KQED's Forum

Wikipedia, the crowdsourced encyclopedia, is one of the world’s most visited websites, with 11 billion page views each month. Its founder, Jimmy Wales, credits its success to one thing — trust — which he sees at odds with our increasing loss of faith in institutions and in each other. In his new book, he lays out what he calls a “blueprint for building things that last” in volatile times. We’ll talk to Wales about the site’s history and why right wing figures like Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson are attacking it. The book is “The Seven Rules of Trust.” Has Wikipedia earned your trust?

Guests:

Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation

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As mayor of San Jose, Matt Mahan has touted his business credentials and his common sense approach to handling issues like homelessness and crime.  In 2024, Mahan was reelected to the office with  87% of the vote, and his profile has risen recently as he has criticized Governor Gavin Newsom’s trolling of President Trump.  According to Mahan, “As mayors, we don’t get rewarded for clever tweets or inspiring speeches.” Instead, Mahan says he is focused on concrete results. We talk to Mahan and take your questions.

Guests:

Matt Mahan, mayor, San Jose

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Minutes before his high-stakes meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday, President Trump took to social media to say the U.S. would resume nuclear weapons tests for the first time in decades. It’s the latest in a foreign policy approach that veteran New York Times national security reporter David Sanger calls a mix of instinct, grievance and ego, marked by swerves and reversals. We talk to Sanger about how Trump’s approach is affecting our standing on the world stage.

Guests:

David Sanger, White House and national security correspondent, The New York Times

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Orange marigolds, sugar skulls, skeleton face paint, and altars lined with photos and candles have become familiar elements for commemorating Day of the Dead, the ritual practice of honoring the deceased that has become a cultural phenomenon. Many of the traditions go back thousands of years to the indigenous peoples of Mexico, but others have roots in the United States, where the some of the first Día de los Muertos celebrations took place in 1972 with an altar in front of the Galería de la Raza in San Francisco’s Mission District. We’ll talk about the essence of this holiday and how the traditions, iconography and meaning continue to evolve.

Guests:

Liv Styler, artist and writer; her piece, “Memento (Me)mori(as),” is part of the SOMArts exhibit "Día de Los Muertos 2025: We Love You"

Luisa Navarro, boutique owner, Mexico in My Pocket; author, "Mexico's Day of the Dead"

Rio Yañez, artist and curator, co-curator, "Día de Los Muertos 2025: We Love You" at SOMArts

Dr. Belinda Hernandez Arriaga, executive director and founder, ALAS, Ayudando Latinos A Soñar; licensed clinical social worker

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Costco, the bulk grocery chain known for consistency, devoted employees and discounts, has 145 million members worldwide. New Yorker staff writer Molly Fischer grew up going to a Costco in San Jose (Warehouse No. 148, on Senter Road), and she says “being a child of California in the eighties and nineties offered a front-row seat to the rise of a retail juggernaut.” But new management and Wall Street pressure means that things are changing at Costco, even as its hot dog-and-soda deal remains $1.50. We’ll talk with Fischer about her new piece, “Can the Golden Age of Costco Last?”

Guests:

Molly Fischer, staff writer, The New Yorker

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For 20 years, the Emmy- and James Beard-award winning show “Check, Please! Bay Area” has brought together local diners to kibbitz about their favorite restaurants. The concept is simple: three locals each recommend a restaurant, everyone tries the places out, and they meet for a spirited conversation about what they liked, what they loved, and what they could do without. The restaurants reviewed range from mom and pop shops to Michelin-award winning, but one thing they all have in common is at least one passionate fan. “Check, Please! Bay Area” host Leslie Sbrocco and producer Lori Halloran join us to talk about the imprint the show has made on local dining over the last two decades.

Guests:

Leslie Sbrocco, host, "Check Please! Bay Area"

Lori Halloran, series producer, "Check Please! Bay Area"

Gypsy Love, artist and former "Check Please! Bay Area" guest

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Next week, California voters will decide whether to approve Proposition 50, which would temporarily redraw Congressional district maps to favor Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections. This comes after Republican lawmakers in Texas have redrawn districts to favor their party – with Republican leaders in Indiana, North Carolina and Missouri looking to follow suit. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court appears poised to further weaken the Voting Rights Act and further fuel a “redistricting arms race.” We look at how that case, and the escalating efforts to redistrict along partisan lines, could affect election outcomes in 2026 and beyond.

Guests:

Hansi Lo Wang, correspondent, NPR

Erin Covey, editor, U.S. House of Representatives, The Cook Political Report

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As the federal government shutdown extends to its fifth week, its impacts have become more widespread. Over one million federal workers are either on furlough or working unpaid. Most federal parks remain closed. Head Start programs are at risk of closure. And the USDA has announced it would suspend funding for SNAP, a food program that serves over 40 million Americans, including 5.38 million Californians. We’ll talk about the impacts of this government impasse on the Bay Area, and hear from you: How have you been affected by the government shutdown?

Guests:

Luke Broadwater, White House reporter, New York Times - his recent article on the shutdown is titled "The Shutdown Is Stretching On. Trump Doesn’t Seem to Mind"

Chris Lehnertz, president and CEO, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

Carly Severn, senior editor of audience news, KQED

Tee Tran, founder and owner, Monster Pho, a restaurant located in Oakland

Yasmeem Watson, case advocate, Treasury Department - Watson has been a federal employee for over 25 years, and serves as a steward and board member for the local affiliate of the National Treasury Employees Union

Caitlin Sly, president and CEO, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano

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Joyce Vance was a federal prosecutor for 25 years, resigning on the eve of Donald Trump’s first inauguration. Now, she’s a law professor, a legal analyst for NBC and MSNBC and author of the popular Substack “Civil Discourse,” signing off every post with the four words: “We’re in this together.” In a new book she encourages readers to not despair at the erosion of democratic norms, but to fight back. As she writes, “Progress may not be linear, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look forward beyond these difficult years we are living through and prepare to regain our America.” Vance joins us to talk about the latest legal challenges to the Trump administration and about her book, “Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy.”

Guests:

Joyce Vance, Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Law, University of Alabama School of Law - legal analyst for NBC and MSNBC; writes the popular Substack "Civil Discourse"; author of the new book, "Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy"; was a career federal prosecutor for 25 years

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One of the main drivers of homelessness in the Bay Area is simply a lack of affordable housing for people with the very lowest incomes. In Part 4 of our series “In Search of Home: Solutions for the Homelessness Crisis” we’ll take a look at some innovative strategies developers and cities are exploring to fund projects and lower the cost of construction. We bring together housing developers, housing experts and Bay Area residents to discuss what works to bring more permanent housing that formerly homeless people can actually afford.

Guests:

Patrick Kennedy, owner, Panoramic Interests - a development firm that has been building in the Bay Area since 1990

Carolina Reid, professor in affordable housing and urban policy, Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California at Berkeley

Matt Franklin, president and CEO, MidPen Housing

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