Central Coast Voices

Dr. Mario Espinoza-Kulick as he speaks with Dr. Sally Hawkins of Westmont College about a new $2.4 million teacher residency grant developed in partnership with Santa Barbara Unified School District. They will discuss how this initiative aims to reduce financial barriers, support multilingual and first-generation teacher candidates, and build a more representative educator workforce for Central Coast students.Listen live Thursdays from 1-2 pm on KCBX.

The City of Santa Maria's Japanese Community Center opened June 8, 2026 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Learn about the history and people who made it happen in this July 24, 2025 episode of Central Coast Voices with host Lata Murti and her guests, Jo Anne Nishino Spencer, President of the Santa Maria Japanese Community Center, and Wes Koyama, Santa Maria Japanese Community Center Vice-President.Listen live Thursdays from 1-2pm on KCBX

Kris Kington Barker speaks with Thalia DeWolf, RN, CHPN, Nursing Education and Hospice Outreach Coordinator for the Academy of Aid in Dying Medicine and co-author of Advances in Aid-in-Dying Clinical Care. They will explore what California has learned from ten years of data, including clinical outcomes, changes driven by that experience and more. You are invited to visit aadm.org for more information about the Academy of Aid in Dying Medicine.Listen live Thursdays from 1-2pm on KCBX

This week on Central Coast Voices, we’re tackling a major national issue with local expertise. In a critical election year, understanding congressional redistricting and the voting process is more important than ever. Host Fred Munroe talks with Cal Poly Political Science Professor Michael Latner, who will break down the last two years of shifts surrounding the Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment—and what they mean for the preservation of our republic.Be part of the conversation Thursdays from 1-2pm on KCBX

Dr. Mario Espinoza-Kulick speaks with Becca Lucas Thomas of the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe to discuss what recent developments means for Indigenous land stewardship, and how tribal leadership continues to shape environmental protection, cultural revitalization, and Land Back movements on the Central Coast.Listen live Thursdays at 1 on KCBX

Join host Lata Murti and her guests, Shushana Hakobyan of Shell Piano Trio and composer Dr. Deon Nielsen Price of Music for Unity, as they discuss the upcoming concert, Postcards from Armenia. The concert features work by Armenian composers and also the world premiere of Dr. Nielsen Price's composition "Conversation with Komitas."Listen to Central Coast Voices Thursdays from 1-2pm on KCBX

This week on Central Coast Voices, host Kris Kington Barker is joined by guests from the Pacific Legal Foundation (PFL), a public interest law firm that defendsAmericans’ liberties when threatened by government overreach and abuse. They'll be discussing how every year, they represent hundreds of Americans, free of charge, who seek to improve their lives but are obstructed by the government. How PLG gives them their day in court to vindicate their rights and set a lasting precedent to protect everyone else. The second half of the show will focus on current cases that specifically impact California.Join the conversation live Thursdays from 1-2pm on KCBX

Fred Munroe sits down with Dr. Penny Borenstein, San Luis Obispo County’s Health Officer and Public Health Administrator. Dr. Borenstein is retiring in July and we appreciate her giving us an opportunity to look at local healthcare issues and successes we have faced together on the Central Coast. You are invited to listen, learn, and participate in this conversation, Thursdays at 1pm on Central Coast Voices on KCBX

Join host Dr. Mario Espinoza-Kulick for a conversation with members of Preserve Cayucos LLC about housing, development, tourism, and the future of our coastal communities. Guests Vicki Tamoush, John Carsel, Harley K. Dubois, and Sharon Borradori will discuss why Preserve Cayucos was formed, how local residents are responding to concerns about affordability and quality of life, and why the upcoming county supervisor election matters for the communities living in Cayucos.Live with your calls Thursday from 1-2pm on KCBX

In this best of presentation, Kris Kington Barker talks with Jamie Metzger, Director of Grief Support and Education for Hospice SLO County. Loss, especially the death of a loved one, is among life's greatest stressors. It can affect us in physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social, spiritual, and practical ways. Kris and Jamie will discuss different types of grief, researcher findings that can be helpful to people who are grieving, and tips for how to provide support for the bereaved.Hear the conversation Thursday from 1-2pm on KCBX

The American Academy of Poets declared April National Poetry Month in 1996. To celebrate its 30th Anniversary, San Luis Obispo County Poet Laureate Caleb Nichols; Poet and Coastal Dunes California Writers Club’s Acting President and Vice President Viviana Hall; and Librarian and Advisor of Allan Hancock’s Poetry and Prose Club, Sharaya Olmeda, join host Lata Murti. Guests share their poetry and upcoming poetry events during this pre-recorded episode.

What is the role of an Ombudsman for nursing homes, board and care, and other licensed residential facilities in San Luis Obispo County? Kris Kington Barker speaks with Karen Jones, Executive Director for the Long Term Care Ombudsman Services of SLO County on Thursday at 1 pm. Call in and participate on KCBX.

Host Fred Munroe looks at Cuesta College’s Music Department's Audio Technology program, which goes far beyond what we historically think of when focusing on community colleges. You are invited to listen, learn, and participate in this conversation, Thursday at 1pm on Central Coast Voices.

Join host Dr. Mario Espinoza-Kulick for a conversation to discuss pesticide exposure as a pressing public health and environmental justice issue on the Central Coast.We will discuss the power of community organizing and how residents can learn more, report concerns, and get involved in upcoming local campaigns.Be part of the conversation live Thursday from 1-2pm on KCBX.

Join Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center's Executive Director Erika Weber, Coastal Stories Documentarian Chachi Ramirez, and Film Producer Melanie Backer as they talk to host Lata Murti about all there is to discover at the Dunes, and how you can help to support this historic site and its Center.Join the conversation live with your phone calls from 1-2pm Thursdays on KCBX.

Today, Kris Kington-Barker's guest is End-of-Life Doula, Gabrielle Jimenez, founder of The Hospice Heart, to discuss the role of a doula in our country's aging and seriously ill population and decline in healthcare resources.Join the conversation live Thursday from 1-2pm on KCBX

Today on Central Coast Voices, host Fred Munroe will be talking with the folks from the Family Care Network. Join Fred as we learn more about the role of the Family Care Network and it’s work supporting the efforts of parents within our community.Listen and participate live Thursday from 1-2pm on KCBX

Dr. Mario Espinoza-Kulick talks about the environmental, public health, and economic risks of expanded offshore oil and gas development off the Central Coast. Guests Charles Varni, Chair of the SLO Surfrider Chapter and Gianna Patchen, Sierra Club Santa Lucia Chapter Coordinator, will discuss what’s being proposed, the potential consequences of these proposals, and what local communities can do to shape the outcome.Hear Central Coast Voices live every Thursday from 1-2pm on KCBX

In the 2nd of a two-part series, Co-Executive Directors Connie Alexander and Audrey Gamble join host Lata Murti to talk about Gateway Educational Services. Restaurateur Feben Teffera joins during the second half of the show to talk about Ebony SLO and how you can help its future on California's Central Coast.

Kris Kington Barker talks with Jamie Metzgar, Director of Grief Support and Education for Hospice SLO County. Loss, especially the death of a loved one, is among life's greatest stressors. It can affect us in physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social, spiritual, and practical ways. Kris and Jamie will discuss different types of grief, researcher findings that can be helpful to people who are grieving, and tips for how to provide support for the bereaved.Hear the conversation Thursday from 1-2pm on KCBX

This week on Central Coast Voices, host Fred Munroe and theleadership team of “100 Women Who Care, San Luis Obispo” willshare their insights with us.We will learn about their simple, yet straight forward philanthropicefforts, which have turned small individual contributions into over$300,000 of support for local non-profits organizations. We willalso learn about how you can be a part of this semi-annual project.Listen and participate live Thursdays from 1-2pm on KCBX

Join host Dr. Mario Espinoza-Kulick for a conversation with Cal Poly historian Dr. Farah Al-Nakib, about Mawtini, a Central Coast oral history and community archive documenting Arab American life through stories of home, memory, and belonging. Along with Mawtini narrators Vicki Tamoush and Iyad Jamaly, we’ll explore why oral history matters as a tool for community storytelling and advocacy, what it means to speak your story into the record, and how this project helps build recognition and solidarity across Central Coast communities. View the collection at mawtinislo.org.

In the first of a two-part series, Captain Pat Walker of The FriendSHYP Club and Gloria Mantooth, also known as Soul Fyah, join host Lata Murti to talk about their businesses, how they started, and what they offer the San Luis Obispo and Lompoc communities, as well as the Central Coast at large.Be part of the live conversation Thursday from 1-2pm on KCBX

Paula Mathia Fryer, Senior Director, SLO Partners, Jennifer Clayton, Director of Student Success, SLO Partners, and Ryan Dunn, CEO , Mantis Composites, talk with host Kris Kington-Barker about SLO County's recently reached milestone: 1,000 residents gaining new job-relevant skills. They will discuss ongoing cost-of-living pressures influencing career and workforce decisions locally, and what this signals for the local workforce and economy.Listen Live and call in Thursday from 1-2pm on KCBX

Fred Munroe is joined by Restorative Partners, to discuss their ongoing work to break the cycle of crime and incarceration, Join the conversation Thursday at 1pm on Central Coast Voices.

Join host Dr. Mario Espinoza-Kulick on Central Coast Voices for a conversation about Behind Barbed Wire Redux, a multimedia history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II and its lasting impact on the Central Coast. Guests Dr. Deon Nielsen Price, former internee Margaret Nakamura Cooper, and Dr. Brian Asher Alhadeff will share about the role of music and storytelling in preserving memory and highlight an upcoming performance at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts.Hear Central Coast Voices Thursdays from 1-2pm on KCBX

Join Kris Kington-Barker and her guests, Dr. Denise Taylor, local HIV Specialist & Gender Affirming Care Provider, and Trevor Norcross, a father of a transgender teen, to discuss why there is so much public outcry and concern about transgender students. Together, we will explore facts versus misinformation about a topic that, in recent years, has received local and national attention, both politically and in the news media.Listen Live Thursdays from 1-2pm on KCBX

In this episode of Central Coast Voices, host Fred Munroe and his guests will take on a common topic for this time of year, doing our taxes.Joining Fred are members of the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program. This Tax-Aide program is, supported by a team of local volunteers provides tax assistance for free, to anyone, with a special focus on low-to-moderate taxpayers over 50.Listen live Thursday from 1-2pm on KCBX

Join host Dr. Mario Espinoza-Kulick for a conversation with leaders from End Kids Cancer, a San Luis Obispo–based organization working at the forefront of pediatric cancer research, family navigation, and prevention. Listen and participate live Thursdays from 1-2pm on KCBX