KCBS Radio In Depth

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 
 

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 

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 

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 

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 

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 

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