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 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. Now, he edits and reports for KALW's newscast.
All Stories
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The City of Oakland is preparing its upcoming two-year budget and it’s asking Oakland residents to give input on its spending priorities.
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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.
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Last week, phones all over the Bay Area lit up with a tsunami evacuation warning. But, an hour later, the warning was canceled. People were relieved, but had questions about what happened.
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The 2024 offshore Cape Mendocino earthquake hit just off the coast of Humboldt county this morning, triggering tsunami warnings throughout much of Northern California.
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Today, frustrated San Franciscans filed a petition letter with the Department of Elections to recall District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio.
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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.
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The National Weather Service says an atmospheric river is expected to hit parts of the North Coast this week, and has issued a flood watch in several North Bay counties.
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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.
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On January 1, the California Daylighting Law will go into effect. This means cars will no longer be allowed to park within 20 feet of an approaching crosswalk or intersection.
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San Francisco’s mayoral race is still too close to call, but political outsider Daniel Lurie took an early lead last night.
News Updates
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The Trust for Public Land announced on Monday that they’ve been given the option to acquire the East Bay’s former horse racing track, Golden Gate Fields, and turn it into a public park.
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The former San Francisco Human Rights Commission director and a nonprofit executive were charged with multiple felony counts on Monday.
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Tomorrow, the Oakland Public Works and Transportation committee will vote on an ordinance that will crack down on illegal dumping.
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The Richmond City Council voted this week to extend its contract with Flock Safety for its automated license plate reader cameras, or Flock cameras, until the end of the year.
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Yesterday, the California Gig Workers Union, which represents rideshare drivers, filed a formal complaint with state regulators against Waymo.
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Kaiser Permanente mental health workers are holding a one-day Unfair Labor Practice Strike starting tomorrow at 6 a.m.
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San Francisco Supervisor Alan Wong launched a "dumb laws" contest on Wednesday for residents to share city rules and regulations they think are nonsensical.
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Prosecutors announced today that they’re charging the two men who got into a fight with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s security detail last week.
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The California Department of Justice announced yesterday that it will not prosecute the officers that shot and killed two men in San Francisco in 2022.
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Over the weekend, OpenAI announced that they will allow the Department of War to use its technology.
Crosscurrents
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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.
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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.
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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?