Kcbs In Depth

In the wake of Governor Newsom's state of the state address delivered on Tuesday, on this edition of KCBS In Depth, we check in on the current shape of California politics.  Guests:  Lara Korte, reporter covering California politics, The Sacramento Bee Severin Borenstein, professor of energy, business and economics, UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business Scott Wilson, senior national correspondent covering California and the West, The Washington Post Host:Keith Menconi

On this edition of KCBS In Depth we hear from a number of Bay Area residents suffering from long-term illnesses that put them at heightened risk from Covid-19 to discuss what’s on their minds as pandemic restrictions are dropped.  Guests:  Lindsay Ryan, an internal medicine and HIV doctor in San Francisco  Dipti Barot, a primary care physician in the East Bay, who recently wrote an opinion piece for the San Francisco Chronicle titled, "Lifting the California mask mandate basically says chronically ill and disabled lives don’t matter"  Special thanks:Support for Families of Children with Disabilities and Coastal Kids Home Care     Host:Keith Menconi

Just a few short days ago the possibility of a full scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia remained unthinkable to many, but then it happened, leaving us to come to terms with a suddenly-changed world. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we consider the far reaching impacts of the first major war to break out between European nations in decades.  Guests:   Catarina Buchatskiy, student organizer Donald Jensen, director for Russia and Europe at the U.S. Institute of Peace Joe Cirincione, distinguished fellow, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft Jason Brooks, business reporter, KCBS Radio | host, The Crisis Next Door podcast  Host:Keith Menconi 

Just about everyone has heard the allegation against Bill Cosby of drugging and sexual abuse: We’ve been reporting on them for years now, along with the court cases that have followed. But comedian and filmmaker W. Kamau Bell says the conversation we’ve been having so far about Cosby is still incomplete.  On this edition of KCBS In Depth we dig into Bell’s new documentary series called “We Need to Talk About Cosby” that shines a light not only on the details of the dozens of rape allegations against Cosby but also the widespread culture of complicity that many say made such abuse possible.  Hosts:Melissa Culross, Keith Menconi

Two years into this pandemic, and the economic recovery is now well underway, but not everyone is sharing in the gains. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we hear from local experts and advocates about why the need for food and rental support have remained so high for so long.  Guests: Lydia Bustamante, associate director, Sacred Heart Community Service  Erin Stanton, director of family assistance, Sacred Heart Community Service Michael Bernick, employment attorney, Duane Morris | former director, California's Employment Development Department  Robert Reich, professor, UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy | former secretary of labor for the Clinton Administration  Host: Keith Menconi 

In recent weeks a group of Bay Area doctors released an open letter to the governor and state health officials calling for a faster wind down of pandemic restrictions, especially in the classroom. On this edition of KCBS In Depth we speak with one of the letter's authors and also hear from another local health expert who is warning against letting our guard down too soon.  Guests:  Dr. Jeanne Noble, professor of emergency medicine, UC San Francisco | director of Covid response, UCSF Emergency Department  Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology, UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health Host:Keith Menconi   

This pandemic has been difficult on just about everyone, but it’s taken a special toll on frontline healthcare workers, and now after two years facing down one Covid surge after another many are reaching a crisis point. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we hear directly from healthcare workers about the challenges of practicing medicine during this time of pandemic. Guests:  Cathy Kennedy, president, California Nurses Association Pat Patton, system chief nurse executive, UCSF Health Dr. Christina Mangurian, professor of psychiatry, UC San Francisco | director, UCSF Cope Wellbeing Program  Host:Keith Menconi 

On this edition of KCBS In Depth we take a grand tour of the global supply chain with Wall Street Journal technology columnist Christopher Mims. In his new book, "Arriving Today," he explains what keeps this finally tuned global system of container trucks, ships and warehouses running, and why so often over the past two years it's fallen short.  Host: Keith Menconi 

Nearly two years into this pandemic now, and it kind of feels like we’ve seen it all -- from surprising surges to wildcard variants. But if life under Covid has taught us one thing, it’s to expect the unexpected. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we check in with a local infectious disease expert who says that even at this late stage in the pandemic, it still makes sense to be careful (despite the suggestions by some that it might be better to get infected intentionally). And then a bit later on in the program we also discuss why predicting the course of this health crisis has been so difficult. Guests:  Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine, infectious disease expert, UC San Francisco  Andrew Pekosz, professor of microbiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Host: Keith Menconi 

The Bay Area is facing yet another surge of Covid-19 infections, and while the Omicron variant is turning out to be milder than those that have come before, it’s spreading so quickly and so widely that virtually no aspect of daily life has been left untouched. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we check in with some of the people who have been marshalling the response to this surge and its wide ranging impacts.  Guests:  Dr. Luke Day, chief medical officer, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital Vincent Matthews, superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District Dr. Matt Willis, public health officer, Marin County  Host:Keith Menconi 

On this edition of KCBS In Depth we take a look back at some of the biggest stories and trends out of Bay Area news over this past year to try to get a better handle on where we might be headed in 2022.  Guests:  Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology, UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health Scott Stephens, professor of fire science, UC Berkeley Anne Marks, executive director, Youth ALIVE! Host:Keith Menconi 

Last May the murder of George Floyd tipped off a wave of national protests that reenergized the criminal justice reform movement and launched the “defund the police” slogan right to the center of the national conversation. But now a year-and-a-half later amid a wave of worsening violent crime Bay Area leaders are beginning to strike a different tone as they signal support for stepped up law enforcement resources. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we dig into the Bay Area’s crime trends to try to find out what’s driving them and what this could all mean for the future of reform. Guests:  Jonathan Simon, professor, UC Berkeley School of Law Cat Brooks, co-founder, Anti Police-Terror Project | executive director, Justice Teams Network Loren Taylor, Oakland City Council member  Host: Keith Menconi    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With climate change gathering force the Sierra Nevada and other California mountain ranges could be facing a nearly snowless future in only a few decades. That's the jarring prediction laid out in a recent study led by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we check in with the authors to hear how they reached this unnerving conclusion and what could be done to prepare. Guests: Erica Siirila-Woodburn, research scientist, Energy Geosciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Alan Rhoades, hydroclimate researcher, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Host:Keith Menconi  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this edition of KCBS In Depth we consider the global effort to get the vaccine out to people in developing nations as warnings mount that this work isn’t moving fast enough. Guests: Carmen Paun, global health reporter, Politico Michael Nyenhuis, president and CEO, UNICEF USA  Host:Keith Menconi  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We live in a world of constant convenience, where  just about any material need can be met with a simple click of a button or a swipe on a phone screen. But what if this relentless pursuit of momentary pleasures is actually becoming the source of some of our greatest pains? On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we speak with Dr. Anna Lembke, the medical director of Stanford Addiction Medicine. Her new book is "Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence," in which she turns to brain science and the science of addiction to explore the root cause of both pleasure and pain and why it is that this time of instant gratification seems to have thrown our dopamine systems so out of whack. Host: Keith Menconi  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re now entering our second holiday season amid a global pandemic, but while Covid-19 is still very much with us, an awful lot has changed over the past twelve months. So on this edition of KCBS In Depth we discuss what we all need to know this year to keep our holiday tables Covid safe. Then later on in the program we also consider another important Covid safety measure that health officials are urging just about everybody to take now: getting the booster shot.  Guest:  Dr. Robert Wachter, chair, Department of Medicine at UC San Francisco  Dr. Marm Kilpatrick, infectious diseases researcher, UC Santa Cruz’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Host:Keith Menconi  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since the pandemic began California has been ramping up its efforts to address its homelessness crisis, and there’s been no shortage of new programs and grand pronouncements. But while a lot is changing -- and a lot more people are getting help -- thousands upon thousands remain on the street desperate for a home. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we check in on one place where the pace of change on the homelessness front has been particularly fast recently: Santa Clara County.  Guests:  Consuelo Hernandez, director, Santa Clara County’s Office of Supportive Housing Jennifer Loving, CEO, Destination: Home Richard Scott, homeless advocate | board member, Grace Solutions Host:Keith Menconi  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The whole world is watching as leaders from all over the globe meet in Glasgow for a two-week global summit on climate change. Of course though it just wouldn’t be a climate summit without a sizable delegation from California, and sure enough, the Golden State is indeed well represented this go round. So on this edition of KCBS In Depth, we discuss what California is bringing to the international climate table and what new inspiration it might take back home once the summit wraps up. Guests:  Ken Alex, director, Project Climate at UC Berkeley | advisor on climate and environment under former Gov. Jerry Brown Daniel Kammen, professor of Energy, UC Berkeley | advisor, US Agency for International Development Ellie Cohen, CEO, The Climate Center Host:Keith Menconi  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LaDoris Cordell has racked up quite a few firsts in her decades-spanning legal career: In 1982 she became the first black woman judge to serve on any court in Northern California. Then six years later after a successful election bid she became the first black superior court judge in Santa Clara County’s history. But these firsts are more than mere historical footnotes: As Cordell recounts in her newly released memoir, the background and life experience that she brought to the bench equipped her to spot failings in the criminal justice system that many others had left unaddressed. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we discuss that memoir -- "Her Honor: My Life on the Bench...What Works, What's Broken, and How to Change It" -- and we also consider what reform work is still left to be done.  Host:Keith Menconi  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a whole new phase in the vaccine rollout with the federal government now poised to approve Covid-19 shots for younger children aged between five and 11 in the coming weeks. But even as the White House prepares to get those shots distributed, vaccine skepticism and resistance to vaccine mandates remains fierce. On this edition of KCBS In Depth we hear a response to the opposition, and also dig into what the science has to say about the Pfizer vaccine’s safety and efficacy when it comes to younger children. Guest:  Dr. Jenna Holmen, pediatric infectious disease specialist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Richard Pan, state senator representing Sacramento  Host: Keith Menconi  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.