Within minutes of the debate beginning last Thursday, texts and calls were being fielded across the Democratic apparatus asking one very big question: Should Biden stay in the race? The past few days have seen an eruption of chatter around that question, with folks from every end of the political spectrum weighing in on what should be done. What kinds of conversations are happening in the White House? What does the polling say? What are the options here? Who thinks what? And who, ultimately, decides what to do?

We're bringing experts to Manny's to help you sort through these questions and more.

Panelists

Dan Morain has covered California policy, politics, and justice-related issues for more than four decades, including twenty-seven years at the Los Angeles Times and eight at The Sacramento Bee, where he was editorial page editor. He is the author of Kamala's Way, a revelatory biography of the first Black woman to stand for Vice President, charting how the daughter of two immigrants in segregated California became one of this country’s most effective power players.

Since 1988, Joshua Kosman has been the leading critical voice on classical music in the Bay Area, covering everything from blockbuster Yo-Yo Ma concerts and Opera at the Ballpark to week-long Wagner cycles and contemporary music that only a mother (or a true connoisseur) could love. In his decades holding major institutions accountable and championing the offbeat, he’s helped the Bay Area hear better, his lively prose inviting classical greenhorns and the cognoscenti alike to remember how much they love music or to love it more still.

On April 30, Kosman will flip his critic’s notebook closed for the final time, retiring from the newspaper at a crucial juncture for classical music in the Bay Area. His recent coverage of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s planned departure from the San Francisco Symphony, as well as the San Francisco Opera’s truncated offerings next year, has been essential reading for anyone with a stake in the cultural life of our city.

Before he goes, Kosman will sit down with Chronicle Theater Critic Lily Janiak to share tales from his distinguished career. Join us for Chronicle Live at Manny’s at 5:30 p.m. on April 30 for a retirement celebration and conversation.

You’ll hear how someone trains his ear enough to be a classical music critic and what it’s like to cover Michael Tilson Thomas’ every waking move, as well as Kosman’s most memorable concerts and how he views the role of a critic. It will also be your last chance to pepper Kosman with questions before he leaves the Chronicle for a well-earned retirement doing crossword puzzles, making dad jokes and the occasional viral pun, and re-reading the complete works of Anthony Trollope. (Depending on how loosened up he’s feeling on his last day, attendees might get some feisty opinions about EPS vs. SFS.)
 

Do you ever find yourself reading or talking about the worldwide climate crisis – coral reef devastation, melting glaciers, catastrophic weather – and wondering “But what can I do?” For those of us who live in urban environments, climate change may sometimes feel like a concept far removed from our daily lives. And yet, the biodiversity and nature right under our noses – and integrated into our cities – are an essential piece of a healthy planet, and a critical baseline for understanding the global climate crisis.

Join some of the Bay Area’s leading scientists, researchers, and educators for an engaging discussion about urban biodiversity that highlights just how interconnected humans, plants, and animals are even in (especially in) urban spaces. Plus, learn how to channel your love of nature into action by participating in City Nature Challenge, an annual international bioblitz that mobilizes people to document urban biodiversity, April 26-29.

Panelists:

Jesus Lozano, Urban Forestry Coordinator at the San Francisco Environment Department. Jesus coordinates the San Francisco Urban Forestry Council, facilitating collaboration among key city agencies and local organizations to provide expert advice to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on tree-related topics. Jesus previously served as the Community Engagement Manager at Friends of the Urban Forest, where they focused on connecting with communities that historically have had fewer trees. Committed to the creation of an equitably distributed urban forest, they strive to ensure its role as essential public infrastructure, habitat for local wildlife, and a connection to nature for all of San Francisco's residents.

Olivia VanDamme, Community Science Coordinator, Center for Biodiversity and Community Science at the California Academy of Sciences. Olivia helps support and organize community science campaigns including City Nature Challenge, Snapshot Cal Coast and California Biodiversity Day, expanding partnerships and communications. She is dedicated to increasing access to nature for all Californians, and has focused on environmental justice, Indigenous solidarity and equity in her roles for environmental non-profits. She is an avid geographer, educator, poet, singer, environmentalist, and surfer.

Cesar O. Estien, Ph.D. candidate in UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management in Dr. Christopher Schell's lab, investigating the extent to which societal inequity and environmental injustice shape biodiversity and wildlife ecology. He is currently investigating how historical redlining, income disparities, and unequal pollution burdens influence wildlife biodiversity, carnivore behavior, and human-wildlife interactions through an environmental justice lens.

Manny's never turns away anyone for lack of funds. To receive a complementary ticket just email the word "grapefruit" and the title of this event to [email protected].

Want to support community members? By purchasing a "Pay It Forward" ticket you will allow us to provide free tickets to those who may not be able to afford entry otherwise and ensure we can create a diverse socio-economic audience that represents San Francisco.

Though it encompasses just a single square block, Union Square has loomed large in San Francisco. Today, it’s in flux.

Over the past few years, the luxury retail destination and its surrounding blocks have lost a number of notable tenants, but none as big as Macy’s flagship San Francisco store, which announced its pending departure earlier this year.

So, what will become of Macy’s 400,000-square-foot home? What does it say about the pitfalls — and potential — of this iconic corner of the city? And what do current retail trends have to do with all of this?

Join Chronicle real estate reporter Laura Waxmann at Manny’s at 6 p.m. April 18, as she hosts a conversation about the past, present and, most importantly, future of Union Square.

She’ll be joined by real estate agent and power broker Kazuko Morgan, who has worked in Union Square for two decades; developer Chris Foley, who has spent 30 years focused on real estate and owns the Market inside the X (formerly Twitter) headquarters; and Anne Taupier, director of development for the city’s Office of Economic & Workforce Development.

Among the topics they’ll discuss: What’s happening today in Union Square? Why are the businesses that have distinguished it leaving? How are shopping hubs faring in other major cities? And could this moment be an opportunity to reimagine Union Square altogether?
 

Election season is in full effect!

Join us for a special afternoon fireside chat with Congressman Dean Phillips as he discusses his decision to run for President in 2024.

This will be an oppertunity to meet one of the many candidates running for office in 2024 and ask Congressman Phillips questions.

Manny's never turns away anyone for lack of funds. To receive a complementary ticket just email the word "grapefruit" and the title of this event to [email protected].

Want to support community members? By purchasing a "Pay It Forward" ticket you will allow us to provide free tickets to those who may not be able to afford entry otherwise and ensure we can create a diverse socio-economic audience that represents San Francisco.

About Congressman Dean Phillips:

Dean Phillips is a father, businessman, civic leader, eternal optimist, and Representative for Minnesota's Third Congressional District in Congress.

A Gold Star Son who lost his birth father, Artie, in the Vietnam War, Dean was adopted into the Phillips family when his mother DeeDee married Eddie Phillips, who raised Dean to work hard and always share success.

Dean was raised in Edina, attended Brown University, and returned to Minnesota to earn his MBA from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Business. After working at a variety of small startups, he worked his way up and eventually led his family's business, Phillips Distilling. He later went on to help build Talenti Gelato into one of the top-selling ice cream brands in the country and opened Penny's Coffee, a small business in the Twin Cities. Dean is active in the philanthropic community in Minnesota through the Phillips Family Foundation.

In Congress, Dean is focused on restoring Americans' faith in our government. He's on a mission to inspire a new era of collaboration in Washington, pursue common ground for the common good, and end the corrupting influence of special interest money in our politics. Dean is Vice Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Middle East, Northern Africa, and Central Asia Subcommittee.

Dean has shown leadership and a commitment to working across the aisle during the COVID-19 pandemic. After hearing from struggling small business owners in the summer of 2020, Dean wrote the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act with Texas Republican Chip Roy. Signed into law by President Trump, this critical piece of legislation helped small businesses keep their doors open and saved thousands of American jobs. Dean has also been a voice for oversight and transparency of trillions of pandemic-related stimulus dollars, and has led the Problem Solvers Caucus in negotiations with the White House and Congressional leadership to deliver bipartisan solutions for the American people

Every day, SF Chronicle staff photographers are tasked with documenting San Francisco.

Cameras in hand, they venture out to cover breaking news, illuminate the hidden corners of our metropolis and explore the people and issues that define our city in all its beauty, desperation and resilience.

Over the past several years, Chronicle photojournalists have depicted the ravages of the fentanyl crisis, covered the realities of climate change and captured the wisdom of Black elders.

Now, they’re sharing how they do the work.

On June 22nd at 6 p.m., join The San Francisco Chronicle Photo Team, including 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalists Gabrielle Lurie and Stephen Lam, live at Manny’s for a presentation and conversation about the ethics, practice and practicalities of photojournalism today.

In our next Chronicle Live at Manny’s, Chronicle photographers will share the stories behind some of their favorite images and take you inside the process of making them, from finding unique angles to earning subjects’ trust.  

Get your tickets!

You’ll hear from:

Nicole Frugé: The San Francisco Chronicle’s Director of Visuals, Frugé leads one of the most diverse metro photo staffs in the nation. Frugé was named the Jim Gordon Photo Editor of the Year in 2019, Photo Editor of the Year in 2018 and the Chronicle's photo editors were twice named the Picture Editing Team of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association’s Best of Photojournalism contest. Before photo editing, she spent 10 years working as a staff photographer for newspapers in Texas and Florida.

Gabrielle Lurie: Raised in Washington D.C, Gabrielle Lurie picked up a camera at 17 years old. She moved to New York City where she continued to photograph and study art history at New York University. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, LA Times and The Guardian, and she is the three-time winner of Pictures of the Year International’s Local Photographer of the Year and a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist.  

Stephen Lam: A native of Hong Kong, Stephen Lam left his studies in mechanical engineering to pursue photojournalism as a fun college elective. A former Chronicle intern, Lam was an editorial and commercial photographer in the Bay Area and his versatility has led him to collaborate with a vast range of clients including Reuters, Der Spiegel, Viator and L'Oréal before joining the Chronicle. Stephen is fluent in Cantonese and English. He is a 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Yoshi James: Yalonda M. James is an award-winning staff photojournalist and video producer at The San Francisco Chronicle. Her storytelling passion lies in documenting social justice issues and amplifying voices whose stories are seldom heard. James was a 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist with her team from The Charlotte Observer for a project called, “Sold a Nightmare.” She is also the director of short documentary films, “The BLM (Black Lives Matter) Bridge Protest: One Year Later” and “Singing for KING.”

On December 6, 2022, SPUR and UC Davis law professor Chris Elmendorf stopped by our the Living Room for a conversation about San Francisco's notorious “Nordstrom’s parking lot” housing development and the implications for future housing policy around the state. In 2021, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors rejected a proposal for a 495 unit building on the site of a Nordstrom's valet parking lot. Even though the city's Planning Department had completed its review and approved the project, supervisors rejected the recommendation, sending the project back with dubious demands for additional environmental review. 

Prof. Elmendorf discusses the relationship between the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the state’s Housing Accountability Act (HAA), the 469 Stevenson fallout and potential solutions. If you want to understand why San Francisco's housing landscape is so frustrating, be sure to check out this episode. 

About SPUR: 

SPUR — the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association — is a nonprofit public policy organization. SPUR brings people together from across the political spectrum to develop solutions to the big problems cities face. Based in San Francisco, San José and Oakland, it is recognized as a leading civic planning organization and respected for an independent and holistic approach to urban issues. Follow SPUR's channel @theurbanistchannelspur2461. 

About Prof. Elmendorf: 

Chris Elmendorf is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law at UC Davis and a leading scholar of land use and housing issues. He has published widely in top law reviews and political science journals. He is the author (with Tim Duncheon) of “When Super-statutes Collide: CEQA, the Housing Accountability Act, and Tectonic Change in Land Use Law,” forthcoming in the Ecology Law Quarterly. Last year, he advised SPUR on a bill, AB 2656, that addressed the CEQA-HAA conflict. He provides commentary on California housing issues via Twitter @CSElmendorf. 

About us: 

Manny’s is the space where the community comes together to take part in civic and political life. Our community extends from our neighbors in the Mission, to all of San Francisco, the Bay Area, California, the United States and the world. We are the modern day town hall or village square, where anyone can meet and engage with civic leaders, elected officials, artists, activists, change makers and each other. Come here for a great cup of coffee, a new book and great conversations and events. Follow us at @welcometomannys on all social platforms.