Wren Farrell
Newscasts EditorWren Farrell (he/him) is a writer, producer and journalist living in San Francisco. Originally from San Diego, he moved to the Bay Area in 2018, where he got his start in radio at KPFA. He graduated from KALW’s Audio Academy in 2021 and then went on to work for a number of podcasts as an associate producer. In 2023 he joined the inaugural class of UC Berkeley’s California Local News Fellowship, which brought him back to KALW as a full-time emergency and disaster preparedness reporter. In his free time he likes biking, cooking and hanging out.
All Stories
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Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees across California and Hawaii began a five-day strike at 7:00 this morning. -
The MacArthur Foundation announced the recipients of its coveted ‘genius grants’ on Wednesday. Three of them live in the Bay Area. -
New data from San Francisco shows that speeding has decreased by more than 70 percent at the city’s speed camera locations. -
Alameda County officials are holding off on implementing a new policy discouraging investment in companies that profit off of environmental and human rights violations. -
Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers are expected to go on strike next week. -
And in more government shutdown news, the National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP, has officially lapsed. -
Officials gathered in the Bayview on Tuesday morning to celebrate renovations to a new wastewater treatment plant. -
Santa Clara County released its 2025 point-in-time count report yesterday. KALW’s Wren Farrell has more. -
Today, San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department announced that its long-time manager, Phil Ginsburg, will be leaving his role at the end of the year. -
With increasing threats to federal funding, state lawmakers have introduced a new bill to fund scientific research in California.
News Updates
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The Oakland People’s Arms Embargo Coalition met this morning at Oakland airport to demand an end to all military shipments to Israel. -
Supervisor Joel Engardio has been recalled. -
The special recall election for District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio is happening today. -
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is likely to finalize an almost three-million dollar settlement of a lawsuit with the Coalition on Homelessness in regards to its "bag & tag" policy. -
A new report from Food and Water Watch found that the drinking water for almost 60 million Americans is at risk for contamination. -
Starting tomorrow, Waymos, Uber Black, and Lyft Black cars will be allowed to pick up and drop people off on certain parts of Market Street. -
The registration period for California’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt seismic retrofit program opened yesterday. -
New data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows that most of the United States’ water supply is contaminated with “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. -
The San Francisco Bay could soon become home to the United States’ first fleet of electric ferries. -
The State Department announced on Saturday that it is temporarily halting visitor visas for people from Gaza, including children seeking medical care.
Crosscurrents
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CrosscurrentsPart six of our series on sea level rise looks at a dune restabilization project at Ocean Beach, and a wastewater treatment plant that is being threatened by coastal erosion and rising tides. -
CrosscurrentsToday is Transgender Day of Visibility. It’s a day to celebrate the lives and accomplishments of trans people, while also acknowledging the discrimination and challenges many still face.March was a particularly tense time for trans folks in San Francisco. Two local bathhouses — Imperial Spa in the Fillmore district, and Archimedes Banya in Hunters Point — were accused of enforcing anti-trans policies.After facing backlash online and potential protests, Imperial Spa quickly reversed their policy. But at Banya, it was a little more complicated. -
CrosscurrentsFor months organizers in California have been working to spread the word about a helpline for perpetrators of domestic and intimate partner violence. You heard that right. A helpline for perpetrators, not victims.It’s an unusual approach to a serious problem: Rates of domestic violence in the U.S. are high, and they got even worse during the pandemic.The helpline – A Call for Change – promises anonymity to its callers. Their goal is to provide a non-carceral approach to preventing domestic and intimate partner violence. -
CrosscurrentsIn part two of this series, we'll learn about the larger network of service providers that the Mobile Support Team works with. And what happens to their clients after a crisis. -
CrosscurrentsLast year, Sonoma County got state funding to make their Mobile Support Team available 24/7. In part one of this series, we look at the complexities of crisis intervention. -
CrosscurrentsToday, an update on Oakland’s community response program for non-violent, non-emergency 911 calls. How and when you can call them, and what they’re doing for Oaklanders. -
CrosscurrentsEvery other year, communities across the country count the number of unhoused folks in their area. It's a way to get federal funding. But is the model working? -
CrosscurrentsStudent reporters have been at the center of pro-Palestine encampments across the world. But what's it like being a student reporter today? -
CrosscurrentsSubstance abuse experts say there’s a strong connection between the stress of the pandemic and increased drug and alcohol use nationwide. In this story, we take a closer look at one of the personal stories behind the statistics. -
CrosscurrentsLast week the California Academy of Science’s resident corpse flower bloomed. It’s an event that usually makes the news. But despite all the attention they attract, wild corpse flowers are endangered, which is why the Academy is joining a national effort to preserve their DNA.
