KQED's Forum

Gov. Gavin Newsom beat the attempt to recall him this week handily, with over 60% of the vote, so far. But the results haven’t seemed to phase failed Republican challenger Larry Elder, who’s proclaimed he’s not leaving California’s political stage. Elder’s rise prompted Los Angeles Times columnist Erika D. Smith to ponder if he could usher in a new era of Black conservatism in California, even while he embraces Trump and denies the existence of systemic racism. As we wind down from this week’s recall, we’ll talk to Smith about her latest columns and hear from Black conservative Corrin Rankin, who vice-chairs the Central Valley GOP, about what she thinks Elder means for California’s Black Republican voters and hopeful leaders.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, SF Weekly, the free alternative newspaper, announced that it would cease publication for the foreseeable future. The loss of the paper, which won numerous accolades, including a George K. Polk Award for investigative reporting on the U.S. Navy's handling of nuclear waste at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, has been called incalculable. Its closure echoes the 2014 demise of the Weeklys bitter rival, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and it leaves the city with no alt-weeklies. Yet, there was a time when alt-weeklies, their issues fat with pages of copy and advertising, were a vibrant part of the Bay Area's zeitgeist. We'll talk about the golden age of alt-weeklies and whether newer, online models of local journalism can fill that void.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Among the various bills sitting on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk is AB 701, which would require companies that operate warehouses in California to disclose productivity quotas and tracking information to employees and government agencies. The bill takes aim at Amazon Inc., a global retailer that employs more than 150,000 workers and maintains more than 60 warehouses in California. Workers nationwide have complained about grueling conditions at the company’s distribution centers, which demand repetitive tasks and long hours that can lead to injury. We’ll talk about the legislation and efforts to ensure worker safety in Amazon warehouses.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his new book “Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World's Economy,” historian Adam Tooze analyzes the different ways governments around the world responded to the pandemic and what their responses say about the way power works in the modern world. Synthesizing information from dozens of countries, Tooze traces various levels of economic interaction and their impacts “from main streets to central banks, from families to factories, from favelas to traders.” Tooze joins us to discuss “Shutdown” and share his thoughts on what we can learn from the pandemic when it comes to preparing for future global “polycrises.”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's recall process has been called undemocratic, confusing and inordinately expensive. We look at proposals both to change it, such as increasing the number of signatures required to put a recall on the ballot, and to eliminate it altogether. And we continue to bring you live analysis of Tuesday's vote and hear your reactions.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The petition to recall Governor Gavin Newsom began in February of last year. Now, more than a year and a half later, California voters decided against the effort. On the day after the final ballots were cast, we analyze the election results and discuss what they tell us about the future of Gavin Newsom, the state’s Republican party, California’s pandemic response and more.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bears who break and enter, elephants who commit manslaughter and deer who jaywalk: they’re all the subject of science writer Mary Roach’s latest book “Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law.” Roach spent two years immersed in the quirky, complex world of human-wildlife conflict prevention -- embedding with elephant attack specialists, bear forensics investigators and professional bird scarers. We talk to Roach about why wild animals encroach on human spaces and how we can coexist more peacefully with our animal neighbors.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lake Powell, a 190-mile long reservoir in Utah that holds back the Colorado River, and which can hold 24 million acres of water, has dropped 140 feet since 2000 and 50 feet in the last year. But as the lake's surface recedes, leaving a bathtub-like ring marking its evaporation, Glen Canyon, a natural wonder which was partially flooded by the dam, has reemerged. As Elizabeth Kolbert writes, in that canyon, we are seeing the Colorado River restore itself in real time. Well talk to Kolbert about what it's like to celebrate "the effects of what, by most standards counts as a disaster" and the confounding feelings of finding silver linings in climate change.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The special election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is Tuesday. As of Sept. 9, a third of mailed ballots have been returned, according to Political Data, Inc. Current polls show Gov. Newsom in position to survive the recall effort. Still, get out the vote efforts remain strong with President Biden visiting California on Monday to help campaign for Newsom. Conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder continues to lead polling for the candidate to replace Newsom, should he be recalled. One critical voting bloc campaigns are vying for is Latinos, who have propelled Democrats to a complete lock on the Legislature and every statewide office from the Governor’s office on down. We’ll hear reporting on how Latinos are reacting to campaign messages targeting them both for and against the recall, and get the latest voter turnout news on the eve of the election.  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the past year, state legislatures across the country have implemented restrictive voting laws that experts say will stop some voters from casting ballots. Voter suppression is not a new phenomenon in the United States, but lawmakers are coming up with new ways to restrict voting access. In Texas for example, a recently passed state law limits the use of ballot drop boxes and impedes election officials from promoting vote-by-mail, according to the New York Times. Efforts to protect voting rights and access at the federal level have stalled in Congress. Meanwhile, California finds itself in the middle of a gubernatorial recall election in which a small minority of voters could decide the fate of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who overwhelmingly won his office in 2018. We talk about laws and policies limiting voting access and their threat to democracy. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices