We are drawing ever closer to November and to when America will decide who will be the next president. According to most polls - at least so far - Vice President Kamala Harris holds a narrow lead over former President Donald Trump. But here in California, especially among Latino voters, support seems to be tipping a bit more blue. A recent statewide survey has found that Harris has a strong lead over Trump among California’s Latino communities - 60% choosing Harris, 28% with Trump. But this poll looked at so much more when it comes to what Latino voters are concerned about this election season.  To help us delve deeper into all this, KCBS Radio's Mary Hughes is joined by Christian Arana, vice president of civic power and policy at the Latino Community Foundation, which conducted the poll. The LCF is the nation’s largest Latino surveying organization, working to invest in Latino-led organizations and to increase political participation of Latinos in California.

Research shows that climate change isn’t just something that’s negatively affecting the planet, it’s having a deep impact on our mental health as well.

Every new wildfire, every flash flood, every heatwave brings on another level of eco-anxiety in many people. A survey conducted by UNDP, Oxford University and GeoPoll, found that 56% of respondents think at least once a week about the problems caused by the climate situation and these feelings can be even stronger in younger people.

Of course, it can feel overwhelming to see all that our environment is going through and wonder what can be done - or to have experienced an extreme weather event first-hand, to carry trauma from that and not know how to heal from it. It’s a big conversation and so we’re turning to Jennifer Silverstein, a licensed clinical social worker in Sonoma County, who is working to build resilient communities, especially for the youngest and most vulnerable members, that can face unfolding ecological crises.

One thing you learn as a Californian is that fire season - at least for the last 10 years or so - can be during almost any season. We’ve seen fires grow hotter, bigger - and spread even faster, with seemingly more frequency, too. However, evolving right along with these blazes is CalFire.

KCBS has looked at wildfires from many angles and now we are turning to the agency that takes them on - by land, by air, and everywhere in between, and are joined by Joe Tyler, director and fire chief at CalFire.

 

KCBS Radio made a return to the city of its birth recently, with the opening of the South Bay Bureau within the Pacific Hotel Museum at History Park in San Jose.

There are deep roots in San Jose when it comes to radio broadcasting, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the myriad of histories, stories, and communities that many in the city are working to preserve - and carry far into the future.

Now, if you want to delve into the past of San Jose, there’s no better place to start that journey then at History San Jose and there’s no better guide than Bill Schroh, president and CEO of History San Jose.

We'll also get some insights from Cate Mills, curator of the research library and archives at History San Jose.

And, of course, a big part of understanding and appreciating the history of a place is being able to connect with those that came before and to take what is learned to help the here and now. That’s a big part of what Lisa Buchannan, president of San Jose’s Women’s Club, is working towards.

Back in 2017, three black trans women founded the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District in San Francisco - now more commonly known as The Transgender District. Its original name pulls upon the history of the first documented uprising of transgender and queer people in the country, the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots of 1966.

Of course, the history of trans people in the Bay Area - in particular in San Francisco - runs deep, so much so that in 2021, advocates within the Transgender District got the month of August to be recognized as Transgender History Month in the city and county of San Francisco. Then California took that a step further last year, when the state assembly voted in favor of making Transgender History Month a statewide designation.

The first full state recognized Transgender History Month is the August we are in right now.

The legacy of trans people is what Andrea Horne is focused on and she’s this week’s guest on In Depth. Horne is a former actress, model, jazz singer - and she’s been a fixture in the trans community of San Francisco for over 40 years, working to support the black and brown transgender women in the Tenderloin.

Horne is also a keeper of stories, of the histories of trans women of color that might otherwise be lost. Now, she’s turning her research into a book titled, "How Black Trans Women Changed the World." 

 

The news hit on the first day of August of the largest prisoner swap between the United States and Russia since the Cold War. It was a deal involving 24 people -  including journalists, political dissidents, suspected spies, among others - and after months of negotiations with other European countries who released Russians in their custody as part of the exchange.

KCBS In Depth host Mary Hughes is joined this week by KCBS Radio’s Mike DeWald and they are going to delve deeper into what may have been going on behind the scenes to make this prisoner swap happen, what this means for U.S. and Russia relations going forward, and if another trade of this magnitude could happen again.

To help with all this, we’re speaking with Larry Pfeiffer, former senior director of the White House Situation Room, former chief of staff to Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Michael Hayden and now, director of the Michael Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security.

 

When we think about how the climate crisis is affecting California, we look at the wildfires, we look at the heatwaves, but climate change is being felt in our streams, creeks, and rivers as well.

California’s freshwater ecosystems are one of the beating hearts of the state, keeping everything from flora to fauna in good stead. A recent report shines a light on the dangers that these ecosystems are facing and what needs to be done to save them.

To help us dig into this topic, we're joined by Dr. Ted Sommer - research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, retired lead scientist for the California Department of Water Resources, and lead author of the report.

With President Biden stepping away from the presidential race and Vice President Kamala Harris now being the Democrats' choice - which has given the democratic party a much needed shot of energy - what does this mean for former President Trump’s campaign going forward?

And are both parties struggling to appeal to one of the biggest voting demographics in California, as well as in the country?

We’re covering a lot of ground on this In Depth and to help with this we're joined by Mike Madrid - Republican political consultant, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, and author of The Latino Century: How America’s Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy.

 

The decision by President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race was a historic one, which will have sweeping implications for the country and the world.

For in depth analysis, KCBS Radio anchor Bryan Goebel was joined by Dr. David McCuan, the chair of the Political Science department at Sonoma State University; Dr. McCuan specializes in American politics and International Relations.

‘Everyone Watches Women’s Sports’

Those are the words on a shirt that you might have seen celebrities wearing when courtside at a WNBA game or while cheering during a goal made at a NWSL match. And it does seem to be true, that everyone has their eyes on women’s sports. The hope, of course, is that this will help to grow the leagues, the interest, the investment, so that the future of women’s sports will never be in doubt.

And there are people right here in the Bay Area that are taking that declaration to heart - The Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative has been doing the good work of supporting young women in the sports world for years, by engaging with the community, with the coaches and the teachers, and by encouraging girls to take up space on the field or the court. BAWSI is supported in part by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the nation's largest community foundation. SVCF donated $3.1 billion dollars to local nonprofits in 2023, and has supported BAWSI for over 15 years.

To talk more on what is affectionately called BAWSI, I’m joined by Dana Weintraub, Co-CEO of the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative, and Brisa Rojas, a BAWSI alum and board member.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has released the 2023 Hate Crimes in California report. The report highlights a whole range of data, looking at hate crimes and hate-related events as reported to law enforcement - and at what communities are being most affected. 

And the findings aren’t too good for those in the LGBTQ+ community. While overall hate crimes saw a slight decline from 2022 to 2023 hate incidents, such as slurs being used, handing out hate material in public places continue to rise, up 86% from 2022.

So, what does this mean for the LGBTQ+ community in California? Are things getting worse and why?

To take a closer look at all this, we're joined by Dr. Ilan Meyer, Distinguished Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. The institute conducts independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy, ensuring that facts—not stereotypes—inform laws, policies, and judicial decisions that affect the LGBTQ+ community.