Issues & Ideas

Issues and Ideas is a show that features a wide variety of people sharing their thoughts and perspectives about local issues, initiatives and events on the Central Coast. You might hear a policy maker discussing new regulation, an artist sharing their creative process, an entrepreneur exploring sustainable business practices, or an author talking about her latest book.Regular contributors and segments include: the KCBX News team; Carol Tangeman on a variety of local issues and people, travel correspondent Tom Wilmer's Journeys of Discovery; Father Ian Delinger's Playing With Food; Literary Reviews by Brian Reynolds; Dr. Consuelo Meux's Nonprofit Story; Robin Coleman on animal welfare; Stu Soren on local issues; and Mira Advani Honeycutt on wine; along with many other occasional contributors from our Central Coast community. Meher Ali produces, edits, contributes interviews, and anchors the program.

Episodes

Celebrating AAPI month with Samoan poet William Giles, Paso women winemakers talk business, wine and lapis lazuli, and an aviation entrepreneur shares why San Luis Obispo is the perfect base of operations

May 12, 2025 • 58 mins

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander or AAPI Heritage Month. In celebration of this, Issues and Ideas invited MT Vallarta, pronouns they, them, theirs, a poet and Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at CalPoly, to be in conversation with William Nuʻutupu Giles, pronouns he/they, who is a poet, Samoan writer, and arts educator. Giles was in San Luis Obispo on May 7th, 8th, and 9th to do poetry readings and workshops at Cal P...

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International student visa revocations, the future of abandoned boats in Morro Bay, Robin Greenfield's experiments in non-ownership, and a volunteer's tribute to the Live Oak Music Festival

May 6, 2025 • 58 mins

Professor Jared Van Ramshorst from Cal Poly's Department of Political Science talks to KCBX's Meher Ali about recent student deportations and visa revocations that have impacted international students across the country, including at Cal Poly. Then, KCBX’s Adam Solorzano reports on a state grant received by Morro Bay that will enable it to demolish abandoned boats docked at the Marina. Then, KCBX's Brian Reynolds is in conversation...

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Congressman Salud Carbajal on the state of our democracy, Fr. Ian travels to Guadalupe for locally-made sausages, and a peace activist shares their story of how they got banned from Israel for 99 years

April 28, 2025 • 58 mins

Congressman Salud Carbajal speaks with KCBX’s News Director Monica Lopez and KCBX reporter Gabriela Fernandez about the current administration’s policies and actions and what resonated with him at the Town Hall meeting that he co-hosted with Senator Adam Schiff at Cuesta College on April 22nd. For Playing with Food, KCBX's Fr. Ian Delinger travels to Guadalupe to ask, "What's in a sausage?" He talks to Ernesto Valle, the owner of L...

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Celebrating the history of our county's diverse workforce, Jennifer Adams on the impact of potential federal funding cuts on survivors, and Elaine Genasci reflects on two decades of keeping felines healthy and safe on the coast

April 21, 2025 • 58 mins

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Poets from SLO County celebrate National Poetry Month, Immigrant winemakers on their journey from "cellar rats" to entrepreneurs, and seeing the world through the SLO International Film Festival

April 7, 2025 • 58 mins

April is National Poetry Month, and we invited Caleb Nichols, the Poet Laureate of San Luis Obispo County, to gather local poets from the region to do a poetry reading session at our studio. Caleb hosts the segment. Mira Honeycutt, host of Wine Country, speaks to winemakers Edgar Torres and Enrique Torres about their journey to making Spanish wines in Paso Robles. Then, the San Luis Obispo Film Festival starts April 24th and contin...

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Ira Glass on storytelling and documenting our times, making handmade caramels with entrepreneur Erin Holden, and a nonprofit's fundraiser to boost school band programs

April 1, 2025 • 59 mins

Marisa Waddell, KCBX Program Director, is in conversation with Ira Glass, the creator, producer, and host of This American Life. Ira is touring with a show called An Evening With Ira Glass, Seven Things I’ve Learned, and he’s coming to the San Luis Obispo Performing Arts Center on April 5th at 8 pm. Here, he shares his thoughts about what makes a great radio story and the importance of documenting our times. Next, KCBX's Fr. Ian De...

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Monarch butterflies and why their survival is key, Mothers for Peace on advocating for Diablo Canyon's closure, the Santa Barbara Transgender Advocacy Network and a brief history of birthright citizenship

March 26, 2025 • 58 mins

KCBX Programming Intern Sam Doyle-Jacobson's interview with Randy Widera, Director of Programs for California State Parks Foundation, where he discusses the decline in monarch butterfly populations and why their survival is key. Linda Seeley and Jane Swanson, board members of San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, speak with KCBX's Meher Ali about their concerns related to the Diablo Canyon Power Plant and why they continue to advocate...

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Following Harry Belafonte in Santa Barbara, Wine for Paws weekend and a wine memoir about working the 1995 crush on California's Central Coast

March 18, 2025 • 58 mins

Susanne Rostock, director of “Following Harry,” a documentary about the life of singer, actor and activist Harry Belafonte, speaks with KCSB reporter Kelly Darroch about her lifelong friendship with Belafonte. The documentary was featured at this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Then, for Peace, Love and Pets, Robin Coleman of Woods Humane Society talks to Sarah Tomasetti, organizer of Wine 4 Paws Weekend, about pa...

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Vintners carrying the Paso Cab flag, nurturing youth learning through the loop of music and how Dignity Health's hospitals serve the Central Coast

March 10, 2025 • 59 mins

We have a brand new segment here on Issues and Ideas! It’s called Wine Country and it’s hosted by wine journalist Mira Honeycutt. Mira is in conversation with Paso Vintners Gary Eberle, founder of Eberle Winery, and Jerry Lor, founder of J. Lor Vineyards and Wines, about Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles. Sarah Mason, founder of the nonprofit Infinite Music, talks to KCBX Programming Intern Sam DJ about the long-term learning ben...

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Amanda Wernik on the Refugio pipeline, California's Wheat2School program, SLO Repertory's Million Dollar Quartet and a poetry reading to honor Refaat Alareer

February 24, 2025 • 57 mins

KCBX reporter Amanda Wernik talks about why it's important for her to report on the Refugio pipeline. Fr. Ian Delinger visits schools in San Luis Obispo County to learn more about California Wheat Commission's Wheat2School project. KCBX reporter Alyssa Toledo's story about the musical Million Dollar Quartet playing at the San Luis Obispo Repertory Theater until March 9th and what sets it apart from other productions. And my intervi...

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Central Coast's first-ever cat cafe, Cal Poly's Mariachi ensemble, musician Chencho Perez's journey and author Yang Huang on her life and writing

February 17, 2025 • 59 mins

KCBX's Robin Coleman talks with Jaime Pierce, owner of the Caffeinated Cat Cafe in Grover Beach for Peace, Love and Pets. Sam DJ, Programming Intern at KCBX, talks to members of Cal Poly's Mariachi ensemble about their heritage and what Mariachi means to them. From the California Report, reporter Benjamin Purper talks to Chencho Perez, a musician, who is part of a community of artists celebrating and experimenting with Norteño musi...

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Maureen Zawalick on Diablo Canyon's safety and future, fulfilling end-of-life dreams at Dream Makers SLO and sips of wisdom on building a brand

February 10, 2025 • 57 mins

Jim Dantona, host of Working Lunch and CEO of San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce sits down with Maureen Zawalick, Vice President of Business and Technical Services at PG&E to talk about the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. KCBX's Brian Reynolds talks to Reilly Newman, co-author of a new book, along with his business partner Scott Saunders, titled “Brandy: 101 Sips of Wisdom For Attaining a Successful Brand.” Dr. Ronda Beaman, Ex...

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Music education and the SLO Youth Symphony, scholarships to honor Dr. King, SLO County's immigrant community and the NIH funding pause

February 4, 2025 • 59 mins

Grace Seng, Music Education Manager of the SLO Symphony, in conversation with Marisa Waddell, KCBX's Program Director about music education and the SLO Youth Symphony. Mary Matakovich, Board President for the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. High School Memorial Scholarship Fund, speaks to Sam DJ, Programming Intern at KCBX, about honoring Dr. King through scholarships for SLO high schoolers. One of the founders of SLO County UndocuSup...

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Lee Herrick, California's poet laureate, affordable pet boarding and the Garagiste Wine Festival

January 27, 2025 • 59 mins

Lee Herrick, the poet laureate of California in conversation with Caleb Nichols, the new poet laureate of San Luis Obispo County. Robin Coleman for Peace, Love and Pets speaks to Isabelle Gullö from Care for Paws and Katie Bean from Creekside Pet Boarding, about their efforts to make pet boarding more affordable in San Luis Obispo County. KCBX’s Father Ian Dellinger traveled to Paso Robles this past November to attend the Garagiste...

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New California laws, reflecting on the Live Oak Music Festival, UCSB's researchers speak against war and a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum

January 13, 2025 • 58 mins

A summary of state laws taking effect this year, from the California Report. Frank Lanzone, KCBX Director and General Manager, and Greg Perry, Development Director and key organizer of the Live Oak Music Festival chat with KCBX's Meher Ali about their best moments at Live Oak. Festival tickets go on sale January 20th at 10 am. Researchers Against War is a group founded by grad students at the University of California, Santa Barbara...

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Navigating life in a divided nation, the Morro Bay Bird Festival and the concerns of undocumented immigrants living on the Central Coast

January 7, 2025 • 58 mins

Tania Israel, author and Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of California at Santa Barbara, speaks with KCBX’s Brian Reynolds about her new book Facing the Fracture: How to Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation. Registration is open at this year’s Morro Bay Bird Festival that starts on January 16th until the 20th. Bob Revel and Susie Reddy, from the Festival's planning committee, talk to KCBX's Car...

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Son Care Foundation, Visit SLO CAL, protecting Monarch butterflies, and the Run SLO club

December 17, 2024 • 58 mins

Rhys Jensen of Son Care Foundation discusses the ways the nonprofit is saving lives through the human-canine bond. Cathy Cartier, Visit SLO CAL’s CEO, shares insights about San Luis Obispo County’s non-profit tourism promotion organization. Devon Szalva, a student reporter for KCSB radio, spoke with researcher Ethan Anadon about the challenges facing monarch butterfly habitats. KCBX’s Allysa Toledo looks at the impact of the Run SL...

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African Californios, a journey from Nanjing to SLO, and immigration policies

December 10, 2024 • 58 mins

Cal Poly Professor Cameron Jones and student Anthony Herrera talk with KCBX's Meher Ali about the African Californios Project. Journalism professor Yan Shan shares her journey from Nanjing to Cal Poly with KCBX’s Tom Wilmer. UCSB student reporter Ashley Segat speaks with UC Santa Barbara professor Alfredo Gonzalez about what immigration policies could look like under the Trump administration.

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Pearl Harbor Day, chronic pain- part 2, and Playing With Persimmons

December 3, 2024 • 59 mins

December 7th is National Pearl Harbor Day, and back in 1991, KCBXs Tom Wilmer created a short radio story chronicling two fictional SLO High graduates of the class of 1942. Also, you’ll hear part two of Brian Reynolds’ interview with David Hanscom, MD, author of Back in Control: a Surgeon's Road Map out of Chronic Pain and Douglas Garland, MD, author of The Tall Poppy Syndrome: the Joy of Cutting Others Down. KCBXs Alyssa Toledo ta...

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