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
776
Elections Update: Mayors Breed and Schaaf, Barb...
San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf are among the political luminaries phone banking from "victory booths" at Manny's in San Francisco on Election Day. Heather Knight also talks to Rep. Barbara Lee about what a Biden-Harris victory would mean to her.
5 min
777
Elections Update: Gov. Newsom on Unrest, Replac...
Heather Knight spent the morning at Manny's in San Francisco, which hosted a phone-banking event that many of top local and state elected officials attended. In this update, Gov. Gavin Newsom talks about his concerns on Election Day, as well as his thoughts about replacing Sen. Kamala Harris if she's elected vice president.
5 min
778
What to Expect on Election Day
More San Franciscans will vote in this election cycle than ever before. John Arntz, director of the San Francisco Department of Elections, explains how counting will work and when to expect results.
22 min
779
In Oakland, Police Reforms Collide With a Homic...
The organized effort to slash the police budget in Oakland has collided with a homicide spike. At the center of the tension are Black and Latino residents who want to be safe from both police brutality and crime in their neighborhoods.
17 min
780
The Usual Suspect
Matthias Gafni talks about Michael Alexander, who falsely confessed to a murder even though another man's blood was all over the scene. Alexander was freed from prison years later after the other man was arrested, but prosecutors say the two men acted together.
23 min
781
Live! What Women Want in 2020
Heather Knight and Tal Kopan interview Rep. Katie Porter, Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks and Emerge president A'shanti Gholar about major issues facing women during this election.
59 min
782
Has the Alameda County D.A. Had a Change of Heart?
Nancy O'Malley charged a cop for a shooting in San Leandro — a first in her tenure — then reopened the Oscar Grant case. Has Black Lives Matter had an influence on her? Megan Cassidy reports.
17 min
783
Is the Coronavirus Surge Coming to the Bay Area?
COVID-19 is spiking elsewhere. What's the Bay Area doing to sidestep the trend? Catherine Ho and Aidin Vaziri talk about local numbers, the danger of vaccine distrust and what you should know before making holiday plans.
20 min
784
Chronicled: Who Is Kamala Harris? Episode 1
The Chronicle's new six-part miniseries about the life and career of the Democratic nominee for vice president, hosted by Joe Garofoli and Tal Kopan, begins with Harris' historic upset win in the San Francisco D.A. race.
17 min
785
Get Out the Vote: The Final Days
San Francisco resident Lala Wu co-founded Sister District, a national organization to influence the outcomes in state legislature races around the country. She tells Heather Knight why she’s optimistic as Election Day approaches.
24 min
786
Extra Spicy | A Fine Dining Legacy, Burned Down
A California wildfire burned down the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood. Here’s what some former employees have to say about its highly-disciplined — and allegedly toxic — work environment
37 min
787
Should Black Californians Get Reparations?
Under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newson, the state is launching a task force to study how it might approach reparations.
21 min
788
When Will San Francisco Public Schools Reopen?
Susan Solomon, president of the San Francisco teachers' union, discusses why the San Francisco's schools are lagging behind some other Bay Area districts.
21 min
789
Live: Race and Election 2020
East Bay Columnist Otis R. Taylor Jr. leads a discussion about what this election means for race in America. Joining him on the live Zoom event are Sarah Treuhaft, Dr. Jason Williams and Debra Gore-Mann.
58 min
790
The Great San Francisco Lemur Heist
Maki, a 21-year-old ring-tailed lemur, was stolen from The San Francisco Zoo. It's the third high-profile theft from the zoo in recent years.
16 min
791
San Francisco as the Seat of the Resistance
Lots of city residents are volunteering to sway swing state voters with calls, texts and letters. Eighteen drag queens joined the fight at Manny's outdoor victory booths and explained why so much hinges on the Nov. 3 election.
21 min
792
A Battle Over Lowell High School
A proposal to change how students are admitted to one of the nation's top public schools has ignited an emotional debate that spilled into a San Francisco school board meeting late Tuesday. Jill Tucker reports.
18 min
793
Why Hasn’t COVID-19 Spiked in the Bay Area?
Coronavirus is surging in several states as people loosen their behavior and President Trump downplays the risk. So why hasn't the Bay Area seen the same trend? Health reporter Erin Allday explains why the region is an "outlier," and what must be done to keep it that way.
18 min
794
A Walk Through the Tenderloin With a Veteran of...
Thomas Wolf, who was homeless and addicted to heroin in the Tenderloin, now takes anybody who's interested on walking tours of the neighborhood. He thinks City Hall needs to overhaul its approach to the drug crisis, and new numbers showing 468 people died of overdoses in the first eight months of this year show he's right.
13 min
795
How to Rev Up San Francisco's Weak Economy
In many ways, things are as bad as they've been since the Great Depression. City leaders have some creative ideas, ranging from universal basic income for artists to making outdoor dining permanent.
10 min
796
It's All Political: “Mr. Vice President, I’m sp...
On the Chronicle's politics podcast, host Joe Garofoli is joined by Heather Knight, John Diaz and John Wildermuth to break down the historic Harris-Pence vice presidential debate, where a fly became a social media star.
20 min
797
Separating Fact From Trump’s COVID-19 Fiction
Doctors, like many of us, have been shocked by President Trump’s statements since testing positive for the coronavirus last week. Chronicle reporter Aidin Vaziri recounts what the UCSF medical team had to say about it in its grand rounds. Hint: They’re not happy.
20 min
798
Live: San Francisco and California Ballot Guide
Heather Knight is joined by Joe Garofoli, host of the It's All Political podcast, and reporters Trisha Thadani and Dustin Gardiner for a live Chronicle event, "Road to Election 2020." Recorded Oct. 1.
52 min
799
Trump's Wild Weekend With COVID-19
The president's hospitalization has intensified outrage over his longtime downplaying of the coronavirus pandemic, called into question his ability to carry out his duties and introduced more chaos into the election.
24 min
800
Fire is a Climate Crisis: What's the Solution?
If California's going to confront the wildfires that are again ravaging the state, it has to think big. There's no silver bullet, says reporter J.D. Morris, but rather an array of needed changes. The biggest is fighting climate change
16 min