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
1051
IPO to IP-Uh-Oh
Breathless (non-Chronicle) headlines warned that San Francisco would be drowning in IPO millionaires in 2019. But the housing market has turned soft. Columnist Kathleen Pender and business editor Owen Thomas talk about what to expect in 2020.
18 min
1052
Best of Fifth & Mission: How to Drink Wine
Chronicle wine critic Esther Mobley shares her secrets and brings her spit bucket for a tasting session with Audrey Cooper. Plus: How California vintners are adjusting to climate change, which threatens Cabernet Sauvignon, the state’s most important grape. First published Aug. 23, 2019.
28 min
1053
How to Stop Homelessness
Since 1982, The Chronicle and the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund have found a novel way to keep people from becoming homeless: The Season of Sharing Fund. Audrey Cooper and Kevin Fagan chat with new SOS executive director Zev Lowe.
23 min
1054
Crab Season Blues
Why won't Dungeness crab be in grocery stores by Thanksgiving? Assistant food editor Tara Duggan explains the latest delays, which are linked to the health of whales.
13 min
1055
Minor Crimes, Major Time
Reporters Jill Tucker and Joaquin Palomino, as part of their Vanishing Violence investigation, have found that California officials' claims that juvenile halls now mostly hold serious offenders is not true.
18 min
1056
San Francisco's Deadly Streets
A spike in traffic violence has claimed 27 lives so far this year. Metro editor Demian Bulwa and columnist Heather Knight talk about why San Francisco's Vision Zero plan, to eliminate traffic deaths in the city, is off track.
13 min
1057
Live: How We Cover Disasters, Part 2
Reporters J.D. Morris, who covers PG&E, and Kurtis Alexander, who covers California climate and environmental issues, talk with metro editor Demian Bulwa about how they work their beats as the state is hammered by wildfires and massive blackouts.
24 min
1058
Live: How We Cover Disasters, Part 1
Reporter Lizzie Johnson and photographer Carlos Avila Gonzalez talk with editor in chief Audrey Cooper and a live audience at the Chronicle Center in San Francisco about covering wildfires — how they protect themselves, what risks they’re willing to take, what they have to know. First of two parts.
30 min
1059
London Breed’s Brother Seeks Freedom
After a woman died on the Golden Gate Bridge in 2000, Napoleon Brown got 44 years in prison. He’s seeking a shorter sentence in light of a new law. His sister, the mayor of San Francisco, has advocated on his behalf in the past. Reporter Dominic Fracassa on the latest twists in the case.
18 min
1060
Orinda Shooting Aftermath
Police have still made no arrests after the mass shooting at a Halloween "Mansion Party" at an Orinda Airbnb. Reporter Evan Sernoffsky talks about the victims, the possible motives and the new scrutiny on Airbnb.
14 min
1061
Starting Over in Paradise
How do you recover from the worst fire in California history? A year after the Camp Fire killed 85 people and leveled a whole town, just 14 homes have been rebuilt. But there's hope, say reporter Lizzie Johnson and photographer Gabrielle Lurie, who have been spending time in the disaster area.
18 min
1062
A Silver Bullet for Meth?
No. There’s no such thing. Reporters Kevin Fagan and Dominic Fracassa talk about how meth’s powerful grip on San Francisco is killing people and contributing to the city’s biggest problems, and about the latest idea to deal with it: a sobering center for addicts.
17 min
1063
Election Day Preview
Editorial Page Editor John Diaz and City Hall reporter Dominic Fracassa join Audrey Cooper to talk about today’s election in San Francisco, including two races that have received national attention: the four-way battle for district attorney and Prop C, which would regulate e-cigarettes.
28 min
1064
The Fisherman’s Secret
What would you do if you suddenly found a golden treasure? Audrey Cooper interviews reporters Tara Duggan and Jason Fagone about an unbelievable tale that took more than a year to report — the story of fisherman Joe Pennisi’s secret.
26 min
1065
BART: Parking vs. Housing
As the transit agency begins filling its lots with residential buildings, it’s chipping away at a perk commuters have enjoyed for years — cheap parking spaces. Rachel Swan on the battle of housing for people against housing for cars.
16 min
1066
PG&E Outages: Cell Phones Too
Bay Area residents needed cell service more than ever as they lost electricity and worried about wildfires. Reporter Mallory Moench joins us to talk about why cell service providers in some places failed this test, and what can be done about it.
11 min
1067
Wildfires Update: The Inspectors
Lizzie Johnson talks about shadowing two firefighters, one a Cal Fire division chief and one a fire marshal from Riverside County, as they inspect the damage inflicted by the Kincade Fire and encounter a homeowner who defied the evacuation order — a dangerous move, but one that allowed him to save his house.
12 min
1068
Wildfires Update: First Responder Heroism
Sarah Ravani reports on the heroism she's been seeing at the Kincade Fire, including firefighters who used water from a swimming pool to help save three houses in Windsor. She also talks about the emotional reaction of Healdsburg residents when the power came back on.
5 min
1069
Wildfires Update: Kincade Fire
Evan Sernoffsky reports from the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa during the calm before the big windstorm that's expected to kick up Tuesday afternoon and evening. Firefighters fear the winds could cause a major flare-up in the Kincade Fire.
8 min
1070
Wildfires Update: Wineries
Wine critic Esther Mobley joins Audrey Cooper to talk about how California’s biggest cash crop, the $40 billion wine industry, is faring in the latest round of wildfires and power shut-offs. Fifth & Mission is updating more frequently than usual this week as we focus on the developments around Northern California.
18 min
1071
Wildfires Update: Windsor
Fifth & Mission is updating more frequently than usual this week as we focus on the wildfires and power shut-offs around Northern California this week. In this episode, Megan Cassidy reports from Windsor as firefighters race against the clock to establish firelines during a lull in the high winds.
4 min
1072
Powerless: A Weekend of Shut-offs and Fire
Megan Cassidy joins Audrey Cooper to talk about her reporting on the Kincade Fire, one of many wildfires around the Bay Area. J.D. Morris talks about the massive PG&E shut-offs in response to the weekend's major wind event — and the reactions by the public and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
16 min
1073
How the Fire Tracker Works
Senior interactive developer Evan Wagstaff joins Audrey Cooper to talk about how he and his team build the tools that are some of the Chronicle's most popular features, including the California Fire Tracker and the PG&E Outage Map.
13 min
1074
PG&E Shut-offs: Here We Go Again
For the second time this month, PG&E is preparing to preemptively cut power to hundreds of thousands of people in a bid to prevent wildfires. Reporters J.D. Morris and Mallory Moench tell us what to expect and answer key questions about how people are coping.
17 min
1075
Sports Wagering in California Is No Sure Bet
Michael Cabanatuan talks about the slow road to sports betting in California. A third of states now allow it, but not the Golden State, where it will take cooperation between gambling interests, as well as consent from state lawmakers and the voters.
12 min