California Sun Podcast

Rep. John Garamendi, a Bay Area Democrat, draws on his experience during two terms as California's insurance commissioner to discuss the state's insurance challenges. Garamendi argues that the state's current insurance chief, Ricardo Lara, has surrendered much of his authority to industry, creating market instability while failing to require transparency. Garamendi also discusses farmers' concerns over tariffs and market access, and water issues that have become increasingly politicized at the national level.

Journalist Chris Roberts discusses the long-forgotten history of the U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory at San Francisco's Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Following atomic bomb tests in 1946, the Navy towed radioactive ships to San Francisco, creating a research program that exposed more than a thousand people to varying levels of radiation. Roberts' seven-part series in the San Francisco Public Press, "Exposed," details how the lab conducted human experimentation with questionable consent, incomplete record-keeping, and environmental contamination that plagues redevelopment efforts today. The former shipyard remains a Superfund site marred by cleanup fraud scandals, while surrounding communities face potential health impacts that remain largely unstudied.

In a two-part Fresnoland investigation, journalist Gregory Weaver exposed the false promise of California's Williamson Act, a tax break created in 1965 to protect agricultural lands from suburban sprawl. The program, tax records showed, now primarily benefits 120 mega-farms that collect roughly half of its $5 billion tax shelter, benefiting Wall Street investors and foreign pension funds. Weaver's reporting details how the system ultimately harms small farmers and depletes precious public resources.

Randy Shaw is the director of San Francisco's Tenderloin Housing Clinic, founder of the Tenderloin Museum, editor of Beyond Chron, and author of the newly updated book "The Tenderloin: Sex, Crime, and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco." For over 45 years, he has advocated for this unique neighborhood which has maintained its character and resisted gentrification. Shaw discusses the Tenderloin's rich history as a refuge for marginalized communities, its struggles during the Covid-19 pandemic when it became a "containment zone" for homelessness and drug problems, and his hopes that Mayor Daniel Lurie will fulfill promises to improve safety and support local businesses.

Dr. Shayan Rab, associate medical director at Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, explains his revolutionary, if controversial, approach to helping mentally ill homeless individuals. As the county's first street psychiatrist, he created the Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement, or HOME Team, despite resistance from some quarters over concerns about liability and diagnostic protocols. His innovative program combines medical treatment, housing assistance, and human connection. While challenging conventional wisdom, Dr. Rab's work has become a model for how to approach the intersection of mental health and homelessness.

Lili Anolik, author of the new book "Didion & Babitz," delves into the complex and largely unexplored relationship between literary icons Joan Didion and Eve Babitz in 1960s Los Angeles. Through newly discovered letters and extensive research, Anolik explains how these contrasting personalities — Didion's calculated reserve and Babitz's uninhibited sensuality — shaped our understanding of them and the era. Their story illuminates broader themes about women's voices in American letters, the nature of literary persona, and the price of artistic ambition.

As the first Latina chancellor of the California State University system, Dr. Mildred García is seeking to transform the nation's largest public university system. Beyond focusing on diplomas and graduation rates, she is emphasizing career success and employment outcomes for CSU's more than 460,000 students. Her vision includes integrating artificial intelligence education, allowing campuses to reflect their unique communities, and launching programs like Second Start, which helps students who dropped out restart their studies.

Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA and the University of California's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources reveals why Los Angeles' recent devastating fires weren't just another disaster, but a harbinger of California's volatile future. Swain explains how climate change created the conditions for unprecedented destruction, and how "hydroclimate whiplash" — or dramatic swings between wet and dry periods — is reshaping our understanding of extreme weather events and challenging traditional approaches to disaster response.

Stephen Pyne, a renowned fire historian, discusses how climate change is creating unprecedented conditions for "mean fires" that overwhelm traditional firefighting approaches. He challenges the "war on fire" mindset, arguing instead for viewing fire as a biological force requiring public health-style interventions. Pyne talks about the need to distinguish between urban and wildland fire management, advocating for both hardened cities and controlled burns in wild areas. Drawing from historical lessons and Australia's experience, he warns that without fundamental changes in our approach, California's fire conditions will only worsen.

Jim Carlton, reporting for the Wall Street Journal, takes us beyond the headlines and into the thick of Los Angeles’ wildfire battles. For a recent article, he embedded with a wildfire strike team in Topanga Canyon, where he witnessed the harsh realities faced by the men and women fighting flames in some of the most punishing terrain. From the relentless grind of hand crews to the life-saving precision of aerial bombardments, Carlton gives us an unforgettable look at what it takes to stand against the inferno.