The Local Podcast

The Local Podcast
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  • Society & Culture

A local Bay Area podcast

Episodes

  1. Sep 14 ·  Video

    The Tug Life | Alex Matsumoto & Brandon Bisk

    Cal Maritime seniors Alex Matsumoto and Brandon Bisk join Sam to explain tugboat work in Hawaii and San Francisco Bay. They discuss maritime training and licenses, pay and work schedules, offshore supply vessels, Bay pilots, food aboard, mental health at sea, local navigation, and rough weather. Chapters: 00:00 Introductions 04:27 Maritime careers and West Coast training 09:08 Cal Maritime majors and licenses 10:40 Pay and license progression 15:37 Four-month schedules and time off 19:00 International rules and English at sea 21:15 Who maritime work suits 23:54 Offshore supply vessels and ROVs 27:34 Tugboats and Bay pilots 33:17 How shipping companies find work 37:14 Fishing and food aboard tugs 52:35 Draft, depth, and ship handling 56:08 Tugboat work in Hawaii 1:01:40 Mental health and time at sea 1:04:29 Life on a long hitch 1:13:35 SF Bay and the Sacramento River 1:15:52 Charts, tides, and Bay navigation 1:20:45 Automation and maritime work 1:24:34 Heavy weather and rough seas

  2. Sep 14 ·  Video

    Laura Kretchmar and Todd Dietrich | The Local Podcast

    Laura Kretchmar, a founding educator at Lighthouse Community Charter School in Oakland, and Todd Dietrich, a union electrician, join Sam to talk about building a school, finding meaning in skilled work, and meeting on a Big Sur camping trip. Todd describes learning he had an acoustic neuroma on the day of their first date, and Laura explains why a Lighthouse graduation became her test for whether a partner understood her work. They also discuss career advice in the AI era, smartphones in middle school, public charter-school governance, unions, school choice, and how Oakland and the wider Bay Area have changed. Chapters: 00:00 Introductions 01:25 Founding Lighthouse in Oakland 05:28 Laura's path into teaching 10:09 How the $35K seed grant helped 15:19 The Big Sur setup 17:17 A brain-tumor diagnosis on their first date 19:16 Todd's union-electrician work 28:19 Learning the trade 30:49 Careers, purpose, and skilled trades 35:38 Career advice in the AI era 47:20 Schools after COVID 53:07 Smartphones and middle school 1:02:14 How public charter schools work 1:09:30 Unions in schools and construction 1:19:07 How Bay Area families choose schools 1:23:47 How Oakland and the Bay Area changed 1:30:04 Closing

  3. Sep 14 ·  Video

    Christopher Reynolds: Landscape Design & Rewilding the Bay Area | The Local Podcast

    Landscape designer Christopher Reynolds talks about growing up in the Bay Area, finding his way from art and woodcraft into landscape design, and working in ecological restoration and rewilding. A conversation about design, place, and building a closer relationship with the natural world.

  4. Sep 14 ·  Video

    PJ Greenbaum on Naval Nuclear Power, Service, and Responsibility | The Local Podcast

    Paul “PJ” Greenbaum is a naval officer and Naval ROTC instructor at UC Berkeley. Speaking only in his personal capacity, he joins Sam to trace his path from Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, through Princeton's Naval ROTC program, time in China and Japan, and service aboard a destroyer and a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. PJ describes the operational discipline behind naval nuclear power, why different warships use different propulsion systems, and how responsibility is delegated aboard a ship. The conversation also covers Admiral Hyman Rickover, commercial nuclear shipping, cost and safety debates around civilian nuclear energy, what is and is not classified, teaching future Navy officers, the rewards and sacrifices of service, finding purpose after a structured career, and PJ's definition of patriotism. PJ states at the start that he is speaking in his personal capacity and not on behalf of the U.S. Navy. Historical, policy, and technical comments reflect the speakers' conversation rather than an official statement. This episode contains occasional strong language. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and personal-capacity note 01:01 From Boiling Springs to Princeton 01:54 Naval Academy camps and choosing service 04:18 Why PJ chose surface warfare 05:38 Power as shipboard customer service 07:33 Rickover and the nuclear Navy 09:20 Destroyers, submarines, and nuclear carriers 12:54 The Great White Fleet and sea power 17:27 Nuclear-powered vessels and commercial shipping 20:18 Careers and costs in civilian nuclear energy 22:38 Discussing Bay Area electricity 24:39 Why nuclear construction is expensive 30:08 Debating nuclear regulation and safety rules 32:58 Nuclear accidents and public trust 38:39 Why naval nuclear operations should be boring 41:36 Reactor safeguards and classified design details 44:40 Leadership, trust, and responsibility at sea 49:55 Purpose, daily conversations, and saying yes 53:40 Teaching future Navy officers at Berkeley 55:39 Choosing military service: benefits and costs 59:20 PJ's definition of patriotism Subscribe to The Local Podcast for more conversations. #TheLocalPodcast #Navy #NavalNuclearPower #NavalROTC #Leadership #NuclearEnergy #MilitaryService #Purpose #Patriotism

  5. Sep 14 ·  Video

    Arnold Gray: 15 Years Driving the 38 Geary | The Local Podcast

    Arnold Gray joins The Local Podcast to talk about 15 years driving San Francisco’s 38 Geary, growing up in the East Bay, rowing at UCSB, and the people he met along the way. A conversation about public service, patience, family, and treating every rider with dignity.

  6. Sep 13 ·  Video

    Ty Simpson-Kane & Garrett Schmidt: A Life Around Surfing | The Local Podcast

    Ty Simpson-Kane and Garrett Schmidt talk surfing, growing up near the water, the pull of bigger waves, and finding their own paths through work and life. From Maui to California, a conversation about the experiences and communities that keep bringing them back to the ocean.

  • 6 Episodes

About

A local Bay Area podcast

Information

  • Creator
    The Local Podcast
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    The Local Podcast