KQED's Forum

San Francisco’s City Administrator took a leave of absence Wednesday after federal prosecutors charged her husband, former San Francisco Public Utilities Commission chief Harlan Kelley with accepting bribes earlier this week. Naomi Kelly is the fifth city department head to step down since federal authorities launched a wide ranging corruption investigation. We’ll discuss the scandal and the criticisms lobbed at mayor London Breed for attending a party at the French Laundry restaurant in Napa as COVID-19 cases surge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge across California and much of the nation, Gov. Gavin Newsom is considering a second stay-at-home order on top of the nightly curfew for nearly all of the state’s residents. If projections hold, the state’s intensive care units could be overloaded by mid-December and hospitals could be dangerously full by Christmas. The sobering projections come as the state is set to receive 327,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine this month, but questions remain about who gets the vaccine first, and when. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his most recent book "The Splendid and the Vile," author Erik Larson portrays Winston Churchill — and the family members and advisors around him — during his first year as prime minister of the United Kingdom. Larson, a bestselling nonfiction writer and author of "Devil in the White City," joins us to talk about Churchill’s leadership, from his taking office on the day Germany invaded Holland and Belgium to the way he’s remembered today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID-19 cases are rising again in California's state prisons with over 3,600 active cases reported as of Sunday. Early releases, done to ease crowding, have slowed and prisons remain overcrowded systemwide. Positive cases among prison staff are also of concern and some staff are failing to comply with personal protective equipment protocols. Meanwhile, county jails continue to struggle with a backlog of inmates awaiting transfers to state prisons. This latest surge prompted California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials to again stop transfers as of last Thursday. After coming under fire for the poor handling of previous outbreaks, critics now say CDCR has been too slow to learn from past mistakes. We'll discuss the latest news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As pandemic-induced remote work frees up some employees to live anywhere they have Internet access, vacancy rates are rising in parts of California. That's putting some renters in the driver's seat in pricey coastal cities like San Francisco -- where rents have dropped nearly 22% since January -- and Los Angeles. But rents in traditionally more affordable inland and suburban areas are increasing, prompting concerns about gentrification and displacement, especially as so many Californians remain unemployed during the pandemic. We'll talk about the state of California's rental market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last few weeks have brought welcome news of promising vaccines, and at least a faint light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. But for many of the Bay Area’s struggling music venues, the end of restrictions might not come soon enough. Those clubs and theaters say they desperately need government help -- or will go out of business permanently. We’ll check in on the local music scene and find out about efforts to help venues and artists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 20 years ago George Gascón was the assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. This month he was elected as the city’s new district attorney overcoming fierce opposition from law enforcement groups. Gascón, the former district attorney and police chief of San Francisco, campaigned on a platform of criminal justice reform, including a promise to stop prosecuting children as adults, not seeking the death penalty and possibly reopening investigations into fatal shootings by police officers. We’ll talk to Gascón about his ideas for reform and his close election, defeating LA’s first Black district attorney partly by galvanizing the support of Black Lives Matter activists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a recent tweet, Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, wrote that in “about 3 weeks we’re going to have real vaccine doses and real people who want their shots.” Officials will have to make difficult decisions and provide clear guidance on who should be the first to receive a coronavirus vaccine. “Folks need to be able to trust the process,” Wachter tweeted. We’ll be covering vaccine distribution in detail in the coming days and weeks. But right now, we have a few minutes with Bob Wachter to give us a preview of how UCSF -- and the Bay Area -- could handle early shipments of a vaccine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before the election, Silicon Valley congressman Ro Khanna criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for refusing to take up President Trump’s $1.8 trillion coronavirus relief deal. He’s a firm believer in universal sick leave and guaranteed safety protections now more than ever. He joins us to talk about what Congress should do immediately to provide pandemic relief. And, we’ll hear his take on president-elect Joe Biden’s political appointments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us take money for granted as a certainty, but what exactly is money? Jacob Goldstein, co-host of NPR’s Planet Money podcast, explores that question in his book, “Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing.” Goldstein argues that monetary systems depend on a collective belief that an object, such as a piece of metal or paper, is worth a given amount. The history of money stretches back centuries and continues to evolve in surprising ways. We’ll talk with Goldstein about the origin of money as a fictional concept that nonetheless shapes our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices