California Sun Podcast

Paul Koretz and Marqueece Harris-Dawson represent polar opposite districts in Los Angeles. Yet the issues they face — housing, climate change, infrastructure, homelessness, and traffic — affect everyone. How they do their job, and whether or not they succeed, could very well determine the future of Los Angeles.

Ariel Rubissow Okamoto, the editor in chief of and long-time Bay Area science writer, talks about the resiliency of the largest estuary on the West Coast, the challenges facing the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, and the potential impacts of climate change and sea-level rise on the San Francisco Bay.

What really happened on August 8th and 9th, 1969? In his new book, CHAOS, investigative journalist Tom O'Neill argues that almost everything we know about the Manson murders is wrong. The results of his 20 years of investigation is a searing indictment of local, state, and federal law enforcement, possibly reaching all the way up the FBI and the CIA.

Author and journalist Noam Cohen dares to ask if we really signed up for all the technological change we now take for granted. Did we really need instant delivery of everything, ride-hailing on a whim, the commercialization of residential neighborhoods, or 5,000 friends? Whose disruption is it anyway?

David Ulin, the former book editor of the L.A. Times, points out that few American cities have changed more in the past two decades than Los Angeles. The city that existed at the turn of the century has been reinvented, and the longtime social and cultural critic takes us on a journey through today's L.A.

Joe Talbot's debut film, "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," captures the unsteady pulse of an ever-changing city. The film is an ode to what home means as both a brick-and-mortar place as well as a state of mind. Talbot wonders if anyone can still hold onto that sense of home in today's San Francisco.

Leah Garchik is an original. In an era of transitory work, she had one employer for 47 years. For 35 of those years, as a daily columnist, her voice reflected back to us the world and her city of San Francisco. On the occasion of her retirement last month, she shared insights into her view of the world and how it came to be.

Tony Serra gives an exclusive look at his defense strategy in the ongoing Ghost Ship trial. He explains why he thinks his client, Derick Almena, is not guilty of 36 counts of manslaughter, and gives a preview of what we can expect to hear when Almena takes the stand. Regardless of the outcome, the trial is also about the future of the city of Oakland.

Allison Haley, the district attorney for Napa County, is one of 58 district attorneys in California whose work is profoundly affected by Gov. Gavin Newsom's decision to suspend the death penalty. Her reaction to it, like that of many of her colleagues, is outrage. She explains her concern for victims and juries after a move that seems out of sync with the will of California voters.

Paul Schrade stood at Robert F. Kennedy's side at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, 51 years ago last week. As they entered the kitchen, Schrade was shot along with the presidential candidate. Schrade recovered from his injuries. Now 94 years old, his memories of that tragic night are still vivid. He shared his recollections of Kennedy and the candidate's time in the Central Valley, and of Schrade's own work for the United Auto Workers in California.