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PROFILE

Jonathan Bastian
Jonathan Bastian

Morning Anchor, Santa Barbara

Jonathan Bastian is an award-winning public radio host. Prior to KCRW he worked for Louisville's NPR station (WFPL), and also created and hosted a weekly TV program that aired on PBS stations across six states. He has interviewed numerous influential writers, thinkers and policy makers, including Salman Rushdie, Congressman John Lewis, Jared Diamond, Michael Chabon, Oliver Sacks, Barbara Kingsolver, and many others. His work has aired nationally on NPR's All Things Considered and been published on NPR.org.

FROM Jonathan Bastian

Are state-mandated gender quotas legal?
The 805

Are state-mandated gender quotas legal? California becomes the first state to impose gender quotas on corporate boards, but will the new law make it through legal review? It’s a close race for the 25th Congressional seat in Ventura County, as Democrats try to flip the district from red to blue. A wine from the Central Coast plays a lead role in “Somm 3,” and artists debut performances inspired by the Thomas Fire and subsequent mudslides.

30 MIN, 30 SEC Oct 05, 2018

An aging Ventura levee at risk of collapse
The 805

An aging Ventura levee at risk of collapse The race for two open seats on the Santa Barbara Unified School Board is heating up. Engineers say an aging levee in Ventura could put thousands of homes at risk. A new documentary connects the dots between the 2015 Volkswagen scandal and the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. Lois Capps opens up about her time in Congress and how she relied on her faith to get her through two family tragedies.

30 MIN Sep 28, 2018

Valley Fever is spreading, and climate change may be to blame
The 805

Valley Fever is spreading, and climate change may be to blame Cases of Valley Fever are spiking along the Central Coast. If Governor Jerry Brown wants to decrease the state’s carbon footprint, why is he approving new onshore oil drilling? A journalist tours a ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley owned by McDonald’s tycoon Ray Kroc. And starting next year, female surfers will earn the same amount of prize money as male surfers.

29 MIN, 45 SEC Sep 21, 2018

This year’s wine harvest is off to surprisingly normal start
KCRW Features

This year’s wine harvest is off to surprisingly normal start From severe droughts to wildfires, California wineries have had to deal with some freakishly irregular harvest seasons over the past few years. But so far, the 2018 harvest is off to a slow, steady, surprisingly normal start.

3 MIN, 59 SEC Sep 19, 2018

How to fill Santa Barbara’s emptying main street
The 805

How to fill Santa Barbara’s emptying main street A third of the storefronts along downtown State Street in Santa Barbara sit vacant, and the city is trying to change that. Park officials in the Santa Monica Mountains say four new mountain lion kittens are a product of inbreeding. Latinos in Santa Barbara are speaking out about evictions, rent increases, and lackluster landlords. And a new storytelling workshop open to the community begins next week.

29 MIN, 27 SEC Sep 07, 2018

A clean sweep of riverside homeless encampments in Lompoc
The 805

A clean sweep of riverside homeless encampments in Lompoc Police officials in Lompoc are kicking homeless people out of an encampment along the Santa Ynez river. A local entrepreneur says his product reduces the risk of shark attacks. The United Farm Workers labor organization has a new female president. And legal warfare is about to break out in Santa Barbara over three recreational marijuana dispensaries that got the green light earlier this summer.

29 MIN, 49 SEC Aug 31, 2018

Will logging the Los Padres help stop wildfires?
The 805

Will logging the Los Padres help stop wildfires? Officials with the Los Padres National Forest want to create fire breaks to protect communities from wildfires, but environmentalists worry about the harmful effects of commercial logging. Writer T.C. Boyle’s latest piece of fiction in the New Yorker tackles survivors guilt after the mudslide in Montecito. And residents in Santa Barbara are invited to tour the city’s new desalination plant for the first time.

30 MIN Aug 17, 2018

At the Santa Barbara Bowl, a community concert of world-class proportions.
The 805

At the Santa Barbara Bowl, a community concert of world-class proportions. This Saturday, LA Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel will lead students from the Music Academy of the West and the LA Master Chorale in Mahler’s Symphony Number 2, the “Resurrection," at the Santa Barbara Bowl. As wildfires continue to rage throughout the state, Southern California’s biggest utility company is taking steps to make sure it doesn’t start a future fire. And, a look at whether fuel breaks work to stop blazes, plus other top local stories of the week, including a cascarone controversy during Fiesta.

29 MIN, 54 SEC Aug 10, 2018

You can soon buy stock in Santa Barbara-based speaker company Sonos
KCRW Features

You can soon buy stock in Santa Barbara-based speaker company Sonos Sonos, a high-end, wireless speaker company based in Santa Barbara, is hitting the stock market. The company expects to raise more than $250 million dollars in its initial public offering - set for next week. But, Sonos faces some fierce competition. Smart technology has taken off in the past few years, with new voice-activated speaker products by big names like Amazon, Google, and Apple.

4 MIN, 8 SEC Jul 27, 2018

Coastal advocates intervene in Hollister Ranch settlement agreement
KCRW Features

Coastal advocates intervene in Hollister Ranch settlement agreement A team of coastal rights activists has banded together to stop a deal from going through that would essentially cut off access for good to Hollister Ranch, a pristine stretch of coastline in Santa Barbara. According to the Coastal Act, all beaches are open to the public, but Hollister Beach sits next to private property, and wealthy homeowners who live there don’t want to public visitors in. A legal challenge filed this week intervenes in an agreement reached quietly between the state Coastal Commision, the California Coastal Conservancy, and the Hollister Ranch Owners Association, which would allow some access to the 8.5-mile coastline, but many say not enough.

7 MIN, 24 SEC Jul 25, 2018

Santa Barbara’s outsized role in the craft chocolate revolution
KCRW Features

Santa Barbara’s outsized role in the craft chocolate revolution Santa Barbara is a small city, but it’s played a large role in the rise of the craft chocolate industry. Local “bean-to-bar” chocolate makers were some of the first in the country to begin roasting their own cocoa beans, and their businesses don’t seem to be slowing down.

4 MIN, 10 SEC Jul 25, 2018

UCSB researchers say heat waves are getting worse, and we can do something about it
KCRW Features

UCSB researchers say heat waves are getting worse, and we can do something about it We know summers are typically hot, but does it feel even hotter than usual? Researchers at UC Santa Barbara say heat waves like the one we’re experiencing right now represent an alarming climate trend.

4 MIN, 6 SEC Jul 24, 2018

In Oxnard, a new housing inspection program targets the city’s slumlords
KCRW Features

In Oxnard, a new housing inspection program targets the city’s slumlords The city of Oxnard is taking steps to crack down on hundreds of property owners who repeatedly violate safety codes by creating a housing inspection program called “Safe Homes, Safe Families." It's intended to target slumlords who force tenants to live in substandard housing, but could lead to displaced residents who live in overcrowded units.

4 MIN, 37 SEC Jul 23, 2018

California is on fire year-round. Is climate change to blame?
KCRW Features

California is on fire year-round. Is climate change to blame? When it comes to heat waves, fires, and severe flooding, a lot of attention is given to how they started -- from faulty electrical lines and drought conditions to major storms and weather patterns. But one UCSB professor thinks the media is leaving out the larger cause: climate change.

4 MIN, 44 SEC Jul 20, 2018

Santa Barbara votes to ban plastic straws in city
KCRW Features

Santa Barbara votes to ban plastic straws in city Councilmembers voted this week to ban them, along with styrofoam to-go containers. Environmentalists applauded the decision, saying plastics account for a substantial amount of the trash in our oceans. But some restaurant owners say government officials shouldn't be telling them what products they can and can’t hand out to their customers.

4 MIN, 22 SEC Jul 18, 2018

Did Goleta residents get Holiday Fire emergency alerts in time?
KCRW Features

Did Goleta residents get Holiday Fire emergency alerts in time? Officials in Santa Barbara are discussing what went right, and what went wrong the night the Holiday Fire broke out in Goleta earlier this month. One major issue was getting timely emergency alerts out to the people who needed them the most.

4 MIN, 12 SEC Jul 17, 2018

Recommended

Inside the company helping LA County change its elections
KCRW Features

Inside the company helping LA County change its elections Big changes are coming to L.A. County elections starting in the year 2020. You’ll see 11 days of voting, not just one, ballots on high-tech touch screen terminals instead of paper and all new election software. Los Angeles County isn’t making the changes by itself. It has a partner in the effort, a private company that’s headquartered abroad and was once the focus of federal investigators. Is it a company that voters can trust with improving its elections?

5 MIN, 41 SEC Oct 08, 2018

Voter Suppression, Climate Change and the President
To the Point

Voter Suppression, Climate Change and the President As America prepares to vote again, a question remains from 2016: are the Russians still “meddling” with US elections? Meantime, are Republican election officials in Georgia and Kansas suppressing the vote to serve their own interests? Those updates and the latest on climate change: President Trump says, maybe it’s not a hoax after all.

36 MIN, 6 SEC Oct 17, 2018

Keeping it fresh
Zócalo's Connecting California

Keeping it fresh The intersection of Salinas, California and Yuma, Arizona is in your salad bowl.

5 MIN, 14 SEC Oct 18, 2018

Crossing borders, in mind and in the flesh
The Mixer

Crossing borders, in mind and in the flesh The U.S. border with Mexico has become a linchpin in American politics under the administration of Donald Trump.

19 MIN, 1 SEC Oct 12, 2018

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