KQED's Forum

The California Democratic Party descends on San Francisco this weekend for its annual statewide convention. Topping the agenda is the election of a new leader to replace former chair Eric Bauman, who resigned in November amid sexual harassment allegations. Fourteen presidential candidates are expected to make appearances to woo delegates, as the state gears up for its March primary. We'll review the convention and talk about the future of the party.

Law professor David Kaye tweeted this recently: “Homework assignment: draft the rule that prohibits doctored Pelosi video but protects satire, political speech, humor etc. not so easy is it?” Kaye’s tweet came amid a flurry of calls for Facebook to take down an altered video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. As the UN’s special rapporteur on freedom of expression, Kaye has been working on this homework assignment for years, reporting on how governments and private companies should moderate social platforms. His new book “Speech Police” explores how transparency and democratic oversight of regulations on speech can help curb harmful content on the internet while protecting free expression.

State regulators have approved plans by California's largest utilities aimed at limiting future wildfires sparked by their equipment. The vote comes after two years of catastrophic, utility-caused fires that have devastated parts of California. On Thursday, all five members of the California Public Utilities Commission gave their blessing to wildfire prevention plans crafted by PG&E and the state’s other two large utilities. We'll discuss the plans and their projected impact on communities.

A now deceased GOP redistricting strategist was behind the Trump Administration's decision to add a citizenship question on the 2020 census, according to a motion filed by the ACLU Thursday. The filing, based on documents obtained from the hard drive of Thomas Hofeller, argues that federal officials illegally added the citizenship question to create a structural electoral advantage for "Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites." The Supreme Court is set to rule on the legality of the citizenship question next month. We'll talk about the potential impact of the newly released evidence on the case.

"The Last Black Man in San Francisco" explores the meaning of home and community against gentrification, displacement, and a city's changing identity. It is the debut feature film of San Francisco natives and childhood friends, director and writer Joe Talbot, and actor and writer Jimmie Fails. The film follows Fails' semi-autobiographical character as he tries to reclaim his ancestral home in San Francisco's Fillmore district. Also featuring veteran actor Danny Glover, "The Last Black Man in San Francisco" won Best Director and Special Jury Awards at the Sundance Film Festival in January and is now playing in theaters. Talbot and Fails join Forum to discuss their film and what San Francisco means to them.

A free outdoor concert with the San Francisco Symphony. A Lake Merritt barbecue that aims to help fight racism. A film festival featuring only Godzilla flicks. They’re all part of the Bay Area’s lively summer arts season. Forum talks with KQED Arts staff about their top picks for museums, music, movies and more this summer. We’ll also consider the state of the Bay Area arts scene--how artists survive amid the high cost of living, and what the trend toward corporate ownership of live music venues means for local musicians. And we want to hear from you: What shows and events are you excited for this summer?

KQED’s politics and government editor Scott Shafer sat down with House speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday in an interview spanning a range of issues. The Speaker called out Facebook for “lying to the public” after the company refused to remove a doctored video, shared by President Trump, in which she appeared to stammer, and she laid out her thoughts on impeachment. In this segment, Scott Shafer joins us to analyze the speaker’s remarks and the direction of the democratic party. We’ll also hear from Wall Street Journal reporter Rebecca Ballhaus about other political news, including the White House’s order that the US navy hide a destroyer named after Senator John McCain so that the ship would not appear in photographs with the President.

Seventy-four percent of adults and 68 percent of teens go to bed with their phones, according to a new study by Common Sense Media. Many of us are so addicted to our screens that when we wake up in the middle of the night, we check our phones. It’s not just our sleep quality that’s being hurt, the study found that both parents and teens feel as if phones have hurt their relationships. Forum will be joined by Common Sense Media CEO, Jim Steyer, to talk about the latest research and how it fits in with the organization’s overall effort to better understand mobile device use by kids and their parents.

The Oakland City Council is considering a resolution to decriminalize natural psychedelics, including mushrooms. The resolution's sponsors point to studies suggesting that psilocybin, the active agent in so-called magic mushrooms, can ease addiction, depression, anxiety and pain. If approved, Oakland would become the second U.S. city to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms; Denver voters narrowly passed a similar initiative earlier this month. The Oakland resolution is expected to come to a full council vote in June. What do you think? Should natural psychedelics be decriminalized? Why or why not?

Negotiations are expected to resume Wednesday afternoon in the New Haven teachers strike. Nearly 600 teachers, counselors, and nurses walked off the job on May 20th demanding higher pay, smaller classes and more support services for students. The district serves about 11,000 students from Hayward and Union City, most of whom have stayed out of school since the strike began. Representatives of the teachers' union and the school district met over the long weekend but ultimately could not reach an agreement. Forum takes a look at what's at stake for all involved.