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The California Report

The California Report

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KQED's statewide radio news program, providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions affecting California and its diverse population.More from The California Report »

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Camp Fire Survivors Look to Defer Taxes on Lost Homes

Camp Fire Survivors Look to Defer Taxes on Lost Homes Today is Tax Day in Butte County. Property taxes are due. Which means that onetime residents of places like Paradise and Magalia have been packing into the County Assessor's Office in recent days. They're there looking for deferrals on paying taxes for homes that no longer exist. Reporter: Lily Jamali FEMA Delivers RV Trailers to House Homeless Fire Evacuees Some families left homeless by the Camp Fire, have begun to move into RV trailers provided by FEMA. The region got some more trailers over the weekend. But with 2,000 units needed and around 16 RV trailers delivered, there's still a long way to go. Reporter: Polly Styker Advocates Call for Nursing Home Inspections to Address Elder Abuse As the new legislative session convened in Sacramento last week, a San Francisco-based advocacy group called on legislators to deal with problems in the state's long-term care system. Advocates say rampant elder abuse and neglect goes unnoticed and unpunished. Reporter: Hope McKenney Central Valley Voters Report Confusion at Polls After claiming victory on election night, Central Valley Republican Congressman David Valadao has now conceded defeat. His race is one of two in the region where some voters claim they were confused about how and where to cast their ballots. Reporter: Alex Hall

New California Homes to Include Solar Energy

New California Homes to Include Solar Energy New houses in California will be required to have solar energy, after a state commission approved building standards this week that are the first of their kind in the country. Reporter: Molly Peterson Still No Downtime for Butte County Sheriff, A Month After Camp Fire It's been four weeks since the deadly Camp Fire swept through parts of Butte County. For many survivors of the blaze, that's meant a month of staying in shelters, hotels or tents and waiting for the next update on the number of people missing or dead. For Butte County's Sheriff, there's been no down time. Reporter: Jeremy Siegel San Bernardino Land Sale Considered to Switzerland Mining Company Global mining company OMYA is looking to buy 70 acres of environmentally sensitive land that is full of minerals. The U.S. Department of the Interior is considering selling the land even though OMYA once trespassed and illegally dumped on this public land. Guest: Ben Purper

Chill Out! California's Economy is Cooling, But It's No Biggie

Chill Out! California's Economy is Cooling, But It's No Biggie California's economy is cooling, somewhat. But the team who put together UCLA Anderson's Economic Forecast says: don't worry. Reporter: Polly Stryker Mary Daly's Unlikely Path to President of San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank One of the people deciding on the direction of interest rates this fall is Mary Daly. In October, she took over as President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. As a teenager, Daly dropped out of high school. With the help of a mentor, she got her GED and then she kept going. She is used to surprising people. Guest: Mary Daly Does the SF Symphony's New Musical Director Spell Trouble for Diversity? He Hopes Not There's a new guy at the top of the San Francisco Symphony. The Northern California institution has hired Esa-Pekka Salonen to succeed Michael Tilson Thomas as music director. Salonen doesn't shy away from diversity issues. He's bringing in eight artists of diverse backgrounds as collaborative partners to shake things up. Reporter: Chloe Veltman

Paradise's Only Hospital Badly Damaged by Camp Fire

Paradise's Only Hospital Badly Damaged by Camp Fire One of the structures significantly damaged by the Camp Fire was Adventist Health Feather River Hospital in Paradise. It's the only hospital in Paradise and one the largest employers in the area. Yesterday hospital employees met with executives to discuss its fate. Reporter: Michelle Wiley Not All Camp Fire Evacuees Plan to Return The Camp Fire displaced an estimated 50,000 people in Butte County. Not everyone plans to rebuild or return to the area. Today we hear from one Paradise family that decided to relocate to Humboldt County. Reporter: Natalya Estrada Mexican Government Relocates Migrants to Shelter in Tijuana Mexican officials moved some Central Americans in a migrant caravan to a new government-run shelter in Tijuana after rains flooded the sports complex where they had been staying. Reporter: Jean Guerrero Weather Report: Where There's Rain, There's Snow California has been having a lot of rainstorms lately. And where there's rain, there's snow in the Sierra Nevada, our state's "frozen reservoir." KQED science editor–and resident snow expert–Craig Miller checks in with The California Report's Polly Stryker about the forecast. Guest: Craig Miller

State Assembly Speaker Says Housing Will Be a Priority in the New Year

State Assembly Speaker Says Housing Will Be a Priority in the New Year The new State Legislature was sworn in Monday, even as a few ballots remain to be counted. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon says housing will be a major priority for California lawmakers in the coming year. Reporter: Scott Shafer New Bill Would Require Dense Housing Near Public Transit State Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco is trying again to win approval of a bill that could remake California cities by requiring high-density housing development near transit. Reporter: Dan Brekke Camp Fire Survivors Head Back to School In Butte County last night, Sheriff Kory Honea announced that the list of missing in Camp Fire, once as high as 1,300 people, has fallen to 11. And after further DNA analysis, the list of deceased now stands at 85. With the fire and smoke gone, more than 30,000 students are returning to school. Reporter: Michelle Wiley One Year Later: Remembering the Thomas Fire A year ago today, an electrical transformer blew up, sparking a massive brush fire in Ventura County. The Thomas Fire became the largest wildfire in California history up to that point. In 2018, both the Mendocino Complex and Camp Fires eclipsed that record. Reporter: Greta Mart

As Mexican President Takes Office, Gavin Newsom Wants to Foster California-Mexico Ties

As Mexican President Takes Office, Gavin Newsom Wants to Foster California-Mexico Ties Mexico's new President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or AMLO, was sworn in over the weekend at a ceremony in Mexico City. Festivities aside, Mexico and California are key economic trading partners. California's Governor-elect Gavin Newsom spoke to press before the inauguration, saying he wants to make sure California has an independent relationship with Mexico, regardless of what happens in Washington. Reporter: Emily Green Trump Puts Pressure on Congress to Approve NAFTA Replacement On his way back from the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires this morning, President Trump vowed to "terminate" NAFTA to put pressure on Congress to approve its replacement, which was signed along with Mexico and Canada Friday. With a Democratic House coming in, things could get complicated. Katheryn Russ, Associate Professor of Economics at UC Davis, speaks with host Lily Jamali about the implications of ending NAFTA. Guest: Katheryn Russ Democrats Propose Using Tax Dollars to Fund Housing Lawmakers are back in Sacramento today for the beginning of a new state legislative session. Housing remains a top priority for Democrats. One proposal aims to capture millions of local tax dollars to pay for housing. Reporter: Guy Marzorati

As Mexican President Takes Office, Gavin Newsom Wants to Foster California-Mexico Ties

Listen · 14:21

Tijuana's Migrant Caravan Deals with Weather, Illness

Tijuana's Migrant Caravan Deals with Weather, Illness The weather has made a bad situation worse for members of the migrant caravan taking refuge at the Benito Juarez sports complex in Tijuana. Reporter: Lily Jamali Future Uncertain for Hospital in Paradise Thousands of homes were destroyed in the Camp Fire, leaving many Butte County residents without a home. It also left the only hospital in the area with an uncertain future. Reporter: Michelle Wiley PG&E Ordered Safety Reforms The California Public Utilities Commission voted Thursday to order Pacific Gas and Electric to implement safety reforms amid new scrutiny on the company's potential role in deadly wildfires in the state. Reporter: Lily Jamali Cannabis Measure to be Submitted Again California State senator Scott Wiener plans to re-introduce a bill Monday exempting providers who donate medical cannabis to critically-ill, low-income patients from paying state marijuana taxes. Reporter: Chloe Veltman

California Democrat Claims Victory in Undecided House Seat

California Republican Claims Victory in Undecided House Seat In another setback for California Republicans, Democrat TJ Cox claimed victory in the last remaining undecided House seat. It was considered a longshot for Cox to knock off GOP incumbent Congressman David Valadao. Reporter: Penny Nelson Pelosi Inches Closer to Becoming House Speaker, Again San Francisco Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi took a big step towards becoming House Speaker, again, in the new Congress. Reporter: Scott Shafer Retired Lieutenant Upsets LA County Sheriff Race In perhaps the most surprising election result in California, a retired lieutenant with little command experience — Alex Villanueva — has beaten incumbent LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell. Reporter: Frank Stoltze Paradise Prepares to Reopen Schools Governor Jerry Brown signed an executive order yesterday to help school districts affected by the wildfires. The Paradise Unified School District prepares to teach students at temporary facilities, even if kids now live outside the district. Reporter: Michelle Wiley USC Researchers Develop Polio Vaccine Needing No Refrigeration A team of University of Southern California researchers developed a polio vaccine that doesn't need to be refrigerated. Reporter: Faust Raghavan Wet Weather to Affect California's Fire Ravaged Areas Heavy rain and wind are set to be problematic for fire-ravaged areas in the region. There is a mandatory evacuation order near the town of Lake Elsinore. Reporter: Penny Nelson Border Agency Says Tear Gas Deployed in 'Dangerous Situations' A Customs and Border Protection Agency official says tear gas has been used in 29 incidents and said the chemical is used as a response to assaults. Reporter: Priya Sridhar Right-to-die Law Upheld in California California's appeals court has upheld its right-to-die law. The court's decision overturns a lower court's ruling that briefly blocked a dying patient's access to lethal medications last spring. Reporter: April Dembosky Cannabis Tax Revenue Use to Align with Newsom's Policy Priorities When voters legalized recreational marijuana in California, many expected a windfall of tax revenue. That hasn't quite panned out yet, but it could soon. Reporter: Katie Orr California Gets Its First Female Lieutenant Governor California has voted in its first female Lieutenant Governor — Eleni Kounalakis. She plans to increase funding for higher education and keep tuition down. Guest: Eleni Kounalakis

Migrants Cope With Close Quarters, Squalid Conditions at Border

Migrants Cope With Close Quarters, Squalid Conditions at Border Three days after U.S. Border Patrol fired tear gas at Central American migrants, asylum seekers keep arriving at the border. There are roughly 7,000 migrant men, women and children in Tijuana. And just like the rest of us, they are going through their daily routines. Only they're doing it in sometimes uncomfortably close quarters. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez Tijuana Mayor Wants Help From Mexican Government Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastélum isn't happy about footing the bill for basic support services for migrants taking shelter in the city. He's asked the Mexican federal government for help. Host Lily Jamali spoke with Gastélum to find out if if he's getting it. Guest: Juan Manuel Gastélum Local Newspaper Exposes Violence and Corruption in Tijuana Many migrants say they're fleeing violence in Central America. But they've landed in one of Mexico's most violent cities. One crusading newspaper in Tijuana is known for exposing the city's organized crime and corruption. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero

With Thousands of Migrants Reaching Border, the Waiting List for Asylum Grows

With Thousands of Migrants Reaching Border, the Waiting List for Asylum Grows Officials with the Mexican government say they are deporting 98 migrants who became violent with federal police guarding the border during a protest in Tijuana on Sunday. The officials said more than 7,000 people from the migrant caravan are now in the border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali. Those Central Americans join an already long line of migrants waiting to ask the U.S. for asylum. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero California Secretary of Natural Resources Visits Butte County in Fire Aftermath In Butte County yesterday, people were gathered for a visit from Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Both advocated for the loosening of "red tape" on forest land, which is their way of saying they want to make it easier to log forest land. After they spoke, host John Sepulvado caught up with California Secretary of Natural Resources John Laird. Guest: John Laird Cal Poly Students Helped Outfit Mars InSight with Mini Satellites NASA's Mars InSight touched down on the surface of the Red Planet yesterday and has already beamed a photo back to Earth. When the mission to Mars took off from the Central Coast's Vandenberg Air Force Base six months ago, two historic little satellites piggybacked along for the ride. They're called CubeSats, and they're about the size of briefcases. Cal Poly students got to assist in the mission. Reporter: Tyler Pratt

With Thousands of Migrants Reaching Border, the Waiting List for Asylum Grows

Listen · 14:20

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