The Race To An Emergency
Ali Budner + Martina Castro

The Race To An Emergency traces the path of a 911 call in Oakland, California. As we explore the inner-workings of this vital public service, we also aim to answer a bigger question about the emergency response system: does it serve all Oaklanders equally?  The Race To An Emergency was honored with the 2014 National Edward R. Murrow award for best radio news documentary in a large market. It also won several other national and local awards.

Fear and Eating in Fukushima
Ali Budner

Since the nuclear disaster in 2011, Fukushimans have been grappling with the question: Is our food safe to eat?  Fear and Eating in Fukushima examines how Fukushima residents answer this basic question by walking the line between trust and fear. 

Going Retro: The Art of Hatmaking
Ali Budner

Four young women take on an old craft in the Richmond District of San Francisco.

Grow Your Own Farm Fresh Wardrobe
Ali Budner

Rebecca Burgess -- activist, natural dyer, and founder of Fibershed -- talks about her wardrobe, entirely sourced from within a 100-mile radius of her home in the San Geronimo Valley, California. 

The San Francisco Shelter System Leaves Some Out In the Cold
Ali Budner

A shortage of shelter beds together with an unwieldy and glitch-prone computer system leave many of San Francisco's homeless out of shelter and out of luck.

A Night At the Blackhawk
Ali Budner

This San Francisco Recovery Theatre performance recalls Tenderloin's jazz history as actors, recovering addicts themselves, play roles that reflect their own life experiences. 

P.O.W.E.R. Lunch for Formerly Homeless
Ali Budner

A group of formerly homeless gather to support each other over a weekly hot lunch.

Growing Home
Ali Budner

A community garden - for the housed and the homeless - in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood.

Trees Take Root In the Tenderloin
Ali Budner

The Tenderloin is an unlikely place for a park, let alone a forest.  But the Tenderloin National Forest - an urban alleyway turned peaceful art garden - makes space for redwood trees, fish ponds, hummingbirds, and grateful neighbors.

How A Park Is Born: The History of Green Space in San Francisco
Ali Budner

City parks don't just make themselves.  They have to be planned and created, sometimes built into the map of a city, sometimes carved out as an afterthought.  How does it work?  One city planner offers historical insight.

A Festival On Two Wheels
Ali Budner

The annual bicycle music festival is rolling!  Pedal-powered... everything.  Opera included.