KQED's Forum

California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill on Monday that would have allowed San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles to test out supervised drug use centers. New York City is home to two such centers that are operated and funded by nonprofits. Advocates say those centers have saved dozens of lives of people who otherwise may have overdosed on city streets while critics say they encourage drug addiction. We’ll discuss whether advocates will keep pushing for safe injection sites in California and how effectively those centers have functioned in other places.Guests:Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown showHeather Knight, columnist, San Francisco ChronicleCaroline Lewis, health reporter, WNYC/New York Public RadioStephanie Nolen, global health reporter, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It may seem a bit strange to be talking about [the] rising risk of a California megaflood amidst severe drought. But it’s not as paradoxical as it might seem,” tweeted Daniel Swain, co-lead author of the recently published study in the journal Science Advances, “Climate change is increasing the risk of a California megaflood.” Megastorms fueled by atmospheric rivers could bring more than 16 inches of rainfall across the state in one month. More rain than snow could fall in the Sierra Nevada, leading to extreme runoff. That’s according to the study’s climate models, which estimate that California’s current annual risk of a megaflood is 1 in 50 — with human-caused climate change projected to increase that risk over time. We’ll talk to the scientists behind the report about their findings and how California should respond.Related link(s):“The Coming California Megastorm,” The New York TimesGuests:Daniel Swain, climate scientist, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA and The Nature Conservancy of California.Xingying Huang, project scientist, Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.Michael Mierzwa, manager, Floodplain Management Branch, California Department of Water Resources (DWR). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a queer young poet in San Francisco’s underground literary scene, Michelle Tea writes that she thought of pregnancy “the same way I thought of any STD, but with a dose of the movie Alien." But soon after turning 40 she decided to give it a go, seeking a “less traditional, queer, and community-centric mode of making a family” In her new memoir "Knocking Myself Up," the acclaimed author writes about the ups and downs of that journey. She joins us to talk about the book and and the world of LGBTQ pregnancy and parenting.Guests:Michelle Tea, author and poet, her latest book is "Knocking Myself Up: A Memoir of My (In)Fertility." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Separating children was not just a side effect, but the intent,” writes The Atlantic’s Caitlin Dickerson in her recent investigation of the Trump Administration’s Zero Tolerance policy. Border agents separated more than 5000 migrant children from their families under Zero Tolerance, even as policymakers had no plans in place to adequately shelter, care for or even keep track of the surge in children they knew would fall into U.S. custody. We talk to Dickerson about her 18-month look at the origins of the U.S.’s forced separation policy and the bureaucratic machinery that enabled it.Guests:Caitlin Dickerson, staff writer, The Atlantic - author of the investigation "The Secret History of Family Separation." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kaiser Permanente mental health workers across Northern California went on strike this week, calling for an increase in staffing. They say that crushing workloads are causing delays in care and endangering patients. Kaiser says it is the strike that is hurting patients, and points to a nationwide shortage of clinicians. In this hour of Forum we’ll get the latest on the negotiations and the growing demand for mental health services.(If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the 988 suicide hotline. For Kaiser members seeking help accessing care, the California Department of Managed Care Help Center is available at 1-888-466-2219 or www.HealthHelp.ca.gov. If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 9-1-1 or go to the nearest hospital.) Guests:Jocelyn Wiener, Health and Mental Health reporter, CalMattersIlana Marcucci-Morris, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, KaiserNaomi Johnson, Associate Clinical Social Worker, KaiserScott Wiener, California state senator, representing San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The mall is personal,” writes design critic Alexandra Lange in her latest book “Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall.” For denizens of the suburbs, the mall is the place where people got their first jobs, got their first taste of independence goofing around with middle school friends, or bought their first hot dog on a stick. And while often derided by design critics, the mall in its heyday has been immortalized in movies like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Clueless,” “Mean Girls,” and more recently “Stranger Things.” With the rise in the online economy, many have heralded the demise of these temples of commerce but malls continue to reinvent themselves. We’ll talk about the cultural and design history of malls and hear from you about your favorite mall memory.Guests:Alexandra Lange, author, “Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall”; design critic; columnist, Bloomberg CityLab Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pandemic has hit the East Bay’s Latino immigrant community disproportionately hard. And to make matters worse, many were unable to access services that were available - things like rent relief, food aid, and help with utility bills. A recent El Tímpano report, produced in collaboration with Latino USA, looks at the consequences of these obstacles as well as community solutions. We’ll discuss the report, the role of language barriers and touch on some of the unique challenges faced by Maya Guatemalans in the East Bay who speak an indigenous language called Mam.Guests:Tania Quintana, program coordinator, Education Super Highway; community organizer, researcher and writer.Madeleine Bair, journalist and founder of El Tímpano.Linda Roman, program specialist, Tech Exchange. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Correction: This episode mentions a video of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sean Hannity that does not exist; the video was manipulated. We apologize for not catching the error on air.The now-unsealed warrant authorizing the search of Donald Trump’s residence last week indicates the FBI is investigating the former president for possible violations of three laws, including the Espionage Act. Eleven sets of classified documents, some of which were marked top-secret, were recovered by the FBI at Mar-a-Lago. We’ll talk about what we can expect next from the Justice Department, recap the defenses and claims made so far by the former president and his team, and analyze how this could play out politically.Guests:Andrew Weissmann, professor of Practice with the Center on the Administration of Criminal Law, New York University School of Law - former federal prosecutor and general counsel to the FBIMarisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; Co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1969, a group of students, activists and community members in Berkeley transformed a muddy abandoned parking lot into a park. They called it People's Park and ever since, the space has served as a hub for political organizing, culture and community. But throughout its 53 year history, there have been ongoing disputes over the land between the park community and the park’s owner, UC Berkeley. Now, the university has big plans to build housing on the site, which has led to recent clashes between protesters and police. We’ll hear from the UC and opponents of the plan, and we ask our listeners: what should the future of the park look like? Guests:Dan Mogulof, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs, University of California, BerkeleyHarvey Smith, member of People's Park Historic District Advocacy Group; author of "Berkeley and the New Deal"Supriya Yelimeli, housing and homelessness reporter, Berkeleyside Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"From a modern perspective," writes biographer Alec Nevala-Lee, Buckminster Fuller resembles "a Silicon Valley visionary who was born a half century too soon." But the relentlessly optimistic futurist, entrepreneur and geodesic dome pioneer was also a self-promoter who exaggerated his inventions and failed to credit his collaborators. We’ll talk to Nevala-Lee about Fuller’s scientific and cultural contributions and his complicated legacy.Guests:Alec Nevala-Lee, author, Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices