Fifth & Mission

La Cocina Municipal Marketplace was heralded as a springboard for immigrant- and women-owned food businesses when it opened in 2021. Now, its food kiosks are closing down. Opinion columnist Soleil Ho and food reporter Mario Cortez join host Cecilia Lei to discuss whether the closure is a symptom of the city’s larger struggles and what the loss means for the food hall’s resident vendors and Tenderloin neighbors. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wildland firefighting has long been recognized as dangerous, dirty work. Now, there is growing evidence that it can also cause serious long-term health problems. Chronicle reporter Julie Johnson spent six months investigating the impacts of wildfire smoke on firefighters, and spoke to a dozen men and women diagnosed with grave diseases who all suspect that smoke was a factor. She tells host Cecilia Lei that for decades fire agencies have struggled to provide meaningful protection for their workers, but that progress could be coming. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unsheltered women face violence and harassment both on the streets and inside temporary housing in San Francisco. Reporter Mallory Moench spent months speaking to several women about the challenges they face, from navigating pregnancy to protecting themselves from sexual assault — and how the city lacks sufficient resources to keep them safe. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since last December, San Francisco has been fighting a court injunction that blocks it from sweeping homeless encampments. That legal battle erupted this week as supporters and opponents of encampment sweeps squared off outside the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Reporter Aldo Toledo joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss why this long-simmering controversy is heating up now and what’s at stake for San Francisco residents — housed and unhoused alike. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Students are returning to classes amid a national wave of anti-LGBTQ hostility, and California school districts are not immune. Recently, some schools have restricted LGBTQ themes and icons from classes. But in San Francisco, educators are being trained to be as supportive and inclusive as possible. Reporters Erin Allday and Jill Tucker tell host Laura Wenus how different districts are handling the contention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by Catholic priests are now paused after the San Francisco Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy Monday. Many abuse survivors — some of whom have waited decades for their day in court — are frustrated by the filing, the third of its kind by Bay Area dioceses this year. Chronicle reporter Sophia Bollag joins host Laura Wenus to discuss the flood of lawsuits and what these bankruptcies could mean. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco’s jarring weekly test of its outdoor emergency warning siren fell silent in 2019 so the system could be upgraded. The project has faced delays and budget overruns, but Maui’s fire disaster is inspiring a renewed sense of urgency. Reporter Aldo Toledo joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss the long-stalled project and what it says about the city’s priorities. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco’s overdose death rate has almost tripled in recent years due in large part to the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, but numbers don’t tell the whole story. Chronicle reporters sat down with seven Bay Area residents whose lives have been changed by the epidemic, from grieving parents to emergency responders. Host Cecilia Lei presents their perspectives on the crisis and how they think it can be solved. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To meet its state-mandated goal of approving 82,000 new units of housing by 2031, San Francisco will need to dramatically ramp up the rate at which it greenlights construction. So far, it is not on course. Chronicle reporters J.D. Morris and J.K. Dineen have been crunching the city’s housing numbers and join host Laura Wenus to share how local leaders are trying to push the city to move faster. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chronicle reporter Shira Stein broke the news of a messy family dispute involving Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The senior senator has filed a lawsuit to remove the trustees of her late husband's estate, alleging that they committed financial elder abuse. Stein joins host Joe Garofoli to discuss this legal tangle, which adds on to a long list of challenges complicating Feinstein’s remaining time in office. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once largely confined to the Central Valley, the fungal respiratory illness known as valley fever is beginning to appear in Northern California, including the Bay Area. Scientists believe that climate change is driving the spread. Chronicle intern Gabe Castro-Root joins host Laura Wenus to discuss the growing alarm about this fungal disease. Then researcher Jennifer Head explains why valley fever’s spread could be a sign of things to come. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amid the crises and chaos caused by last week's deadly wildfire in Maui, Chronicle reporter Matthias Gafni also found signs of community resilience and solidarity. He shares dispatches from a relief center on the island with host Cecilia Lei — and an incredible tale of survival. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco is paying hefty sums of money to deal with lawsuits related to its police department. A series of reports from Mission Local found that over the past 13 years, settlements in civil suits related to alleged misconduct, employment disputes, false imprisonment and property damage have totaled more than $70 million. Data reporter Will Jarrett joins host Laura Wenus to break down that figure and the limitations of the civil court system. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Upheavals in the theater world, from pandemic lockdowns to labor movements, have put companies in a financial bind. Theater critic Lily Janiak joins host Cecilia Lei to discuss how this moment is a reckoning for the industry, and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Artistic Director Giovanna Sardelli shares why it's time to reexamine the value of performing arts. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hayes Valley’s Proxy is a cluster of boutique shops and restaurants that functions as a community gathering space, but it sits on land that has been flagged for affordable housing for decades. Now that the city wants to start development, residents are divided on whether the project should move forward. Reporter J.K. Dineen joins host Cecilia Lei to break down the controversy and the broader stakes for San Francisco’s housing debate. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices