KQED's Forum

More than 2 million Californians identified as more than one race in the 2020 Census. KQED’s California Report Magazine has launched a series to capture the varied experiences of those straddling multiple races. KQED’s Sasha Khokha and Marisa Lagos join Forum to talk about their series, Mixed! Stories of Mixed Race Californians, and both of their experiences growing up in mixed-race families and now raising children in their own multi-racial marriages.Guests:Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown showSasha Khokha, host, The California Report Magazine on KQEDDr. Jennifer Noble, psychologist, educator and coach for families with mixed-race kids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the campaign trail, President Joe Biden promised a more compassionate approach to immigration that would roll back Trump administration policies. But the situation at the border, with swelling numbers of migrants fleeing authoritarian regimes and dire economic conditions, has forced the administration to consider more restrictive measures. Those include possibly reviving the policy of detaining migrant families who cross the border illegally. We’ll talk about Biden’s new policies and look at the situation at the border.Guests:Tyche Hendricks, senior editor covering immigration, KQEDDeep Gulasekaram, professor of law, Santa Clara University. He teaches constitutional and immigration law and is co-author of the leading immigration law textbook used in U.S. law schools.Kate Morrissey, immigration reporter, The San Diego Union-Tribune Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco’s once-redhot office market has waned since the pandemic. Less than half of the workers who used to fill downtown office towers are working in person most days. That has led to high office building vacancies, lower revenue from property and sales taxes, and fewer workers riding transit and supporting local businesses. Now that working from home continues to be the norm, city leaders, landlords and merchants are wondering what to do next. We’ll dig into what this massive shift in the office market means for our region’s urban centers, economy and workers.Guests:Ted Egan, chief economist, San Francisco Controller's OfficeKaren Chapple, professor of city and regional planning, University of California, BerkeleyKevin Truong, staff writer, The San Francisco StandardColin Yasukochi, executive director, CBRE Tech Insights Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Black Film Canon, published in 2016 by Slate, accumulated the 50 best films by Black filmmakers, including movies like “Do The Right Thing” and the 1920 silent film “Within Our Gates.” Thanks to films like “Moonlight” and “Get Out,” a 2023 update was due, and in collaboration with NPR The New Black Film Canon was born. The collection now includes 75 films, where they’re streaming and what made them groundbreaking. Pop Culture Happy Hour’s Aisha Harris and Slate’s Dan Kois join us to celebrate, look back and examine how “we’re now living in a different world for Black film.”Related Link(s):The New Black Film CanonGuests:Aisha Harris, host of Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPRDan Kois, writer, SlateW. Kamau Bell, comedian; host, CNN's United Shades of America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay Area has a storied hip hop legacy. We’ve also got a legendary food scene. Maybe it’s natural that these two core components of the Bay Area would find each other. In our latest edition of All You Can Eat, our series on Bay Area food cultures with KQED food editor Luke Tsai, we’ll talk about Bay Area rappers in the food world. E-40 is selling ice cream and pre-packaged burritos, Larry June has a boba company and Don Toriano is lining up customers at his Vegan Mob barbecue spots. We talk Bay Area Hip Hop Food Hustles.Guests:Alan Chazaro, food reporter, KQED - He is also a rapper and educatorLuke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts and CultureDroop E, rapper and record producer; represents Goon With The Spoon; son of E-40Clyde Carson, Oakland rapper, co-owner of Hyphy JuiceDon Toriano, rapper; owner, Vegan Mob Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Qualified immunity, writes UCLA law professor Joanna Schwartz, "has come to represent all that is wrong with police accountability." It’s the Supreme Court-created doctrine that protects police officers from civil liability for excessive force and other misconduct unless there is a prior court case where an officer violated another person’s rights in exactly the same way – a standard that she says is virtually impossible to meet. And, Schwartz explains, it’s just one of multiple barriers that the Court and states like California have erected to make justice through civil rights lawsuits “profoundly elusive.” We’ll talk to Schwartz about how qualified immunity plays out in California and hear about efforts to reform it. Schwartz’s new book is “Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable.”Guests:Joanna Schwartz, professor of law, University of California, Los Angeles - Her new book is "Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After experiencing a classic bank run with depositors withdrawing $42 billion in one day, Silicon Valley Bank was shut down by federal regulators on Friday. For many startups, SVB was the bank of choice, and its closure has roiled the tech industry. While federal regulators announced on Monday that 100% of Silicon Valley Bank’s deposits would be repaid, that has not stopped turmoil in the market. Shares in San Francisco-based First Republic Bank dropped over 60% on Monday with other bank stocks following suit. Added to this are last week’s failures of both Signature Bank, a regional bank in New York closed by regulators this weekend, and Silvergate, a banking concern favored by cryptocurrency investors. We’ll talk about how these banking issues are impacting the Bay Area and what it means for customers and the tech industry.Guests:Natasha Mascarenhas, senior reporter, TechCrunchMark Calvey, senior reporter covering banking and finance, San Francisco Business TimesMargaret O'Mara, historian of the modern United States, University of Washington - She writes and teaches about the growth of the high-tech economy, the history of American politics, and the connections between the two.Lizette Chapman, reporter, Bloomberg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Soy, almond, oat and other plant-based milk alternatives have skyrocketed in popularity over the last few decades. And now new draft guidance from the FDA would allow these drinks officially to be marketed as “milks,” putting to rest arguments by the dairy industry and others that only animal products can be called milk. We’ll look at what makes milk “milk” and how plant-based options measure up against milk from cows. And we’ll hear from you: have you converted to plant-based milks?Guests:Charlotte Biltekoff, associate professor of American Studies and Food Science and Technology, UC DavisYasmin Tayag, staff writer, The AtlanticDave Ritterbush, CEO, Califia FarmsPriera Panescu, senior scientist, The Good Food Institute Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Judith Heumann, known as the mother of the disability rights movement, died this month at the age of 75. Heumann’s activism and leadership in Berkeley’s pioneering disability rights movement included the “504 sit-in,” a 26-day occupation of San Francisco’s federal building that eventually led to the passage of the Americans with Disability Act. Heumann used a wheelchair following a childhood case of polio, and when she tried to attend school, the administration denied her as “a fire hazard.” Heumann went on to work with the Clinton and Obama administrations as well as the World Bank on issues of accessibility. We’ll talk with disability rights advocates who knew her about her legacy, and where the movement is headed going forward.Guests:Sandy Ho, philanthropist; founder, Disability and Intersectionality Summit; director, the Disability Inclusion Fund at Borealis PhilanthropyYomi Sachiko Wrong, Oakland-based disability justice activist, dreamerJim LeBrecht, filmmaker and co-director with Nicole Newnham, "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution"Arlene Mayerson, directing attorney, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Communities throughout California are bracing for another round of severe storms this week. An atmospheric river is poised to dump several inches of rain, which could melt snow reserves in mountains and cause flooding. Mountainous areas of the state are already dealing with power outages, road closures, and collapsed roofs after a series of heavy rain and snow during the past couple of months. We’ll talk about how Californians are managing severe weather and what to expect in the days to come.Guests:Gerry Díaz, newsroom meteorologist, San Francisco ChronicleKatie Kay Mead, resident, Lake Arrowhead, CaliforniaBob Thurman, resident near Nevada City, CaliforniaMike Scrivano, contractor, North Lake Home Services in TruckeeHanna Lykke, reporter, San Bernardino Sun, Southern California News Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices