What is a prop?

For Deb Hatch, it's almost everything. After more than 40 years working in theater, including decades at La Jolla Playhouse, the longstanding prop supervisor has helped shape more than 100 productions, from early-stage premieres to Broadway hits like "Jersey Boys" and "The Outsiders."

In this episode, we go behind the scenes to see how props do far more than fill space. They establish time and place, define character and keep performances running smoothly — often in ways audiences never notice. From sourcing everyday items to building custom pieces from scratch, Deb walks us through the hidden decisions that make a production feel real, and the problem-solving required when things go wrong on stage. Along the way, we explore a world most audiences never see, where even the smallest details can leave a lasting impression.

As Deb prepares to retire, she reflects on a career built on detail, collaboration and the thrill of figuring things out. Because in live theater, every object matters.

Guest:

Deb Hatch, prop supervisor at La Jolla Playhouse

What's growing in your backyard?

In San Diego, one of America's most biodiverse regions, the answer is more complicated than you might think. It's home to roughly 3,000 plant species, with many still undocumented.

This episode follows hikers, students and nature lovers using the free app iNaturalist to photograph plants and animals, contribute to a global biodiversity database and help scientists protect fragile ecosystems. Some discoveries are extraordinary, like seeing your name on a scientific paper after spotting a plant never recorded in the county before.

We visit the San Diego Natural History Museum, head into a rare salt marsh along Mission Bay and join a community identification party to see how this grassroots effort is reshaping science in real time.

Researchers and volunteers say this kind of "citizen science" is no longer a side project — it's essential. Because when it comes to protecting ecosystems, the first step is simple: knowing what's there.

Guests:

•  Jon Rebman, Ph.D., curator of botany at SDNHM
• Becky Escalante, citizen scientist spifferella on iNaturalist, dental assistant
• Stephanie Crawford, citizen scientist aneclecticenthusiast on iNaturalist
• Kellie Uyeda, executive director of UC San Diego's Natural Reserve System
• Clarissa Rodriguez, reserves director of UC San Diego's Natural Reserve System

Matcha has become a worldwide sensation. The bright green powdered tea now appears in lattes, smoothies, desserts and viral foods across social media feeds. Demand has surged so quickly that producers in Japan are struggling to keep up. But matcha's story didn't begin in a cafe. For centuries, the tea has been at the center of a carefully choreographed ritual known as the tea ceremony, a practice rooted in mindfulness, hospitality and attention to detail. In this episode, we explore how a drink with roots in centuries-old tea culture became a modern craze. Along the way, we meet a San Diego tea sensei who practices the ceremony and invites others to slow down long enough to experience matcha with care and intention. As matcha's popularity continues to grow, we ask a simple question: What gets lost — and what might be gained — when an old tradition becomes a global trend?

Guests:

• Rie Morita, Japanese tea ceremony instructor
• Rebecca Corbett, Japanese Studies Librarian and Senior Lecturer in History, University of Southern California
• Robert Hellyer, historian and author of "Green with Milk and Sugar"

Sources:

• Japanese Tea Ceremony Explained (Adam Sensei, Phd., Maikoya)
• The Matcha Problem (Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 2025)
• Shortages, Smoothies and Fraud: The Matcha Market Cracks Under Pressure (Pete Wells, The New York Times, 2025)
• How much for matcha? Prices for the popular powdered tea soar due to global demand (Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press, 2025)
• 'Skyrocketing' demand for matcha raises fears of shortage in Japan (Justin McCurry, The Guardian, 2025)
• Matcha's popularity has skyrocketed, but it was initially met with skepticism in the West (Rebecca Corbett, PBS News, 2025)
• PARU Tea: How the viral matcha spot is transforming tea culture with love and purpose (Julia Dixon Evans and Anthony Wallace, KPBS, 2025)

Content note: This episode contains discussion of suicide and domestic abuse. If you or someone you know needs support, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

This episode is a special feed share from One of Their Own, a KPBS true crime podcast created and hosted by KPBS racial justice and social equity reporter Katie Hyson. In 2018, 25-year-old San Diego police officer Ciara Estrada was found dead in her apartment on New Year's Day. Her death was ruled a suicide by the San Diego Police Department — the same department she worked for. But nearly eight years later, her family still questions whether the investigation went far enough. In this first episode, you'll meet Ciara through the people who loved her most. From a viral video that once labeled her a "nice cop" to the deeply personal artifacts she left behind, the series begins by asking a simple but powerful question: Who was Ciara Estrada beyond the case file? The podcast explores police culture, domestic violence allegations within law enforcement and what happens when a department investigates one of its own. After listening, find the rest of One of Their Own wherever you get your podcasts.

San Diego's Topeka Clementine brought the KPBS patio to life with a performance as part of the Sundrenched Sounds live music series — spontaneous, communal and emotionally charged. Blending sharp storytelling with sing-along moments and unexpected humor, the set moved seamlessly between intimate confession and collective call to action. We sat down afterward with Kai Simovich, the musician behind Topeka Clementine, to talk about the project's remarkable output and what it really means to go viral. Named after a street corner in Oceanside tied to grassroots mutual aid, Topeka Clementine channels community care directly into the music.

Kai shares how recent personal loss reshaped their songwriting, including the creation of "Feed the Trees," a meditation on grief, inheritance and how life carries forward. Through relentless creativity, collective energy and performance, Topeka Clementine's music insists on hope, even in heavy times.

Guest:

• Kai Simovich, Topeka Clementine

Mentioned in this episode:

• Estonia's Singing Revolution (Rick Steves)
• Amass | Matt Orlando Brings California Sun to Copenhagen (Florence Fabricant, New York Times, 2017)