Soaring energy prices are the leading factor behind rising inflation across the United States, where consumer prices are up 3.7 percent over last year. In California, where energy costs have become an issue in the governor’s race, electricity prices are surging to a rate of about double the national average. We’ll look at what’s driving the rise here in California and across the U.S., and hear about how policy solutions could help bring prices under control.

Guests:

• Mike O'Boyle, senior director of policy and strategy, Energy Innovation
• Meredith Fowlie, professor, UC Berkeley, faculty director, Energy Institute at Haas, co-director, Environment and Energy Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research

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Fresh off its Broadway run, “Liberation,” which won this year’s Tony Award for best play and
Pulitzer Prize for drama, opens its West Coast premiere at Berkeley Rep. The play features a
modern-day narrator trying to imagine her mother’s 1970s consciousness-raising group. For
playwright Bess Wohl, her research involved asking a question to her mother: “Do you regret
having me?” Wohl and director, Whitney White, join us to discuss the play and its depiction of
feminism across generational lines.

Guests:

• Bess Wohl, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright of “Liberation”
• Whitney White, Tony Award-nominated director of “Liberation”

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Last week, a man on the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia died when he was ejected from the ride — a death that follows a pattern of apparent safety incidents on Six Flags roller coasters nationwide. A recent CNN investigation into Six Flags Magic Mountain, located just north of Los Angeles in Valencia, exposed serious safety concerns surrounding X2, one of the park’s most popular roller coasters. Over its nearly two-decade run, the ride has been linked to more than a dozen severe hospitalizations and two deaths, including riders who suffered severe brain hemorrhages. Six Flags officials have since closed the coaster — plus 10 others related to the subsequent Goliath incident. We’ll speak with a CNN reporter who broke the X2 story, and look at why apparently dangerous rides weren’t shut down sooner.

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Twelve days from the midterms, election officials and teams of lawyers are preparing for what has become a depressingly familiar American tradition: challenges to voting. The Trump administration has been focused on voter integrity, including filing suits to take purported noncitizens off voter rolls, and attempting to collect sensitive voter data from states. Meanwhile, legal teams are gearing up for challenges to election results. We’ll talk to experts and hear your concerns.

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Southern California is facing a potential economic crisis as film and television productions increasingly migrate to rival states and international cities. More favorable tax incentives, expanding soundstage infrastructure and industry-friendly policies are pulling billions in production away from Hollywood. With New York poised to become the nation’s biggest production hub, local crews and lawmakers are worried about the exodus of talent and dollars. We talk with entertainment journalists about new tax incentives to keep productions in-state, and the long-term future of Hollywood.

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Communities up and down California are bracing for what experts are calling a “Super El Niño” that could bring an unusually wet winter. El Niño is a cyclical climate pattern during which a huge swath of Pacific Ocean waters heat up. The warmer water has long-ranging effects such as higher sea levels and a robust storm season. Some low-lying areas of the state are expecting heavy flooding and some coastal areas are concerned about erosion and mudslides. We’ll talk with experts on what would make this El Niño climate pattern “super” and what you need to know to prepare.

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The Adelanto ICE Processing Center, an immigration detention facility located northeast of Los Angeles, has been riddled with allegations of abuse, unsafe drinking water and detainees being denied medical care. In 2025, a detainee at Adelanto, Ismael Ayala Uribe, died in ICE custody after repeatedly requesting medical attention. What is happening behind the locked doors of ICE detention centers in California? What power does the state have to hold DHS accountable? Join us as we speak with journalists investigating California detention facilities and the creators of the new Al Jazeera documentary, “Dying in Detention.”

Guests:

• Natasha Del Toro, host and correspondent for Fault Lines, Al Jazeera English
• Jeremy Young, senior producer for Fault Lines, Al Jazeera English
• Andrea Castillo, staff writer covering immigration, LA Times

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The long-awaited federal corruption trial of former Oakland mayor Sheng Thao kicked off last week, with prosecutors arguing that Thao put her power up for sale and defense attorneys attacking the credibility of key government witnesses. It’s been nearly two years since a federal grand jury indicted Thao and three codefendants in an alleged “pay to play” scheme. Thao — alongside her former romantic partner Andre Jones, California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and his son, Andy Duong — have pleaded not guilty to charges that include bribery and conspiracy.  We’ll talk about the alleged scheme, how the case is unfolding and what to expect from the six-week trial.

Guests:

• Alex Hall, enterprise and accountability reporter. KQED
• Robert Weisberg, law professor and co-director of Criminal Justice Center, Stanford Law School
• Davina Hurt, government ethics director of The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University; former mayor of Belmont

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This November, Californians will elect their next insurance commissioner. The role is charged with regulating property and casualty insurance rates and with consumer advocacy. California’s insurance market — the fourth-largest in the world —  is increasingly in the spotlight as disasters caused by climate change prompt private insurers to hike policy rates and decrease coverage. We’ll speak with the two candidates on the ballot, Democrats Ben Allen and Jane Kim, about their visions and priorities for the role. And we’ll hear your questions for the candidates.

Guests:

• Danielle Venton, KQED climate and science reporter
• Jane Kim, consumer advocate and attorney; former San Francisco supervisor
• Ben Allen, state senator representing Santa Monica

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San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie joins us to talk about the ballot measures he’s supporting in this year’s election. He’s backing Prop. A, which would reduce the number of city boards and commissions, and Prop. D, which would increase requirements for placing measures on the ballot. San Francisco voters have numerous other propositions and races to decide on such as Prop. B, which asks voters to authorize a public bank. In addition two heavily contested supervisor seats in District 8 and District 10 are also up for grabs. We’ll talk about what’s on San Francisco’s ballot and how wealthy campaign donors are shaping races.

Guests:

• Sydney Johnson, reporter, KQED news
• Joe Eskenazi, managing editor and columnist, Mission Local
• Daniel Lurie, mayor, San Francisco, founder and former CEO of Tipping Point Community, a foundation focused on fighting poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area
• Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, politics reporter, The San Francisco Standard

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Fish farming was supposed to relieve pressure on the world’s oceans. Instead, the burgeoning
industry is contributing to overfishing, environmental destruction and human rights abuses. That’s according to Ian Urbina, director of The Outlaw Ocean Project, whose five-year investigation into the farmed seafood supply chain – from fishing vessels to fishmeal plants to aquaculture farms reveals costs that are largely invisible to consumers. We talk to Urbina about why it’s so difficult to hold the industry to account and how to buy and eat seafood responsibly.

Guests:

• Ian Urbina, director, The Outlaw Ocean Project

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