Host Sophia Layne chats with Virginia Chang-Kiraly, a member of both the San Mateo County Harbor District and Menlo Park Fire Protection District Boards, at Surfers Beach in Half Moon Bay, California, as whales spout just offshore and the hum of dredging and beach replenishment pipes fills the air.

Sophia and Virginia walk the shoreline while exploring themes including the delicate balance between economic development and environmental sustainability. From protecting Highway 1 and local businesses to supporting commercial fishing and creating safe spaces for kids and surfers, they highlight how decisions made today ripple far into the future.

This conversation brings the harbor to life — not just as a working waterfront, but as a hub of resilience, sustainability, and community.

Host Sophia Layne walks through Half Moon Bay with Hector Camacho, Executive Director of Equity, Social Justice, and Inclusion at the San Mateo County Office of Education. As they pass by local schools, their conversation turns to what equity really means, why belonging matters, and how communities can take action to make both a reality.

Listen in for a candid and hopeful conversation about belonging, education, and the role we each play in shaping what comes next.

Over pints of beer on the patio at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, host Sophia Layne sits down with co-founder Lenny Mendonca as he traces his journey from management consulting and statewide economic development, where he served as the governor’s chief economic advisor, to nonprofit leadership, small business ownership, and local life on the Coastside. Lenny reflects on bridging divides in California, the urgency of protecting democracy, and why Proposition 50 matters for the nation’s future.