Shows
The Sunset Connection - Perspectives from SF's Sunset NeighborhoodGetting to Know Supervisor Alan WongSend us a textAs we close out the year, I’m sharing a conversation that feels especially fitting for this moment.In this episode, I sit down with Alan Wong, the newly appointed Supervisor for San Francisco’s District 4, to talk about his roots in the Sunset, his family’s immigration story, and the experiences that shaped his path into public service.Before policy positions and headlines, this conversation focuses on the human side - growing up in the neighborhood, learning to serve through student government, protecting language access and educat...
2025-12-2726 min
The Fun Police2025 Unwrapped - A Year In ReviewOur 2/3 hungover hosts go through the events of 2025 and determine what the biggest stories and people of the year were. We discuss all the greatest hits, speculate as to what might have caused the more toxic elements of our local politics to be somewhat less toxic this year, bandy about the hidden upsides for neighbors of the Safeway Marina project, and close with a fun idea that would really make things lively in our lovely City on a lunar basis.
2025-12-1958 minThe Fun PoliceThe D4 Debacle - With Jessica HoThe Fun Police, along with former D4 candidate (and current podcast host Jessica Ho) discuss the divisive and deleterious debacle of District 4, and deliver dramatic new details about Supervisor Alan "Dragonkin" Wong and the dungeon denizens he has ducked and dodged. Along the way we learn about how fashionable fireworks can be, and get a fun idea from Jessica that is more green than envy.
2025-12-0552 minThe Fun PoliceManny Runs For Office - with "Special Guest" Manny YekutielBen, Manny, and Sharky started the Fun Police podcast years ago to talk about ways to make cities fun and interesting. We've talked to dozens of elected officials. Now it's one of us who is running for office, specifically Manny. Is this going to be the episode that sinks him? You never know, it's always a possibility. Listen to us grill our friend, and see if we found a way to screw it all up for him.
2025-10-221h 13
Doomloop Dispatch70. Fighting San Francisco's Manhattanization with Tim RedmondWelcome to another episode of the Doomloop Dispatch, the news show covering the worst parts of the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode, Kevin and D Scott talk to Tim Redmond, editor of the 48 Hills and former executive editor of the Bay Guardian. We get into Tim’s reporting on the recall of San Francisco supervisor Joel Engardio and his thoughts on Engardio’s replacement. We also talk about how real estate speculation destroyed the city and the state of local legacy media. Really good stuff!Follow Doomloop Dispatch on X: http://x.com/doomloopdispIn...
2025-09-2458 min
DigitalituM Podcast - At the Intersection of Manufacturing and Digital TransformationDigitalituM Podcast Episode 23 - Ben Bleiman - Modocs.AI - Capturing Tribal Knowledge with Voice-to-SOPSend us a textEpisode Summary Ben Bleiman—electrical engineer turned innovation leader—walks us through his journey from Bose (automotive audio tuning) to IBM (7–10 nm semiconductors) and Crane Currency (micro-optics on the $100 note), where years in R&D and production quality led him to MODocs.ai. We dig into why documentation is painful, how tribal knowledge gets lost when veterans retire, and how Voice-to-SOP plus dynamic document control, digital checklists, and human-in-the-loop reviews can turn know-how into repeatable, auditable execution on the shop floor.
2025-09-1328 minThe Fun PoliceFamily Zoning Plan - with SF Planning Director Sarah Dennis PhillipsThe Mayor's Family Zoning Plan is the first significant change in the San Francisco's zoning in 50 years. Approved last night by the Planning Commission, it now begins to work its way through the Board of Supervisors as a series of legislative packages. We talk with Planning Director Sara Dennis Phillips about the plan, what it entails, what the challenges are, and where this is all headed. And we get a fantastic fun idea at the end too!
2025-09-131h 02The Fun PoliceLesser Lessors - AI's impact on SF with Alexander QuinnThe Fun Police take a look at the impact of AI on SF. We get things started by chatting with Alexander Quinn, Senior Director, Northern California Research for JLL - a global real estate services company. Then we talk about the City's new deal with OpenAI and what that could mean for government services. Today's Fun Idea was controversial with the gang, but should delight movie fans. Finally there's a special easter egg at the end.
2025-07-221h 00The Fun PoliceCasual CrueltyIt's been a minute but Ben, Manny, and Sharky have now returned, only this time nothing has changed. Still the same three dum dums. Topics include vibe check on the Mayor, San Francisco's budget, and Supervisor Engardio's recall election in District 4.
2025-07-031h 05The Fun PoliceFun With Tung - with Nancy TungBen & Sharky meet with San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee Chair (wow what a mouthful!) and Mayoral Transition Advisor Nancy Tung. We discuss the then-upcoming Mayoral appointments (which, thanks to a grumpy SD disk, took a week to post so those appointments have now been made) as well as the then-upcoming Board of Supervisors election for Board President. Sound like inside baseball? It absolutely is. This is the kind of magic our little podcast delivers.
2025-01-151h 07The Fun PolicePropaliciousBet you were just DYING to listen to us talk about four of the FIFTEEN ballot propositions on the ballot this November. If that's the case then today is your lucky day! Ben, Manny(!!!!), and Sharky come out of hiatus (and some of us came out of their shirts) to bring you this scintalicious propoalicious chit chat to brighten your week with
2024-09-0659 minThe Fun PoliceMagical Mystery Mayor Tour - with Bobak EsfandiariWe do a quick analysis of the most recent election (featuring some insightful observations from our friend and former United Democratic Club president Bobak Esfandiari) before getting into an EXHAUSTIVE analysis of the state of the upcoming mayoral race. We examine the case *for* and the case *against* each of the candidates (and potential candidates... *PLURAL*) and how the heck Ranked Choice Voting will play into their strategies. This episode is super long (our longest ever!), but holy cow there's a lot of candidates!
2024-03-281h 28The Fun PoliceThe Seven Deadly Ballot Measures - With Nate AllbeeSeason 2 begins! We've got updates on what we've been up to, what to look forward to in upcoming episodes, and launch into the upcoming election season with an explainer on the 7 ballot measures on the March ballot (which you can do early voting on starting today!). Our guest host is Nate Allbee aka "The Progressive Assassin"
2024-02-0658 min
We Are San FranciscoEp 10: 'Uplifting Small Business' with Katy Tang, Teddy Kramer and Ben Bleiman | We Are San FranciscoDiscover the heartbeat of San Francisco's entrepreneurial spirit in this electrifying episode of 'We Are San Francisco.' Join our live panel of city's trailblazers - Katy Tang, Ben Bleiman, Ben Kaplan and Teddy Kramer - as they unravel the challenges and triumphs of small business in the iconic city. From pandemic struggles to bureaucratic navigation, get an insider's view on what it takes to keep SF's business scene vibrant and innovative. If you're passionate about business, community, and the future of San Francisco, this episode is a must-listen!
2024-01-151h 03
Fifth & MissionNo Vaccination, No Mask, No (Indoor) ServiceThanks to the delta variant, the Bay Area is now an emerging coronavirus hotspot and now, restaurant and bar owners are taking matters into their own hands to protect the health of their workers and businesses. Chronicle food and wine editor Tanay Warerkar joins host Cecilia Lei to talk about how the vaccination requirement movement is gaining momentum in the Bay Area, and Ben Bleiman, the president of the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance, explains why implementing the vaccination requirement was a no-brainer decision. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2021-07-2920 min