Fifth & Mission

Outdoor restaurant spaces that sprouted up during the COVID-19 pandemic are here to stay. That's good for the restaurants and their customers, but advocates for the disabled, the elderly and the homeless, and those who believe San Francisco is fighting an unproductive war on cars, aren't so thrilled. Reporter Mallory Moench joins Dominic Fracassa to talk about the reaction from businesses and groups affected by the popular fixtures. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A spike in Bay Area COVID cases. Breakthrough infections on the rise. New mask mandates for schools. Reporter Erin Allday talks to Cecilia Lei about how worried we should be about headlines like this, and how we can stay safe. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Viral videos and news coverage have painted San Francisco as a crime-riddled city, but Mayor London Breed and SFPD Chief Bill Scott say the portrayal is inaccurate. Crime reporter Megan Cassidy chats with host Cecilia Lei about what the latest crime stats actually say, and what city leaders are highlighting about policing. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Jorge A. Caballero went viral on Twitter when he announced his resignation from Stanford University. The former clinical instructor says Stanford repeatedly passed him over for career advancement after he spoke up about racial bias in the residency selection process in 2014. His inspiration? Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, who recently declined an offer of tenure at the University of North Carolina — which had been delayed when a conservative donor had objected to her hire. Caballero chats with host Cecilia Lei about what it means to push back on historically white institutions, and what led him to step away from medicine. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As social lives resume, people are negotiating another new normal: being socially awkward. While we stumble all over ourselves getting reacquainted with loved ones and strangers alike, Chronicle arts and culture columnist Tony Bravo says there's only one way to get through: embrace it — and practice what he calls "FOMOR," the fear of missing out ... responsibly. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The politics of housing may be slowly changing. But in the Bay Area, the reality isn't. The region’s median price recently hit $1.3 million, while a new report finds that for every one new home permitted in the San Francisco and San Jose metro areas in 2009-19, more than three jobs were created. The Chronicle's housing crisis reporter, Lauren Hepler, discusses the tension between NIMBYs and YIMBYs, the surprising impact of the pandemic on housing, and who is left out when communities become more and more unaffordable. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In smaller towns across the Bay Area, police use-of-force is less subject to oversight than in places like San Francisco or Oakland. The death of Angelo Quinto after an Antioch police officer restrained him during a mental health episode triggered reforms — but modest ones in comparison to those in major cities. Reporter Rachel Swan talks to Cecilia Lei about why that is. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She was praised for her early pandemic leadership, but can she work efficiently now that old dynamics between herself and the Board of Supervisors have resumed? Host Cecilia Lei chats with reporter Trisha Thadani about the challenges facing the mayor, and then Kultivate Labs executive director Desi Danganan shares his perspective on how city bureaucracy affects business owners and community leaders. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will future generations only know meatless burgers and other food alternatives? It sounds dystopian, but that is a legitimate possibility if Silicon Valley gets its way. On this episode of The Chronicle's Extra Spicy podcast, hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips talk with journalist Larissa Zimberoff about her latest book, “Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley’s Mission to Change What We Eat” and whether demand for “alternative” foods will overcome California’s farm-to-table culture. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/podFifth & Mission is taking the holiday off and will return with a new episode Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A week after a 12-story building collapsed in Florida, host Cecilia Lei talks to Emily Guglielmo, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California. Beyond earthquakes, how much should we worry about building safety in the Bay Area? | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices