City Watch is a forum for detailed discussion and analysis of social, economic, and political issues affecting New Yorkers.  We air the voices of the people living and working in the communities, the researchers, government leaders, budget advocates, and organizers, and provide an opportunity to discuss the issues that matter. Our questions and dialogue help to make the issues come alive for our listeners, and shows also focus on culture, commerce, and controversy - always with an eye toward highlighting the issues of the day. 

Bich Ha Pham:  Bich Ha Pham is a committed advocate for social and economic justice and works to promote equitable public policies. She worked as a legal services attorney providing civil legal representation to low-income clients before becoming an anti-poverty and economic justice advocate. She is a Board member of World Hunger Year and is a member of the West Harlem Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program.

Edwina Frances Martin, Esq., is a public interest lawyer focusing on Public Policy, Government Relations, Non-Profit Management, and Strategic Communications. Ms. Martin is a recipient of several awards including the SI African-American Political Association 2005 Community Service Award; a 2008 Emerging Leader Award from the American Association of University Women-NYS; the 2010 Women’s History Month Woman of Distinction Award from NYS Senator Diane Savino and NYS Assembly Member Nicole Malliotakis; and a 2012 Ruby Award from Soroptimist International/SI.  

Ms. Martin volunteers with several bar associations and is active in several civic organizations. Ms. Martin is a 1992 graduate of NYU School of Law and holds a B.A. in Art History from Williams College.

Joel Berg, labeled “Mister Frowny Pants” by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (on which he once appeared), is CEO of Hunger Free America, which the Nation called “one of the leading direct service and advocacy organizations on hunger and poverty in the nation.” He is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on US politics, hunger, poverty, food, volunteerism, and nutrition. 

Berg wrote the decade’s definitive book on US hunger, All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America? (Seven Stories Press, 2008). Playboy (which Berg reads only for the reviews) called the book “refreshing” for its “optimism … rationality and passion.” He has also published numerous op-eds, poems, and policy papers and has been a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, as well as a Policy Analyst at the Progressive Policy Institute, two DC-based think tanks.

Berg has delivered hundreds of keynote speeches on four continents and in 37 states, from Maine to Alaska, while surviving moose attacks and volcanic eruptions. One audience member wrote, “Seeing Joel Berg speak in person is like watching the History Channel, C-Span, and Comedy Central all at once.” 

Jeff Simmons has more than three decades of experience in private and public sector communications, media, and journalism. Since joining Anat Gerstein, Inc. as Executive Vice President in 2012, Jeff has provided strategic communications and public relations services to nonprofits through New York City. He previously served as Senior Vice President for Communications at the Alliance for Downtown New York, the country’s largest Business Improvement District. Prior to that, he oversaw communications for New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. for eight years, and served as Campaign Advisor to Thompson in 2009 and Campaign Manager in 2005, as well as serving as Communications Director for David Paterson in his campaign for New York State Lieutenant Governor. Jeff spent 17 years as a journalist at New York 1 News, New York Daily News, New York Post, and The (Bergen) Record of Hackensack. His freelance writing has appeared in Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, Metrosource, The Advocate, and New Jersey Monthly Magazine, and regularly leads workshops on nonprofit communications. Jeff lives in Queens.

Yetta Kurland has been a longtime leader in progressive politics in New York City, and is the founder and Senior Partner at The Kurland Group, a full-service boutique civil rights law firm. Yetta has represented labor unions, elected officials and underrepresented communities on a wide range of social justice issues.  Yetta joins City Watch having been host of the progressive talk radio show on WWRL ‘Yetta Kurland Live.’