California Sun Podcast

Nick Neely walked for 12 weeks and 650 miles from San Diego to Palo Alto. Recreating the journey taken by the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola in 1769, he became immersed in the history, people, and topography of the Golden State. Writing about both the natural and built landscape along the way for his book "Alta California," one of our premier environmental writers short-circuited time and made yesterday's history today's reality.

Leon Panetta ascended to the highest of jobs in Washington, but he never lost sight of his California roots. The former congressman, Office of Management and Budget director, White House chief of staff, CIA director, and defense secretary reminisces about growing up in Monterey, building the Panetta Institute on the campus of Cal State Monterey, and a remarkable life journey.

Jeffrey Tumlin took a job that almost no one wanted. The head of San Francisco's Metropolitan Transportation Agency was facing the impossible before the pandemic. Since then, public transportation and increased traffic have become unsustainable. Still, Tumlin hopes to find a way to make his city a model for the nation.

Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks wanted to make sure legislation on housing and family and medical leave had her vote. When she was denied a request to vote by proxy, she drove with her 1-month-old girl in tow from her home in Oakland to the State Capitol in Sacramento. What happened next has become a rallying point for working women.

Geoffrey King, an attorney and native of Vallejo, cared deeply about his city. He said he could no longer stand by and watch the underreported killings of civilians by one of the most violent police forces in the nation. So he launched Open Vallejo, a nonprofit newsroom focused on local accountability journalism. He details why he felt it was so important to shine a light on a police department that uses more force per arrest than that of any other police force in California's major cities.

Dr. Jennifer Brokaw, daughter of the news anchor and author Tom Brokaw, is an emergency care physician and patient advocate. In February, she was appointed as the physician for San Francisco's first responders. She explains how her job overseeing the health of firefighters and paramedics has taken on dimensions she never could have imagined before the pandemic.

Anthony Rendon, a Democrat from Lakewood, became California's 70th Assembly speaker in 2016. He talks about his work with two very different governors and how the legislative focus has changed from budget surpluses, housing, wildfires, affirmative action, and the gig economy to deficits, eviction, unemployment, health care, and a no-frills future. He also shares the personal journey that prepared him for his role.

Alia Volz reminisces about growing up in the family business in the 1970s and '80s, where her mom baked and sold 10,000 "magic" brownies per month in San Francisco. It was a time when growing a single marijuana plant was a felony offense. The business that started selling to hippie craftspeople in Aquatic Park became a cultural icon.

David Randall, author of "Black Death at the Golden Gate," tells a story that reminds us that history may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes. He details how the bubonic plague overran San Francisco and the West Coast in 1900, fueling denial of emerging science, quarantines, anti-Chinese racism, and fears of a second wave.

Dr. Robert M. Wachter is a professor and chair of UC San Francisco Department of Medicine. The author of more than 300 articles and six books, he's been ranked as one of the most influential physician-executives in the U.S. He discusses California's original success in dodging the Covid-19 bullet, and why it now may be catching up with us. He discusses how much smarter we've become in four months, how much longer Covid-19 may be with us, and how medicine will be transformed forever.