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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Groups in Richmond are working to spread the word about a helpline for people who are abusing their partners or loved ones. -
On Tuesday, San Francisco opened its newest waterfront attraction near Chase Center. It’s called Bayfront Park, and its designers say it was built to withstand the effects of climate change. -
A group of business and community leaders held a press conference in Oakland’s Chinatown today to speak out against the campaign to recall Mayor Sheng Thao. -
A civil rights complaint filed in California lists more than 200 real estate agents, brokerage firms, and landlords who are being accused of refusing Section 8 vouchers. -
Last night, anti-zionist Jewish protestors gathered outside of the Jewish Community Relations Council in San Francisco to condemn the non-profit’s actions. -
Last week, a group of housing and homelessness advocates staged a rally at a legislative office in Sacramento, urging Governor Newsom to deliver on a promise to build more affordable housing. -
The U.S. general election is less than six weeks away and elected officials across the country, including California Senator Alex Padilla, are taking steps to protect election workers from harassment and intimidation. -
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. -
Kaiser Permanente's last nursing home in California will officially close its doors in mid-November. -
The school year has just begun, but students, faculty and staff in the California State University system say they are already feeling the impact of budget cuts.
News Updates
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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. -
PG&E has announced that about 15,000 of its customers may lose power starting Election Day. -
On Monday, the City of Oakland announced that a program to prevent gun violence is getting a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. -
On Thursday afternoon, a coalition gathered on the steps of San Francisco’s City Hall, to protest the city’s policy on “aggressive” encampment sweeps. -
On Wednesday afternoon, San Francisco Superior Court staff rallied outside of the Hall of Justice to demand that management do more to address the court’s staffing crisis. -
The official data from San Francisco’s 2024 Point-in-Time count came out this week, it shows an increase in homelessness, but officials say the city has made progress on getting people into shelters. -
On Tuesday night, a community of people living in RV’s in San Francisco were forced to move from a parking lot near the Zoo. -
On Monday, dozens of medical interns and resident physicians rallied outside of the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. -
Last week, Governor Newsom issued a statewide order, directing cities to clear homeless encampments. Advocates and stakeholders say this will only make things worse for the state’s unhoused population. -
A new audit has found that about half of food facilities in Berkeley and San Francisco went uninspected in 2023.
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.
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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?
