Crosscurrents

New laws meant to encourage the construction of new homes in San Francisco give a lot of power to the state. Today, we explore how and where the homes get built. Then, music legend Melissa Etheridge performs in the Bay Area after releasing her first album in seven years. 

Keeping up with your rent in San Francisco is not for the faint of heart. Online rental services were showing that the average monthly rent for a one bedroom home was more than four thousand dollars, and a two bedroom was averaging at five thousand seven hundred dollars. 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.

Music legend Melissa Etheridge recently released her first new album in seven years. Her album “Rise” is inspired by some of the challenges she's had to rise above in her life, including evacuating her home during last year's Southern California wildfires, and her son passing away from opioid addiction in 2020. 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.” 

Pets are often important companions for unhoused people. Today, we meet a grassroots organization that's helping homeless folks take care of their animals. Plus, a new novel takes on the survival instincts needed to make it in a Bay Area suburb.

Homelessness ends with a home... Technically. But there's much more to it, and the path to live indoors is most always complicated. 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. 

Now, it's time for New Arrivals, our pocket sized book tour with Bay Area authors. Vanessa Hua lives in the East Bay. Her new novel, "Coyoteland," is set in a fictional Bay Area suburb, and takes place about a year into the Covid pandemic. It's about wealth, privilege and the housing market, as well as territory, predator, and prey.

Today, lasting lessons from the AIDS crisis. Then, we hear three generations of local leaders share their experiences of transitioning. Plus, a poem about never having to say goodbye. 

It's been 45 years since AIDS was first named. The disease has killed roughly 40 million people worldwide, including 700 thousand Americans. And while much progress has been made, the fight is not over. 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.

And now we let poetry help us imagine an impossibly beautiful world with no goodbyes. Filipinx poet Keana Aguila Labra and her piece "What If We Didn't Die after Bayani Bala & Maria Bolaños.”

Intergenerational conversations are important, and they take on an even greater role in communities that have been historically marginalized. Jojo, Honey, and Donna all grew up in the Bay Area and they are all pillars of the local Trans community. But each of them comes from a different generation. In this story from 2025, Reporter Yosmay del Mazo connects each of their stories to one greater trans legacy.

Today we honor one of the strongest voices that's fought for the disabled community. And one group is trying to make a notoriously demanding festival more accessible.

Alice Wong was born in Indianapolis in 1974. She was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and was told she wouldn't live to be older than 18. But in 1997, at 23, she moved to San Francisco to pursue a masters in medical sociology at UCSF, but had trouble completing it because of accessibility issues on campus. Eventually she did finish her degree, and ended up working at the University to help make it more accessible for other disabled students.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.

July isn't just Disability Pride Month, it's also the time when lots of Bay Area folks are preparing to go to the festival in Nevada's Black Rock desert: Burning man. 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. 

A new documentary takes viewers into the large, West Oakland homeless encampment 'Wood Street.' Community and resistance among Oakland's unhoused people. Then, we'll head to San Quentin to hear how listening to a song from your culture can make you feel a bit closer to home. And, Californians have weighed in and voted for their favorite state parks.

A new documentary follows the 2023 sweeps of the homeless encampment in West Oakland known as ‘Wood Street,' and the struggle leading up to it. It's been selling out theaters at Bay Area film festivals. And it's called “Wood Street.” 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. 

The Uncuffed My Mixtape is a selection of our producers' favorite songs. Uncuffed producer Rahim Bradshaw interviewed HabenMichael about an Eritrean song that reminds him of his family and culture. It's “Seyomay” by Tareke Tesfahiwet.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

Earlier this year, California residents ranked our 280 State Parks from the best park for flowers, birding and even the under the radar favorites. So what did folks say? We get a breakdown from Rachel Norton, Executive Director of the California State Parks Foundation. She spoke with State of The Bay's Ethan Elkind about the results of the vote. 

For many new immigrants, learning English is an important goal. Sometimes at the expense of their mother tongue. Today, how growing up straddling two languages can have lasting impacts on family and identity. Then, we'll head to San Quentin to hear the power of an R&B Slow Jam. And, we hear from an All-American track star on growing up in 1960s San Francisco.

For many immigrants, crossing the border is the first step on an often complicated, exhausting path of figuring out life in America. Author Reyna Grande experienced that first hand.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. 

The Uncuffed My Mixtape is a selection of our producers' favorite songs. Uncuffed producer Ryan Pagan interviewed Louis Sale about a song that reminds him of a complicated time in his life.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

Have you ever had a relative that you enjoyed sitting by during family functions because they always had good stories to tell? Ben Tucker is that kind of guy. He's known for his storytelling performances as part of the Oakland based Stagebridge, where he tells stories about his ‘storied' life. His family was part of the Great Migration of African-Americans to the West- he grew up in SF's Bayview neighborhood.  He was an All-American track star back in the 1960s when he ran for San Jose State. And Ben has been a preschool teacher in Berkeley, a social worker in Harlem and a track coach in Nigeria.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. 

Today, we're bringing you the episode of Uncuffed that won first place for Narrative/Produced Program at the 2026 Public Media Journalism Awards. First, we hear an honest conversation between the UnCuffed host and his mom, that they hope can be healing. Then, we'll hear from women in prison about what it's like to be a caregiver from the inside.

The SAT's are back in the conversation around college admissions. Today, two perspectives on if we should or shouldn't bring back standardized testing. Then, an Oakland film tackles the challenges parents face when caring for kids with disabilities. And, San Francisco is full of living history, and a lot of it is delicious. We visit the oldest SF ice cream makers.

For decades, standardized tests like the SAT and ACT were a central part of college admissions. In 2020, the University of California system became one of the nation's highest profile university networks to eliminate them, citing concerns about fairness and equity. Now, that decision is being revisited as hundreds of UC faculty recently signed an open letter in favor of reinstating the admissions tests, saying that their students have severe preparation gaps. UC Berkeley is leading this push and the supporters of the letter say testing can identify talented students who might otherwise be overlooked and provide admissions officers with another useful data point. 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.  

For parents with children who are disabled, there can be a haunting question - “Who is going to take care of my child when I die?” In the award-winning film “Paper Bag Plan” a father faces that possibility when he learns he's diagnosed with colon cancer. His 25-year-old son lives with Cerebral Palsy. And he attempts to make his son more independent by training him to be a bagger at a grocery store.  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. 

It's summertime! And with the high heat of Midsummer comes: National Ice Cream Month. So today, we're bringing you one of our favorite ice cream stories. On a block at the edge of Noe Valley, there's a three-story beige apartment building that almost always has a crowd in front of it – even on a cold day. It's Mitchell's Ice Cream, San Francisco's oldest known family owned ice-cream maker. It's been serving cones and sundaes from its shop on the building's ground floor since 1953.

Today, an annual check up on San Francisco's RV ban. Then, we meet some of the talent behind San Francisco's iconic club, Oasis. Plus, a poem in memory of a beloved San Francisco drummer.

Last year, San Francisco established new parking restrictions. They were aimed at curbing the city's growing number of people living out of their vehicles, mostly RVs. The stated goal was to take RVs off city streets, and get those who lived in the vehicles into more permanent housing. 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.

The day after Christmas, some stage performers, cabaretists, and dancers got some really good news. The beloved San Francisco nightclub Oasis was slated to close on January 1, 2026. But it was rescued by a major donation from a Bay Area philanthropic group.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!

Today, we'll hear a poem that honors the way we feel when we lose a friend, a space, a community. Here's Alexiz Angel Romero reading her poem ‘ode to the beating heart, dedicated to Larry “Bucket Man” Hunt.

Cybersecurity isn't just a concern for the largest corporations, it has local impacts too. Today, what adding AI does to changing cybersecurity risks. Then, in his new memoir, Adam Nimoy explores his relationship with his dad, iconic Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy. And, the many anthems that represent America.

We share our personal information all the time: at the pharmacy, at school, at the insurance agency. Many of us assume someone there knows how to keep our data safe. But, rapidly evolving AI systems are raising new cybersecurity questions. KALW's tech reporter, NeEddra James has been reporting on how local governments are responding to AI.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of “Star Trek.” Filmmaker and actor Adam Nimoy not only watched the show, but he went on set when he was a kid. That's because his father, Leonard Nimoy, played Spock. The half-human, half-alien science officer came from a culture that put logic above emotion. Leonard Nimoy once said he was so immersed in the character that sometimes he couldn't turn it off at home. This led to friction in Mr. Nimoy's and his son Adam's relationship. Adam Nimoy reflects on this in his new memoir, “The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy.” He spoke with KALW's Jenee Darden on “The Sights + Sounds Show.” Here's an excerpt from their conversation. 

We're approaching the Fourth of July weekend. A time when people are reflecting on what it means to be American. And  with that reflection comes a complicated mix of emotions. Some celebrate the 4th of July, some protest it, other people are just indifferent.Whatever your feelings are, one thing is for sure: we'll be hearing a LOT of the national anthem in the coming days. Especially as the country marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  So - how do you relate to the Star Spangled Banner?Well that's a question Jeff Chang asked on his new KALW show, Notes From The Edge. His show explores the possibilities and perils of America as our country moves through increasingly uncertain times. In one episode, Jeff invited musicians to reimagine America's Anthem. In this clip, we'll hear from Julian Brave NoiseCat, the Oscar-winning director of the documentary Sugar Cane, and the author of the memoir “We Survived the Night.” 

There's a new cohort of journalists learning how to make radio in California prisons. Today, we introduce you to this year's Uncuffed class at the California Institution for Women - through their favorite songs.

Queer spaces are always evolving, but some things stay constant. Today, a conversation on the challenges and possibilities of creating community spaces. Then, if you could re-imagine the American anthem, what would it sound like?

It's the last day of June, so today we are going to send off this year's Pride Month by imagining what the future of Queer spaces could be. In this segment we hear from two of KALW's recent Audio Academy graduates: Jordan Karnes and Anna Casalme. They recently hosted a night of clips and conversations at our live event space in Downtown San Francisco. It was called 'Creating Queer Third Spaces: Envisioning Places to Connect & Belong.' 

We are approaching the July 4th weekend, and now more than ever people are reflecting on what it means to be American with a complicated mix of emotions. Some celebrate the 4th of July, some protest it, other people are just indifferent. Whatever your feelings are, one thing is for sure: we'll be hearing A LOT of the national anthem, especially as the country marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. So, how do you relate to the Star Spangled Banner?Well that's a question Jeff Chang asked on his new KALW show, Notes From The Edge. His show explores the possibilities and perils of America / as our country moves through increasingly uncertain times. In one episode, Jeff invited musicians to reimagine America's Anthem. In this clip, we'll hear from one of them. Here's La Doña.

A long time Bay Area sci-fi convention is adding AfroFuturism to its programming. Then, we hear how the way schools embrace the LGBTQ+ community impacts how kids shape their attitudes and actions. It's an episode of TBH, our series made by, about, and for teenagers. Plus, KALW's Notes from the Edge listens to artists about how they would reimagine our National Anthem. 

The 4th of July holiday is this weekend. For some Bay Area nerds, their weekend will include not only fireworks and hot dogs… but space ships, and magic too! The sci-fi/fantasy convention BayCon is returning to the South Bay for its 42nd year this holiday weekend. And this year will feature a new AfroFuturism Lounge.The lounge includes screenings, interactive sessions, and panel discussions about the genre. Audrey T. Williams is a writer, and a co-curator of the AfroFuturism Lounge. She spoke to KALW's Jenee Darden for “The Sights + Sounds Show,” about what guests will find when they step in.Here's an excerpt of their conversation.

Today, the KALW high school summer podcasting institute is kicking off! Each cohort of students produces a show called tbh, short for to be honest. In honor of the program launch, and the wrapping up of Pride month, we're bringing you one of our favorite tbh episodes from a previous cohort. This one is about the role schools play in supporting students, and shaping attitudes around the LGBTQ PLUS community. tbh reporter Amaya Dorman McKenzie graduated from Berkeley High School in 2024. She has two moms. And in this story, she shares her experience. 

Making your voice heard, and creating change, are fundamental to our democracy. But sometimes, when we see that democracy being threatened, it can make us ponder how we feel about this country as a whole.Saturday is the 4th of July. And every time it comes around, folks consider their relationship with the day. Some celebrate it, some protest it, other people are just indifferent… Whatever your feelings, one thing is for sure- we'll be hearing A LOT of the national anthem, especially as the country marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. So—how do you relate to the Star Spangled Banner?That's a question Jeff Chang asked on his new KALW show, Notes From The Edge.His show explores the possibilities and perils of America as our country moves through increasingly uncertain times. In this segment, Jeff invited musicians to reimagine America's Anthem. We bring you one of those musicians- here's Leyla McCalla