KQED's Forum

Citing dramatically reduced Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths, Governor Gavin Newsom announced this week that he's lifting California's Covid-19 state of emergency at the end of February. But as uptake of the new bivalent booster remains low, there may be reason for caution as winter approaches. That's according to UCSF's Dr. Bob Wachter, who joins us to answer your questions about case rates, subvariants, vaccines and more.Guests:Dr. Robert "Bob" Wachter, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve heard the stories and seen the headlines – life-saving drugs can be so expensive, people have to choose between them and buying food or paying rent. Oakland’s Priti Krishtel is working on a solution to this terrifying problem – she wants to reform the patent system. Pharmaceutical companies hold patents on their products, creating an ongoing monopoly that prevents competitors from bringing cheaper medications to the market to drive prices down. We’ll talk with Krishtel, who was recently awarded a MacArthur grant, about how she got into health justice and how she plans to update the patent system to bring equity to the medical system and save lives.Guests:Priti Krishtel, health justice lawyer and co-founder and co-executive directorOrganization: I-MAK. - a non-profit building a more just and equitable medicines system. She is also a 2022 MacArthur fellow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remember former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, who pleaded guilty in August to running a years-long tax evasion scheme? He’s set to testify in the tax fraud trial of the Trump Organization that begins in New York on Monday, the first time Trump’s businesses have faced criminal proceedings. That’s just one in an array of civil and criminal cases and investigations involving the former president and his associates and businesses. We’ll take stock of Trump’s legal liabilities and look at what we can expect next from prosecutors.Guests:Jennifer Taub, professor of law, Western New England School of Law; author, "Big Dirty Money: The Shocking Injustice and Unseen Cost of White Collar Crime."Luke Broadwater, congressional reporter, New York Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you browse the self-help aisles or click on a TED Talk, you will rarely be given the advice that “it’s OK to be mediocre.” You’re more likely to be told how to achieve excellence, how to rise above the fray to distinguish yourself and how, if you get good enough at your hobby, you can make it a side hustle. But maybe it’s best if we embrace the joy of being average in our pursuits, and just do what we like even if we are not good at it. We’ll talk about the freedom of stinking at things, and finding pleasure in the process, rather than obsessing over the product and result. And we’ll hear from you: What’s something that you’re perfectly happy to be bad at?Guests:Rachel Feintzeig, columnist, Wall Street Journal - She wrote the article "Go Ahead. Let Yourself Be Bad at Something."Brigid Schulte, author, "Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time"; director, Better Life Lab at New America, a public policy nonprofit.Thea Monyee, licensed marriage and family therapist, Founder - MarleyAyo, a creative wellness consulting company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, removing Americans’ constitutional right to an abortion, a dozen states have enacted near-total bans on the procedure and more are expected to do so in the coming months. That’s causing many candidates in California and across the nation to emphasize their support for reproductive rights, and Pew Research Center polling shows the issue is important to a majority of voters across both parties. We’ll talk about the role abortion is playing in the midterms here and in key states, and we want to hear from you: Is abortion driving your vote?Guests:Joe Garofoli, senior political writer, San Francisco Chronicle; host, the podcast “It’s All Political on Fifth and Mission”Maya Prabhu, state government reporter, The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionLauren Rankin , writer, speaker, and activist; author, "Bodies on the Line: At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America"Melanie Mason, national political correspondent, Los Angeles Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 44% of Californians rent their homes, but the vast majority of state legislators don’t. In the state assembly, only three out of 80 members are solely renters: Matt Haney, D-San Francisco; Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles; and Alex Lee, D-San Jose. The lawmakers say the imbalance between assembly members who are renters and those who are homeowners leads to fewer laws that address tenant needs. We’ll talk to Haney, Lee and Bryan about a caucus they are launching in the state assembly to advocate for tenants’ rights amid California’s ongoing housing crisis.Guests:Matt Haney, member, California State Assembly - represents the eastern portion of San Francisco.Isaac Bryan, member, California State Assembly - he represents much of South Central Los Angeles.Alex Lee, member, California State Assembly - he represents Santa Clara, Milpitas, Fremont, Newark and a small portion of western San Jose. He is the youngest state Asian American, first openly bisexual, and first Gen Z legislator state legislator in California history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this November’s ballot, voters will decide on whether to legalize sports betting and whether to tax the rich to subsidize electric cars. Proposition 26 would legalize sports betting in Indian casinos and horse tracks and is opposed by gaming businesses. Proposition 27 would allow online betting and is generally opposed by gaming tribes. Together supporters and opponents of the two propositions have spent over $500 million on their campaigns, and polls predict that both will fail. Proposition 30 proposes a tax on personal income over two million dollars with 80% of the proceeds going to subsidize electric cars and charging stations and the remaining going to wildfire safety. We’ll talk about the three measures with our KQED Politics team and take your questions.Guests:Guy Marzorati, reporter and producer, KQED's California Politics and Government DeskKevin Stark, Reporter, KQED ScienceMaanvi Singh, West Coast reporter, Guardian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pandemic shutdowns forced millions of small businesses across the country to close up shop or barely hang on. Journalist Gary Rivlin spent months following a group of small business owners struggling to survive the pandemic in his new book, “Saving Main Street: Small Business in the Time of COVID-19.” His book chronicles the personal and financial risks the owners had to take amid a contentious presidential election, confusing government aid programs and contradictory safety guidelines. Rivlin joins us to talk about how the pandemic forever changed how small businesses operate and how they are faring now.Guests:Gary Rivlin, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and author, "Saving Main Street Small Business in the Tine of COVID-19" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On March 16, 2021, eight people were killed by a gunman in Atlanta, GA — the majority of whom were Asian women. The murders galvanized a political and social movement, according to Titi Yu, director of the new PBS documentary “Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March.” We’ll hear from family members of victims of anti-Asian violence about their attempts to bring justice to their loved ones, and the difficulties advocates and legislators face in attempting to prosecute acts of anti-Asian violence as hate crimes.Guests:Robert Peterson, son of Yong Ae Yue, who was killed in the Atlanta spa shootings on March 16, 2021Titi Yu, director, "Rising Against Asian Hate"Monthanus Ratanapakdee, daughter of Vicha Ratanapakdee who was fatally assaulted in San Francisco on January 28, 2021Charles Jung, executive director, California Asian Pacific American Bar Association (Cal-APABA) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Jose voters will decide on several key races this election including selecting the mayor, several city council members and the county sheriff. In the mayoral race, county supervisor Cindy Chavez and city council member Matt Mahan are competing to lead the nation’s 10th largest city. At the county level, voters will select a replacement for Sheriff Laurie Smith, who is not running for reelection amid grand jury allegations of misconduct and an ongoing investigation into cases of abuse at county jails. As part of KQED’s politics team’s takeover of Forum this week, we’ll talk about the candidates and the issues dominating the races – including housing, homelessness and crime – and we’ll take your election questions.Guests:Garrick Percival, professor and department chair, Department of Political Science, San Jose State UniversityGuy Marzorati, reporter and producer, KQED's California Politics and Government DeskAlex Shoor, executive director and co-founder, Catalyze SV, a nonprofit focused on creating sustainable, equitable, and vibrant places for people in Silicon ValleyTrân Nguyễn, investigative reporter, San Jose Spotlight, and Report For America Corps Member Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices