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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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. -
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.
News Updates
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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. -
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. -
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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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?
