KQED's Forum

Some Napa vintners want to add cannabis to their offerings, hoping to benefit from California's legalization of recreational marijuana. The industries are not dissimilar: cannabis and wine are both naturally-derived, highly-regulated intoxicants. But some in the Napa Valley are concerned that cultivating weed will compromise the county's reputation as a wine producer. We'll talk about the cannabis and wine industries, and whether the Napa Valley is big enough for both.

A Napa Valley ordinance that takes effect in May will increase protections that landowners must take to preserve trees and the watershed. The decision marks another chapter in the long-standing debate over the use of, and protections for, Napa's open space, trees and water. We'll hear about the new "Water Quality and Tree Protection Ordinance" and why many environmentalists and vintners are unhappy about it.

Early Wappo American Indians in Napa Valley called the region "talahalusi,” meaning "beautiful land.” They shaped the region, as did the African American farmers, Chinese laborers and Mexican guest workers or "braceros" who followed them. Despite their influence, these communities are often left out of Napa Valley history. Alexandria Brown, a Napa native, sought to change that. She researched the daily lives of these influential groups for her new book “Hidden History of Napa Valley.” Brown joins us to discuss the book and the overlooked parts of Napa’s history.

The new book "Trillion Dollar Coach" examines the lessons and legacy of Bill Campbell, a football coach who went on to advise executives at companies including Apple, Intuit and Facebook. Co-author and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was one of many Silicon Valley giants mentored by Campbell, who died in 2016. We'll talk with Schmidt and his co-authors about Campbell's insights and influence.

The average price for gas in California is just over $4 per gallon, about 43 cents higher than the next priciest state, Hawaii. That's according to the fuel price tracker GasBuddy, which also puts San Francisco's average gas price as the highest in the state. On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the California Energy Commission to investigate what he called an "unaccounted-for price differential" in California. We'll talk about what's behind the high cost of gas.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to declare his candidacy for president in a video announcement on Thursday. Biden would enter a crowded field of Democrats vying to take on President Trump in 2020. We’ll talk with KQED’s politics senior editor about Biden’s prospects, what issues are likely to drive his campaign and how the former senator and vice president could impact the 2020 race.

A new study shows that Bay Area adults owed $26.6 billion in student debt in 2018, affecting around 12 percent of the region’s adults. The study also found a dramatic disparity in how student debt affects low-income people and communities of color. Its findings were highlighted by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco during a Tuesday summit examining the student loan crisis. Also this week, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren introduced a policy proposal to eliminate 95 percent of borrower’s student loan debt through a wealth tax. We’ll discuss the effects of student loan debt on the Bay Area, and consider how it should be addressed.

Rupa Marya is the frontwoman of the band Rupa and the April Fishes, but that's only one item on her resume. Marya is an associate professor of medicine at UCSF, where she directs the Do No Harm coalition that fights against police violence in San Francisco. She also provided medical care at Standing Rock and fought for the "Happy Birthday" song to enter the public domain. Rupa and the April Fishes' latest release, "Growing Upward," takes on gentrification, indigenous rights, police violence, climate change and more. She joins us in the studio to talk about her art and activism.

Robocalls, those annoying prerecorded marketing calls that lay siege to our phones day and night, are on the rise. That's according to the phone spam tracking app RoboKiller, which found that Americans received almost 5.2 billion robocalls last month, up from about 3.6 billion calls for the same period last year. We'll talk about what's behind the surge in robocalls and what you can do to protect yourself from them. And we want to hear from you: What's your strategy for dealing with robocalls?

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear three high-profile cases that question whether a federal ban on sex discrimination in the workplace applies to sexual orientation and gender identity. Forum will discuss the cases, how the Supreme Court is likely to handle them and what they could mean for LGBTQ rights.