Fifth & Mission

The Recreation and Parks department has released a report advising that the Golden Gate Park roadway remain closed to vehicles permanently. Now the matter goes to the Board of Supervisors. Since the start of the pandemic, JFK Drive has been a car-free haven. But opponents argue that it impacts traffic and hinders access to the park for the elderly and disabled. Chronicle reporter Ricardo Cano and columnist Heather Knight join join host Cecilia Lei to discuss the latest development in this fierce debate. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is the first state in the nation to have a reparations task force to explore compensating Black Americans for slavery, which caused generations of racial disparities. The group has been split over who should be eligible for restitution: all Black Californians or those who can trace their lineage to slavery. Columnist Justin Phillips joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss why requiring Black Californians to prove their ancestry might be unfair. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of the salamanders die on Bay Area roads each year during breeding season. The toll in Los Gatos is one of the largest rates of reported wildlife roadkill deaths in the world. Two volunteer groups are on a mission to stop it. Chronicle reporter Tara Duggan joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss their efforts, and why protecting these delicate creatures is important for the environment. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America's intense fear of terrorism after the 9/11 attacks landed hard on the shoulders of Hamid Hayat, whose California upbringing was shattered when he was accused of being part of a terrorist sleeper cell. Wrongly convicted, he spent 14 years in "Little Gitmo" and other lock-ups. But now he's free, and he spoke exclusively to The Chronicle's Jason Fagone about his famous case and his difficulty reclaiming his life. Fagone tells host Demian Bulwa why Hamid's story is so crucial to our understanding of the post-9/11 world. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Read Hamid Hayat's story: sfchronicle.com/hayat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

City leaders and nonprofits are considering an approach that was rejected in the 1990s: abstinence. That model is reflected in a new coalition called the Urban Vision Alliance. Reporter Kevin Fagan joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss how this strategy differs from the city's decades-long harm-reduction approach, and why this get-tough method is being revived. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maksym Zubkov was working on his PhD at UC Berkeley when Russia invaded his native Ukraine. He talks to host Cecilia Lei about what it's like to watch the war from the Bay Area. Plus: Four Ukrainians share what they're witnessing in their homeland. For information on how you can help people in Ukraine, visit Maksym Zubkov's website: maksymzubkov.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday breaks down a wave of changes coming to the Bay Area due to the retreat of the omicron variant. The federal government is shifting its guidance, and California is poised to drop its school mask mandate. Also, reporter Chase DiFeliciantonio tells host Demian Bulwa about San Francisco's new push to get office workers off Zoom and back downtown to spend money. Has the ship sailed on in-person work?sailed on in-person work? | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The violence on the other side of the planet doesn’t seem far away to those with Ukrainian or Russian heritage, or their allies. UC Berkeley political science professor M. Steven Fish joins host Cecilia Lei to explain why there are larger consequences for all Americans, what Putin’s motives are and how he might be stopped. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fight is heating up as parents, teachers unions, district officials and public health experts all have different ideas about the best way forward. Education reporter Jill Tucker joins host Demian Bulwa to talk about the different views between and within districts. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearby city residents have leveraged an environmental law to try to cap the university's enrollment numbers and stop campus expansion projects. Now, the California Supreme Court will decide whether the school will have to slash undergraduate admissions by more than 3,000 slots. But state Sen. Scott Wiener has introduced a bill that might let the state's colleges skip the lengthy environmental review for housing. Chronicle reporters Dustin Gardiner and Nanette Asimov join host Cecilia Lei to explain the drama. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod An earlier version of this episode was published with an editing error. That version has been fixed, and we’ve also republished the corrected episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearby city residents have leveraged an environmental law to try to cap the university's enrollment numbers and stop campus expansion projects. Now, the California Supreme Court will decide whether the school will have to slash undergraduate admissions by more than 3,000 slots. But state Sen. Scott Wiener has introduced a bill that might let the state's colleges skip the lengthy environmental review for housing. Chronicle reporters Dustin Gardiner and Nanette Asimov join host Cecilia Lei to explain the drama. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The school board recall spotlighted how Asian Americans are flexing their political muscle, especially Chinese voters. Chronicle reporter Roland Li joins host Cecilia Lei to explain why. Later, activist Gaynorann Siataga shares how Pacific Islanders are often rendered invisible in discussions about the AAPI vote. She talks about the impact of the recall of Faauuga Moliga, the first Pacific Islander to serve in elected office in San Francisco. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Season 3 of the Chronicle's food podcast approaches, we want to share one of our favorite episodes. Writer Liana Aghajanian talks about the role places like Chuck E. Cheese, Sizzler and IKEA play in the immigrant experience. Join host Soleil Ho for Season 3 of Extra Spicy by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. Extra Spicy will stimulate your mind and your appetite. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942, forcing the relocation of nearly 8,000 Japanese Bay Area residents into internment camps. Chronicle columnist and Total SF podcast co-host Peter Hartlaub joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about how the discovery of one archive photo led him to tracing the family history of Paul Miyamoto, San Francisco's sheriff. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The City Council votes Thursday on whether to certify the environmental review of the A’s $12 billion waterfront ballpark project near Jack London Square. The development has raised community concerns around displacement and environmental impacts. Chronicle reporter Sarah Ravani joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about the Howard Terminal project, which would be one of the largest developments in state history. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Voters overwhelmingly recall board President Gabriela López and members Alison Collins and Faauuga Moliga. On It's All Political on Fifth & Mission, reporters Joe Garofoli and Jill Tucker and host Demian Bulwa talk about the surprisingly decisive result and what it means for the attempt to recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The district attorney says his office has learned that a woman was connected to a property crime via evidence from a years-old rape exam. SFPD Chief Bill Scott says if an investigation confirms the allegation, "I’m committed to ending the practice,” which might be unconstitutional and could have a chilling effect on people reporting sexual assaults. Reporter Megan Cassidy talks to host Cecilia Lei about the case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As city leaders and residents anguish over the growing annual homicide rate — from 69 to 124 in the past five years — reporter Raheem Hosseini finds lessons in a past rise and fall of bloodshed in Oakland. He tells host Demian Bulwa that a previous crime surge launched the innovative Ceasefire program, which uses a collaborative, carrot-and-stick approach to try to reach people most at risk of becoming shooters or victims. But the pandemic crippled such efforts, and the city is starting over. Note: This episode published in error Saturday, so if you have it twice, the two episodes are identical. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sensational news headlines about burglaries and thefts don't tell the whole story. Data reporting can help. Chronicle reporter Susie Neilson joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about how crime trends differ by neighborhood and why digging into data is a critical component of understanding trends in the city. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID eviction battles are moving to Bay Area suburbs, which don't have the same tenant protections as urban centers like San Francisco and Oakland. Chronicle reporter Lauren Hepler joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss how evictions are playing out in places like San Pablo and Palo Alto, and housing researcher Tim Thomas explains why tenant evictions in the suburbs are a civil rights issue that dates back decades. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices