December 8, 2008: Restaurant Economics in a Down Economy

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Various challenges facing the restaurant industry - paying livable wages for its workers, pricing the eating experience in a transparent way for its customers, and ensuring its survival in turbulent economic times. Voter initiatives like the HealthySF insurance fee complicate the economics of the restaurant business, as does the flexible gratuity system meant to ensure quality and service standards. But added costs are becoming expected line items in the total price customers pay for dining out. In a city that loves to eat well and dine out often, how does social and economic policy work in the restaurant business and how will it fare in the years ahead?

Guests:

• Donna Levitt, manager, City of San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement
• Jennifer Piallat, owner, Zazie Resturant, San Francisco
• Jay Porter, owner, The Linkery Resturant, San Diego
• Kevin Westlye, exectutive director, Golden Gate Restaurants Association

October 13, 2008: Rethinking Prostitution in San Francisco

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Among the many ballot initiatives before San Francisco voters this November, Proposition K has raised much controversy. The measure seeks to decriminalize prostitution and eliminate funding for programs that employ racial profiling to uncover suspected human sex trafficking.

On our next program we'll take a look at the demographics of prostitution. Who are San Francisco's sex workers? How and why did they get involved in prostitution? And how might passage of this ballot initiative affect them?

Guests:

• Audrey Cooper, assistant metro editor, San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco Chronicle
• Melissa Farley, Ph.D., executive director, Prostititution Research and Education
• Slava Osowska, secretary, Bay Area Branch, Industrial Workers of the World and http://www.yesonpropk.org/
• Maritza Penagos, MPH, board member and former interim project director, Safehouse
• Kelly Tyne, health services coordinator, SAGE Project, Inc.

September 15, 2008: Exploring Our World: Travel Writing in the Bay Area

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Join us as we look at traveling and the books that entice us to travel beyond our comfort zone. Cultural familiarity and mobility has made the idea of a travel destination an ever changing definition. Natural and cultural beauty are closer than ever and the ways these experiences get transmitted are ever expanding.

The idea of thinking in broad horizons has been part of Bay Area culture since its founding. But what factors influence the travel publishing industry and what effects does publishing content have on destinations? How has the art and business of travel writing and travel publishing changed? How is the genre continuing to change?

Guests:

• Lee Azus, store owner, Get Lost Travel Bookstore
• Brice Gosnell, regional publisher manager, Lonely Planet Americas
• John Vlahides, writer, 71Miles

July 14, 2008: The Bay Area's Road to 2050: The Regional Plan for Northern California

The Bay Area's Road to 2050: The Regional Plan for Northern California

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In 2050, the fates of 25 million people may fill an area from the Pacific Ocean to Reno, and south to Fresno. What will this future look like and what is being done to plan for it? Political leaders as well as regional planning bodies are working with NGOs and think tanks in a variety of areas to address the political fault lines, open space preservation concerns, economic prospects, and transportation options. Monday on City Visions we will take the long view of San Francisco, the Bay Area, and its future integration with the Central Valley.

What attempts at regional consensus building are being made across the Bay Area and Central Valley, as well as across the numerous interest groups? Which issues will prove the most difficult to agree on? How can the public involve itself in the planning process and which issues will be decided by the voters?

Guests:

• Elizabeth Adam, director of communication, Bay Area Open Space Council
• David Hosely, president, Great Valley Center
• Egon Terplan, director of economic development and governance policy, San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association