nickel studies and what if we have to the bigger questions? people of color do not receive equal access to healthcare. we are determined to change this. tonight on kqed newsroom, we sit down with oakland's new mayor, who this week announced a plan to build hundreds of units of affordable housing. we will discuss how the mayor is discussing the current surgeon property crime. how much stood the new restaurant makers received? we visit the legion of honor to look at the landscapes from spain in the 19th century. coming to you from kqed headquarters in and francisco,

friday, march 24th, 2023. another violent storm slammed into the bay area this week. many from falling trees or tree limbs. thousands of homes lost power. we will speak with our first guest this evening. first, allow me to share some information about the new mayor. raised in stockton and her parents were immigrants from laos. she grew up in poverty is her 20s she escaped an abusive relationship and couch served as a single mother. after receiving a degree she

went on to serve as a member of the oakland city council when she became elected and mayor tal joins me now. let's talk about the storm. more wet weather is coming next week. there was a man who was killed in oakland by a tree limb falling on him. tell us about the impacts to oakland and how you are coping with that? >> also have lost lives. we have a macro team. they are coming and they are speaking to the community and that is our priority and what we are focused on. it has created all of these potholes that are the size of craters. when we dry up a little bit, we

will implement the pothole blitz. >> that has been a big issue that there are pollens in oakland. >> there are downed trees. that is a big issue with the trees that have fallen on city properties. we have about 200 trees to be taking care of. >> you are beginning your term as mayor and that is what the plan is. what is it, how did you accomplish this thing? >> i am very hopeful for two terms. after the eight years -- >> let's start with four. >> hopefully we will actually break around on my legacy

project. which is the use help. from 16-25-year-olds where they need a longer runway for success like ourselves. for young people, at the age of 18, they should know exactly what they are going to do. some children need a longer runway. in oh linda, half of the kids, 800 students who fall off this cliff of doing nothing. because of that, it is basically a campus. that includes housing and wraparound services, including vocational training if that is what you are interested in, or we can help you get into academia again. creating a safety net for those young people so that we can make sure that those from oakland are successful. >> how will that strengthen

oakland so far? >> we want to show them that we see and we care about you. success looks different for everyone, just as it did for me. not just that, everyone is on thr own timeline. we are here to support that and to encourage success rather than to allow for failure to happen in the city of oakland. >> that is a slow burning project. there are some tires on the front lines right now when it comes to public safety. oakland does have a surge of burglaries it is up to 70% from last year. people say, i cannot get 911 on the line, i have heard stories of people saying that they are moving out of oakland because they do not feel safe. tells about the feeling of safety a note. do you feel safe? is that a concern that others have that you share? >> violent crimes have come down

and property crime is happening across the whole nation. it is actually done by groups different cities to commit g to these crimes. it is so incredibly important that we have a regional task force where the different cities in the bay area region are working together with the district attorneys to ensure that we are following the tracks aware of these organized groups are going to hit of the different businesses. on the other side of it, we need to continue to support other small businesses. we have been doing a lot of work outreaching to these businesses to make sure that they know that we have their backs and that they are tied to the government success. >> the police, even if they come and respond, if they are not taking dna or gathering the

evidence or taking these cases over to the d.a. and they are not charging in these cases. what can you do as mayor to change the system and the steps? >> that is a very valid points that you have stated there. it is about learning what is happening and how are we responding and what is it that we are taking. what are we taking firmware in order to do whatever it is that we need to do, which is customer service. this is something i am happy to be working with chief allison. we have had these discussions over the last month and a half. we have some ideas to roll out soono make sure that we can provide customer service that older businesses and residents deserve in the city of kland. we collect police reports and that will look a lot differt. other mechanisms as well also be, right?

in regards to the district attorney's office, all i know, in the city of oakland, i am looking at every single department to look at how i can stretch that dollar and be able to deliver that effective customer service that everyone deserves. >> you will have some budget issues coming up, right? that goes to pay for the police and fire and other services. >> we look forward in the next few years. $1 million deficit in the next few years. we have to cut. are lues permitting, we have to be cognizant of delivering the services that are needed to ensure that young children and families are kept safe.

i have met with every single department and we want to finalize this budget in a really responsible way. >> you did make an announcement this week that there would be 1000 units of affordable housing that will be built. and the need beyond that you have announced now. measure you was not a x increase at all. it will allow us to that that housing that we need online. teacher housing with moderate rate housing. i announced the $50 million where we will be able to build out 1000 units. that is 1000 in units from all

we need. this is what you are legally supposed to do in that city. it is 26,900 units. that is huge over the next few years. >> plans for how to build next, do you have a next step? we will be launching reforms. if it is affordable housing. there is a strike team. we have to get housing up. this will help with the on house community. we need that to come down. as a single mom with my child living in my car, if there is a

tent at the park, i will not send my kid. i do not know if that person is having a bad day, i will not risk it. it is all about working families. getting the unhoused into dignied housing. it is not dignified. >> everyone is going to come together and for oakland a's, there is a lot of concern that they are going to leave. have there been recent negotiations and talks? >> yes. negotiation is really recent. >> tell me all about it. i am all ears.

>> i am very optimistic. with oakland values, we have seen what has happened with the deal that was struck with the raiders. that was not a good deal for oakland. >> what does that mean? >> we are not going to be left holding the bag of money and responsibility to pay back a huge debt. it will not rely on oakland's tax dollars. >> will there be an announcement anytime soon? >> i cannot answer that. we are in negotiations. >> thank you so much for coming on. your very first visit with us. i hope it will not be the last. we look forward to what you accomplish in the next four years. >> thank you so much for having

me. as you know, the bay area is home to an innovative food landscape. we pride ourselves on what we need, where it comes from and how it is made. what about those who make the dining experience as possible. i am joined by the president of one fair wage. president of the research center at uc berkeley. honored of a champion of change and named the san francisco chronicle visionary of the year. welcome. >> thank you for having me. >> telling about the problems you are seeing at the intersection of food and labor right now? >> the food system as a whole has about 20 million workers, that is one in five private actor workers. it is the lowest paying part of the economy for decades and generations. within the food system,

restaurants are 13.6 million, the overwhelming number of workers work in restaurants and they are the lowest paid of the food system and the economy as a whole, that is unfortunate because the restaurant industry has been one of the fastest growing employers for many decades, it has many workers going back to emancipation. >> how did we get here? >> is a very sad part of the american history. tipping originated in europe on top of a wage. when it came to the united states from americans he did it, they rejected it, some states band tipping, in 1865 at emancipation, the restaurant industry was able to access free black labor and you will not get a wage annual live on

tips. it was the first time anywhere in the world where it was mutated to becoming the wage itself. we went from a zero dollar wage in 1865 which became the law as part of 1938 and now it is $2.13. as i mentioned, is not a sliver of the economy, it is the fastest growing sector to this day. 43 states continue with a sub minimum wage and many of them are under five dollars an hour. some got rid of this many decades ago. even here in california, the fact that the restaurant industry, that is so huge, the fact that it is the lowest paying industry is a direct remnant of the original history of the restaurant workers being

free labor and the lowest paid workers in america. >> the federal minimum wage average, when taping is included, where do workers end up on the hourly wage? >> we have to understand who these workers are. with tipped workers or restaurant workers, people think they are teenagers, people working in very fancy end fine dining restaurants, the majority of tooth workers are women from emancipation until is day, overwhelming lee it is women. they are mostly women working in casual restaurants and bars across california and the country and they struggle with the highest rates of economic instability and sexual harassment out of any workforce in america.

they get a three dollar wage with tips, the medium wage for tipped workers in america is still around $11 an hour with tips. the problem is that we see the happens where there friday and saturday nights where you might leak and less money. they experience tips not only bringing them to the minimum wage. the obama administration found employers actually ensuring that the tips are bringing people to the minimum wage. they are earning less than the minimum wage because they are earning it two dollars on a slow day. tips are not bringing them to full minimum wage. even worse when the workforce is women and single moms, they are vulnerable. relying on tips makes them vulnerable to harassment. the highest rates of sexual

harassment in the united states. the expert on sexual harassment has said that the restaurant industry has higher rates of sexual harassment than any other industry that she has studied beside the military. when you have a workforce of women putting up with so much to feed their kids on tips, they will do whatever it takes. >> your argument is to say, let's raise that minimum wage for everyone. >> that is right. a full and livable minimum wage. >> how much is that? the cheapest county in california, from one person in a two-parent or two child household is -- in the county where the cost of living is the

least in the state of california. whatit cost to live in that county for one person in a two- parent household is $23.75. in san francisco, it is closer to $40 an hour. the minimum wages $15.50. have to raise the wage to get people closer to what it actually cost to live. wages are suppressed for so long and wildly out of step with what people actually need and deserve, and that is entirely due to the lobbying of the restaurant association. >> you are working to shift some of the weight of the money that employees and employers have to pay to make all of this work and you want to shift the licensing fees from employees to employers. this is a small amount.

a $15 payment that employees have to make in order to have a california food handling license. they want the employers to pay for that. it is a small amount. don't you have bigger fish to fry? >> it is a really big fish. the reason that the wages are so suppressed. in 1919, the restaurants formed the national restaurant association trade lobby, whic is one of the most powerful in the united states. they've been around since 1919 and they fight to keep the wages as low as possible. they are the trade lobby that has had the most voice and power on minimum wage in this country. a couple years ago i was leaked information from someone inside the national restaurant association, majority of their lobbying dollars does not come

from the chain corporations, it actually comes from workers, for years, they have been required in california to take this food handling training in the national restaurant association has served safe. they passed a decade ago that all 2 million workers have to take this training and pay for it. the lobbying budget doubled when they got california workers to do this. they have been forcing workers to pay for lobbying against their own wage increases without these workers knowing it. >> you are taking this fight across the nation. this is not just a california fight that you have here. you can see the link between what this work is of uplifting these wages, the lowest paid workers and democracy.

>> that is right. something pretty amazing happened during the pandemic. a lot of people died. it has had huge impact on work and democracy. two thirds of them told us that they cannot access unemployment because they could not see that harassment was down. take off your mask. and when they were asked on the same people from whom they had to get tips, they started leaving. 1.2 million workers have left this industry. thousands of restaurants are raising wages. some restaurants, $35 plus tips in order to get people to come back. this was our moment. we have to go pick. we have a campaign where we are

moving legislation in 25 states to raise wages and get rid of the legacy of slavery. ohio, michigan, arizona, he can have impacts on the presidential race. it is important to note that the workers in those states have told us, why would i vote? i have seen democratic and both parties come through, my wages still three dollars in ohio, why would i vote? when i amorking two and three jobs, i have to feed my kids, why will i vote? it has no impact. putting the workers wages directly on the ballot is going to be a way to get them to vote. these workers mostly don't vote. when they are there, they vote for people that support many of the things that people in the bay area support.

and they agree with us on a lot of issues. the minimum wage has been frozen for 31 years under democratic and republican administrations because of the national restaurant association. if we value democracy and we want to make sure we still have a democracy, we have to support these workers in their effort right now to demand higher wages. >> it is a difficult situation out there. you have given us so much to think about. thank you first coming on. the president of one fear wage. thank you for coming on today. san francisco's legion of honor museum has a vast collection of treasured artworks.

it is a work of art in itself and has been a central destination for our lovers since 1924 bit museum is hosting an exhibit featuring the works of john singer sargent. that is something for tonight look at something beautiful. ♪

>> a beautiful place to duck inside the exhibit if it is rainy or you can wander the grounds when it is dry like it is supposed to be this weend. tribute to longtime bay area reporter and anchor who passed away at 81. you might remember him from the

show. once working as a reporter for kqed newshour. >> join us tomorrow at 7:30. good night. >> that is the end of the show night. will see you right back here next week. if you want to share your comments or questions, you can email us, or you can find a kqed online or on twitter you can reach me on linkedin. thank you for joining us, have a great weekend.

john: tonight on pbs news weekend, the growing health concerns about so-called forever chemicals and what can be done to avoid them. then, as tcher shortages hit schools across the country, we look awhy there are so few black men leading classrooms. and a new documentary raising awareness of endometriosis, the often debilitating disease that's difficult to diagnose. >> this is a human iue. every single viewer watching this right now is affected by endometriosis. >> major funding for pbs news weekend