KQED's Forum
KQED
Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second hour to chronicle and center Californians’ experience. In an increasingly divided world, Mina and Alexis host conversations that inform, challenge and unify listeners with big ideas and different viewpoints.Want to call/submit your comments during our live Forum program Mon-Fri, 9am-11am? We'd love to hear from you! Please dial 866.SF.FORUM or (866) 733-6786 or email forum@kqed.org, tweet, or post on Facebook.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 12, 2026 • 55min
How the Reopening of SF’s Castro Theater Could Revitalize Nightlife
Gabrielle Armand, CEO of SF Jazz, talks jazz programming and city partnerships. Tom DeCaigny, Hewlett Foundation program officer and former SF cultural affairs director, covers arts funding and policy. Mary Conde, senior VP at Another Planet Entertainment, led the Castro renovation and discusses preservation and technical upgrades. Gabe Meline, KQED arts editor, offers a critical view of theaters, nightlife, and programming trends.
Feb 11, 2026 • 55min
Ray Madoff on 'How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy'
Ray D. Madoff, a Boston College law professor who studies tax law and wealth inequality, breaks down how the tax code helped create entrenched wealth. He explores how billionaires live off loans and stock, why estate and charitable rules favor the very rich, and the limits and tradeoffs of proposals like wealth or payroll-based reforms.
Feb 11, 2026 • 55min
Mother Jones Marks 50 Years of Holding the Powerful Accountable
Adam Hochschild, journalist and co-founder of Mother Jones, and Clara Jeffery, editor-in-chief steering investigative storytelling, discuss the magazine's roots and role. They talk about landmark investigations like the Ford Pinto hit, moving from print to digital and podcasts, the nonprofit model that protected independence, and strategies for keeping deep reporting alive in a fast news era.
Feb 10, 2026 • 55min
A Hate Murder in Orange County Exposes Growth of Neo-Nazism
Eric Lichtblau, investigative reporter and author, traces a 2018 murder to the revival of neo-Nazi networks in Orange County. He explores shifting demographics, online recruitment, Christian identity currents in white supremacist circles, and how national politics and social media have accelerated extremism. The conversation highlights local history, trial fallout, and links to broader far-right movements.
Feb 10, 2026 • 55min
Why Are Oakland Rents Suddenly So Much Cheaper Than SF’s?
Tim Thomas, eviction researcher at UC Berkeley; J.K. Dineen, SF Chronicle housing reporter; and Chris Salviati, Apartment List economist. They compare stark SF–Oakland rent gaps, explore how new luxury supply and pandemic timing hollowed Oakland demand, examine vacancy and concession patterns, and discuss safety, foreclosure impacts, and policy responses shaping regional rental dynamics.
Feb 9, 2026 • 55min
You Can Get a Prenup for Your Labubu Collection. Should You?
Kaiponanea Matsumura, Loyola Law School professor specializing in family regulation. Juliana Yanez, family law partner with practical prenup experience. Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker writer who reported on why younger generations embrace prenups. They discuss the cultural shift normalizing prenups, influencer and media effects, novel clauses like IP, pets, and social media, and legal essentials for enforceability in California.
Feb 9, 2026 • 55min
A Public Defender’s Blueprint For How To Fix Our Criminal Justice System
Emily Galvin-Almanza, former public defender and legal activist who co-founded Partners for Justice, outlines where the criminal legal system breaks down. She explains holistic defense, client advocate models, discovery delays, mass caseloads, and how reforms like better incentives, court accessibility, and restorative approaches could change outcomes. Her stories highlight bureaucratic harm and practical fixes.
Feb 6, 2026 • 55min
CA Chocolatiers Adapt to Climate Change
John Kehoe, sustainability director at Guittard, on testing, heavy-metal concerns and supply strategies. Greg D'Alesandre, Dandelion co-founder and cacao sourcer, on bean-to-bar production, new growing regions and biochar waste solutions. Minni Foreman, Belize cacao farmer and Peet's sustainability manager, on fermentation, on-the-ground growing practices and farmer climate adaptation. They discuss shifting regions, processing, and sustainability challenges.
Feb 6, 2026 • 55min
How Bad Bunny Fuses Activism and Global Superstardom
Vanessa Díaz, associate professor and co-founder of the Bad Bunny Syllabus; Petra Rivera-Rideau, American Studies chair and co-founder of the Bad Bunny Syllabus. They explore Bad Bunny's blending of reggaeton with Afro-Puerto Rican rhythms, his role in Puerto Rican protest and Hurricane Maria resilience, his Grammy win and Super Bowl platform, and his outspoken stances on immigration and LGBTQ+ solidarity.
Feb 5, 2026 • 55min
UCSF's Dr. Bob Wachter on AI's Healthcare Transformation
Dr. Robert "Bob" Wachter, UCSF medicine chair and author on AI in healthcare. He discusses generative AI tools like scribes and pocket specialists, AI in imaging and diagnostics, data privacy and HIPAA concerns, bias and scaling inequities, clinician productivity and well‑being, and regulatory and safety guardrails for deploying AI in medicine.
