KQED's Forum

During the past year, state legislatures across the country have implemented restrictive voting laws that experts say will stop some voters from casting ballots. Voter suppression is not a new phenomenon in the United States, but lawmakers are coming up with new ways to restrict voting access. In Texas for example, a recently passed state law limits the use of ballot drop boxes and impedes election officials from promoting vote-by-mail, according to the New York Times. Efforts to protect voting rights and access at the federal level have stalled in Congress. Meanwhile, California finds itself in the middle of a gubernatorial recall election in which a small minority of voters could decide the fate of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who overwhelmingly won his office in 2018. We talk about laws and policies limiting voting access and their threat to democracy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s eviction moratorium expires on Sept. 30. Renters can still apply for state assistance and receive limited protections through March of next year, but tenants and advocates say the protections offer a patchwork solution and that the rental relief program rollout has been slow and tedious. In fact, only about 18 percent of renters who applied for state rental relief have received money. Meanwhile, more than 750,000 households in California are behind on rent owing an estimated $2.8 billion, according to the National Equity Atlas, a database focused on racial and economic equity. We’ll hear from tenants who have struggled to pay rent during the pandemic and how they are coping with limited state assistance and possible eviction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looking back at the news headlines in the Bay Area on September 10, 2001 gives us a snapshot of what consumed us that day. There was violence: a mass shooting in Sacramento, the murder of a family in Bernal Heights. Barry Bonds reached 63 home runs the day before. Democrats were hitting President George W. Bush on the sluggish economy. The Dow Industrial Average neared 10,000. It wouldn’t reach that level again until 2009. We look back at life, politics and culture on 9/10/01 to take measure of what changed after that next day.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Texas anti-abortion law which the Supreme Court declined to block, took many by surprise. The law prohibits abortions after six weeks, even in the case of rape and incest, and includes a novel civil enforcement provision that would allow private citizens to sue anyone who provides or aids and abets an abortion procedure. In remarks defending the law, Texas Governor Greg Abbott claimed a rape victim could obtain an abortion in the six-week period. Critics, like the Planned Parenthood PAC, responded forcefully tweeting: If you don't understand many people don't even know they're pregnant until after 6 weeks, then you shouldn't be restricting their options. Well talk about the impact the Texas law has had in the state and throughout the nation and how it is resetting the debate on abortion rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fifty years ago this week, people incarcerated at Attica Correctional Facility in New York rebelled, taking hostages after their requests for reform were denied by prison administrators. Attica State Prison was overpopulated at the time and the majority Black and Latino prisoners lived in dehumanizing conditions, including physical and mental abuse and allowances of only one shower a week. In taking over the prison, one of the voices of the rebellion, Elliot “L.D.” Barkley declared: “We are men! We are not beasts and we do not intend to be driven or beaten as such!” When New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller ordered state police to retake the prison after four days of failed negotiations, 39 people were killed in what the subsequent McKay Commission called “the bloodiest one-day encounter between Americans since the Civil War.” On this anniversary, we’ll reflect on the Attica Prison Rebellion of 1971, its legacy and ties to numerous prison rebellions at the time — including in California — and what it has meant for today’s reform efforts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California faces a shortfall of more than 40,000 full-time equivalent registered nurses, a gap that's expected to last until 2026, according to a new UCSF report. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced experienced nurses to quit the field owing to exhaustion and burnout, and hospitals are struggling to fill positions. We'll talk about the toll the staffing shortage is taking on nurses, patients and hospitals and how to mitigate it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rewarding someone for not abusing drugs might sound counterintuitive, but in fact, its a highly effective form of treatment. Called "contingency management," the treatment focuses on positive reinforcement, and the VA has been using it successfully for the last ten years. A bill on California Governor Gavin Newsom's desk would help fund this program statewide. We'll talk to experts about how and why contingency management works and how it could improve treatment outcomes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First Fridays, a popular monthly art walk and street fair in Oakland, will restart in October -- months after event organizers originally planned to resume after pandemic closures. They said they couldn’t afford a $24,000 per event fee the Oakland police charged for security. Other events have also been delayed or canceled because of prohibitively expensive security fees, which event organizers say seem arbitrary and often surface at the last minute. Oakland’s city council approved a resolution last year to change the public events permitting process, but hasn’t been implemented. We talk about the cost of putting on events in Oakland and what the city could do to address the problem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pandemic might feel endless, but for scientists COVID-19 is still relatively new and research is evolving quickly. We'll talk with an infectious disease specialist about major studies that have come out recently. There are new findings on masks, the effectiveness of vaccines, and how much immunity we get from prior COVID infections. We'll talk about the newest research and treatments and we'll take your questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Skies darkened by smoke. Streets flooded by rain. Temperatures so hot, sea animals boiled in the ocean. Given this year of extreme weather, fire and heat, it is no wonder that “eco-anxiety” or “climate dread” have entered our vernacular. But they are more than catchphrases. Climate-induced anxiety is a real set of emotions that can require attention and treatment and for some, those emotions are a call to action. We’ll talk about climate anxiety and the climate solutions it’s helping to foster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices