KQED's Forum

Transit agencies throughout the Bay Area are struggling with low ridership, funding shortfalls, and worker shortages. Office workers who used to pack light rail trains are still largely working from home, posing both financial and existential questions for various transit agencies. How can the region’s transit ecosystem survive in an uncertain future? And, how can the Bay Area support a robust transit system to reduce traffic and carbon emissions? We dive into how the Bay Area’s mass transit systems are faring and what the future could bring.Guests:Dan Brekke, editor and reporter, KQED NewsTherese McMillan, executive director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Governor Gavin Newsom will be sworn into his second term on Friday, following a march to mark California's commitment to democracy on the anniversary of the U.S. Capitol insurrection. We'll look at the issues and events that defined Newsom's first term and how his administration plans to deal with challenges ahead, including gas prices, housing issues and a revenue shortfall. And we'll hear what you think the Governor's priorities should be in the next four years.Guests:Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown showScott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government desk; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown showMike Gatto, former Democratic State Assemblymember from Los AngelesNicole Nixon, politics reporter, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We make them. We break them. We vow to restart. At least after one more cookie… They’re our new year’s resolutions. For some, they are an inspiration to live a better, more intentional life. For others, they are a list of broken promises. Why do we annually go through this exercise? And what does science tell us about how we can change our habits? We’ll talk all things resolutions, and hear from you: What are your 2023 resolutions and how do you plan to stick to them?Guests:Katy Milkman, professor, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; author, "How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be;" co-founder and co-director, the Behavior Change for Good Initiative at the University of PennsylvaniaMarielle Segarra, reporter and host, NPR's Life KitElizabeth Lopatto, senior writer, The Verge; author, recent article "Some New Year’s Resolutions that Won’t End Up in Your Pile of Shame" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. birthrate is at its lowest since the 1970s, and that’s because more American millennials and Gen Z are deciding not to have kids than previous generations. Health journalist Jordan Davidson sought to find out why, and she interviewed more than 300 people about the factors they considered in deciding whether or not to become parents. They cited concerns ranging from the economy and environment to their relationships with their own parents. We’ll talk with Davidson about what she learned, and we’ll hear from you: are you — or were you — hesitant about having children?Guests:Jordan Davidson, health journalist and editorial director, Health - and author, "So When Are You Having Kids: The Definitive Guide for Those Who Aren’t Sure If, When, or How They Want to Become Parents"Van Ethan Levy, licensed marriage and family therapist and professional clinical counselor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Food banks and meal delivery programs are straining to meet the needs of Bay Area residents as costs rise and support dwindles. In Alameda County, an estimated one in four residents deal with food insecurity compared with 1 in five before the pandemic. We’ll talk about hunger in the Bay Area and the challenges faced by food assistance programs.Guests:Regi Young, executive director, Alameda County Community Food BankDana Cronin, freelance reporter - Cronin wrote the recent piece "‘It’s Not Enough.’ SNAP Recipients Struggle Amid High Food Prices" for Civil EatsJim Oswald, director of marketing and communications, Meals on Wheels San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the experimental dementia drug Lecanemab as soon as this week, a move embraced by Alzheimer's disease researchers after trials showed it slowed the progression of the disease in some patients with mild cognitive impairment. The new potential therapy is also raising hopes that it could help those who are symptom-free but have brain changes -- detected by new blood tests -- that signal Alzheimer's. We'll talk about the latest advances in Alzheimer's research.Guests:Dr. Adam Boxer, endowed professor in memory and aging and professor of neurology, UCSF - He directs UCSF’s Neurosciences Clinical Research Unit and the Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Degeneration Clinical Trials Program at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center.Dr. Kristine Yaffe, professor of psychiatry, neurology and epidemiology, UCSF - She also directs UCSF's Center for Population Brain Health.Dr. Michael Weiner, professor of radiology, UCSF - principal investigator of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week’s record setting rains downed trees, flooded streets, and damaged numerous homes and businesses. Now our region is bracing for another massive storm that promises to re-drench the state’s coastal areas and dump even more heaps of snow on the Sierra Nevada. The National Weather Service issued a warning on Monday that this is “truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously.” We’ll talk about what you can do to get ready and what all this precipitation means for California’s ongoing drought.Guests:Daniel Swain, climate scientist, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA and The Nature Conservancy of CaliforniaBrian Garcia, warning coordination meteorologist, National Weather Service SF Bay Area/MontereyGerry Diaz, newsroom meteorologist, SF Chronicle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gender inequality discussions tend to center the disadvantages women face. But as women make gains in education and in the workplace, policymakers need to pay attention to a gender gap that’s widening in the opposite direction, writes Brookings senior fellow Richard Reeves. Boys and men are struggling in school, the labor market and at home, with little guidance on what it means to be a good man in our current age. We’ll talk with Reeves about his new book “Of Boys and Men,” his own experience raising three sons and what a positive vision of masculinity encompasses.Guests:Richard Reeves, senior fellow, Brookings Institution - where he directs the Future of the Middle Class Initiative; author, "Of Boys and Men" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a stretch of lonely highway, the only people you might see are the long haul truckers whose 18-wheel semis form the backbone of the American economy. In trucking, the hours are long, but it’s a profession that has long offered those with a hankering for the open road a chance at independence and autonomy. But according to author Karen Levy, today, more truckers find themselves subject to data surveillance in the name of highway safety. Those rules have opened the door to invasive technologies that allow companies to exert more control on their employees who are never far from a watchful eye. We’ll talk to Levy about her book “Data Driven” and what she’s uncovered.Guests:Karen Levy, author, "Data Driven: Truckers, Technology, and the New Workplace Surveillance;" associate professor in the Department of Information Science, Cornell University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

True crime. Gossip. Niche sports. Deep-dive history. The podcasts that have critics and podcasters hooked in 2022 vary. But what makes a good podcast in today’s saturated and corporate-shaped landscape? We’ll hear from a panel of podcast lovers about the shows that made them turn on episode notifications. And we want to hear from you: Whether your Spotify Wrapped called it your top podcast of 2022 or it’s what you play when you can’t sleep, we hear about your favorite podcasts this year.This segment originally aired Dec. 2Guests:Wil Williams, CEO, Hughouse Productions.Ronald Young Jr. , audio producer and storyteller, Senior Producer/Owner, ohitsBigRon studios; host, "Leaving the Theater" podcast.Skye Pillsbury, author, The Squeeze newsletter which reports on the podcast industry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices