KQED's Forum

As wildfires rage across the Bay Area, many of those who can help are offering their support through donations. But relief organizations like American Red Cross say they don't want physical items like used clothes or canned goods because they take extensive resources to examine and sort. Instead, many organizations prefer monetary donations. We talk to KQED reporter Lakshmi Sarah and Jennifer Adrio, CEO of American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region, about how to best help those affected by wildfires.

Record-breaking heat, dry vegetation, and lightning each played a role in sparking wildfires that have burnt more than one million acres across California. But to what extent were these factors caused by climate change? UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain, along with a team of researchers, published a study earlier this year that found that the “number of days with extreme fire weather during the autumn season has more than doubled since the late 1970s.” The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, calls climate change a key driver of the shift toward longer fire seasons. In this segment, we talk with Swain about the link between climate change and the risk of wildfires in California.

We’ll get the latest on the wildfires raging throughout northern California and discuss the firefighter shortage.  

At a virtual event this week that was termed an "unconventional convention” due to the pandemic, the Democratic Party nominated former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris for the 2020 Democratic ticket. In a historic speech Wednesday night, Sen. Harris became the first Black woman to accept the nomination for vice president of the United States with a major party. Former President Barack Obama also made history Wednesday when he delivered a forceful condemnation of his successor, President Trump. We’ll recap this year’s Democratic National Convention, including Gov. Newsom’s withdrawal from Thursday’s program because of California’s wildfire emergency. And we want to hear from you: have you been tuning in to the convention? What moments stand out to you most?

Californians fatigued from wrestling with the coronavirus pandemic, economic downturn and months of sheltering in place are now dealing with another disaster that feels out of our control: wildfires. Poor air quality and fears of catching the virus are compounding to produce more stress, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness. In this segment, we’ll hear from experts about how to deal with this double dose of disaster.

As three major fire complexes continue to scorch more than 300,000 acres across northern California, we’ll get an update on containment and evacuations. We'll also hear about a new collaboration between the state emergency authority and Google that provides wildfire mapping in Google search results. And we'll talk with state officials about where to go for accurate, up-to-date information about fires, evacuations and road closures.

In a standoff with California courts, ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft have threatened to shut down operations in the state if forced to reclassify their drivers as employees, as mandated by new law AB 5. Both companies have appealed a state judge’s order to reclassify their drivers, but without a stay of the ruling, they must comply with state law by Friday at midnight. Internally, both companies are reportedly exploring franchise-like business models, similar to what Uber already does in Germany and Spain, as an alternative way to continue operating in the state. The companies are also eyeing the November election where Proposition 22, which would exempt Uber and Lyft from California’s new employee classifications, will be on the ballot. We'll discuss what's at stake and we want to hear from you: how would you be affected if ride-hailing services shut down in California?

We get the latest on the wildfires spreading through northern and central California and hear from health experts about how best to protect yourself from smoke and particulates.

Wildfires raging across northern California forced thousands to flee their homes Wednesday morning.  The most urgent situation unfolded in Vacaville, where a group of fires called the LNU Lightning Complex more than doubled in size overnight and destroyed over 50 homes and threatened nearly 2,000 more. Along with hot temperatures and low humidity, the fires are in part due to a “historic lightning siege,” which, according to Cal Fire chief Jeremy Rahn, included about 10,849 lightening strikes and caused over 367 fires across the state. Smoke from the fires has resulted in poor air quality across the Bay Area bringing the air quality index in San Francisco and Oakland to levels considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. We’ll get the latest on the region’s wildfires.

While rotating power outages were averted on Monday, by Tuesday afternoon the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power grid, had again declared a "Stage 2" emergency and said outages were "imminent." California ISO later canceled that emergency and praised consumers for conserving energy that helped avoid another outage. The continuing heat wave sparked two nights of rolling blackouts over the weekend, which Gov. Newsom called "unacceptable and unbefitting of the nation’s largest and most innovative state." Newsom called for an investigation into why California ISO imposed the outages. We'll get the latest news on what’s happening with the state’s energy supply. And we want to hear from you: have you been impacted by the power outages?

On Tuesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee released its final report detailing its three-year investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff, who led President Trump's impeachment trial, says that the bipartisan report "affirms what we have all known for years" about Trump's vast network of contacts among Russian operatives and makes clear that his campaign's engagement with the Russians was a major counterintelligence threat. We'll talk to Congressman Schiff about the committee's report, and we'll get his take on the federal coronavirus response, including lawmakers' proposals for a new COVID-19 relief bill.

In the wake of the 2018 Camp Fire that decimated the Northern California city of Paradise, PG&E officials framed such devastating blazes as a relatively new phenomenon exacerbated by climate change. A Frontline/KQED investigation found that in reality, PG&E was well aware of the threat and resisted implementing safety protocols to prevent wildfires for more than a decade. The investigation uncovered repeated pushback against regulations that perhaps could have saved lives. Also at fault is the California Public Utilities Commission, which was too overwhelmed and under-resourced to properly regulate PG&E. We discuss the investigation as we head into yet another wildfire season

On Tuesday, U.S. Postal Service postmaster general Louis DeJoy announced that he would suspend until after the November election operational reforms and initiatives “to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail.”  Meanwhile, California and at least 20 other states will sue the Trump administration over those reforms--which include removal of mailboxes, sorting equipment and the elimination of staff overtime--in order to protect against service delays.  The moves come amid ongoing accusations by Democrats that the Trump Administration is refusing to fund the cash-strapped agency to subvert mail-in voting this fall.  We’ll get the latest.

The right to vote is a fundamental part of democracy -- a right, however, that hasn't always been afforded or guaranteed to all in the United States. August 18 marks the 100th anniversary of the day Congress passed the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. It was a hard-fought victory, but still only a starting place for Black women and other women of color. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 later sought to make access to the vote more fair and complete for all, but a key part of the law was struck down in 2013 and legislation to restore it remains in limbo as voter suppression efforts grow. This hour we'll talk to Carol Anderson, historian and author of "One Person, No Vote," about the state of voting rights and the significance of women's suffrage, then and now.

Students with disabilities in California will be able to receive face-to-face instruction at schools this fall. Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond made the announcement Friday and acknowledged that some students with special needs are unable to adjust to distance learning. Families and students with learning disabilities and autism as well as students in foster care struggled when schools shut down last spring. We’ll hear about the unique challenges of remote learning for students with disabilities and what solutions are in the works.