Wren Farrell
ReporterWren 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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San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder wants the city to adopt a new strategy to deal with its drug overdose crisis. -
A press conference held in San Francisco’s Chinatown Tuesday called attention to the devastating economic impact President Trump's tariffs will have on the local economy. -
Immigrant and labor rights groups joined members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors at City Hall today to reaffirm the city’s commitment to protecting its immigrant population. -
A hearing was held in Oakland earlier today to determine whether or not State Farm General can implement an “emergency rate hike” on customers. -
San Francisco’s five-year financial plan was released on Monday. Local union leaders say the budget can be balanced without major cuts to services. -
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. -
San Mateo County has released an online tool to help local residents assess their tsunami risk. -
Yesterday, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie signed an executive directive that lays out his plan to address homelessness, addiction, and government failure. -
On Monday, a spa in San Francisco seemed to reverse course on alleged discrimination against trans people. -
A Russian bathhouse in San Francisco’s Hunters Point neighborhood has adopted a controversial new policy on their men’s only and women’s only nights.
News Updates
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Last night, the San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted to approve Mayor Lurie’s decision to oust the city’s progressive police commissioner, Max Carter-Oberstone. -
A fire broke out in a seven-story residential building in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood yesterday afternoon. -
The Trump administration is considering using a shuttered prison in Dublin to house immigrants who are waiting to be deported. -
Tonight, the Fremont City Council will vote on whether or not to adopt a new camping ban. -
Hundreds of protestors gathered outside of Senator Alex Padilla’s office in San Francisco yesterday to demand he and other Democrats do more to resist President Trump. -
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More than a hundred people gathered on the steps of San Francisco’s City Hall yesterday afternoon to reaffirm the city’s commitment to its sanctuary status. -
The City of Oakland is preparing its upcoming two-year budget and it’s asking Oakland residents to give input on its spending priorities. -
A group of unhoused and housed organizers and advocates launched ‘sanctuary spaces’ across the West Coast earlier today, calling on local governments to stop sweeping homeless encampments. -
The 2024 offshore Cape Mendocino earthquake hit just off the coast of Humboldt county this morning, triggering tsunami warnings throughout much of Northern California.
Crosscurrents
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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. -
CrosscurrentsIt’s been 34 years since the Loma Prieta earthquake changed the San Francisco Bay Area forever. The Neighborhood Emergency Response Team is part of its legacy. -
CrosscurrentsCommunity Responders: Oakland’s Alternative to the Police, is a series that focuses on one non-police crisis response program. What else is out there?
