Home » *Top Pick*, Community, Downtown San Francisco, In Person, Lectures & Workshops, Literature, Political Activism

City on the Edge: Book Talk with Jonathan Weber & Charlie Zeitlin

Thursday, August 13, 2026 - 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm | Cost: FREE*
*RSVP | Donations Accepted

KALW | 220 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA

Event Details

Join KALW for an intergenerational conversation about the future of San Francisco, technology, and democracy for the Straight to It podcast.

On August 13th, City on the Edge author and co-founder of The San Francisco Standard, Jonathan Weber, will join Straight to It for a live episode at KALW’s studio for the station’s Bay Made Showcase event series!

The Financial Times calls Weber’s book “[a] fascinating look at how political mismanagement and the pursuit of boundless tech power have changed America’s counterculture heartland.”

Before co-founding the Standard, Jonathan was named the first-ever Silicon Valley reporter for the Los Angeles Times. He later served as editor-in-chief of The Industry Standard, known as the bible of the first dot-com boom.

Join us at 6:00 pm at 220 Montgomery Street for an interview on the modern history of San Francisco, the forces that have shaped it today, and what its future might hold!

Jonathan Weber was named the Los Angeles Times’s first-ever Silicon Valley reporter in 1990. He was later editor in chief of The Industry Standard, a chronicle of and bellwether for the first dot-com boom, and oversaw West Coast news and global technology coverage for Reuters. He was most recently the editor in chief of The San Francisco Standard.

Charlie Zeitlin is a high school student from Palo Alto, CA and currently a Youth Production Assistant at KALW. When Charlie was 11, he started the Straight to It podcast, which has hosted over 80 leaders in politics, media, academics, and business. Charlie is also a TEDx organizer, hosting TEDx Baylands Park Youth in 2024—and more recently, bringing TEDx to his school for an audience of 300+ people. In addition, Charlie is a youth advocate who serves as a member of the Palo Alto Youth Council and as Vice Chair of the California Association of Youth Commissions. In his spare time, Charlie loves reading (especially history), hiking, and spending time with his two dogs Bodhi and Sadie

The Straight To It podcast hosts conversations with leaders in government, journalism, business, the humanities and beyond.

Each episode shares the story of a new guest and provides listeners with an understanding of fascinating people and the work that animates them.

Tune in every two weeks for conversations with guests that have included a member of the U.S. Congress, the Editor of Foreign Affairs, and an Emmy-winning film producer.

There is a $10 – $20 sliding scale suggested donation for this event. Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Thank you for supporting engaged, informed community events, made by the Bay, for the Bay.

Become a KALW member today and receive your first drink on us at all 220 Montgomery events.

220 Montgomery St., San Francisco, 2 blocks from BART/MUNI
Doors open at 6:00
Program begins at 7:00
Refreshments for donation (and KALW members get their first one on the house)
The event is free with an RSVP — and you are welcome to donate what you want

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.


Cost: FREE*
*RSVP | Donations Accepted
Categories: *Top Pick*, Community, Downtown San Francisco, In Person, Lectures & Workshops, Literature, Political Activism
Venue: KALW
Address: 220 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA

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