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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

California Wildfires: Learning to Live in the New Abnormal
Press Play with Madeleine Brand

California Wildfires: Learning to Live in the New Abnormal We’ve just had some terrible fires: Woolsey, Camp, Thomas. More of those fires will come again -- bigger and hotter. Californians need to figure out how to cope with this new reality, and plan ahead. We broadcast a portion of Press Play’s live event: “California Wildfires: Learning to Live in the New Abnormal.”

53 min Dec 14, 2018

A call to prepare for the next natural disaster
The 805

A call to prepare for the next natural disaster A local environmentalist says we should spend more time and money preparing for natural disasters than responding to them. A Ventura resident who lost his home in the Thomas Fire says rebuilding is taking longer than he’d hoped. Local animal shelters are becoming critical evacuation centers. And California counties must now hold public meetings on their relationship with federal immigration agents.

29 min Dec 07, 2018

One year later, Ojai reflects on the Thomas Fire in a new book
The 805

One year later, Ojai reflects on the Thomas Fire in a new book A year after the Thomas Fire began, a new book out of Ojai tells stories of the community’s destruction and regrowth. Cuddle groups are popping up all over the place, including Santa Barbara. And, according to a newly released report, sea level rise could cover nearly two-thirds of Santa Barbara city beaches by 2100.

28 min, 38 sec Nov 30, 2018

The Tallest Man on Earth at UCSB’s Campbell Hall
KCRW Features

The Tallest Man on Earth at UCSB’s Campbell Hall A Swedish folk singer with a voice that hearkens back to Bob Dylan’s heyday will perform at UCSB’s Campbell Hall this week. Kristian Matsson is better known by his stage name -- the Tallest Man on Earth. But contrary to what the name suggests, his music is noticeably understated.

5 min, 10 sec Nov 27, 2018

Who will get displaced by a new Santa Barbara police station?
The 805

Who will get displaced by a new Santa Barbara police station? The city of Santa Barbara says it needs a new police station, but building one means displacing either farmers or lawn bowlers. The Woolsey has not only destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate, but it’s displaced a diverse mix of wildlife. And a new contemporary art exhibition takes a deep dive into the most famous art heists in history.

29 min, 55 sec Nov 16, 2018

Following three tragedies: two fires and a mass shooting in Ventura
The 805

Following three tragedies: two fires and a mass shooting in Ventura On the heels of a deadly mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, two blazes in the area are forcing more than 100,000 residents in Ventura and L.A. Counties to evacuate their homes.

29 min, 20 sec Nov 09, 2018

A Santa Barbara doctor learns to treat his own pain
The 805

A Santa Barbara doctor learns to treat his own pain At the peak of his career as a palliative care doctor in Santa Barbara, Michael Kearney found himself burned out and in a state of personal suffering. Even though he had become an expert in treating the pain of others, he couldn’t treat his own. That changed when he had a revelatory experience that provided him with a path forward. Meanwhile, the November election is just days away, a look at what could happen to the Central Coast if California voters pass Proposition 10.

30 min, 8 sec Nov 02, 2018

Proposition 6 fuels debate among Central Coast commuters
The 805

Proposition 6 fuels debate among Central Coast commuters California and the Trump Administration finally found something to agree upon: offshore wind farms, which could be coming to the Central Coast. In the wealthy enclave of Montecito, an expensive race is shaping up for the local water district. Also, we’ll explain two local measures in Santa Barbara County that appear almost identical and run through the pros and cons of the state gas tax repeal.

29 min, 30 sec Oct 26, 2018

Implicit bias training discriminates against white people, anonymous parents say
The 805

Implicit bias training discriminates against white people, anonymous parents say Author Pico Iyer returns to Santa Barbara to preview his upcoming speaker series. Columnist Starshine Roshell brings us inside the surprisingly large world of local trivia nights. And more controversy at the Santa Barbara Unified School District, as a group of anonymous parents threatens to sue school leaders over an implicit bias training program it claims discriminates against white people.

30 min, 30 sec Oct 19, 2018

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

Recommended

Proud to shut down
Left, Right & Center

Proud to shut down President Trump says he’ll gladly take dire action if Congress won’t fund his border wall.

51 min, 31 sec Dec 14, 2018

One Year Later: Rebuilding from the Thomas Fire
KCRW Features

One Year Later: Rebuilding from the Thomas Fire This week marks one year since the Thomas Fire descended on the city of Ventura. It burned more than 500 homes within city limits. Since then, roughly half of those properties have received the green-light to start construction, but only a handful have actually broken ground. We visit one neighborhood where some of the first homes are getting rebuilt.

3 min, 23 sec Dec 05, 2018

California Gets Back into Presidential Politics
To the Point

California Gets Back into Presidential Politics In 1972, California clinched the presidential nomination for Democrat George McGovern. Since then, the biggest state has become an ATM for candidates of both parties. But starting in 2020 all eyes will be on California as it moves its primary up to a month after the Iowa caucuses.

48 min, 4 sec Dec 12, 2018

'Mr. Cohen should have known better'
LRC Presents: All the President's Lawyers

'Mr. Cohen should have known better' President Trump's ex-personal lawyer Michael Cohen is sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for what the judge called a “smorgasbord of fraudulent conduct.”

28 min, 29 sec Dec 12, 2018

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