Meet Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, representing California's 12th Congressional District in Oakland. She's the first member of Congress who is congenitally blind, and the first Muslim representative from California.

Before stepping into Congress, Ms. Simon served on the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board, the California State University Board of Trustees, and the San Francisco Foundation's board. She also made history as the youngest woman to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.

When Rep. Barbara Lee announced she was stepping down in 2024, Ms. Simon ran for the seat and won. In January 2025, she was officially sworn in. Shortly after, Ms. Simon sat down with Mr. O's students, and we're thrilled to share their interview with you on this week's episode of Peer Talk!

Beyond The Fog Radio presents our most exciting episode yet: an interview with former U.S. representative and current Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee, in partnership with KALW!

KALW (91.7 FM) is the oldest public radio station in the Bay Area, and it hosts a program called "Bay Made" which spotlights local creators and businesses. Ben Trefny is KALW's Executive Producer, and he kindly invited us on Bay Made to record our interview with Congresswoman Lee at KALW's event space in downtown San Francisco. On January 15, in front of a live audience that included former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Carolyn Tyler, and other community leaders, we launched into an in-depth look at Congresswoman Lee's life and career — her start in the Bay Area, her experiences in Washington D.C., and her goals as a mayoral candidate for Oakland.

Many, many thanks to Ben Trefny, David Boyer, David Kwan, and Charles Lighthouse of KALW for helping us to reach a wider audience; to Congresswoman Barbara Lee for being our gracious guest; to everyone who came to the KALW event space on January 15; and to all of our listeners, partners, sponsors, and supporters! This was a tremendous occasion for us all, and we could not have made it happen without you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!!!!

Thank you all for Listening to Beyond The Fog Radio for the Past Four Years! We are now introducing a brand new brand the Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School Podcast!!!

The Students at Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School located in BayView Hunters Point in San Francisco California will have their OWN Podcast Produced by Beyond The Fog Radio but the content will reflect what they are learning in school and the 6th, 7th and 8th grade students will be the Host . They are designing the logo, the website they are coming up with the name and they will compose their theme own music !

This year’s Holiday Special we’re announcing our partnership with students at Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School in San Francisco. This week, we teamed up with the 6th-grade boys from Mr. Matthews’ advisory class to co-host.

Huckleberry Youth Programs began in 1967, as a means to protect and help troubled and runaway teenagers who would otherwise be arrested and jailed. The organization began out of Huckleberry House in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, and more than fifty years later, it has expanded north into Marin County.

Foreign Cinema, a unique dining gem in San Francisco's Mission District, has delighted guests since 1999 with its California-Mediterranean cuisine and nightly outdoor film screenings. Renowned for its vibrant atmosphere, it also regularly hosts musicians, artists, and creatives.

Co-owners and chefs Gayle Pirie and John Clark, celebrated figures in San Francisco's culinary scene, have earned multiple James Beard nominations.

In the late 1960s, as young people flocked to San Francisco, Dr. David Smith responded by opening Haight Ashbury Medical Clinics (HAMC)—the first free medical clinic in the U.S., built on the belief that health care should be a right, not a privilege.

Two years later, Walter Littrell founded Walden House in the same neighborhood to support homeless youth facing substance use challenges.

In week two of our World of Nonprofits Series, we welcome Scott Lan, CEO of Cameron House, an organization with 150 years of history serving San Francisco’s Chinese community. Originally a girls' home protecting young Asian immigrants from the Yellow Slave Trade, Cameron House now offers services like counseling, domestic violence intervention, youth programs, leadership development, and more. With 20 years of experience in education and workforce development, Scott plays a key role in its success.

This week we met Dr. Pegah Faed, the newest CEO of Safe & Sound, an SF-based non-profit organization that partners with communities and families to prevent and reduce the impact of childhood abuse, neglect, and trauma. Before joining, Pegah was Executive Director at First 5 Marin, leading efforts in policy, program development, and social change. She’s also helped shape strategies for First 5 Los Angeles.

Emily Winston grew up enjoying New York’s famous H&H Bagels. After moving to the Bay Area in 2010, she missed the bagels she loved and was devastated when H&H Bagels closed. Determined to recreate the bagels she longed for, Emily spent five years perfecting her recipe. Encouraged by friends and family, she eventually opened Boichik Bagels in November 2019.

We close our History of the Bay Area LGBTQ Community Series with internationally famous Drag King, Leigh Crow. A gender-bending cabaret singer, Leigh gained notoriety as the world’s first female Elvis Impersonator, Elvis Herselvis. Her 30-year performance career includes Drag shows, independent films, stage musicals, rock bands, music videos, documentaries, and performance art of every kind. Today, Crow is fulfilling a lifelong fantasy starring as Captain Kirk in the drag-heavy “Star Trek Live” at The Oasis in San Francisco.

Native San Franciscan Roberto Ordeñana has over 25 years of experience investing in LGBTQ communities. Previously, he was the Deputy Executive Director of the San Francisco LGBT Center, developed nationally-recognized HIV prevention initiatives with the STOP AIDS Project, and volunteered extensively on various San Francisco community boards and city commissions — including the San Francisco Arts Commission, where he served as President from 2019 to 2022.

Wally Bee and Steve Smith are two longtime members of the Oakland Gay Men's Chorus, the "Pride of the East Bay." Originally the Oakland-East Bay Gay Men's Chorus, its mission statement is "giving voice through song to a community where everyone matters." O.G.M.C., for short, has been an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit since 2006, and is a member of the Gay And Lesbian Association of Choruses.

For over two decades, Chef Tyler Florence has shared his unique culinary vision around the globe. He's trained with top chefs in NYC, hosted popular shows on the Food Network, owned multiple restaurants, received multiple Michelin Stars, and published 17 cookbooks, including his newest publication, American Grill.

In honor of Juneteenth, we’re excited to re-release our 2020 episode with Rev. Amos Brown, President of the NAACP San Francisco Chapter and Civil Rights Leader! Also a historian, Rev. Brown shared with us his extensive knowledge of African American history in the

Barbara Tannenbaum is an award-winning journalist and author who writes essays on arts and culture for top publications like the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. She also creates content for museums such as the Oakland Museum of California and the California Academy of Sciences.

Sister Vish-Knew is one of the founders of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Coming from Iowa, Sister Vish-Knew produced the first Midwest Gay Pride Conference back when the entire state of Iowa had only three gay organizations, three gay bars, and two student groups.