KCBS Radio In Depth

We are drawing ever closer to November and to when America will decide who will be the next president. According to most polls - at least so far - Vice President Kamala Harris holds a narrow lead over former President Donald Trump. But here in California, especially among Latino voters, support seems to be tipping a bit more blue. A recent statewide survey has found that Harris has a strong lead over Trump among California’s Latino communities - 60% choosing Harris, 28% with Trump. But this poll looked at so much more when it comes to what Latino voters are concerned about this election season.  To help us delve deeper into all this, KCBS Radio's Mary Hughes is joined by Christian Arana, vice president of civic power and policy at the Latino Community Foundation, which conducted the poll. The LCF is the nation’s largest Latino surveying organization, working to invest in Latino-led organizations and to increase political participation of Latinos in California.

Research shows that climate change isn’t just something that’s negatively affecting the planet, it’s having a deep impact on our mental health as well. Every new wildfire, every flash flood, every heatwave brings on another level of eco-anxiety in many people. A survey conducted by UNDP, Oxford University and GeoPoll, found that 56% of respondents think at least once a week about the problems caused by the climate situation and these feelings can be even stronger in younger people. Of course, it can feel overwhelming to see all that our environment is going through and wonder what can be done - or to have experienced an extreme weather event first-hand, to carry trauma from that and not know how to heal from it. It’s a big conversation and so we’re turning to Jennifer Silverstein, a licensed clinical social worker in Sonoma County, who is working to build resilient communities, especially for the youngest and most vulnerable members, that can face unfolding ecological crises.

One thing you learn as a Californian is that fire season - at least for the last 10 years or so - can be during almost any season. We’ve seen fires grow hotter, bigger - and spread even faster, with seemingly more frequency, too. However, evolving right along with these blazes is CalFire. KCBS has looked at wildfires from many angles and now we are turning to the agency that takes them on - by land, by air, and everywhere in between, and are joined by Joe Tyler, director and fire chief at CalFire.  

KCBS Radio made a return to the city of its birth recently, with the opening of the South Bay Bureau within the Pacific Hotel Museum at History Park in San Jose. There are deep roots in San Jose when it comes to radio broadcasting, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the myriad of histories, stories, and communities that many in the city are working to preserve - and carry far into the future. Now, if you want to delve into the past of San Jose, there’s no better place to start that journey then at History San Jose and there’s no better guide than Bill Schroh, president and CEO of History San Jose. We'll also get some insights from Cate Mills, curator of the research library and archives at History San Jose. And, of course, a big part of understanding and appreciating the history of a place is being able to connect with those that came before and to take what is learned to help the here and now. That’s a big part of what Lisa Buchannan, president of San Jose’s Women’s Club, is working towards.

Back in 2017, three black trans women founded the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District in San Francisco - now more commonly known as The Transgender District. Its original name pulls upon the history of the first documented uprising of transgender and queer people in the country, the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots of 1966. Of course, the history of trans people in the Bay Area - in particular in San Francisco - runs deep, so much so that in 2021, advocates within the Transgender District got the month of August to be recognized as Transgender History Month in the city and county of San Francisco. Then California took that a step further last year, when the state assembly voted in favor of making Transgender History Month a statewide designation. The first full state recognized Transgender History Month is the August we are in right now. The legacy of trans people is what Andrea Horne is focused on and she’s this week’s guest on In Depth. Horne is a former actress, model, jazz singer - and she’s been a fixture in the trans community of San Francisco for over 40 years, working to support the black and brown transgender women in the Tenderloin. Horne is also a keeper of stories, of the histories of trans women of color that might otherwise be lost. Now, she’s turning her research into a book titled, "How Black Trans Women Changed the World."