Fifth & Mission

The newly elected Oakland school board reversed the controversial decision to shutter several elementary schools. Chronicle reporter Jill Tucker joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss how that reversal may have serious consequences across the district, as well as the financial uncertainty that continues. ​| Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Chronicle analysis of more than three years of police data has found that San Francisco cops used terms like “marijuana” and “baggy” clothing to justify searches of Black residents that yielded no contraband. Chronicle columnist Justin Phillips and reporter Susie Neilson join host Cecilia Lei to explain the issue and the city’s plan to end pretextual stops. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay Bridge has sparkled for 10 years with a light installation designed by artist Leo Villareal. But the display costs millions to maintain and, with funds drying up, could soon go dark forever. Columnist and TotalSF podcast co-host Heather Knight and urban design critic John King join host Cecilia Lei to argue the cases for — and against — a fund-raising campaign to preserve the Bay Lights. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate change has unleashed flurries of rain on a city with an antiquated sewer system, and the severity of future storms is not going to lessen. Reporter St. John "Sinjin" Barned-Smith joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what San Francisco officials can and can't do, and a brewing fight over who will pay for the extensive damage. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/podChronicle Weather: sfchronicle.com/weather Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Entrepreneur Roger Lee started tracking tech sector layoffs in March 2020. Since then, Bay Area tech companies — including Twitter, Meta, Salesforce and Lyft — have laid off more than 93,000 employees. Lee joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about the scale of recent layoffs, their effects on the tech sector, and what job seekers might expect in the coming months. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of covering California disasters, Chronicle photojournalist Jessica Christian turned the lens to Sunol, where she grew up. The small town flooded during recent heavy rains, and she shares with host Demian Bulwa what it was like to watch her family’s memories and relics get destroyed — and how her local community came together to support one another. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally published Dec. 7, 2021: The pandemic has upended the traditional work week and some Bay Area employers are experimenting with a switch to a 32-hour work week. Critics say that the model would be costly and stunt job growth but Chronicle reporter Carolyn Said joins host Cecilia Lei to share results that say otherwise. Also: CommonFuture's VP of People Operations, Joann Lee Wagner, talks about why the four-day work week is about equity. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The clip that captured an art gallery owner spraying a homeless woman with a hose sparked massive outrage. Chronicle columnist and editorial writer Nuala Bishari joins host Cecilia Lei to explain why San Francisco's failure to manage homelessness has fueled tensions in the city and why human compassion is key to finding solutions. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID-19 hit local nightlife hard, and it hasn’t come all the way back. Bar owners are struggling to find ways to attract customers who have changed their socializing habits during the pandemic. Chronicle senior wine critic Esther Mobley joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about the how bar owners are adapting and what's at stake if bar culture doesn't bounce back. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After nearly five decades of public service and 15 years representing San Francisco and San Mateo counties in the House of Representatives, Jackie Speier has retired from Congress. Washington correspondent Shira Stein joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the conversation she shared with Speier near the end of her term, which included thoughts on her legacy as well as her personal tragedies and regrets. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/podRelated: Scroll to the Nov. 16, 2021 episode to hear Speier talk to Joe Garofoli about her retirement announcement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices