KQED's Forum

Every day, first responders in the Bay Area are straining to help people struggling with addiction. Firefighters and paramedics respond to emergency calls for people acting erratically or overdosing on drugs. Nurses administer care when they arrive at hospitals. Then, a network of social workers and counselors try to intervene with services. Many of those workers see their jobs as crucial, but also psychologically draining and frustrating as the crisis becomes even more dire. San Francisco officials are already predicting that 2023 will set a record for the highest number of drug overdose deaths. We’ll talk with frontline workers about their experiences and how they see the region’s addiction crisis.

Guests:

Audrey Fisher, registered nurse, psychiatric emergency services, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center

Brittany Banis Buckley, stabilization supervisor for the Opiate Treatment Outpatient Program, San Francisco General Hospital

Sam Gebler, firefighter and paramedic. He serves as vice president of San Francisco Fire Fighters Local 798.

Claudia Mendez, behavioral health clinician, San Francisco Department of Public Health

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As the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on without any clear momentum on either side, Republicans in Congress are balking at more U.S. aid to defeat Putin, while the Biden Administration pursues a deal that would include tougher border enforcement. We’ll discuss the standoff over Ukraine funding in Congress and get the latest on what’s happening on the battlefield as winter arrives.

Guests:

Steven Pifer, affiliate, Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University; former ambassador to Ukraine and senior director, National Security Council in the Clinton administration

Joan Greve, senior political reporter, The Guardian

Nanette Barragán, democratic congresswoman, represents California's 44th congressional district in Los Angeles County; chair, Congressional Hispanic Caucus

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The magazine Mother Jones and the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), which produces the podcast Reveal, will be merging. Based in the Bay Area, the two news organizations both work on a nonprofit model and are known for their deeply reported investigative pieces. The two organizations share a long and collaborative history, and have done joint stories in the past such as the 2021 piece on sugar plantations that led the U.S. government to ban imports from the company in question. We’ll talk to the leaders of both news outlets about their plans and what the merger means for local and national journalism. 

Guests:

Clara Jeffery, editor in chief, Mother Jones

Al Letson, host, Center for Investigative Reporting's radio show and podcast "Reveal"

Robert Rosenthal, CEO, Center for Investigative Reporting

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The Vatican announced Monday that Catholic priests will be allowed to bless the unions of same sex couples. It’s seen as an important step toward a more inclusive approach to LGBTQ+ church members, but is not the same as a marriage sacrament, which is a formal ceremonial rite. The Vatican emphasized it does not amend “the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage” and should not be connected to a civil union or marriage-like ceremony. Still, it’s being cheered by more liberal members of the Church as a step in the right direction. We’ll examine Pope Francis’ new position and the reaction to it.

Guests:

Michael O'Loughlin, national correspondent and associate editor, America: The Jesuit Review; former reporter on the Catholic church, Boston Globe and Crux; author, "Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear"

Harriet Ryan, investigative reporter, Los Angeles Times; author, "The fight to move the Catholic Church in America to the right — and the little-known O.C. lawyer behind it"

Philip Pullella, vatican correspondent, Reuters

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Large corporations have quietly bought large collections of homes in California, mostly for use as rental properties, often hidden behind complex networks of shell companies. A Sacramento appraiser has begun to crack the code, revealing more than ten thousand properties in California owned by one company, Invitation Homes. He joins us, with other experts, to discuss the extent of corporate home ownership across the state and its impact on renters, homebuyers, and the real estate market.

Guests:

Alex Lee, assemblymember, California State Assembly - he represents California’s 24th Assembly District which includes the Alameda County communities of Fremont, Newark, and Sunol, and the Santa Clara County communities of Milpitas and San Jose

Ryan Lundquist, residential appraiser and housing analyst, Sacramento area

Alana Semuels, economic correspondent, TIME magazine

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With the Republicans’ majority in the House down to just three votes, control of Congress is very much up in the air next year. And once again the road to a majority for Democrats runs through California. Nonpartisan analysts say five House seats are up for grabs, all of them currently held by Republicans. We’ll check in on those races, plus the hotly contested race to replace Palo Alto Democrat Anna Eshoo who is retiring after 30 years in Washington.

Guests:

David Wasserman, senior editor & elections analyst, The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan publication that monitors congressional races.

Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown show

Ivy Cargile, associate professor in Political Science, California State University Bakersfield

Paul Mitchell, vice-president, Political Data, Inc.

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Sea-level rise is already causing harm in the Bay Area, but it’s hard to picture what’s yet to come. Some Bay Area artists are using their crafts to imagine what our region might look like as waters continue to rise: drowned cities, hills turned into islands, and more commuting by boat. These visions of the future are manifested through graphic images, art installations and storytelling. For our latest installment of Climate Fix, Forum’s regular collaboration with KQED’s Science team, we’ll hear from the artists grappling with sea-level rise.

Guests:

Ezra David Romero, climate reporter, KQED

Kristina Hill, director, Institute for Urban and Regional Development, College of Environmental Design, UC Berkeley

Ana Teresa Fernández, artist, creator of the "On the Horizon" art installation that has been displayed on beaches in California, Mexico and at the San Francisco Cliff House.

Nicole Gluckstern, playwright and director of "The Forever Wave," an audio play set in San Francisco in 2070 after major sea-level rise.

Brian Stokle, urban planner and cartographer, co-created a series of poster maps that depict the Bay Area.

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The end of the year is a time of reflection, and for some, a chance to reassess our priorities. But if the goal is greater happiness, says author and Harvard professor Arthur C. Brooks, we may be going about New Year’s resolutions all wrong. It’s great to try and lose weight or save more money, but research shows that practicing things like forgiveness and gratitude are actually more likely to increase overall happiness, he writes. Brooks joins us to talk about his new book, Build the Life You Want, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, which offers strategies to increase happiness and well being, even in the face of hardship.

Guests:

Arthur C. Brooks, professor, Harvard; columnist, The Atlantic; co-author (with Oprah Winfrey) of "Build the Life You Want." His other books include "From Strength to Strength."

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It’s the season of craft fairs, when artisans come out from their studios, or from a corner of an apartment stuffed with art supplies, and try to sell what they’ve made. We sit down with local craftspeople and creators to discuss the world of crafts, and what it means to be an artisan today in the Bay Area, where culture is rich but finances are always tight. We talk about hobbies, obsessions, side hustles, and why they’re such important parts of our lives and our community.

Guests:

Yina Kim, artist; storyteller; maker; founder, ODSY Workshop. She works and lives in the Sunset in San Francisco.

Sam Saavedra, chain stitch embroiderer; owner, Mira Flores in Oakland.

Jolie Karno, wood turner; instructor, The Crucible; founder, Lower 48

Viviana Matsuda, ceramicist; owner, MUD WITCH

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The 28th United Nations climate conference, COP28, ended Wednesday in Dubai with an agreement among nearly 200 nations to transition away from fossil fuels and achieve net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. California took the stage at the talks and joined subnational governments in task forces, including one committed to reducing methane emissions. We’ll talk about what the conference accomplished and where it fell short and analyze California’s role as a leader — and oil-producer — in fighting the climate crisis.

Guests:

Wade Crowfoot, secretary, California Natural Resources Agency

Vijay Vaitheeswaran, global energy and climate innovation editor, The Economist

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