Voices of the Community

"Half of San Franciscans’ income goes to housing—what are they sacrificing?"- Angela Woodall Episode Timestamps [00:01:19] Angela Woodall: The human cost of SF’s affordability crisis (health, nutrition, childcare). [00:03:18] Caroline Danielson: How the California Poverty Measure (CPM) reveals the true scope of poverty. [00:09:56] Stephanie Zamudio: Community-driven solutions (lending circles, chi...

"Digital skills are needed in almost every compartment of life nowadays. When families are looking for housing, employment, or services in the community, the best and easiest way is to use a computer and the internet. If you don't have those skills—if they were never taught to you—you don't know something until you know it."- Sophia Selasse ⏳ Key Moments ✅ 00:00:30– Framing the digital divide: W...

⏳ Key Moments ✅ 00:00:28 – Why civic innovation is survival , not just a buzzword ✅ 00:06:27 – Defining civic innovation: "Solving old problems in new ways" ✅ 00:17:07 – SF Airport’s blind navigation app (co-created with Lighthouse for the Blind) ✅ 00:20:20 – Easy Voter Guide : Doubled voter turnout among non-traditional voters ✅ 00:23:18 – Neighbor-land : Public commenting for urban plannin...

“The energy devoted to treating mental health and reaching people who have mental health conditions is going to be on fire for not just this year, but for a while, because we don’t know exactly how deeply this pandemic and the mental health conditions that came out of it… we don’t know how long it’s gonna affect people yet. We just know it has impacted people and it will be for some time.” — Jenni...

" Instead of asking what's broken, we shine a spotlight on what's already good in people's lives" - Elena Fairley, Mission Asset Fund & Crankstart Foundation In part 5 of our Highlight Episodes from our Covid-19 Special Series, we reveal the hidden fault lines cracking San Francisco's foundation — from a downtown office vacancy rate that's the highest in the nation to a business tax structure so c...

Then, we transition to a panel led by Susan Stuart Clark featuring library directors Jayanti Addleman (Hayward) and Derek Wolfgram (Redwood City). They share on-the-ground stories of how their institutions transformed overnight—from providing hotspots and homework centers to becoming de facto daytime shelters for unhoused neighbors. This episode highlights the resilience of library staff, the ment...

“We were able to open our tiny house village during the pandemic and have 26 young people move in off the street and into housing." - Sally Hindman, Founder & Executive Director, Youth Spirit Artworks 3 Main Takeaways on Solutions 1.Guaranteed Income Works-Programs like **Miracle Money** and the **New Leaf Project** show that direct cash support helps unhoused individuals secure housing faster, sa...

“Before the pandemic, one in four San Francisco families struggled with food security; after, four out of ten Black and Latinx families are struggling.” - Kenneth Kim, Senior Director of Programs, GLIDE Drawn from our 105-episode COVID-19 series, this conversation revisits the early months of the global pandemic—and connects them to today’s hunger crisis intensified by government shutdowns and SNA...

"I think that people forget that. These small businesses, they're the ones that are sponsoring your sports teams, which are helping with school things, and that are doing fundraisers that are giving back to the community all the time." - Rebecca Bertoldi When COVID-19 hit, we launched a series to spotlight the small businesses that sustain our communities. Five years on, many are still rebuilding....

“We talk about that nihilistic mindset… what it means to grow up in a community that has that mindset and how that affects them. You have to be honest with them, though, that this is real. This is why y’all are dying.” - Anthony Rodriguez Part two features Barbara Albertson, Michael Tubbs, youth panelists, and educators discussing Stockton's remarkable transformation from America's most miserable...

“ No one’s coming to save us; we have to figure this out ourselves.” — Dillon Delvo Reinvention in Stockton starts with people. Family, faith, and Black history shape young leaders; high expectations and visible role models invite the whole community to “come together.” Mentorship turns promise into pathways: Phoenix Scholars supports first-gen, low-income students through applications, scholarshi...

"Artists are entitled, just like every other worker, to a livable, predictable, sustainable wage." – Jennifer Laine, San Benito County Arts Council In this powerful season finale, guests explore five urgent themes—economic power of the arts, youth-led civic engagement, cultural equity, legislative reform, and creative healing. From museum-building to policy change and correctional programs, they r...

"I have been used, abused and silenced within the nonprofit industrial complex... I'm not gonna take it anymore... I'm gonna get mine and my community's gonna get there's this year" - Nikko Kimzin, Kimzin Creative In Part One of season two of Where Art Meets Impact highlight episode. This episode features inspiring voices from the 2024 California Arts and Culture Summit, which highlights, how arti...

"When the community comes together, organizes, advocates, makes noise, and has a plan, we can change systems ” - Richard Raya Join host George Koster for part two of our Arts for a Better Bay Area highlights as ten visionary guests tackle some of the big issues facing San Francisco and our arts organizations and creative workforce; Such as downtown vacancies, converting offices into affordable art...

We must disrupt and rebuild; our task is to shift how society thinks through art” - Ralph Remington Part one of this special episode, in collaboration with Arts for a Better Bay Area, delves into the discussions and insights from the 2023 State of the Arts and Culture Organization Summit. Host Eric Estrada and summit reporter Isa Nakazawa bring you the voices of key panelists and attendees who are...

Arts Equity, Advocacy, Impact "Artists, cultural bearers, creatives are essential contributors to the economy… so that arts are not a luxury, arts are not a hobby" – Ron Muriera This episode of Where Art Meets Impact features Kristen Sakota, Michael Alexander, Ron Muriera, Meghna Bhat, and Josiah Bruny, discussing arts advocacy, economic empowerment, storytelling, arts and health, and youth leader...

"Artists must be at the center of decision-making, shaping policies and funding structures that directly impact their work and their communities” - Nataki Garrett Show Guests Tiara Amar Title: Advocate for Art Workers’ Rights Key Points: Advocates for fair pay and professional protections for musicians. Highlights the Fair Play Initiative for setting pay minimums. Showcases transformative impact t...

“So, if people need potable water, then we need to provide them with that. Or if people are looking for a job that we don't need to categorize that. We can start to put away our own judgment and provide them with the opportunity that they're putting in front of us versus us telling them, no, no, you need to go get treatment before you get a job”- Mary Carl In Part Two of our “Finding Home” Live Sh...

"For the first time, we are centering artists in our work with an equity-centered, artist-centered cultural plan... with a big emphasis on affordable housing and live-workspace for artists” - Jonathon Glus, City of San Diego In this engaging episode of Voices of the Community , we spotlight transformative policy wins and the visions shaping the future of California's arts and culture sector. Recor...

"Our philosophy is simple: without rest, there is no healing. We open our doors so that people can have a safe space to rest, restoring a basic dignity often lost on the streets.”- Lydia Bransten In Finding Home, host George Koster speaks with leaders from San Francisco-based organizations committed to supporting unhoused residents. This insightful conversation highlights the unique challenges and...

"It’s really important for arts advocates and tradition bearers, artists, and cultural organizations to participate in the visioning and guiding principle process in your community plan, to get named in the vision statement of the community" - Tracy Hudak Join Tracy Hudak, Director of Field Engagement for California for the Arts, and Jackie Melendez, Assistant City Manager of the City of Chino, fo...

"We’re living through the greatest art heist of all time. Billions of images, data, and content were scraped illegally, impacting creative jobs, and AI is at the forefront of this transformation." - Nicole Hendrix The creative economy is at a crossroads, grappling with issues of fair pay, technological disruption, and access to resources. The panelists in this insightful discussion offer solutions...

“So if you have not tapped into community members that you are serving, that you are working with, then you are missing a large, piece of the solution to your problems”. - Heather Heslep Gentrification, displacement, the struggle for ownership... these are the challenges faced by many communities today. But what if art could be the key to preserving cultural heritage and building economic resilien...

"At the structural level, we don’t make decisions based on evidence. If we did, we would have universal healthcare and basic income. The arts can be part of this shift” - Tasha Golden Join Nefesha Yisra’el from California for the Arts as she introduces our second episode, featuring a powerful panel discussion on the intersection of arts and health. This episode is part of our exclusive interview s...

 "Together we can create a world where arts and culture are recognized and invested in as essential to society, embedded in community life, and intersecting with broader policy change to reshape systems towards equity and justice." - Julie Baker Join us as we kick off our second season, celebrating the vibrant and resilient arts and culture scene that shape our community. This season, we bring you...