Fifth & Mission

The flagship news podcast of the San Francisco Chronicle. Producer/host Cecilia Lei and co-host Laura Wenus discuss the biggest stories of the day with Chronicle journalists and newsmakers from around the Bay Area. | Get full digital access to the Chronicle: sfchronicle.com/pod

News
Politics
376
SFPD Spokesman Is San Francisco's Newest Superv...
Mayor London Breed has tapped Matt Dorsey to represent District Six. He was sworn in Monday. Chronicle reporter Rachel Swan tells host Dominic Fracassa that the appointment signals the mayor doubling down on her new tough-on-crime image.
9 min
377
The Pandemic Wild Card: Long COVID
As coronavirus cases tick up in the Bay Area, most illnesses will be mild. But reporter Nanette Asimov has the story of the region's many long COVID patients, who've struggled with pain, fatigue and other symptoms of a mysterious disease.
15 min
378
Can Supervisor Dean Preston Fix the Tenderloin?
The neighborhood at the center of San Francisco's thorniest debates has a new city supervisor. It's Dean Preston, the staunch progressive, who takes over after a divisive redistricting process. Chronicle reporter J.D. Morris joins host Demian Bulwa to talk about the challenges Preston faces.
15 min
379
Why Selling Your Home for Half Its Value Might ...
Retired preschool teacher Bobbi Loeb decided to sell her Point Reyes home to a land trust for $550,000 — only about half its $1M value.
14 min
380
If Roe vs. Wade is Overturned, Is California Re...
With Roe vs. Wade in jeopardy, here’s how California is seeking to protect abortion access in the state
15 min
381
Why California's Revenge Porn Law Isn't Enough
Prosecution of the state's 2013 law has been uneven. Chronicle reporter Tal Kopan joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about what was revealed during a Chronicle review of the state law, and how an effort to make revenge porn a federal crime could strengthen it.
16 min
382
New York Has a "Better Answer" For Drug Addiction
New York was the first city in the country to open supervised consumption sites for people using drugs. Chronicle columnist Heather Knight and photographer Gabrielle Lurie traveled there to see how the facilities operate.
23 min
383
What Would You Do With an Extra $68 Billion?
That's the question Gov. Gavin Newsom and California legislators have to answer after Senate Democrats announced their estimate that the state’s budget surplus has more than doubled to that amount. Reporters Sophia Bollag and Dustin Gardiner join host Cecilia Lei with details.
14 min
384
Bay Area Cases Up Even as Pandemic Recedes
People all over the Bay Area are getting COVID again at increasing rates, but as Dr. Anthony Fauci says that America is "out of the pandemic phase," far fewer people are getting seriously ill or dying. Reporter Erin Allday talks to host Demian Bulwa about what to make of it all.
19 min
385
"Nurses Need to Be Supported"
Stanford ICU nurse Brittaney West joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about why nurses throughout the Bay Area are staging job actions and preparing to strike if they don't get what they say they need from the hospitals they work for.
12 min
386
San Francisco SROs: A Housing Crisis Hidden fro...
San Francisco has long depended on single room occupancy units, or SROs, to house its most vulnerable populations. A year-long investigation by Chronicle reporters Joaquin Palomino and Trisha Thadani reveals that many of these buildings are unsanitary and unsafe.
31 min
387
A Teacher, a Cotton Prop, and a Lesson on Slavery
When a San Francisco teacher recently handed students cotton plants in a lesson about the hardship of slavery, it ignited immediate controversy at the school. There was an investigation, a debate among parents and an apology.
20 min
388
How an Ugly Incident Led to Police Reform in Ti...
Chronicle reporter Joshua Sharpe joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss how a Black couple leveraged a viral moment when police insisted they prove they owned their own store. Two years later, they've led the effort to implement police reform in the wealthy coastal town.
13 min
389
What Matt Haney's Win Means for San Francisco H...
The San Francisco supervisor defeated David Campos by positioning himself as the pro-housing candidate for the state Assembly seat. Chronicle reporter Dustin Gardiner joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss why Haney's win is a coup for YIMBYs.
15 min
390
No Masks on Planes? Dr. Bob Wachter Weighs In
Bay Area transit agencies are scrambling to figure out their mask requirements now that the federal mandate for travel has been lifted. UCSF's Department of Medicine chair shares how he's thinking about masking, and when he thinks you should wear one.
15 min
391
S.F. Man Wins Freedom After Three Decades
San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin's Innocence Commission has exonerated its first person. Joaquin Ciria has been behind bars for more than 30 years. Chronicle reporter Joshua Sharpe joins host Demian Bulwa to talk about the case and what it means.
14 min
392
Has Mayor Breed's "Tough Love" Approach to the ...
After Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency in the Tenderloin and pledged to bring in more police, critics feared she was criminalizing drug users. Months later, Breed maintains her position.
17 min
393
Understanding San Francisco's Redistricting Mess
The task force tasked with drawing the city's new supervisor districts has missed its deadline, and it's not clear how the process — marked by protests and outbursts at public meetings — will play out.
19 min
394
Is Dianne Feinstein Mentally Fit to Serve?
Five members of Congress — including four Democrats — have told The Chronicle that they're concerned that the 88-year-old's memory is rapidly deteriorating, and that it appears she can no longer represent the state without her staff doing much of the work.
23 min
395
What an Oklahoma Abortion Ban Means for California
Republicans across the country are moving to restrict abortions in their states, including in Oklahoma where a near-total ban on abortion was signed on Tuesday.
19 min
396
California Public Schools Face Enrollment Decli...
Shrinking populations mean school districts are facing long-term financial instability. Chronicle reporter Jill Tucker joins host Cecilia Lei to explain what's causing the enrollment declines and how the state might help.
15 min
397
Why Scientists Want the 'Holy Grail' of COVID-1...
Covid-19 vaccines and boosters have allowed many people to return to their pre-pandemic activities, but they still don't appear to provide long-lasting protection against Covid infections.
13 min
398
Fentanyl Test Kits: Now Available In Local Bars
Bay Area residents are being confronted by fentanyl in places you might not expect. A local organization is making fentanyl test kits available in bar bathrooms, just one element of a larger harm reduction strategy fighting the fentanyl crisis.
14 min
399
What Went Wrong at John Muir Health?
In 2012, John Muir Health formed a multimillion dollar partnership with Stanford to boost its pediatric program and operations. The deaths of the hospital’s pediatric patients, including 2-year-old Ailee Jong, have raised questions about John Muir’s ability to perform complex procedures.
28 min
400
How Will We Respond to Another Mass Shooting?
After an exchange of gunfire on a crowded Sacramento street killed six people and wounded 12 more, Democratic politicians and others are again calling for gun control. Will there be meaningful change?
12 min