Best Melanie Newton Podcasts (2025)

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SGV Connect 140: Reclaimers in Housing 33:30

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18d ago33:30

33:30

In SGV Connect 138, Streetsblog talked to Benito Flores and others in the Reclaimers movement that were helping him resist eviction in the Caltrans owned property he was living in. The Reclaimers are a group of formerly unhoused people who moved into Caltrans-owned properties in 2020 to both put a roof over their heads during a public health crisis…

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SGV Connect 139: ICE 22:31

2M ago22:31

22:31

Episode 139 of SGV Connect focuses on the impact of ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids on the communities in the San Gabriel Valley. Both interviews were conducted by Chris Greenspon. The first is with Estrella, a resident of El Monte who witnesses the crushing impact of the ongoing threat of ICE raids in her community. The second is…

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SGV Connect 138: Reclaimers Resisting Eviction 39:43

2M ago39:43

39:43

This week’s SGV Connect reconnects with the Reclaimers (full coverage), the group of formerly homeless people that moved into Caltrans-owned houses at the start of the pandemic without the agency's permission. Over the past five years, the Reclaimers have been on a legal odyssey that’s involved not just Caltrans and the three cities where the trans…

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SGV Connect 137: Olympic Cricket in Pomona 35:27

3M ago35:27

35:27

Episode 137 of the SGVConnect Podcast is part two of our Olympics preview and focuses on the upcoming Olympic cricket tournament coming to the Pomona Fairplex. In the first interview, Streetsblog editor Joe Linton interviews Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval. The far-reaching interview covers other topics, including Pomona’s response to the actions of Pres…

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SGV 136 - Preparing for LA 2028 with Alissa Walker 26:07

4M ago26:07

26:07

This week kicks off a multi-episode mini-series at SGV Connect focusing on the LA 2028 Olumpoc games and what the events can mean for San Gabriel Valley Communities. This first episode features an interview with Alissa Walker, co-host of the LA Pod and editor of the Torched Newsletter. When not hanging out with celebrities and appearing on Netflix …

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SGV Connect 135.2 - Memories of El Monte 21:42

6M ago21:42

21:42

Last week, Chris visited the mutual aid group Memories of El Monte's bi-weekly food distribution at the Klingerman Apartment projects in South El Monte to interview group members and get an update on the construction of their physical location, The People's Cafe. The regular food distribution gives the community the opportunity to receive $200 wort…

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SGV Connect 135.1 - An Update on the Gold Line Foothill Construction Timelines 14:43

6M ago14:43

14:43

(Note: this week’s SGV Connect podcast is being broken into two parts. Part 2, which is a series of interview about The People’s Cafe in El Monte, will be broadcast tomorrow.) Last week, news broke that bids for the next extension of the Foothill Gold Line - from Pomona to Montclair - would be delayed because the only bid to design and build the pr…

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SGV Connect 134: Mutual Aid in the fallout of the Eaton Fire 38:19

7M ago38:19

38:19

The Eaton Fire has left a tremendous scar on Southern California’s culture and politics for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, it’s stopped advancing for some time now, but the statistics are still top of mind: 17 dead, 14,000+ acres burned, 9,000+ structures destroyed, 1,000+ structures damaged. During the early weeks of the fire, social media wa…

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SGV Connect 133: Introducing StreetSmart 19:22

8M ago19:22

19:22

Ok, I’ll admit it. I’m using this week’s SGV Connect to encourage listeners to start listening to my other podcast, StreetSmart which appears at Streetsblog California. This week’s SGV Connect features clips from three different StreetSmart interviews. The first is with Jeanie Ward-Waller where we de-mystify the California Transportation Commission…

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SGV Connect 132 - Melanie Curry, Signing Off 39:41

8M ago39:41

39:41

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SGV Connect 131 – Foothill Transit AMA with Felicia Friesema 27:36

9M ago27:36

27:36

Foothill Transit’s Director of Marketing and Communications joins Streetsblog Editor Damien Newton for an ask-me-anything style interview probing the bus agency’s recent trials and successes. Friesema took questions on: how Foothill’s bolstered services to Mt. San Antonio College and Cal Poly Pomona will connect with soon to open Metro A Line servi…

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SGV Connect 130 - Streetsblog Editors Recap the 2024 Election 40:56

10M ago40:56

40:56

The post-election special featured a pair of Streetsblog editors, Joe Linton of Streetsblog L.A. and Melanie Curry of Streetsblog California, joining Damien Newton and Chris Greenspon. Most of the talking was done by Curry, Linton and Newton, and the trio kicked off the discussion by outlining the impact of the Trump administration on federal trans…

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SGV Connect 129: Looking at Measures A and G 31:22

11M ago31:22

31:22

With many mail-in ballots already in voters hands, it's time for the SGV Connect election special. This week we talk with a pair of experts about two ballot measures that L.A. County voters will decide this fall. First, Damien interviews Supervisor Hilda Solis about Measure G. Measure G was put on the ballot with the support of three of the five Su…

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SGV Connect 128: Habib Balian 11:35

12M ago11:35

11:35

With the Foothill Gold Line Extension to Pomona at 90 percent completion, SGV Connect pays another visit to the Construction Authority’s office to chat with chief executive officer Habib Balian. The podcast can be found below, but you can read a transcript of it by clicking here. For clarity’s (or maybe confusion’s) sake, we are of course referring…

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SGV Connect 127: Looking Back at This Year’s Legislature 34:32

1y ago34:32

34:32

Just last week, the legislative session for the year ended in Sacramento meaning a batch of legislation was passed that, if signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, would change the way the state conducts its transportation business. In this episode of SGV Connect, co-host Damien Newton goes it alone, interviewing Streetsblog California editor Mel…

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SGV Connect 126: Melissa Mora Hidalgo and Jonah Kanner 50:22

1y ago50:22

50:22

This week's SGV Connect returns to our regular formula with a pair of interviews by Damien Newton and Chris Greenspon. First, Chris interviews Melissa Mora Hidalgo, a queer entertainment writer living in Whittier. The interview goes back and forth between fun and serious, as the two discuss both her work and the performative allyship that occurs du…

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SGV Connect 125: A Sweatshop Documentary Comic Strip 16:34

1+ y ago16:34

16:34

This week Chris brings us a special feature interview with artist Isabel Pan. Pan is the artist in residence at C.A.S.A Zamora in El Monte. Her project has been a documentary-style, slice of life comic strip depicting the impact of sweatshop labor and refugee crises on the children of immigrants in the San Gabriel Valley. Pan’s subject is the son o…

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SGV Connect 124: Reclaimers and Rick Cole 1:22:27

1+ y ago1:22:27

1:22:27

This week’s SGV Connect continues our theme of focusing in on various areas of the SGV for our podcast episodes by looking at the Greater Pasadena area. First, Damien and Chris traveled to El Sereno to meet with some of the Reclaimers, unhoused residents of El Sereno who moved into Caltrans owned properties during the pandemic. Benito, Sandra and F…

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SGV Connect 123: The Upcoming Election in Alhambra CD4 44:17

1+ y ago44:17

44:17

This week's SGV Connect is focusing on the election to replace Councilmember and Vice-Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez of Alhambra. Pérez has given up her seat to run for the State Senate. Chris interviews Nicolas Kiet Quach, the president of the Alhambra Library Board of Trustees. While only 18, Kiet Quach is no newcomer to politics having worked for and w…

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SGV Connect 122: Glendora 31:15

1+ y ago31:15

31:15

We continue our tour through the San Gabriel Valley with an episode focused on the City of Glendora, known as the Heart of the Foothills. It might surprise you if you're not familiar with what's going on at this small suburban community, but Glendora is working hard to build out a bike network, calm traffic on its streets, build up a downtown in it…

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SGV Connect 121, El Monte Region: David Diaz and Pedro Gonzalez 28:31

1+ y ago28:31

28:31

Welcome to the first SGV Connect podcast of 2024! We start our new year with the first in a new series that focuses on different regions and communities in the San Gabriel Valley and examines both the state of their mobility projects and cultural and community projects. This week, both interviews were completed by Chris Greenspon. The first is with…

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SGV Connect Special Edition : Happy Anniversary, Foothill Transit 15:03

2y ago15:03

15:03

Last Friday, Foothill Transit celebrated its 35th anniversary with a party in the parking lot of its West Covina headquarters. Joe Linton and Chris Greenspon were among those on-hand and they had a chance to catch up with a handful of people that helped shape Foothill Transit's past and will guide the agency into the future. Those short interviews …

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Special Edition : Jeanie Ward-Waller 23:56

2y ago23:56

23:56

Jeanie Ward-Waller is not a household name in California, but until recently she may have had the most important job in the state as far as Streetsblog readers are concerned. Ward-Waller served as the Deputy Director of Planning and Multimodal Programs at Caltrans, where she not only oversaw many of the great programs that we regularly highlighted …

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SGV Connect 120: Basking in the Glow of ArroyoFest 26:55

2y ago26:55

26:55

This week's SGV Connect podcast is a special episode where the Streetsblog San Gabriel Valley team, Chris Greenspon, Joe Linton and Damien Newton, sit down and discuss the great success that was ArroyoFest 2023. All three were at the event but experienced it differently with Linton and his family biking the route, Newton completing the "Run the 110…

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SGV Connect 119: GoSGV and Carribean Fragoza's Scary Bike Crash 40:00

2y ago40:00

40:00

This week’s SGV Connect Podcast looks backward at the first year of the GoSGV Bike Share program and looks forward to Halloween and ArroyoFest. First, we speak with Jose Jimenez, the education director for Active SGV about the GoSGV’s first year, celebrated earlier this month. There are over 100 bikes being rented monthly at the moment and over 400…

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SGV Connect 117: Arroyofest 34:33

2y ago34:33

34:33

This week's SGV Connect breaks our regular mold as Streetsblog L.A. editor Joe Linton conducts both interviews on the past and future of ArroyoFest which returns at the end of this month, on Sunday October 29th when a portion of the I-110 will be closed to cars and open to other uses in the morning. First, Linton interviews Robert Gottlieb and Marc…

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SGV Connect 117: Councilwoman Adele Andrade Stadler and Steve Farley 33:56

2y ago33:56

33:56

This week's SGV Connect features a pair of interviews that will change and improve the lives of residents of the San Gabriel Valley. First, we talk with Alhambra Councilmember Adele Andrade-Stadler. Andrade-Stadler is the winner of this year's Elected Official of the Year award given by ActiveSGV at their Noche de las Luminarias. You can read more …

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SGV Connect 116: Strategic Parking Plan and Safe Parking in Pasadena 48:00

2y ago48:00

48:00

This week's SGV Connect focuses on two different parking programs in Pasadena. As the city closes in on approving its Strategic Parking Plan, we welcome retired UCLA economics professor and parking pricing guru Donald Shoup. Shoup's The High Cost of Free Parking which is still considered essential reading for urban planners decades after its origin…

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SGV Connect 115: Connie Tamkin and the SGV Community Land Trust 41:13

2y ago41:13

41:13

This week’s SGV Connect Podcast is the second part of a two part series on housing and tenants issues in the San Gabriel Valley and features Connie Tamkin, the president of the San Gabriel Valley Community Land Trust. If you missed part one of the series with Allison Henry, one of the leaders of the San Gabriel Valley Tenants Council, you can find …

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SGV Connect 114: Allison Henry and the SGV Tenants Council 22:44

2y ago22:44

22:44

This week’s podcast is the first in a two-podcast mini-series looking at housing issues in the San Gabriel Valley. In this podcast, Damien and Chris talk to Allison Henry, an SGV housing justice organizer with LA Forward and co-founder of the San Gabriel Valley Tenants Alliance. In the podcast, we discuss the recent and long-term history of the bat…

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SGV Connect 113 : The Regional Connector Opens and Construction Finnishes on the Gold Line 27:12

2+ y ago27:12

27:12

On Saturday, the Gold Line Foothill Construction Authority is hosting a ceremony to commemorate the completion of the light rail track system for the 9.1-mile, four-station Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Glendora to Pomona. The ceremony is taking place this Saturday, June 24, 2023, at 9:30 a.m., at the D Street railroad crossing (north …

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SGV Connect 112 : Nathan Allen and Carlos Morales 50:51

2+ y ago50:51

50:51

In our first interview this week, Chris Greenspon interviews Nathan Allen, the owner of Underdog Bookstore in downtown Monrovia. In Nathan's own words, "Underdog Bookstore, targets specifically books by and about authors of color, as well as LGBT authors, who we consider underdogs, as well as local vendors." Allen explains the need to create safe s…

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SGV Connect 111: Putting the Reclaiming Movement Into a Larger Context 39:13

2+ y ago39:13

39:13

This week’s SGV Connect is the second in our “Reclaimers” series, focusing on the efforts of a group of formerly homeless activists in the El Sereno to be housed in formerly unoccupied homes owned by Caltrans. The first interview featured six Reclaimers who shared their personal stories on how they fell into homelessness, strived to be rehoused, an…

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SGV Connect 110 : The Reclaimers 1:09:07

2+ y ago1:09:07

1:09:07

We are Reclaimers because we have to because of desperation. - Benito, one of the Reclaimers living in El Sereno. SGV Connect is sponsored by Foothill Transit. Foothill Transit was not consulted about the content of this podcast and the views expressed are those of the participants and interviewer and may or may not be representative of the views o…

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Malachi-Faithful Hearts Embrace God’s Love-S18Ep11 14:53

2+ y ago14:53

14:53

Learn from the book of Malachi how faithful hearts embrace God’s love. Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Lesson 10By Melanie Newton

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Nehemiah-Rebellious Hearts Spurn God’s Grace-S18Ep10 15:50

2+ y ago15:50

15:50

Learn from Nehemiah chapters 7-13 how rebellious hearts spurn God’s grace even when they know better. Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Lesson 9By Melanie Newton

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Nehemiah-Trusting God with Lies, Danger, and a Really Hard Job-S18Ep9 19:42

2+ y ago19:42

19:42

Learn from Nehemiah chapters 1-6 how to trust God while dealing with lies, dangers, and a really hard job to do. Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Lesson 8By Melanie Newton

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Ezra-Follow God’s Way Rather Than Your Own Way-S18Ep8 17:33

2+ y ago17:33

17:33

Look at why following God’s way rather than your own way is the best way to live life. Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Lesson 7By Melanie Newton

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Esther-Trusting God to Work in the Background-S18Ep7 16:28

2+ y ago16:28

16:28

Learn how Esther and her cousin Mordecai trusted God to work in the background on their behalf. Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Lesson 6By Melanie Newton

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Zechariah-Your King Comes-S18Ep6 17:08

2+ y ago17:08

17:08

From Zechariah chapters 9-14, see God’s promises to send us a king who will have power and purpose. Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Lesson 5By Melanie Newton

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Zechariah-The Pervasive Power and Persistent Purpose of God-S18Ep5 17:43

2+ y ago17:43

17:43

Look at the pervasive power and persistent purpose of God revealed in Zechariah chapters 1-8. Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Lesson 4By Melanie Newton

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Haggai-Desiring God’s Presence-S18Ep4 15:01

2+ y ago15:01

15:01

Learn from Haggai how important it is to spend time in God’s presence and not use substitute activities to satisfy that need. Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Lesson 3By Melanie Newton

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Daniel-Trusting God with Opposition and Dreams-S18Ep3 15:29

2+ y ago15:29

15:29

Learn how Daniel trusted God with opposition against him as well as with his dreams. Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Lesson 2By Melanie Newton

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The Two Aspects of Trusting God-S16Ep2 12:38

2+ y ago12:38

12:38

Learn the two aspects of trusting God and how that helps you to flourish in every way. Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Lesson 1By Melanie Newton

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Remember Your Identity in a Pull-Apart World-S18Ep1 16:56

2+ y ago16:56

16:56

Learn why identity is dependent on remembering. Remembering leads to commitment to the Lord. And that leads to sticky faith in a pull-apart world. Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World IntroBy Melanie Newton

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SGV Connect 109: Rick Cole and Norma Quinones 35:20

2+ y ago35:20

35:20

This week's SGV Connect features a pair of interviews with former Pasadena Mayor Rick Cole and San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps (SGVCC). Director Norma Quinones. In our first interview, Damien talks with Cole ostensibly about the dozen opinion pieces Cole has written in 2023 about how Pasadena can grow as a city in the future. In the interview…

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SV Connect 108: Senate Candidate Sasha Renée Pérez 20:57

2+ y ago20:57

20:57

Damien Newton and Chris Greenspon catch up with Alhambra Councilmember and State Senate candidate Sasha Renée Pérez on the state of her candidacty and what is going on in Alhambra. The interview, the first in a series on the election, pings back and forth between her work in Alhambra and her vision for Senate District 25 This is Pérez's third time …

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SGV Connect 107 - Happy Centennial West Covina 21:37

2+ y ago21:37

21:37

This week's SGV Connect is a special episode celebrating the centennial for West Covina. Chris Greenspon interviews local historian John Garside about the city's history, covering topics ranging from how the city hall got its name (from a stagecoach company) to lamenting some businesses that closed in recent years. You can read a transcript of the …

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SGV Connect 106 : El Monte Poet Steve Valenzuela and an Update on Puente Hills Landfill Park 55:25

2+ y ago55:25

55:25

Welcome to SGV Connect episode 106, the first episode of 2023. This episode is nearly an hour long with a pair of great, but very different, interviews. First, Chris Greenspon interviews Steve Valenzuela, El Monte poet and writer in residence for the new Zamora Art House in El Monte. The interview touches on Valenzuela’s poetry, his work as a schoo…

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SGV Connect 106 : Au Revoir 2022 and Zine Editor John Axtell. 43:30

3y ago43:30

43:30

It's mid-December, and that means it's time for our annual end-of-the-year SGV Connect Podcast featuring not just Damien Newton and Chris Greenspon, but also Streetsblog LA Editor Joe Linton and Streetsblog California Editor Melanie Curry. After that, we have one last interview by Chris with John Axtell published a literary zine this year about the…