The San Francisco Experience
News & Politics Podcasts
We are a "deep dive" news podcast, for Americans who get their news from the Internet. Our mission is to give the listener succinct, fact based analysis both non-ideological and independent from a California, Silicon Valley perspective. Your host Jim Herlihy is a published author: his novel “Deceit and Dirty Money” is available on line. He served as President of the SF Public Library Commission 1992 - 1996. While working in Latin America, he was a stringer for The Economist, The Times and the BBC. Jim serves as a director on two SF sister city boards : Bangalore, India and Cork, Ireland.
Location:
United States
Genres:
News & Politics Podcasts
Description:
We are a "deep dive" news podcast, for Americans who get their news from the Internet. Our mission is to give the listener succinct, fact based analysis both non-ideological and independent from a California, Silicon Valley perspective. Your host Jim Herlihy is a published author: his novel “Deceit and Dirty Money” is available on line. He served as President of the SF Public Library Commission 1992 - 1996. While working in Latin America, he was a stringer for The Economist, The Times and the BBC. Jim serves as a director on two SF sister city boards : Bangalore, India and Cork, Ireland.
Language:
English
Contact:
415-271-3943
Website:
https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy
Episodes
Mode to Code: Educating students of all ages around the world about coding and technology. Talking with founder Jacob Shaul.
11/6/2025
A High School senior has set up his own company to teach after school coding classes to middle schoolers in the Bay Area, overseas and online. Learning to balance life and work as a teenager.
Duration:00:23:59
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita, will not seek re-election to Congress in 2026. Speaking with Professor David McCuan.
11/6/2025
With Nancy Pelosi's announcement that she is not seeking re-election next year, the starting gun to replace her has been fired. The coveted Pelosi endorsement is being discussed: nothing official but Connie Chan appears to be the likely recipient. While not a declared candidate, Supervisor Connie Chan is expected to run.
Two other candidates State Senator Scott Weiner and Democratic Socialist and former Chief of Staff to AOC, Saikat Chakrabarti have are officially running.
Duration:00:26:40
Proposition 50 sails to victory in California. Talking with Professor David McCuan.
11/5/2025
Election night November 4th saw the Proposition that would re-draw California's congressional districts to favor the Democrats with five seats passed easily. Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat Socialist was elected Mayor of New York, and two moderate women were elected Governor in Virginia and New Jersey. An eventful evening for the Democrats.
Duration:00:42:42
WearIt.AI - Embedding Fashion in User Generated Content. Talking with CEO and Founder Dr. Kitty Yeung
11/4/2025
The global fashion industry is $1.8 Trillion and represents 1.6% of global GDP. WearIt.AI enables individual users to embed their images wearing selected fashions on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and earn commissions. Drawing on WearIt's team of stylists with access to leading fashion brands, users can build their personal brands
Duration:00:31:47
San Francisco Mercantile: a unique retail chain. Talking with owner and founder Robert Emmons.
11/3/2025
Retail is a challenging business sector due to on line retailers like Amazon for instance. But in San Francisco a unique retail chain located in two iconic and globally famous neighborhoods - the Castro and Haight Ashbury - is successfully showcasing local artists and artisans. It's a business strategy that is paying dividends to its owner and founder Robert Emmons.
Duration:00:31:07
Isambard AI - The UK's Super Computer. Talking with Professor Simon McIntosh-Smith
10/28/2025
The UK turned on its' fastest supercomputer several months ago called Isambard AI. Powered by more than 5000 Nvidia GPUs it is located on the campus of Bristol University. The Center for Supercomputing is headed up by Professor Simon McIntosh-Smith.
Duration:00:33:24
Walter Adams Framing and Capricorn Framing. A small business success story. Talking with owners Lloyd Haddad and Keith Wicker.
10/24/2025
There are almost 35 million small businesses in the US and collectively they generated $40 trillion in revenues in 2024. So many people who enjoy corporate careers dream about running their own business. That's what Lloyd and Keith were able to achieve with their picture framing business in San Francisco.
Duration:00:32:37
President Trump postpones ICE deployment in San Francisco after talking with Mayor Lurie. Talking with Professor Jack Pitney.
10/23/2025
In a detente between a big city Democrat Mayor and President Trump - a first - immediate ICE deployment in San Francisco will be paused. The Mayor also spoke with AG Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. He announced that DEA and the FBI will work with San Francisco law enforcement to halt drug dealing and arrest dealers.
Duration:00:12:51
Daylight Savings Time : Should we abandon it ? Talking with Stanford Professor Jamie Zeitzer.
10/22/2025
Professor Zeitzer argues that we now have scientific evidence to show that abandoning our biannual change of clocks would have health benefits for a significant number of Americans. The findings of which he is the senior author are published in The Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences. Don't forget to turn back your clocks one hour on Sunday November 2nd !
Duration:00:36:12
Family Zoning Plan - Mayor Lurie's take on Upzoning San Francisco Neighborhoods. Talking with Lori Brooke, Candidate for District 2 Supervisor.
10/21/2025
Mayor Lurie has proposed a Family Zoning Plan which reflects the compulsory and unrealistic housing goals dictated by Scott Wiener, a State Senator. Lori is the Co-Founder of Neighborhoods United SF which has deep reservations about the plan. And she is running to replace incumbent D2 Supervisor (appointed by London Breed) who supports the plan.
Lori's D2 Campaign Website is: www.LoriBrooke.com
Duration:00:40:11
Classical California KDFC: Classical Music for the San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond. Talking with Bill Lueth.
10/16/2025
Classical Music continues to be a popular music form for all ages. San Francisco's KDFC which will soon be re-branded as Classical California along with KUSC in Los Angeles on October 27, 2025 is a key part of San Francisco's music scene.
Duration:00:36:24
Now we are here: Family Migration, Children's education and dreams of a better life. Talking with author Gabrielle Oliveira.
10/15/2025
Gabrielle followed the lives of 16 migrant families from Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras who have settled in the North East United States. Education for their children was a prime motivator to put up with the vagaries of the informal immigration process.
Duration:00:37:23
The House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America's most consequential Black Congressman, Charles C. Diggs Jr. Talking with author, Professor Marion Orr.
10/7/2025
Congressman Charles C. Diggs Jr. was the founding Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and the first African American elected to Congress from Michigan in 1954. He was notable for his quiet, effective leadership . He was the personification of the shift in black politics from protest to elections.
Duration:00:51:52
When do I start ? The Karl Malden Memoir. Talking to co-author Carla Malden and Shaun Chang.
10/6/2025
Karl Malden's career as an actor spanned the stage, the big screen and TV. He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1952 for his performance in A Streetcar Named Desire. He co-authored the memoir with his daughter Carla Malden.
Duration:01:01:39
Mayor Lurie's plan to upzone San Francisco faces an uphill struggle. Talking with Tim Redmond
10/1/2025
The plan to upzone wide swaths of San Francisco, especially on the Westside of the City faces widespread opposition. Recalled Supervisor for District 4 Joel Engardio and State Senator Scott Wiener are major proponents of the plan. What happens next ?
Duration:00:31:34
The Last 100 Days: FDR at War and at Peace. Talking with author David Woolner.
9/30/2025
The last 100 days of Franklin Roosevelt's life coincided with some momentous events in US history. As WWII was drawing to a close, the Yalta Conference brought together the three Allied leaders, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin to confront some of the thorniest issues of the day and that still loom large to this day. That conference laid the groundwork for the Post World War II Order which prevail to this day, 80 years later.
Duration:01:03:10
Buiding New Homes in Lagoon Valley, California. Talking with Curt Johansen.
9/24/2025
Lagoon Valley is a master planned community close to Vacaville, California about 65 miles NE of San Francisco. It's a new community of homes incorporating economic prosperity, environmental preservation and social responsibility. When completed by 2030 it will comprise 1000 homes.
Duration:00:28:32
The San Francisco Maritime Museum. Talking with CEO Darlene Plumtree.
9/23/2025
The Maritime Museum along with the historic ships at Hyde Street Pier is part of the National Park that celebrates San Francisco's rich and deep maritime history. With Fleet Week coming up October 11th and 12th the Museum will be holding a viewing party at the pier to watch the Parade of Ships and the Blue Angels. Check Maritime.org website to buy your tickets.
Duration:00:24:12
Supervisor Joel Engardio loses the Recall Election. Talking with Albert Chow
9/17/2025
San Francisco had never recalled an incumbent Supervisor, until September 16th, 2025, when Joel Engardio lost his seat on the Board of Supervisors. Preliminary results showed that 64.6 % of the voters in District 4 voted to recall him. Early into the evening, Engardio conceded the loss, but claimed that he was on the right side of history.
Albert Chow is a resident, voter and small businessman in D4 and played a leading role in the Recall campaign.
Duration:00:25:59
Redux Americana: Atlanticism, the US and the Third Age of Global Conflicts. Talking with Alp Sevimlisoy.
9/10/2025
NATO, the 76 year old defence pact of 32 countries that has weathered the Cold War, the Fall of the Berlin Wall, collapse of the USSR and liberation of Eastern Europe without firing a shot, faces new challenges: the Third Age. Renewed super power rivalry, the rise of populism and political disarray among liberal democracies, as well as European fears about US defense commitments, are angst inducing developments for Western security built around Atlanticism.
Duration:00:50:31