KQED's Forum

A year-long San Francisco Chronicle investigation found that a San Francisco program that leases residential hotels as a transitional solution for unhoused residents has failed drastically. According to the investigation, many residents reported living in squalid rooms infested with bugs, rats, and black mold. Reporters found that, of 515 people tracked by the government, 21% returned to the streets and a quarter died in the program. They also found that violence toward residents and staff, robbery, and drug overdose deaths were common occurrences in some decrepit buildings. We’ll talk about the investigation’s findings, who should be held accountable and what can be done to provide decent transitional housing for people getting off the streets.

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Danica Roem stunned the world of Virginia politics in 2017 when she became the first openly trans person to win a seat in a state legislature. She defeated a Republican who held the seat for more than a quarter century -- a lawmaker who called himself the state’s "chief homophobe." Roem, who's also a former journalist and thrash metal band front woman, joins us to talk about her new memoir "Burn the Page," all about her unlikely rise in politics and the importance of being your authentic self.

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Congressman Adam Schiff returned recently from a surprise trip to Ukraine with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats where they observed the toll of the Russian invasion and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the U.S.'s military and humanitarian commitment to the country. We’ll talk to Schiff about the trip and the status of President Biden's proposed $33 billion aid package for Ukraine, now awaiting congressional approval.

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While Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v Wade sparked outrage and protests across the country, in California advocates for abortion access have long been preparing for the decision. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed a Future of Abortion Council whose December policy recommendations are now a set of proposed state laws that would provide funds for abortion access for those in states with restrictive laws and protect doctors who provide services, among other policy changes designed to make California a sanctuary for reproductive rights. From providing tele-health and abortion pills across state lines to ensuring childcare and travel for those seeking services, Forum looks at the role of California in a post Roe country.

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A leaked Supreme Court draft opinion published by Politico on Monday night indicates the majority of the Court would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. In the document written by Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., and joined by the majority of the Court, Alito called Roe wrongly decided and suggested that the issue of abortion should be left to politicians, not courts. If the final opinion follows the logic of the draft, it would represent a fundamental shift in the law and politics around reproductive rights. And while draft opinions are commonly circulated by the justices, the leak of a draft is unprecedented in modern Supreme Court history and raises questions about the operation of the Court itself. We’ll talk about the leak, the draft opinion, and what lies ahead.

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In his latest play, "The Incrementalist," Oakland playwright Cleavon Smith explores the tension between those who advocate immediate, radical reform to address injustices and those who believe in an incremental approach to changing systems and policies over time. Playing at Berkeley's Aurora Theatre Company through May 15, "The Incrementalist" follows a public intellectual who is brought to UC Berkeley’s campus in 2022 to help facilitate conversations concerning police violence after campus police attack and injure a Black Student Union leader during a protest. The play also includes scenes from student life in 1992, highlighting both the ongoing issues of racism and police violence and the ongoing debate over how best to address them. Smith joins Forum in studio to talk about the play, as well as his personal journey from Mississippian to Californian and from naval officer to playwright.

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Since the 1990s, lawmakers and advocates have justified harsh anti-crime policies, like California’s Three Strikes Law, as a way to bring justice to the victims of violent crimes. But a new movement is emerging that centers crime survivors, especially women of color, who are often overlooked by a system that’s supposed to help them with services and support – and who don’t always agree with the tough-on-crime agenda. We’ll talk about how the conversation about justice for crime survivors is shifting in California.

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Two large oil refineries in the Bay Area want to switch from processing crude oil and instead turn vegetable oil and animal fats into biofuels. Phillips 66 in Rodeo and Marathon in Martinez say their plans to convert the refineries to create renewable diesel advances California’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel reliance. But some environmental groups and communities close to the refineries oppose the plan, saying a reliance on biofuels contributes to deforestation and other environmental problems that actually accelerate climate change. As the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors considers an appeal to the plans next week, Forum looks at the local, state and global ramifications of California’s push toward biofuels.

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“I basically went from living in a fishbowl, which is the prison yard, to swimming in a whole ocean.” That’s how Travielle Pope describes what it was like to reintegrate into a profoundly changed society after serving 26 years of a life sentence in a California prison. Pope is one of eight formerly incarcerated people KQED’s Pendarvis Harshaw and his co-producer Brandon Tauszik profile for their new multimedia project “Facing Life.” It explores the everyday challenges – from operating smartphones to finding jobs and shelter – the formerly incarcerated face. We’ll talk about the project and why Harshaw and Tauszik say it’s time to “prepare for a society where mass incarceration is no longer a thing—but mass integration is.”

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Sports journalism has long been a male-dominated field. According to last year’s Associated Press Sports Editors Racial and Gender Report Card, less than 15% of sports reporters in the U.S. and Canada are women. One aspiring sports journalist hoping to be a part of improving that statistic is high school sophomore Mahi Jariwala from Danville, who created and hosts her own sports podcast “She Can Ball.” As part of KQED’s annual Youth Takeover week, Jariwala joins Alexis Madrigal to co-host Forum’s conversation with Bay Area sports journalists Kerith Burke and Amy Gutierrez, plus ESPN’s Mina Kimes and MLB Network's Keiana Martin, about navigating the male-dominated sports media industry and reporting on your favorite sports teams. 

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