It’s pretty stressful out there right now, so this week, our reporters went to find out what people do when they are not spiraling about the current state of affairs. They discovered that they collect cute little figurines in the form of ‘Blind Boxes’, they form new women’s elite rugby teams and they wrestle each other to the sound of jazz music at Oakland’s own Queer Fight Night. In Albany, there is a new mayor who is prioritizing healing on the local level and the non-profit, Meals on Wheels, is fighting to keep funding to provide much-needed food and human connection to seniors.
This is a recording of North Gate Radio that was broadcast live on KALX radio station, 90.7FM.
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Renée Barlett-Webber: Good morning, Jasmine
Jasmine Ascencio: Morning, Renee! And to you, listeners of North Gate Radio!
Renée Barlett-Webber: It’s Thursday, May 8th and it’s allergy season!
Jasmine Ascencio: But we’ve got the cure: fun stories, big energy, and mostly good vibes!
Renée Barlett-Webber: First, we’ll learn about how mystery toys are catching the eyes of Gen Z and Millennials
Nadia Deetz: They are little cherubs that have wings on the back and they have really cute hats.
Jasmine Ascencio: Then, there’s a new pro-rugby league that has six teams, and one is right here, in the Bay.
Dr. Jessica Hammond-Graf: It is powerful, it’s muscles, it’s big women, we’re eating a lot, it’s just really exciting.
Renée Berlett-Webber: We’ll hear about the mayor of Albany and how he’s shaking things up in his small town.
Robin Lopez: My biggest focus right now is healing at the local level.
Jasmine Ascencio : But first, the news…
NeEddra James: Good morning. I’m NeEddra James for North Gate Radio … and here’s what’s making news across the Bay Area and California.
University of California workers held rallies across multiple campuses yesterday. Clerical and administrative staff are pushing for a contract with inflation-tied wages.
This happens against the backdrop of sweeping cuts to federal education and arts funding proposed by the Trump administration.
Local higher education leaders warn the plan could slash student aid and research at UC Berkeley and UCSF—jeopardizing diversity programs and early-career researchers.
NeEddra James: Meanwhile, the National Endowment for the Arts has pulled grants from at least 28 San Francisco nonprofits. The Roxie and the Dance Mission Theater lost tens of thousands of dollars. The NEA says it’s shifting priorities, but the cuts take effect immediately.
And staying in San Francisco, police have started testing AI surveillance software in select neighborhoods. The tech flags behavior patterns in real time, raising privacy concerns among civil rights advocates.
NeEddra James: Big moves in Bay Area basketball. The WNBA’s newest team—the Golden State Valkyries—made their debut at Chase Center Tuesday. The much-anticipated game drew a crowd of over 17,000 fans. The Valkyries lost to the Los Angeles Sparks 83–82. It’s just a first game … and if they’re anything like the warriors – they’ll turn it around.
It was a really tough season for the Dubs … we were losing and then winning and then really winning – now Steph is out as the Dubs go into game 2 of the Western Conference SEMI FINALS tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
NeEddra James: Curry is sidelined with a hamstring injury. He’s expected to miss several games as the team looks to extend its 1-0 series lead.
I’m NeEddra James. You’re listening to North Gate Radio.
Jasmine Ascencio: Live from North Gate Radio … I’m Jasmine Ascencio
Renée Bartlett-Webber: And I’m Renee Bartlett-Webber.
Jasmine Ascencio: So Renee…Have you heard of “Blind Boxes”?
Renée Bartlett-Webber: Blind Boxes? No tell me more
Jasmine Ascencio: They’re cute mystery figures that are a part of a series sealed away in these small boxes, ensuring a surprise unboxing every time; hence “blind boxes.”
Renée Bartlett-Webber: Huh! But, how can you collect all the figures if you can’t see what’s inside the box?
Jasmine Ascencio: That’s what makes them fun! I collect… and it’s almost like gambling, but it’s legal and cute!
Renee Bartlett-Webber: Woah, I wonder who else collects these.
Jasmine Ascencio: That’s why I went to a local toy store that sells blind boxes to check out the vibe there!
Jasmine Ascencio: I’m here in Berkeley at the Five Little Monkeys College Ave location, where it’s not just your typical toy store. There’s actually something inside that’s attracting blind box enthusiasts?
Here I am with Nadia Deetz, the store manager here. And yeah, why don’t you tell me a little more about them?
Nadia Deetz: Well, blind boxes come in many forms. What’s inside it could be a keychain, it could be a figurine, it could be stickers. The one that is really attracting people to come into our store are Sonny Angels.
They are little cherubs that have wings on the back and they have really cute hats and so each series will have a theme as to what the hat might be so like a fruit series, a vegetable series, they even have a really cute cat life series one where they’re all wearing little overalls and have tails.
Jasmine Ascencio: And these boxes are pretty small. They’re different sizes, they’re rectangle, square, all of that. There’s some cats dressed as a shark. There’s a little green men here.
So people come in, they might have one in mind that they’re hunting for and there’s different methods that they use…So here’s my thing, what is the craziest thing you’ve seen people bring in to try and find what they’re looking for?
Nadia Deetz: Oh, definitely a kitchen weight. They’ll bring a tabletop scale and they will bring it out of their book bag and the size always impresses me. The fact that they’re gonna put that in their book bag. The dedication is very real.
Jasmine Ascencio: That means that somewhere on the internet, someone has taken the time to make an Excel spreadsheet of some type.
Nadia Deetz: Oh yeah, I have found a Smiski weight sheet, I have found a Sonny Angel weight sheet and other different kind of blind boxes.
Jasmine Ascencio: I see here a limit. Smiski’s are limited two per day. So tell me about why this sign is here.
Why did you feel like you had to limit it per customer per day, very specific.
Nadia Deetz: Well, two reasons. The biggest one was resellers. We did have a lot of people coming in and trying to buy. a fair amount of them, maybe even a whole box, which would prevent our other customers from getting them.
And then the resellers would buy ours at retail price and then upsell them online because it would be hard to find. We do also limit them due to the supply and demand issue. Due to the popularity, the craze is, is global. So they just are having a hard time supplying their demand.
Jasmine Ascencio: Do you mind if I just take a look at some boxes and kind of shake them around a little bit? (Shaking box)
So that’s definitely what people are looking for is this little shake sometimes besides the weighing.
And that was Nadia Deetz, the store manager at the Five Little Monkeys’ College Ave location.
Jasmine Ascencio: So I’m here with Hillary Franco. So we were talking before about how you used to collect Kirby, the Kirby blind boxes, and now you’re here hunting a Sonny Angel. What got you into these blind boxes?
Hillary Franco: Well, I saw them online and I thought, like, they were really cute. And my friends, they also talked about them.
Jasmine Ascencio: And you’re here looking for a Sunny Angel. Which one are you looking for?
Hillary Franco: I would be happy with, like, any of them. My favorite, like, series is, like, the marine ones, the ocean ones. They’re really cute.
Jasmine Ascencio: When you, like, look for them, do you shake them? Do you weigh them? Do you know about the weight stuff? Like, have you heard about that?
Hillary Franco: I’ve seen it, but I don’t really do it. I’m happy with anyone.
Jasmine Ascencio: I will let you keep looking for these guys. Thank you so much, Hilary. It was so nice talking to you.
Jasmine Ascencio: This is Jasmine Ascencio with Northgate Radio in Berkeley.
Renée Bartlett-Webber: We are mid-way into the first EVER season of Women’s Elite Rugby or W-E-R. There are six teams in this national league. There’s one in New York, Chicago AND, Jasmine, can you guess where else?
Jasmine Ascencio: The Bay Area?
Renée Bartlett-Webber: Yes! Reporter Ellie Prickett-Morgan went to a practice with the Bay Breakers, to see what it’s all about.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: When Olivia Bernadel-Huey first picked up a rugby ball at Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd high school more than a decade ago, they had no idea what they were doing.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: Do you, do you remember your first game?
Olivia Bernadel-Huey: Um, yes, because I, uh, ran out of the back of the try-zone.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: The try-zone is like the end-zone in American football. You can think of Rugby as football’s cousin, where you only pass the ball backwards, no one wears any pads or helmets, but you’re still doing full tackles.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: The goal is to carry the ball to the end of the field. BUT, in Rugby, you have to actually touch the ball to the ground to score. Olivia, who also goes by OBH, didn’t know that, so they just kept running.
Ellie Pickett-Morgan: Did you get sh*t for that?
Olivia Bernadel-Huey: Um, no. Like, people were like laughing mainly. It was fun. It’s a good memory. [laughs]
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: OBH went on to play for Stanford, and now they’re one of the foundational members of the brand new Bay Breakers.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: Even though this is a pro-league, most players, OBH included, are actually still balancing full-time work or school commitments.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: So, It’s a Thursday, I assume you had work in the morning, like what has your day been like today?
Olivia Bernadel-Huey: I got up, I walked to Bart, hopped on the train, walked to the office, you know, put in a shift, walked home, took a 20 minute nap, and then came here
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: “Here” is practice, at the Roots facility in Oakland, near the airport. It’s close to 9:00pm and the stadium lights are about to turn off.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: Also that shift at the office OBH ever-so-casually mentioned is no light work. OBH is a full-time analyst for San Francisco’s department of homelessness and supportive housing. But instead of veg-ing out after work, OBH is in the cold, running drills.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: Women’s sports are kind of having a moment right now, thanks in part to some exceptional talents like Caitlyn Clark in basketball, or Coco Gauff in Tennis.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: Rugby is no different. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, women’s rugby had record attendance. The USA women’s team, the Eagles, took home a bronze medal — by the way, the men’s team didn’t even place. AND, Eagles Center, Ilona Maher captured the attention of millions with her candid videos documenting the Olympic experience.
Ilona Maher TikTok: Hey everyone, we’re back in the Olympic village testing out the cardboard beds.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: Maher is charming, and she’s bringing rugby to her following of more than 3 million on TikTok and Instagram. She’s since gone on to do Dancing with the Stars, too. Standing in at 5’10” and 198 lbs, she’s also a reminder that femme athletes can and should come in all shapes and sizes.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: For Dr. Jessica Hammond-Graf, that’s why Women’s Elite Rugby is so important.
Dr. Jessica Hammond-Graf: It is powerful, it’s muscles, it’s big women we’re eating a lot, it’s just really exciting.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: Dr. Hammond-Graf, is the W-E-R ‘s first and current president. She’s a former player herself, who made it to the national level. She also wrote her doctoral dissertation on the use of sports in women’s empowerment.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: Dr. Hammond Graf has this vision for the WER that goes beyond just the players. She wants the league to employ women in management, front offices, and coaching, which is rare in the male-dominated world of sports.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: But to do that, the WER has to face the financial challenge of building a brand new league from scratch. Even with great olympic performances and social media influence, women’s rugby still doesn’t have a huge audience.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: There’s also a location problem — WER chose markets for teams where rugby already had some presence. But, some of those markets, like Boston, New York, and the Bay are expensive, meaning it was hard for teams to book stadiums on their home turf.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: OBH and the Bay Breakers might get to practice in Oakland, but this season their home games are happening 90 minutes away in Lodi. On instagram they’re calling themselves “Bay Adjacent, for now.”
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: I went to the Breakers home opening game at Grape Bowl stadium to see how many folks from the Bay were down to make that drive. The answer was a little over 440 people, although some came from even further.
Annie Rej: My name is Annie Rej, and I flew in from Washington, Seattle, just for the weekend to come watch their first home game.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: Annie showed out to support her cousin, Celine Liulamaga, number 8 on the Breakers. Annie was decked out in a custom t-shirt she made with pictures of Celine, photoshopped in a retro 90s style.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: I asked Annie if coming down from Seattle was worth it. She said, enthusiastically, yes.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: Do you think maybe people in the Bay Area can make an hour and a half drive then?
Annie Rej: Oh, that is 100% doable.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: Starting this Saturday, May 10th, the Breakers have four more home games at Grape Bowl stadium, and like all the WER teams they’re counting on ticket and merch sales.
Ellie Prickett-Morgan: For Northgate Radio, I’m Ellie Prickett-Morgan
Jasmine Ascencio: You’ve probably heard of Fight Club – the movie, the secret underground boxing thing. Well, the Bay Area has a twist on that idea.
Renée Bartlett-Webber: This version? It’s for queer and trans folks, and it’s less about beating each other up and more about play, connection, and community. Reporter Edith Matthias went to check it out.
Edith Matthias: I am outside of the wrestling room at the Dreamery which is a warehouse and home for queer and trans folk in Oakland, and it’s a couple of minutes until we’re about to begin the first few wrestling matches at the Queer Fight Night tonight.
Edith Matthias: There’s a lot of energy, the room is packed out, everyone’s pretty excited to get on the mat, and the space is looking wonderful.
Torrey Brownell: The goal of standard grappling is to pin your partner on their back with their shoulders down, back down for a count of 3 seconds….
Edith Matthias: I’m currently here with Torrey, one of the co-founders of Queer Fight Night. And, they are currently putting on their makeup in preparation for the cat and mouse-themed fight that’s about to go down.
Participant: Do you want to sign up?
Participant: Yes!
Participant: Alright let’s do it.
Edith Matthias: So Tory, how did you first get involved with Queer Fight Night and how did this idea kind of come to fruition?
Torrey Brownell: This was definitely a collaborative idea between me and some of the other original organizers, Jordan and Kazan. I had met Kazan at a party, and we like wrestled a little bit and I was like, oh this is kind of silly and fun. Like I didn’t expect it to be anything, and they brought it up like, you know we could do this more often.
Torrey Brownell: And a bunch of other people had been watching us, um, and there was like just a lot of energy of like, this is a really fun thing to be doing, just like kind of casually at a party. And the first one happened. It was just like a small group of like maybe 30 people.
Edith Matthias: Wonderful. And so what is it about the kind of wrestling element do you that think draws people in?
Torrey Brownell: Definitely the really important thing. I think for a lot of our like queer and trans community that are here is like a lot of us have kind of strained relationships with our bodies, and our bodies aren’t always what we want them to be, and our bodies aren’t always like perceived in the ways that we would appreciate them to be.
Torrey Brownell: So having a space that’s like for specifically queer and trans people only, to come and like be around other people whose bodies are changing and whose bodies are at various stages of development and like appreciation, it lets you feel more like able to engage and like touch and to play in aggression in ways that people might not normally be able to or like let themselves get into that until they’re going to space that’s like dedicated to and fostering that.
Edith Matthias: Finally, are you excited for tonight?
Torrey Brownell: Oh, absolutely. I’m super stoked. Our live jazz band tonight is part of a queer jazz group. So it fell into this very silly and very exciting mashup of the queer jazz group and queer fight night, and cat and mouse just goes.
Edith Matthias: I’m here with
Kat Smith: Kat Smith
Edith Matthias: And…
Nancy: Nancy
Edith Matthias: and they’re about to sock wrestle for the first time at Queer Fight Night, am I right?
Kat Smith: Yeah, it’s my first time.
Edith Matthias: Have you been here before?
Nancy: Yeah, but I’m not good at it.
Edith Matthias: Are you guys excited?
Kat Smith: Yeah, I’m stoked. I showed up in my Muay Thai shorts. I didn’t realize it was cat themed, but my name is Kat, so I think I hit on the head either way. And there’s jazz playing, and I’m ready to have a good time.
Nancy: I’m probably gonna get my ass kicked, which is fine.
Edith Matthias: Okay, wishing you love and light, I won’t keep you, have fun!
[“Ready three, two, one, begin…” FIGHT NOISES]
Edith Matthias: So, how was your fight Kat?
Kat Smith: Well, they made us go for three rounds, so I’m pretty gassed. But I felt like, as fair as a fight could be. We were right there 50/50.
Edith Matthias: And Nancy, you’re the reigning champion, how does it feel?
Nancy: I’m tired dude. Kat kicked my ass.
Kat Smith: No but it was fun, I agree, it was like oddly evenly matched, which is cool.
Edith Matthias: Yeah, nice, okay, well, thanks, guys.
Edith Matthias: I’m here with Skye, who is a second time attendee of Queer Fight Night. What’s something you love about the event in general?
Skye Maleachern: It’s chaotic, wacky and just kind of the best part of queer community. I think that it’s quintessentially Bay Area, and it kind of feels like you’re in a bit of a madhouse in the best way.
Renee Bartlett-Webber: That was Edith Matthias for North Gate Radio
Jasmine Ascencio: The city of Albany is tucked between Berkeley and El Cerrito and only occupies about 5 square miles. But this small city has a mayor who’s trying to shake things up in a big way. Nava Rawls reports.
Nava Rawls: It’s Tuesday night at Albany City Hall. City council members, and some dedicated locals, have come together for their bi-monthly meeting.
Meeting Audio: Council member Hanson-Romero. Council member Jordan here. Council member Nikki is attending online from Chicago. Location. You here? Yes, I’m here. Vice Mayor McQuaid here.
Nava Rawls: Council members sit at the front of the room on a curved podium, most of them wearing a button up or a blazer. But in the center seat, there’s a man in a baseball cap that says “Albany, California.”
City Manager: And Mayor Lopez?
Robin Lopez: Here.
Nava Rawls: That’s Robin Lopez, Albany’s mayor. He’s 35-year-old and in a variation of his typical uniform — a short sleeved black t-shirt showcasing a sleeve of tattoos.
Nava Rawls: He was appointed mayor in December 2024 following two years on city council. With that transition of power Lopez made history for the Bay Area town of only 19,000 people.
Nava Rawls: Lopez is Latino and of indigenous Mexican ancestry. He’s the first person with these identities to hold mayoral office in Albany.
Robin Lopez: Albany is known for at one time being one of the locations for the John Birch Society.
Nava Rawls: The John Birch Society is an American right-wing political organization made up of eugenicists who opposed the civil rights movement. In the 60s, Albany housed one of its libraries.
Robin Lopez: I think it’s pretty dope and pretty funny at times that a city that was once like that now has its first Latino mayor.
Nava Rawls: In addition to being mayor, Lopez is a partner, father, and PhD candidate at UC Berkeley’s department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.
Nava Rawls: Growing up a few miles north in Richmond, Lopez became passionate about the environment. His city is home to a Chevron refinery and the community has been harmed by the air pollution it emits.
Robin Lopez: As I got older and realized this isn’t normal, we shouldn’t be worrying about if the refinery is going to catch fire, or flare, or release toxins into the air.
Nava Rawls: Lopez’s time in Albany began when he moved into UC Berkeley’s University Village in 2022. Shortly after moving, he met with Preston Jordan, the mayor at the time, to see how he could become more engaged in the community. Jordan’s suggestion: running for city council. And to Lopez’s surprise, he won.
Nava Rawls: In Albany, members of the council rotate into the mayoral role and Lopez’s turn came in December of 2024, just after the presidential election.
Donald Trump: They’re poisoning the blood of our country, that’s what they’ve done. They’ve poisoned…
Nava Rawls: As the president announced his orders to push out migrants, limit rights for LGBTQ people, and cut Diversity and Inclusion initiatives, Lopez, who was interested in housing issues, made defending these communities his first priority.
Robin Lopez: How do we make sure folks know that they’re safe and that they’re protected, when we got a federal government that’s threatening their existence and their right to be who they want to be freely and unapologetically?
Nava Rawls: Soon after Trump’s inauguration, Albany City Council considered reducing funding for the Racial Inclusivity and Social Equity Commission, also known as RISE.
Nava Rawls: Peggy McQuaid, the Vice Mayor of Albany, advocated for this change.
Peggy McQuaid: The role of any of our advisory bodies is to advise the council, not actually to do the work.
Nava Rawls: “Doing the work” is a role a smaller subcommittee could take on and save the city on funding.
Nava Rawls: But, a couple of community members argued that as a sanctuary city, Albany needs RISE as it is to help support marginalized communities.
Nava Rawls: Following public comment, Lopez gave an impassioned speech in support of RISE. As the only brown member on the council, Lopez believed it was essential for him to raise his voice at that moment.
Robin Lopez: My biggest focus right now is healing at the local level. We’re not insulated from what happens at the federal level. I get that, and I know that from firsthand experience. I’m nervous for a lot of people in my family.
Nava Rawls: In the end, the committee decided to keep the funding for RISE at its current level. In the following weeks, Albany also installed “Sanctuary City” banners around the city, and distributed red cards around town to inform people of their rights as undocumented immigrants.
Nava Rawls: McQuaid, the current Vice-Mayor, said, despite her disagreements, Lopez is easy to work with.
Peggy McQuaid: He’s definitely got that very strong sense of respect and I think he’s very respectful to staff. Mm-hmm. Um, and very appreciative of the work that they do.
Nava Rawls: Lopez’s term as mayor and city council member ends in 2026 and he’s not sure he’ll run again. Lopez never wanted to be a politician, his career goal is to teach at a community college.
Robin Lopez: I don’t need power. I just want to come in and see what I could do in my short time. If I can accomplish what I set out to accomplish, then I’m fine.
Nava Rawls: Among the accomplishments Lopez still wants to achieve: he plans to do a series of “Know Your Rights” workshops, collaborate with the local chapter of the League of Women Voters, and get in touch with local LGBTQ organizations to have more critical conversations about gender identity.
Nava Rawls: For Northgate radio, I’m Nava Rawls
Jasmine Ascencio: Meals on Wheels delivers food to more than five thousand seniors in San Francisco. 40-50% of the program’s funding is federal and…
Renée Bartlett-Webber: Is it being cut by the Trump Administration?
Jasmine Ascencio: Well, they TRIED, but the courts hit pause and the funding is in limbo.
Renée Bartlett-Webber: Reporter Julia Mayer wanted to know what would happen if the cuts went through. SO… she rode along with a delivery to see what EXACTLY is at stake.
Ken Leaf: Meals on Wheels!
Julia Mayer: That’s Ken Leaf. He’s 61-years-old and dressed in a bright orange safety vest. It’s just past one in the afternoon, and Leaf is delivering frozen meals to seniors across San Francisco.
Senior: Who is it?
Ken Leaf: Hi, it’s Meals on Wheels!
Senior: Oh, open the door.
Julia Mayer: I wasn’t able to talk to any of the seniors for this story because of privacy challenges.
Senior: Yeah put it here.
Ken Leaf: Ok.
Senior: Thank you very much.
Julia Mayer: But Leaf, who’s been a driver for Meals on Wheels for three and a half years, showed me what’s at stake.
Julia Mayer: He started during the height of the COVID pandemic. During that time, the need for Meals on Wheels tripled overnight.
Ken Leaf: I never thought I would have taken a job like this, but I felt like at that time in my life, I really needed to make some kind of effort to make someone’s life a little better.
Julia Mayer: Most Meals on Wheels programs rely on volunteers. But, in San Francisco, drivers like Leaf are paid, background-checked, and professionally trained. Leaf is a fill-in driver. He picks up routes when drivers are out sick.
Julia Mayer: Leaf says that Meals on Wheels isn’t just about the food he’s bringing — sometimes it’s the only human contact a senior might have that day.
Ken Leaf: It’s kind of the event of their day for some of these people and they want to have a minute with you.
Julia Mayer: But Leaf says, sometimes he is walking into environments that are challenging.
Ken Leaf: You might hear people screaming, you might hear people fighting. The places were in rough shape, garbage on the floors, and so you’re walking into environments that just feel really wrong.
Julia Mayer: Drivers like Leaf are trained to report concerns to a dedicated team of social workers if senior citizens are sick or living in unhealthy situations.
Jennifer Sweedler: Their driver or their social worker, it’s their family in many cases.
Julia Mayer: That was Jennifer Sweedler, the CEO of Meals on Wheels San Francisco. She says if the federal funding is ultimately frozen or reduced, the non-profit could face an existential crisis.
Jennifer Sweedler: These are life saving critical services that can’t be interrupted. We really need as much certainty as possible in making sure that they’re gonna be maintained.
Julia Mayer: Sweedler says the non-profit is already struggling with the rising costs of food.
Jennifer Sweedler: Our costs, of course, have skyrocketed. Just like everyone’s seen the price of eggs. Food is of course our largest expense, and that’s been really challenging.
Julia Mayer: Nationally, about 37% of Meals on Wheels funding comes from the federal government, mostly through the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program. In San Francisco, on the other hand Sweedler says about half the money for Meals on Wheels comes from fundraising.
Jennifer Sweedler: One of the great things about Meals on Wheels is that it’s a really effective public-private partnership.
Julia Mayer: And Sweedler also points out Meals on Wheels makes good fiscal sense. It keeps seniors healthy and allows some seniors to live independently.
Jennifer Sweedler: We’re able to serve a senior for a year for a fraction of what it would cost to have a senior hospitalized or in a nursing home.
Julia Mayer: I reached out to the Trump Administration for comment but didn’t hear back in time for broadcast.
Ken Leaf: The impact for the clients would be devastating. Yeah, so many of them either don’t have, you know they’re food insecure or or they don’t have the physical capabilities of going out to purchase for themselves.
Julia Mayer: For Leaf, this job has become something much deeper than a paycheck, he’s built relationships. For example, he befriended a costume designer while delivering meals.
Ken Leaf: His apartment was amazing. There were remnants of his decades of work in the apartment. So he would share little tidbits about different people he met. You could see that he had a rich full life.
Julia Mayer: Some interactions aren’t as happy though … like the clients with dementia who sometimes don’t recognize him. But he says, all the moments stay with him.
Ken Leaf: I see how it improves someone else’s life and I get things from it too.
Julia Mayer: As federal budget discussions continue in Washington, thousands of seniors are waiting to see what happens.
Julia Mayer: For North Gate Radio, I’m Julia Mayer.
Renée Bartlett-Webber: That’s it for NorthGate Radio! Today’s show was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan and Robert Strauss.
Jasmine Ascencio: Edith Matthias was our Executive Producer.
Renée Bartlett-Webber: Rick Johnson was our engineer.
Jasmine Ascencio: Queena Kim and Shereen Marisol-Meraji are our faculty advisors.
Renée Bartlett-Webber: North Gate Radio is a production of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. I’m Renee Bartlett-Webber
Jasmine Ascencio: And I’m Jasmine Ascencio, thanks for listening. Make sure to tune in next week!
Individual Stories From Show
Credits
Anchors: Renee Bartlett-Webber, Jasmine Ascencio
Newscaster: NeEddra James
Reporters: Jasmine Ascencio, Edith Matthias, Nava Rawls, Julia Mayer, Ellie Prickett-Morgan
Executive Producer: Edith Matthias
Producer: Robert Strauss
Director: Ellie Prickett-Morgan
Faculty Advisor: Queena Kim, Shereen Marisol Meraji
Engineer: Rick Johnson
Air Date
May 2025