Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, and Coach Steve Kerr of the Warriors - together on stage with Manny in San Francisco, November 3, 2025. Two of San Francisco's most innovative and inspirational leaders discuss leadership, technology, the Warriors, OpenAI, and how San Francisco has played an important role in their lives.

Since last Thursday, questions have erupted about the future of President Biden as the Democratic nominee. What's going on?

Kosman will flip his notebook closed and join Chronicle Theater Critic Lily Janiak to discuss criticism, the arts and memorable shows.

Join Manny's and the Cal Academy of Sciences for an exciting conversation on green spaces, biodiversity, and climate in our cities!

Join Chronicle real estate reporter Laura Waxmann and experts to hear about the past, present and future of San Francisco’s retail heart!

2025 will be the inagural season of the Golden State WNBA team. We are SO excited to welcome this franchise, the players, and all the amazing WNBA energy to our city. On April 17th, the President of the new team, Jess Smith, will sit down with Danette Leighton, CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation, and Axios reporter, Megan Rose Dickey, to talk about the future of the team, the impact it will have on our city, and what's involved in this exciting process! Come with all your questions for Jess and Danette and let's show this team some love.

Join us for a special afternoon fireside chat!

As San Francisco faces a state housing mandate, there are many unanswered questions about new state and local laws, how the city may change, and whether these changes will be enough to meet our housing needs. On Aug. 24, The San Francisco Standard hosts a conversation with State Sen. Scott Wiener and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar on the impacts of new legislation and what work still needs to be done to build an affordable and livable city for everyone.

Chronicle photojournalists share how they cover the city, from celebrating Black hair to documenting protest movements & the fentanyl crisis

Manny's welcomes SPUR and UC Davis law professor Chris Elmendorf to our Living Room for a conversation about San Francisco's notorious “Nordstrom’s parking lot” housing development. Simply put, why can't we seem to get any new housing built in San Francisco?

Jane Fonda is on a mission to get Big Oil out of American Politics. Listen as she and Manny talk all about the midterm elections, the Jane Fonda Climate Action PAC and the power to change the future.

San Francisco's newly appointed District Attorney Brooke Jenkins sits down with Manny for a fireside chat to discuss her role in the recall of her predecessor, her new role as one of San Francisco's top law enforcement officials and her plans and goals for the future of San Francisco.

What does it mean to queer religion at a Catholic university? What is it like to be queer and the Rabbi in residence at a Catholic institution? Come listen as Rabbi Angel shares their experience, research and field notes from teaching at University of San Francisco and leading the queer flagship Congregation Sha'ar Zahav for 15 years. Are you a current student? Email the word "caffeine" and the title of this event to angelina@welcometomannys.com for a complementary ticket Manny's never turns away anyone for lack of funds. To receive a complementary ticket just email the word "grapefruit" and the title of this event to darian@welcometomannys.com. About Rabbi Camille Angel: Camille Shira Angel, an adjunct professor in the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice, is also an ordained rabbi from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and the author of articles including "Crafting a Liturgical Mirror," in the wonderful new anthology The Sacred Encounter: Jewish Perspectives on Sexuality, and "Ruach Acheret-Ruach Hakodesh: Different Spirit-Sacred Spirit" in Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible. She was the spiritual leader of the queer flagship Congregation Sha'ar Zahav from 2000-2015, where she edited and contributed to a radically inclusive prayer book, Siddur Sha'ar Zahav. Her primary interests lie in being a mother and a loving companion while balancing the weight of the world and attempting to make forward progress on all matters concerning equality and justice — personal, communal, national, and global.

The planet is on fire, the weather is changing, and the water is rising. What is happening with the climate? Ties between the climate and our health are old as time, but modern data and methods help illuminate exactly how serious those effects can be. In this talk, Prof. Anttila-Hughes provides an overview of what we know about how the climate impacts child health, outlining the many ways agriculture, sanitation, disease, and other factors influenced by the climate threaten health around the world. A particular concern is what these effects mean in a changing climate, and Prof. Anttila-Hughes marshals recent evidence on El-Niño to outline how the global community should respond as climate change worsens through the 2020s." About Jesse Anttila-Hughes Ph.D.: Professor Anttila-Hughes received his PhD in Sustainable Development from Columbia University. His research focuses on understanding the social impacts of environmental processes, particularly those influenced by environmental degradation and climate change. Professor Anttila-Hughes' current research areas include: public health impacts of the climate; behavioral responses to new information about environmental risks; and determinants of the spread of environmental attitudes and ideas.

Originally released in 1892, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes has become an important classic in the world of crime fiction. From books to movies and even television, Sherlock Holmes has penetrated modern day culture. What does this mean for larger issues like crime, law, and safety? Join us as Professor Aviram discusses the role Sherlock Holmes played in the birth of crime science and crime prevention. About Hadar Aviram, Ph.D.: Professor Hadar Aviram specializes in criminal justice, civil rights, law and politics, and social movements, and her research employs socio-legal perspectives and methodologies. Her first book Cheap on Crime: Recession-Era Politics and the Transformation of American Punishment (UC Press, 2015, winner of the CHOICE Award for Academic Titles) analyzes the impact of the financial crisis on the American correctional landscape. Her second book The Legal Promise and the Process of Justice (Cambridge University Press, 2019) is an anthology of studies inspired by the work of Malcolm Feeley. Her third book Yesterday’s Monsters: The Manson Family Cases and the Illusion of Parole (UC Press, 2020) examines the California parole process through 50 years of parole transcripts in the Manson Family cases. Prof. Aviram publishes, teaches, and speaks on domestic violence, behavioral perspectives on prosecutorial and defense behavior, unconventional family units, animal rights, elder abuse, public trust in the police, correctional policy and budgeting, violence reduction, theoretical trends in crime and punishment, and the history of female crime and punishment. She served at the President of the Western Society of Criminology and on the Board of Trustees of the Law and Society Association, and is currently the Book Review Editor of the Law & Society Review. One of the leading voices in the state and nationwide against mass incarceration, Prof. Aviram is a frequent media commentator on politics, immigration, criminal justice policy, civil rights, and the Trump Administration. Her blog, California Correctional Crisis, covers criminal justice policy in California. Prof. Aviram holds LL.B. and M.A. (criminology) degrees from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Ph.D. in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from UC Berkeley, where she studied as a Fulbright Fellow and a Regents Intern. She is a member of the California and Israel Bars. Prior to joining the Hastings faculty in 2007, she practiced as a military defense attorney in Israel and taught at Tel Aviv and Haifa Universities.

What role does gaming have in shaping society? How do video games help create the imagery of the future? What do post-apocalyptic cities in video games represent on a larger scale? Come join us as Dr. Emma Fraser and Dr. Ian Kivelin Davis explains the role of video games in society and what it means to game the end of the world. About Ian Kivelin Davis, Ph.D.: Ian Kivelin Davis earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois and joined the faculty at UC Berkeley in 2018. His research and teaching focus on international media, news industries, media history, and critical media analysis. Dr. Davis researches global news organizations and the role of foreign news outlets in North America. Taking a public-interest approach to global media, Ian’s work details the relationship between media industries (i.e. Comcast, Disney) and commitments to democratic principles like diversity, pluralism and free expression. Research Interests: International news, media policy and economics, history, advertising, globalization About Emma Fraser, Ph.D.: Emma Fraser is an Assistant Teaching Professor in Media Studies and the Berkeley Center for New Media at UC Berkeley. Emma's research considers space and place, modern ruins, and visual media in relation to urban experience and the writings of Walter Benjamin and the Frankfurt School. Emma also researches and writes about games and play across sociology, geography, game studies and media and cultural theory. Emma teaches digital media methods, digital storytelling, game studies, and new media theory and practice to graduate and undergraduate students.

More than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's Disease. What can be done to help those who are living with this disease? Join us at Manny's as Professor Olaru discusses deep brain stimulation that may serve as a potential therapy mechanism for those who may have Parkinson's Disease. About Maria Olaru: Maria Olaru is a PhD candidate at UC San Francisco, where she studies the basal-ganglia cortico-thalamic circuit of patients with Parkinson’s Disease in Dr. Philip Starr’s lab. Her research interests include investigating electrophysiological neural markers for motor states with neural and wearable sensors, developing BCI feedback algorithms that optimize gamma entrainment throughout the stimulation frequency-amplitude parameter space, and modeling these experimental phenomena. In her spare time, she enjoys experimenting with NYT cooking recipes, long-distance running, and the occasional outdoor climbing adventure. Throughout her academic career, she’s also developed a deep appreciation for comprehensive documentation and complete sentences.

This lecture will focus on the life and legacy of the British Romantic poet, Percy Shelley (the husband of Frankenstein creator, Mary Shelley), the British author who drowned off the coast of Italy 200 years ago this year. Professor Miranda (University of San Francisco) will shed light on what a poet from so long ago can tell us today about women’s liberation movements, social justice and racial equity, the means and ends of mass protest and revolt, the dynamics of gender and sexual fluidity, the ills of climate change, the urgency of environmental “rewilding,” and the social rewards of vegetarianism and veganism. Through some readings of Shelley's poetry, Professor Miranda will also discuss how and why were civil rights leaders such Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as philosophers such as Karl Marx inspired by the Shelleyan imagination, including how Shelley and other young authors of his time launched the legacy of the neglected genius artist that we recognize through musicians such as Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, Selena, and Tupac Shakur. Join us as Professor Miranda explains the influence and power of imagination for our politics.

On August 16, 2022 Random House will publish the trade paperback of MIDNIGHT IN WASHINGTON: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could, with a new afterword by the author Adam B. Schiff, United States Representative from California, and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In his singular and explosive first book, Congressman Schiff chronicles step by step just how our form of government became so imperiled during the Trump presidency, and traces his own path to that moment — from serious prosecutor, to congressman with an expertise in national security and a reputation for bipartisanship, to liberal lightning rod, scourge of the right and archenemy of a president. Schiff takes readers into privileged settings and private conversations, and behind the scenes with his team of impeachment managers as they mounted a desperate defense of the constitution. In the years leading up to the election of Donald Trump, Congressman Schiff had already been sounding the alarm over the resurgence of autocracy around the world, and the danger that posed to the United States. But as he led the probe into the President’s Russia and Ukraine related abuses of power, Schiff came to the terrible conclusion that the principle threat to our democracy now came from within. Midnight in Washington provides a vital inside account of one of America’s darkest hours, and also serves as a warning: The Trump presidency has so weakened our institutions and compromised the Republican Party that the threat to our democracy will last for years, requiring unprecedented vigilance against a uniquely American form of authoritarianism, and an anti-democratic fervor now embraced by a large segment of the public.

What does it mean to be a successful young person? Education cost has been skyrocketing for years across the country. Sadly, for most students in 2022 to pursue things like college they must make the decision to take on loans that will follow them for years. How can we redefine student success and improve higher education so student swill no longer have to go bankrupt for a college degree? Join us as San Francisco State University President Lynn Mahoney discusses these hard and complex questions about higher education in the 21st century. About President Lynn Mahoney, Ph.D.: Lynn Mahoney serves as the 14th president of San Francisco State University, one of the nation’s premier urban comprehensive universities. She leads more than 3,900 faculty and staff as they serve a student population of nearly 30,000. The first woman appointed to serve as the University’s president in a permanent capacity, Mahoney succeeded Leslie E. Wong, who retired in July 2019. President Mahoney serves on the board of directors for both the Bay Area Council and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the Bay Area Higher Education Council, the San Francisco Workforce Investment Board and the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025 Advisory Committee. Mahoney was also appointed to serve on San Francisco’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force. President Mahoney has been recognized for her work in support of student success and academic excellence by the CSU Long Beach Office of Students with Disabilities, the Purchase College Student Government Association and the United University Professions. In 2021, the California State Student Association (CSSA), the single recognized voice for more than 425,000 students in the CSU system, named her the Robert C. Maxson President of the Year. Mahoney has spent her academic career working on issues related to enhancing student learning and faculty success and is committed to providing San Francisco State students with an exceptional educational experience. Approximately 8,500 students graduate from SF State each year and the Gator alumni family is more than 321,000 strong. The University’s distinguished alumni can be found in virtually every walk of life. Their accomplishments include 21 Pulitzer prizes, 16 Oscars, the invention of the microprocessor, and (jointly with SF State faculty) the discovery of the first exo-planets beyond the solar system. Prior to her appointment at SF State, Mahoney served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Los Angeles. Earlier in her career, she served as the associate vice president for undergraduate studies and interim vice provost & dean of undergraduate studies at California State University, Long Beach. Mahoney served in a variety of leadership roles at Purchase College, State University of New York, including associate provost for Integrative Learning and vice president for student affairs. Mahoney received a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in History from Rutgers University. She is the author of “Elizabeth Stoddard and the Boundaries of Bourgeois Culture” and has lectured extensively on the construction of whiteness in the U.S. and the construction of gender globally.