When the pandemic closed offices and quieted cities, hundreds of office workers ditched the Bay Area for greener pastures: Hawaii.

Chronic absenteeism — missing at least 10% of school days — was a problem before the pandemic uprooted families and imposed mandatory quarantines. Now, San Francisco is facing an absenteeism crisis, and working to get the most at-risk kids back in class.

When a San Francisco family’s credit score kept them from getting into an affordable housing unit, the city stepped in with financial coaching. It worked — the family was housed. Now any San Franciscan can access the service for free.

The Oakland mayor’s race is heating up. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and San Francisco Mayor London Breed have both thrown their support behind Council Member Loren Taylor. But those endorsements could be a double-edged sword. Chronicle East Bay Reporter Sarah Ravani and Senior Political Writer Joe Garofoli join host Cecilia Lei to discuss the outlook for the race, the controversy it has created and who is Taylor’s greatest challenger.

On "60 Minutes" Sunday, the president declared the end of the pandemic. Many public health experts disagreed with Biden's comment while others aligned with the sentiment. Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss how the Bay Area is doing with COVID-19 and the implications of Biden's statement.

With property ownership and management so corporatized, it's sometimes hard for tenants to know who their landlord is. Editor Dan Kopf and reporters Susie Neilson and Lauren Hepler talk to Cecilia Lei about their project to make that information accessible.

A lawsuit on behalf of a pair of former S.F. students is raising questions about the public district's response to sexual abuse claims.

The COVID pandemic caused a roller skating boom. Now, skaters in West Oakland are fighting for a rink of their own. Producer Caron Creighton reports on the efforts of the skating group Panther Skate, the history of Black roller skating and why the sport is deeply personal for the community.

Sports superstars who became leaders away from the field roamed the West Oakland campus at the same time in the '50s. Reporter Ron Kroichick joins Demian Bulwa to talk about how the school and the community nurtured future icons Bill Russell, Frank Robinson and Curt Flood.

Environmental activist Woody Hastings joins Cecilia Lei to explain the Sonoma County effort to ban new gas station construction as California moves toward a future where all cars will be zero-emission. It's a movement that's spreading across the state and beyond.

Oakland has handed land back to Indigenous control and Hayward is exploring reparations for Russell City, a city that was erased nearly 60 years ago. Chronicle reporter Sarah Ravani and columnist Justin Phillips join host Cecilia Lei to discuss the latest local efforts and the challenges ahead.

The latest round of shots is a milestone in how quickly science is able to respond to ever-evolving COVID-19. But with pandemic and vaccination fatigue setting in, does such a breakthrough even matter?

Chronicle urban design critic John King and Total SF co-host Peter Hartlaub join host Cecilia Lei to discuss BART's 50th anniversary. Plus: Newsroom developer Emma Stiefel talks about a game that lets YOU design the future of the system.

Chronicle housing reporter Lauren Hepler joins host Cecilia Lei to explain how shelters are making a policy comeback in cities all over the state — and creating new debates over the merits of "right to shelter" proposals.

As record-breaking temperatures roar past 110 degrees in some Bay Area cities, Chronicle meteorologist Gerry Diaz joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what's causing it, the future of heat waves — and how you can beat the heat.

In honor of Labor Day, five Chronicle photojournalists embedded with working moms for 24 hours. Brontë Wittpenn, Gabrielle Lurie and Lea Suzuki join Lily Janiak to talk about what they documented and what it meant to them as the women spent sometimes hectic days working their jobs — including the ones at home that don't come with a paycheck.

Capitol reporters Sophia Bollag and Dustin Gardiner, fresh off a late night reporting on the final session of the year in the California Legislature, talk to It's All Political on Fifth & Mission host Joe Garofoli about the passage of groundbreaking bills on homelessness and climate change, and what they'll mean for the governor's national profile.

Scientists are learning that the behemoths are better at communicating, and might be more adaptable to climate change, than previously understood. Reporters Tara Duggan and Yoohyun Jung talk to host Dominic Fracassa about what's happening below the surface.

A legal fight is coming to a head at the sprawling homeless encampment. Reporter Sarah Ravani and Fifth & Mission producer Caron Creighton join host Demian Bulwa to talk about how the residents feel about what's happening, and what comes next.

Fish are going belly up around San Francisco Bay, including in Lake Merritt in Oakland, thanks to a vast algae bloom. What's behind the bloom? Is it related to climate change or the drought? Host Demian Bulwa is joined by Dave Senn of the San Francisco Estuary Institute and Keith Bouma-Gregson of the U.S. Geological Survey.

An estimated 16 million adults in the United States suffer from long COVID symptoms, with no cure or treatment in sight. Chronicle reporter Nanette Asimov joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the alternative treatments that some sufferers are turning to. Plus: Chronicle reporter Yoohyun Jung shares her debilitating long COVID experience.

San Franciscans are increasingly using tracking devices to locate their stolen bikes, computers and cars. But what happens when police can't assist? Chronicle reporter Megan Cassidy joins host Demian Bulwa to discuss how this technology often clashes with the realities of big-city policing.

The Breed administration offered them homes. Then it spent millions to kick them out.

Critics say Gov. Gavin Newsom’s national political ambitions moved him to veto legislation that would have allowed San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles to open supervised injection sites as a way to curb California’s overdose crisis. But as City Hall reporter Mallory Moench and host Joe Garofoli explain, the politics are more complicated than that.

Suburban and rural school boards are among the few places Republicans can win elections and change policies in this deep-blue state. Reporter Ryan Kost talks to host Demian Bulwa about their efforts to push issues that energize conservative voters.