KCBS Radio In Depth Audacy

It’s been a tumultuous time for Californians and their electric bills. Since the start of this year alone, PG&E customers have seen one rate hike after another. Now, a fixed fee is being brought into the mix, leaving many wondering: how did we get here and is there any way to make sure California’s energy systems stay up and running, while also keeping the cost to the customer affordable?

We’re going to get one perspective on all this with Loretta Lynch, former president of the California Public Utilities Commission and attorney in San Francisco.

KCBS did reach out to the CPUC and PG&E with an invitation to be a part of this conversation and both entities declined, though PG&E did send information on price increases, which you’ll hear some of during the conversation and at the end of this program.

Project Roomkey, Governor Gavin Newsom’s initiative that turned hotel and motel rooms across the state into temporary shelters for the homeless during the height of the covid pandemic, is the subject of a recent independent evaluation.

The goal of this report is to figure out if Project Roomkey was successful in providing the protection and services it promised. What did it get right, what did it get wrong, and is there a way to take the lessons learned and apply them to today?

We’re going to start our conversation by taking a closer look at the findings of this evaluation with Nichole Fiore, principal associate with the research firm Abt Global and co-author of the report.

Then for another perspective, we turn to Sarah Hunter, Director at the RAND Center on Housing and Homelessness and Senior Behavioral Scientist at the RAND Corporation.

You can check out the Project Roomkey evaluation at Abt Global’s website, just type in Project Roomkey in the search bar.

We are continuing KCBS’s State of San Francisco conversation this week and seeking to answer the question of what will it take to ensure that San Francisco thrives in the years to come? 

Is it workers returning to offices? Does the city need more financial investment? Or should the focus be on building – or, in some cases, rebuilding – the communities and partnerships within the city by the bay?

As with last time, KCBS Political Reporter Doug Sovern is our host and he is joined by a panel of guests who are striving to find the answers: Tanis Crosby, executive director of the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank; Laurie Thomas, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association; Larry Baer, president, CEO and part owner of the San Francisco Giants; Brandon Schneider, president and COO of the Golden State Warriors; and Alex Bastian, president and CEO of the Hotel Council of San Francisco.

It’s a question that’s been pondered ever since we emerged from the covid pandemic: what is the state of San Francisco?

Some say that San Francisco has been spiraling into a ‘doom loop’ ever since the pandemic passed as once thriving businesses and hotspots are now languishing. Others say that San Francisco might be down, but can never be considered out, that there is a future to still be excited for and that those who love the city by the bay will find a way to build back better, stronger. 

So, where do things stand today and what will tomorrow bring for San Francisco? 

As part of KCBS’s deep dive into the status of the world around us, we have the State of San Francisco Conversation, Part One. KCBS Political Reporter Doug Sovern is our host and he is joined by a panel of guests to delve into these questions: Tanis Crosby, executive director of the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank; Laurie Thomas, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association; Larry Baer, president, CEO and part owner of the San Francisco Giants; Brandon Schneider, president and COO of the Golden State Warriors; and Alex Bastian, president and CEO of the Hotel Council of San Francisco.

Last week, KCBS Radio looked at the state of the environment. We touched on how cities are responding to the rising tides and the extreme effects of climate change. We looked at the change in how we get around the Bay Area - EVs, bikes, and more - and how young people are stepping up to take on climate justice.

And we found out that one of the Bay Area’s most beloved places - the San Francisco Zoo - is focused on all the environmental changes that the world is undergoing as well.

We heard the first part of the Conservation Conversation on the last week's In Depth. Now we have the conclusion of that conversation, with KCBS’s Eric Thomas and Nikki Meduro speaking with Eric Kruzmen, vice president of wellness and conservation at the San Francisco Zoo. They are also joined by Shelby Hasbun, manager of environmental services at the zoo.

KCBS Radio has been taking a closer look at the state of the environment in the Bay Area - from extreme weather and rising sea levels to what people are doing to try and make the world around us better.

But how is the San Francisco Zoo faring with all these environmental changes? What are their conservation efforts looking like these days? And is the San Francisco Zoo ready for when pandas from China arrive?

To answer these questions, KCBS’s Eric Thomas and Nikki Meduro took their mics to the San Francisco Zoo and spoke with Eric Kruzmen, vice president of wellness and conservation at the zoo.

This is part one of a Conservation Conversation.