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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On Monday, the Berkeley City Manager, Dee Williams-Ridley, announced that she is resigning from her position as the city’s top administrator. -
On Monday, San Francisco State University students, faculty, and administration began an “open negotiations session” with the university to discuss the demands of the San Francisco State Gaza student encampment. -
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. -
Over the weekend, a crowd of stakeholders gathered at UCSF’s Parnassus campus to kick off construction for what the university says will be a 15-story, “state-of-the-art” facility. -
On Monday, students and faculty at San Francisco State University rallied at the campus’s Malcolm X plaza, demanding divestment from Israel’s war on Palestine. -
Today, the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of its new 911 dispatch center. -
On Tuesday morning, more than 50 tents were pitched outside of Sproul Hall at UC Berkeley, with students and organizers there asking that the university meet a number of demands – including divesting from Israel’s war on Palestine. -
Earlier this week, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ask for the state’s help preventing the closure of one of the region's only trauma centers. -
At Tuesday’s SFMTA Board meeting, a group of people living in RVs near San Francisco State University asked that the Board delay new parking restrictions. -
The SFMTA Board Tuesday approved the locations of 33 new speed cameras in San Francisco.
News Updates
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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. -
The Oakland People’s Arms Embargo Coalition met this morning at Oakland airport to demand an end to all military shipments to Israel.
Crosscurrents
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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? -
CrosscurrentsMACRO was created to address some of the toughest problems facing Oakland, from addiction and mental health issues to homelessness. But, building trust takes time. -
CrosscurrentsMACRO was formed in 2022 as an alternative to cops for non-emergency, non-violent 911 calls. But deciding when they should be deployed hasnt been consistent. -
CrosscurrentsMACRO is Oakland’s non-police response team. They’ve been running since mid-2022, but how do they differ from police, firefighters, and paramedics?
