KALW’s personal finance reporter Francesca Fenzi found out just how personal, and hard to escape, this practice really is.

The ILWU is a powerful organizing force in the Bay Area. And the union actually got its start with a massive general strike and a deadly run-in with police over 90 years ago, right here in San Francisco.

And just in time for Labor Day, we’re bringing you this latest episode of The Public Works series. Reporter Sheryl Kaskowitz dives into the history of the ILWU and a radical labor leader who isn’t a household name today.

And right now, that history is on display at San Francisco City Hall. The exhibit is called “Moving San Francisco.” It features images from over a century of the Municipal Railway, better known as MUNI. Our transportation reporter Zain Iqbal has this story on why seeing the history of Muni through photography feels important right now.

A recent trove of court documents has shed new light on the case prosecutors plan to present. Nathan Gartrell is a reporter for the East Bay Times, who reports on the courts and local law enforcement. He spoke recently with KALW's news editor Sunni Khalid.

The focus back then was to help the country recover from the Great Depression, but the New Deal is still all around us today. To bring that back to light, KALW has created a series called ‘The Public Works.’ It’s all about understanding where the New Deal came from and why it still matters here in the Bay Area.  So far, the series has covered Public art, public space, and preserving folk music. In this one, reporter Sheryl Kaskowitz learns about the secret messages that the New Deal has left behind.

That started with the way they were funded- , they raised more than 150 thousand dollars on the crowd funding platform Give Butter. And their model is also different from legacy media- it’s a worker-owned, and co-founded by 11 longtime Bay Area journalists- including former SF Chronicle reporters Soleil Ho, Nuala Bishari, and Cecilia Lei.

Then, there’s their vibe. Quirky, whimsical journalism with attitude. In this interview, Crosscurrents host Hana Baba, speaks with Nuala and Cecilia, as they get ready to mark their first anniversary next month.

Dr. Maria Su has led the San Francisco Unified School District for nearly two years after taking over in the fall of twenty twenty-four. Since then, she steered the district through $114 million in budget cuts, a teacher strike, and a new labor agreement with the teachers union. 

But the district still faces some big challenges, including declining enrollment, a continuing structural budget deficit, and questions about whether some schools will eventually have to close. So what should students and families expect from SFUSD this year, and what are the district's top priorities as the new school year gets underway? Those are some questions KALW’s State of the Bay host Ethan Elkind asked Dr. Maria Su. First he asked her- what grade she would give to SFUSD. 

We’re so excited for our move to the Warfield Commons… but there’s a lot we’re going to miss about our little corner of this SFUSD High School. Like the sound of their marching band practicing in the parking lot. Back in 2015, reporter Olivia Cueva caught it on tape. 

Thousands of people have found this recording, and are listening to it, to the sounds of the past. One of those people is reporter Stella Singer, who brings us this story.

In this story from our archives, reporters Ashleyanne Krigbaum & Maya De Paula Hanika had a private lesson with the artist behind the sculpture on how the organ creates its eerie tones.

While it’s an art form that’s largely been sidelined for decades, today hand-painted signage is having a moment here in the Bay Area. In this story we hear from one of the artists at the forefront of this renaissance.

It’s curated by Tina Valentin Aguirre, the director of the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, and Caro de Robertis, an award-winning author and professor at San Francisco State. KALW’s Jenee Darden spoke with them on “The Sight +Sounds Show.”  

We meet her in this next story from our friends at KALW’s Notes from the Edge, with Jeff Chang. Their new episode considers how the demands of the new economy are impacting our ability to care for our loved ones – and ourselves. 

In this excerpt, Valerie talks about the jobs she’s worked, the music she writes, and the ways that music can help us take care of each other.

Up next, we explore what it takes to preserve this culture’s musical legacy. In this story from 2025, Reporter Leon Morimoto catches up with a duo of DJ’s and record collectors known as the Flipside Lovers. 

To help folks get a feel for that scene, KALW recently hosted a group of local comedians at our Live Events Space in downtown San Francisco. Elizabeth Truong is an intern with us. She was there and has this report on their conversation.

Immigration reporter Wendy Reyes brings us this story from 2025, about using comedy to empower and unite people in this moment. 

In the Summer of 1996, the very first show happened right here in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. 

Now, KALW is partnering with Rangzen and Adonde Media to bring you a six-part audio documentary about what it took to put together one of the largest concert series of the 90’s.

The series is called ‘Freedom needs a soundtrack’ and today we’re bringing you a taste here on the show. Their host Erin Potts was an activist teenager back in the '80s. And when she dreamed, she dreamed BIG. She became the driving force and co-founder of the concerts and now she tells us the story.

Last week, the federal prosecutors filed a trove of documents alleging Thao and others made bribes for political gain. And the FBI announced that they have identified a key informant- Fruitvale entrepreneur Mario Juarez, who has already given a guilty plea to one count of bribery.

Natalie Orenstein is a reporter for the Oaklandside, who has been covering recent events in the Thao case. She spoke with KALW's news editor Sunni Khalid.

Hana Baba talked to her for an episode of The Stoop podcast, hosted by her and Leila Day. 

Well, reporter Mary Catherine O'Connor looked for answers - at a Fixit Clinic at a library in San Mateo. 

And if you have a much loved item that’s in need of some TLC, you’re in luck! KALW is hosting a fix it clinic tonight! It’s happening at our live event space at 220 Montgomery in San Francisco. 

The move has resulted in "mega" immigration dockets, with dozens — and sometimes more than a hundred — cases to be decided per day. But that's only one of the problems that have resulted from the move. Clara-Sophia Daly is an immigration reporter with Mission Local. She’s recently reported on the situation in Concord. She spoke with KALW's news editor Sunni Khalid about what she’s found. 

We're so proud of KALW Immigration reporter Wendy Reyes and “Sights + Sounds” Producer Porfirio Rangel… BART’s first Prom queen and king!

BART prom is just one example of how the transit system is hosting fun events to increase ridership. Alicia Trost is BART Chief Communications Officer. She and 2026 BART King Porfirio sat down with KALW’s Jenee Darden for “The Sights + Sounds Show.” 

This action includes multilingual scam alerts, and financial counseling for people who’ve been defrauded as a result. KALW's NeEddra James reports on AI and while she’s seen an acceleration of these scams, she’s here to offer some helpful tips for how to protect yourself. 

In 2023, before Hana launched it, she was struggling with questions about folktale storytelling. So Ms. Diane invited Hana to come talk them out with her. And she did that, in an episode of The Stoop podcast that Hana cohosts with Leila Day. Today, we're brining you an excerpt of that conversation.

One of the researchers that has been changing this dynamic is Darby Saxbe, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Southern California. She has studied families and fathers for over two decades and just published a book, “Dad Brain: The New Science of Fatherhood and How It Shapes Men's Lives.”

So KALW invited her to our live event space to talk about what we’ve learned in the last decade about the transformative power of fatherhood. She spoke to KALW Executive Producer and proud father Ben Trefny. He begins by talking about what it was like to become a dad.

Without plentiful milkweed along their migration path, monarchs have nowhere to lay their eggs. Now, only thousands butterflies make it back to the coast every year. When one musician heard about the plight of the monarchs, he decided to take a radical step to help them along their journey by taking the trip with them. Reporter Lusen Mendel has the story, first reported in 2024.

Housing is a perpetual topic here in the Bay Area and for decades, cities have largely gotten to decide what could be built and where you could build . But over the last few years, California has passed a number of laws trying to shift those decisions to the state.

Today, a conversation about the laws that are now coming into effect this month. We hear from Sarah Dennis Phillips, SF Planning Director and David Garcia, Policy Director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley. They spoke with State of the Bay host Grace Won.

She’s on tour now with another music icon: Wynonna Judd. Their tour is called “The Raised on Radio Tour.” And they’ll be making a stop at The Mountain Winery in Saratoga tomorrow night.

KALW’s Jenee Darden caught up with Melissa Etheridge for “The Sights + Sounds Show.” 

For many unhoused people, access to services is only half the battle. The other half is trust. Like the disappointment of overpromised services that don’t deliver, inadequate shelter conditions, and just the accumulated trauma of life on the street. All that can leave people deeply skeptical of the outreach workers and programs meant to help them. 

So what does it actually take to build trust across that divide? One Oakland organization may have found a starting point: pets. KALW’s Homelessness reporter Alastair Boone went to learn more. 

More than eleven thousand San Franciscan’s are still living with HIV. And just earlier this year one of the largest and oldest HIV non-profits in the country, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation was fighting to prevent over a million dollars of annual city funding from being cut, right after the Trump administration cancelled a million dollars in federal funding. The good news is that funding cuts from the city have been partially averted after non-profits, residents and survivors fought and argued for the organization’s significance. 

And this AIDS Activism has a long history in SF, from the days of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. That’s when activists, caregivers, survivors, and community members started the long fight to build queer solidarity. KALW’s Travis Raburn wanted to know what we can learn from those elder pioneers today. So he recently invited three of them to join him in conversation at KALW’s live event space in Downtown SF. Paul Aguilar, who we heard earlier, a long-term survivor community liaison at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Patrick Batt, the owner of AutoErotica in the Castro, and Reverend Jim Mitulski, former pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church.

In this excerpt from their conversation, the three of them reflect on what it was like to live through the AIDS Crisis during their young adulthoods.

Next, a conversation with two of Alice’s colleagues and friends as they remember and honor her work and legacy. Sandy Ho is the Executive Director of the Disability & Philanthropy Forum and Steven Thrasher is a journalist, professor and writer who was suspended from teaching classes after speaking out on Palestine - as Wong also did.

They talked about Alice on the Laura Flanders and Friends podcast.

And one group that goes each year exists at the intersection of disability advocacy and the values that guide the gathering. The Burner community is guided by what they call “The 10 Principles.” One of those principles is radical inclusion. But what does that mean for people with disabilities? 

Next, we revisit a story from an episode of the podcast the Intersection that explores what disability advocacy looks like in the desert. 

Prominently featured in the film is John Janosko, one of the key organizers of the encampment’s residents. He lived at Wood Street for 10 years. The film’s creator is documentarian and award winning journalist, Caron Creighton. They both spoke with KALW’s Jenee Darden on “The Sights + Sounds Show.” 

You can see “Wood Street” at the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland this Wednesday, July 15th. 

This piece was created by student producers in the Uncuffed audio storytelling training program, in partnership with journalists at KALW Public Media. Our work in prisons is supported by the California Arts Council, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, independent foundations, and donations from listeners like you. Content is approved by an information officer.

Follow @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook 

Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program atwww.uncuffed.org

As a child she migrated to the US with her parents, and has spent her writing career capturing the raw reality of life across borders. Her newest memoir is “Migrant Heart.” It interrogates how living between two nations, two languages, and two identities has shaped the person she’s become. 

Recently, Reyna spoke to KALW’s Angie Coiro as part of Litquake, at our live event space in Downtown San Francisco. In this excerpt from their conversation, Reyna explains how her struggles to straddle two languages is linked to her relationship with her parents, children, and her own identity. 

This piece was created by student producers in the Uncuffed audio storytelling training program, in partnership with journalists at KALW Public Media. Our work in prisons is supported by the California Arts Council, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, independent foundations, and donations from listeners like you. Content is approved by an information officer.

Follow @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook 

Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program atwww.uncuffed.org

He immerses readers in all these life adventures in his new memoir, “A Good Run.” KALW’s Jenee Darden spoke with Ben on the Sights and Sounds show. 

Critics argue that the reason standardized tests were discontinued was because they disadvantage students from underrepresented and lower income backgrounds, and that high school achievement tells colleges far more. Today we hear from both sides. Frank Worrell, is professor of psychology at UC Berkeley School of Education, who has signed the petition to bring back standardized testing. Jessie Ryan, the president of the nonprofit Campaign for College Opportunity, wants to keep the SAT’s out of the admission process. They both spoke with State of The Bay’s host Ethan Elkind. 

 

This movie is the latest feature by Oakland filmmaker Anthony Lucero. It’s inspired by his mother and disabled brother, and it's now out on streaming platforms. 

The host of KALW’s Sights and Sounds Show Jenee Darden, spoke with Lucero about his new movie. 

But while city efforts to reduce the number of RVs appears to be succeeding, the crackdown has left hundreds of former RV tenants without any shelter. Yesica Prado is an investigative reporter with El Tecolote. She also lives in an RV in the East Bay and has reported extensively about on vehicular homelessness. She spoke recently with KALW's news editor Sunni Khalid about her most recent reporting.

This was welcome news to everyone in the Oasis family, but especially Tito Soto, the club’s event producer and a headline performer.  KALW’s Stafford Hemmer went out to the club to meet the man who’s brought Oasis to life every Saturday night for the last six years. And who continues to invest much of his life into the club.

With the news that Oasis is going to reopen on July 17th, Stafford brought D’Arcy and Tito to KALW’s live event space in Downtown San Francisco. They talked about why Bay Area drag is different from the rest of the world, and how today’s artists navigate the line between performance and protest. 

Oasis has been closed for renovations for the past several months… but it’s about to reopen on July 17th! Find the details for their Grand Reopening here!