amazing WNBA energy to our city. On April 17th, the President of the new team, Jess Smith, will sit down with Danette Leighton, CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation, and Axios reporter, Megan Rose Dickey, to talk about the future of the team, the impact it will have...

Election season is in full effect! Join us for a special afternoon fireside chat with Congressman Dean Phillips as he discusses his decision to run for President in 2024. This will be an oppertunity to meet one of the many candidates running for office in 2024 and ask Congressman Phillips questions. Manny's never turns away anyone for lack of funds. To receive a complementary ticket just email the...

As San Francisco faces a state housing mandate, there are many unanswered questions about new state and local laws, how the city may change, and whether these changes will be enough to meet our housing needs. On Aug. 24, The San Francisco Standard hosts a conversation with State Sen. Scott Wiener and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar on the impacts of new legislation and what work still needs to...

Every day, SF Chronicle staff photographers are tasked with documenting San Francisco.   Cameras in hand, they venture out to cover breaking news, illuminate the hidden corners of our metropolis and explore the people and issues that define our city in all its beauty, desperation and resilience.   Over the past several years, Chronicle photojournalists have depicted the ravages of the fentanyl cri...

On December 6, 2022, SPUR and UC Davis law professor Chris Elmendorf stopped by our the Living Room for a conversation about San Francisco's notorious “Nordstrom’s parking lot” housing development and the implications for future housing policy around the state. In 2021, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors rejected a proposal for a 495 unit building on the site of a Nordstrom's valet parking lot....

It’s Jane Fonda y’all!    Jane stopped by Manny’s right before the midterms to talk about this critical election. She knows, as we all know, that we are on the precipice of climate disaster. We are no longer just imagining how the world will look in a disrupted climate; we’re seeing and feeling the reality of the climate crisis every single day as we witness and experience wildfires, heat waves, a...

Can San Francisco be both progressive on criminal justice and tough on crime? How can the District Attorney reduce crime in our city? What's the way forward after the Boudin recall? What is the the future of criminal justice and policing in San Francisco? We’re excited to have a fireside chat with San Francisco's newly appointed DA Brooke Jenkins. She’s had a fiery entrance so far. Jenkins shook u...

What does it mean to queer religion at a Catholic university? What is it like to be queer and the Rabbi in residence at a Catholic institution? Come listen as Rabbi Angel shares their experience, research and field notes from teaching at University of San Francisco and leading the queer flagship Congregation Sha'ar Zahav for 15 years. Are you a current student? Email the word "caffeine" and the ti...

The planet is on fire, the weather is changing, and the water is rising. What is happening with the climate? Ties between the climate and our health are old as time, but modern data and methods help illuminate exactly how serious those effects can be. In this talk, Prof. Anttila-Hughes provides an overview of what we know about how the climate impacts child health, outlining the many ways agricult...

Originally released in 1892, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes has become an important classic in the world of crime fiction. From books to movies and even television, Sherlock Holmes has penetrated modern day culture. What does this mean for larger issues like crime, law, and safety? Join us as Professor Aviram discusses the role Sherlock Holmes played in the birth of crime science and crime prev...

What role does gaming have in shaping society? How do video games help create the imagery of the future? What do post-apocalyptic cities in video games represent on a larger scale? Come join us as Dr. Emma Fraser and Dr. Ian Kivelin Davis explains the role of video games in society and what it means to game the end of the world. About Ian Kivelin Davis, Ph. D.: Ian Kivelin Davis earned his doctora...

More than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's Disease. What can be done to help those who are living with this disease? Join us at Manny's as Professor Olaru discusses deep brain stimulation that may serve as a potential therapy mechanism for those who may have Parkinson's Disease. About Maria Olaru: Maria Olaru is a PhD candidate at UC San Francisco, where she studies the basa...

This lecture will focus on the life and legacy of the British Romantic poet, Percy Shelley (the husband of Frankenstein creator, Mary Shelley), the British author who drowned off the coast of Italy 200 years ago this year. Professor Miranda (University of San Francisco) will shed light on what a poet from so long ago can tell us today about women’s liberation movements, social justice and racial e...

On August 16, 2022 Random House will publish the trade paperback of MIDNIGHT IN WASHINGTON: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could, with a new afterword by the author Adam B. Schiff, United States Representative from California, and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In his singular and explosive first book, Congressman Schiff chronicles step by step just h...

What does it mean to be a successful young person? Education cost has been skyrocketing for years across the country. Sadly, for most students in 2022 to pursue things like college they must make the decision to take on loans that will follow them for years. How can we redefine student success and improve higher education so student swill no longer have to go bankrupt for a college degree? Join us...

Pedagogy, the method and practice of teaching. What is Black liberation pedagogy? What does it mean to share these important teachings and practices? Join us as Chair, Professor Abul Pitre walks us through Black liberation pedagogy and the power of sharing that knowledge with new groups of people across generations. About Abul Pitre, Ph. D.: Abul Pitre is Professor and Chair of the Department of A...

What's going to happen to abortion rights? Will guns finally be regulated? Is Affirmative Action no longer? What did they decide, what does it all mean, and what is in store for the future of the judiciary? Join us as Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of UC Berkeley School of Law, explains the cases that came before the court this year and what they mean for our lives.

There has been widespread misinformation and confusion about Monkeypox, what the virus does, how it's passed and who's at risk. Join us for an in-depth conversation and community forum on the Monkeypox virus and San Francisco's state of emergency. What is monkeypox? What are the symptoms? How can we protect ourselves? Why aren't there enough vaccines? Is the virus mutating? Let's find out from inf...

What are the lessons we can learn from the AIDS epidemic? What does it mean to survive 2 pandemics in a lifetime? Many long-term survivors are having revived conversations with friends and family members. Many survivors of the AIDS pandemic feel a sense of pride in the community’s powerful and noble response. A sense that against all odds we came together and demonstrated who we were and what we w...

It is 2022 and we still don't have proper immigration reform...why? Immigration and asylum policies have been a key issue area for the United States for years. In 2012, under the Obama administration, the immigration process went through a major change. Through an executive order, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA was created. The result of this executive order was renewable two-y...