I’m guest hosting Your Call’s Media Roundtable this morning at 10am PT. First, we’ll discuss the coordinated campaign by fossil fuel interests and their allies to sow disinformation about renewable energy. I’ll interview Rebecca Burns, an award-winning investigative reporter who has covered this story extensively.
Then, we’ll discuss the one-year anniversary of the civil war raging in Sudan. Joining me will be Sudanese-American journalist Isma’il Kushkush, who has reported on the conflict from the beginning.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
On tonight’s State of the Bay on KALW, we’ll sit down with Corrina Gould of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust to learn about a historic new agreement that will transfer a sacred Native American site in Berkeley back to the indigenous Ohlone people.
Then, we’ll discuss a California survey designed to understand and address the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community as they age. We’ll be joined by Susan DeMarois, Director of the California Department of Aging, and Openhouse Executive Director Kathleen Sullivan.
Finally, we’ll meet Allegra Madsen, the new Executive Director of the Frameline film festival, which celebrates queer storytelling.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
On tonight’s State of the Bay, I’ll talk with Joe Eskenazi, Managing Editor of Mission Local, about the results of the March 5th Election and what they mean for San Francisco.
Then, I’ll interview three experts about whether climate disclosure and emissions requirements will be effective and what the prospects are for divestment from fossil fuels. The panel will include:
- Dave Jones, Director of the Climate Risk Initiative at UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE)
- Rev. Kirsten Snow Spalding, Vice President of the Ceres Investor Network
- Malin Clark, Partner at Third Economy, a sustainability consulting firm
Finally, we’ll hear about the all-girl robotics team, The Janksters, and their robot Rosa! Joining me will be their coach, Marta Carrillo.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
I’ll be a guest on KQED Forum at 10am PT today discussing how to improve electric vehicle charging infrastructure in California.
Electrical vehicle purchases in the state dropped significantly in the second half of last year, for the first time in a decade. It’s likely this is just a blip, but some potential EV buyers say that they’re holding off because of concerns over public charger access and reliability.
The situation may be improving though: California approved a $1.9 billion dollar investment in EV charging infrastructure last month, which will bring 40,000 new chargers online – including in rural areas.
On the show, I’ll talk about what California needs to do to meaningfully expand its EV charging infrastructure ahead of its 2035 ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars. Joining me on the panel will be:
- Russ Mitchell, Automotive Editor, Los Angeles Times, who covers the automotive industry.
- Terry Travis, managing partner, EVNoire, a Mobility Consulting Group that works to integrate and amplify diversity, equity, and inclusion in the electric transportation sector.
Tune in on KQED 88.5 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT!
Last week, the California Public Utilities Commission approved Waymo’s expansion of autonomous taxi service into communities south of San Francisco and in Los Angeles. Notably, the list of supporters included many organizations committed to enhancing safety for people who walk and bike, as well as disability advocates. That tells me they understand that robot drivers are much safer than human drivers.
In opposition were a number of city and county leaders in the expansion zones. That tells me that Waymo and its supporters need to do a lot more outreach with local government leaders to explain how their technology interacts with existing municipal services, from waste haulers to fire safety vehicles.
I spoke to KTVU news about the decision and its basis in California law:
Ultimately this expansion signals that a driverless future is already here and growing, with companies like Waymo believing that there’s a profit to be made from it. And despite some high-profile malfunctions, this future promises to be a safer one than the status quo.
In honor of Black History Month on tonight’s State of the Bay, we’ll have two segments highlighting the Black community. First, did you know the average white family has eight times the wealth of the average Black family? We will examine this racial wealth gap and how impact investing might be a solution with:
- UC Berkeley Law Professor and Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute’s john a. powell
- Daryn Dodson of Illumen Capital
- Toussaint Bailey of Uplifting Capital (and also my UCLA Law classmate)
Second, we’ll talk to Nia McAllister from the Museum of African Diaspora (“MoAD”) about the museum’s latest exhibitions celebrating the Black experience.
And to kick off the show, we’ll hear from San Francisco Chronicle reporter Aldo Toledo about what’s at stake in the upcoming March 5th election.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
On tonight’s State of the Bay, we’ll play Monday night quarterback with Steve Berman, the “Bay Area Sports Guy” at The Athletic, who will provide analysis of the San Francisco 49ers loss in the Super Bowl yesterday, plus his latest on the Warriors and the A’s.
Then we’ll discuss how Marin County is consistently ranked as the #1 healthiest county in California, but with one notable exception: when it comes to underage substance use, Marin’s rate is nearly twice the state’s average. Adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Emily Tejani and Dr. Matt Willis, Marin county’s public health officer, will talk more about the problem and offer some potential solutions.
Finally, we’ll hear all about George McCalman’s book Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and Unseen.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
2023 was San Francisco’s deadliest year on record for drug overdoses. More than 800 residents lost their lives to accidental overdoses last year, and nearly 80% of those deaths were linked to the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Tonight on State of the Bay, I’ll host a panel of experts who will discuss what should be done to address addiction and prevent more loss of life in our city.
Joining me will be:
- Vitka Eisen, president and CEO, HealthRIGHT 360
- Kevin Fagan, reporter, The San Francisco Chronicle
- Dr. Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine; chief, Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic; author, Drug Dealer, MD – How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop and Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
Finally, we’ll learn about Rancho-Obi Wan, the largest Star Wars memorabilia collection in the country, from the collector Steve Sansweet.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
Tonight on State of the Bay, I’ll host a discussion on how Oakland baseball fans are determined to keep professional baseball alive in the city. Instead of the A’s, fans may soon be rooting for the B’s! Guests include Bryan Carmel, Ballers co-founder and chief experience officer and Jorge Leon, president of the Oakland 68’s.
And later in show, we’ll cover how Safeway abruptly announced this month that in March it would close its store located on Webster Street in San Francisco’s Fillmore district. What will the closure of the neighborhood’s only full-service grocery store mean for the community, with its history of redlining and gentrification? Guests include San Francisco District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston and long-time Fillmore resident Pia Harris.
Finally, we’ll meet Willard Harris, who’s going strong at age 104. What can her story tell us about how to age well?
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
California’s ambitious goal to end the sale of internal combustion engine passenger vehicles by 2035 will require addressing the challenges faced by lower- and moderate-income drivers in accessing battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs). Chief among these concerns is their need to have a convenient and affordable place to charge the vehicles.
Currently these residents too often experience limited access to EV charging stations, especially in lower-income communities characterized by lower home ownership rates and higher rates of tenancy in apartment buildings. Residents in these areas are more likely to lack dedicated parking spaces equipped with electric outlets, hindering their ability to charge EVs conveniently. Even those with garages or parking spaces may face financial constraints when it comes to investing in private charging and electrical upgrades. Compounding these challenges is the often-inadequate grid infrastructure in lower-income areas.
In response to these obstacles, UC Berkeley School of Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE) partnered with the City of Watsonville, a diverse city of 50,000 in Santa Cruz County’s agricultural heartland. Due to its location, demographics, and ambitious policy goals, Watsonville represents a potential model and case study for other cities around the state grappling with how to boost zero-emission vehicle charging infrastructure.
Today CLEE is pleased to release a new report, which draws on stakeholder interviews and a convening held in Watsonville to offer a set of policy recommendations for both state and local leaders. These recommendations aim to accelerate investment in EV charging infrastructure not only in Watsonville but other cities facing similar challenges in meeting state targets while addressing lower-income residents’ needs.
- Comprehensive Mapping Assessment: Watsonville’s City Planning Department and Public Works & Utilities Department could initiate a comprehensive mapping assessment to determine optimal and equitable charger locations based on local needs and transportation patterns.
- Zoning and Permitting Policies: Watsonville’s City Planning Department could revise zoning and permitting policies to require EV charger installation or EV-ready electrical infrastructure at certain priority locations.
- Electricity Rate Optimization: The CPUC and utility companies could implement electricity rates that reduce the cost of charging during off-peak hours and improve transparency for consumers about these rates.
- Community Awareness Campaigns: The state transportation agencies could expand support for community based organizations in Watsonville that conduct targeted, multi-lingual public awareness campaigns about the potential cost savings and benefits from switching to EVs.
By prioritizing charging access, state and local leaders can ensure that California’s path toward equitable EV deployment is not only aspirational but also achievable, particularly for the lowest-income drivers in the state. The lessons learned from Watsonville can serve as an example for other cities grappling with similar challenges, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and sustainable transportation landscape.
Read our full report here- Charging up the Central Coast: Policy solutions to improve electric vehicle charging access in Watsonville
