City Visions

February 9, 2015: Did you know that every two minutes, a severe reaction to a food allergy sends someone in the US to the ER? City Visions host David Onek speaks with Stanford immunologist Dr. Kari Nadeau about her groundbreaking treatments for life-threatening food allergies and how close we are to finding a cure.

Guests:

Dr. Kari Nadeau,  Director of the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy Research at Stanford University. 

As BART's ridership grows, passenger satisfaction continues to slip. That's according to BART's new survey of 5,600 riders, who in record numbers reported dissatisfaction with packed, hot, dirty trains and badly maintained stations. But BART's newest board member, Nick Josefowitz, says he has plans to change all that, and we'll hear from him about how he hopes to improve BART's infrastructure, rider experience and management practices.

Guest:

No strangers to natural disasters, San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland have long been pioneering ways to rebound from earthquakes, floods, droughts and fires. But what does it mean to call ourselves “resilient,” and should we be doing more?  Host David Onek and guests take a look at the innovative ways the Bay Area is adapting not just to survive, but to prosper, in the wake of a natural disaster -- and how preparedness goes beyond a simple earthquake kit.

Guests:

To what extent is climate change causing or worsening California's drought, and how is the drought similar to other extreme weather events like superstorm Sandy? Columbia University climatologist Adam Sobel joins us to talk about the current drought, its causes, and how we can manage the increasing risk of future natural disasters.

Guest:

Adam H. Sobel, Professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University. He is also the author of Storm Surge: Hurricane Sandy, Our Changing Climate, and Extreme Weather of the Past and Future.

This fall, San Francisco’s newest university, Minerva, enrolled its founding class of students -- but the Nob Hill school has no libraries, sports facilities, or even classrooms. Tuition is far lower than that of traditional universities, and students will move to a different international location each year. Is this the future of higher education?

Guest:

Host Joseph Pace examines food insecurity in San Francisco and EatSF, a new fresh fruit and vegetable voucher program for "food insecure" residents of the Tenderloin.  

Nearly one quarter of San Francisco's residents don't have reliable access to fresh, nutritious food, despite the city's commitment to social services.  The Department of Public Health and UCSF  have teamed up to create EatSF to tackle this problem.  If EatSF works, it will expand to other neighborhoods.

Last election’s voter turnout hit a record low in California, and national turnout was the lowest it’s been since 1942. What’s keeping people away from the polls -- even in the politically active Bay Area -- and to what extent does voter disengagement threaten our democracy

Guests:

- Supervisor Katy Tang, representing San Francisco’s District 4

- Jason McDaniel, Assistant Professor of political science, San Francisco State University

- Melissa Breach, Executive Director, League of Women Voters California 

Resources:

Contingent, adjunct or part-time professors make up the majority of faculty nationwide, yet many labor under difficult if not harsh conditions -- including low pay, lack of resources and minimal job security. As the slogan goes, teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions. What is this emergent labor movement working to make visible, transform and achieve?

Producer: Zara Zimbardo

  Guests:

- Maria Maisto, president, New Faculty Majority

Bay Area voters head to the polls tomorrow to consider measures addressing water shortages, housing costs, sugary beverage consumption, clogged streets, and artificial turf battles in Golden Gate Park. And they'll decide on San Francisco's next assemblymember and Oakland's next mayor. Host Joseph Pace takes up these issues and more with USF politics professor Corey Cook.

Guest:  Corey Cook, Associate Professor of politics, University of San Francisco

Producer:  Wendy Holcombe

City Visions host Joseph Pace and guests discuss San Francisco's politically charged Proposition E, which would levy a two cent per ounce tax on sugar sweetened beverages to fund citywide health and recreation programs. Proponents of Proposition E argue that the tax, which would be the first of its kind in the nation, is necessary to combat obesity and Type II diabetes in children, reduce medical costs and save lives. Opponents say the tax would unfairly burden local merchants, drive up grocery prices, cost jobs and fail to bring about the promised health benefits. How will you vote?

Host David Onek and guests dive into one of this election's most contentious ballot measures:  Proposition G.  Known as an "anti-speculation" tax, Prop G has ardent support and robust opposition, reflecting ongoing tension about the high cost of housing in San Francisco.

Would Prop G make San Francisco housing more affordable?

Is it an effective deterrent to real estate speculation, or is it just a major new tax on property owners?

Guests: 

City Visions host Joseph Pace talks to the curators of "Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California," a new exhibit of the Oakland Museum of California and SFMOMA.  The exhibit highlights four creative communities in the Bay Area that influenced the art world.  By weaving together the museums' holdings of California art and ephemera, "Fertile Ground" tells the stories of the artists and institutions that generated unique artistic innovation. 

The four key moments and communities featured are:

How have Bay Area scientists and innovators influenced the study of astronomy, and how can Bay Area residents learn more about the mysteries of our extraterrestrial universe? City Visions host David Onek speaks with local award-winning astronomy educator Andrew Fraknoi about everything from where to view October's solar eclipse to the ongoing hunt for extraterrestrial life.

City Visions host Joseph Pace speaks with Bevan Dufty, Director of Housing Opportunities, Partnerships and Engagement, about what his office is doing to enhance homeless services -- and the complex challenges that persist in helping people to leave the streets.

Links:

San Francisco’s Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness: Anniversary Report 2004 to 2014

Host David Onek speaks with the director of the San Francisco Zoo and its head of Animal Wellness and Behavior.

How has the Zoo's mission changed over the years?  How does it manage concerns over animal welfare?  And why is the Western Pond Turtle a focus of its conservation efforts?

Producer:  Wendy Holcombe

Guests:  

From Fisherman's Wharf to India Basin, what's next for San Francisco's waterfront? Host Joseph Pace and guests discuss the Port of San Francisco's newly released waterfront use plan. How does the plan address voter-imposed height limits? And how will future development contend with rising sea levels and other climate impacts?

Guests:

-Byron Rhett, deputy director of planning and development, Port of San Francisco

August 18, 2014:  City Visions' guest host Victoria Thorp talks with leaders who are drawing on tech knowledge to solve key problems in San Francisco and across the country:

Catherine Bracy from Code for America

Clara Brenner from Tumml

Rose Broome from Hand Up

Jake Solomon from Code for America

Produced by Victoria Thorp

City Visions for July 21, 2014: According to researchers, there are 100 trillion microorganisms living in the human body. But where does this 'human microbiome' come from? What do these microorganisms do for us and how are they related to chronic disease? And how can we keep our microbiome healthy?

City Visions host David Onek explores these questions and more with Bay Area leading researchers Katie Pollard of the Gladstone Institutes, Susan Lynch of UCSF, and Peter diLaura of Second Genome.

Produced by: Victoria Thorp

Are electric vehicles poised for a renaissance? As Tesla talks of gigafactories, San Francisco develops new public charging stations and the state moves forward with its zero emission vehicle plan, is it time for consumers to go electric? Host David Onek and guests discuss the benefits and challenges associated with EVs.

Producer: Susie Britton

Guests:

-Marc Geller, writer, advocate and co-founder of Plug-In America, a non-profit group that promotes the use of electric vehicles. He appeared in the 2006 film "Who Killed the Electric Car."

What does the future hold for California High Speed Rail? Host David Onek and guests review the latest legal, political and financial developments in the state's quest for a bullet train linking San Francisco and LA. We hear from the High Speed Rail Authority, the High Speed Rail Peer Review Group and citizen advocates.