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

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The California Report

The California Report

From KQED

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

Most Recent Episodes

Area 51: How Many People Will Show Up at Viral Event?

Interior Sets Aside Land For Border Wall Near San Diego The U.S. Department of the Interior says it will transfer several hundred acres of federal land along the southern border to the army to build roughly seventy miles of new or replacement border fence. More than forty acres transferred to the army are in California. Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS Xavier Becerra Responds To Trump Administrations Actions Around California Air Quality President Trump's visit to our state this week escalated tension with California officials around air quality. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra is mulling his options after the Trump administration confirmed yesterday that it's revoking our state's authority to set its own vehicle emissions standards. Guest: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Fresno Becomes Latest City To Support DACA Fresno will join more than 40 cities in the country that support three DACA cases going before the Supreme Court in November. Two years ago President Trump issued an order to wind down the program which protects immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. Reporter: Monica Velez, KVPR How Many People Will Show Up at Viral Area 51 Event? Thousands of people plan to descend on a military base in rural Nevada today to participate in a viral event called Storm Area 51. The event began as a joke on social media. Is it a raid or a Rave? Reporter: Paul Boger, KUNR New Artistic Director Takes The Helm Of Berkeley Repertory Theatre one of the state's biggest regional theaters – Berkeley Rep – premiered its first show under new artistic director Johanna Pfaelzer. The Berkeley native has just moved back after spending years in New York, where she helped bring "Hamilton" and "American Idiot" to the stage. Guest: Johanna Pfaelzer

California Seeks Payback In Emissions Fight With Trump

California Seeks Payback In Emissions Fight With Trump This morning, the Trump administration put out a press release on something the president made quite clear this week: he's going after California's ability to issue tougher vehicle emissions standards than the federal government's. The California Report's Lily Jamali speaks with CalMatters Laurel Rosenhall about how the state is considering payback. Governor Newsom Signs Controversial AB 5 Into Law Governor Newsom signs AB 5 into law, which will make it harder to companies like Lyft and Uber to classify "gig workers" as contractors. The law will affect hundreds of thousands of workers in California. And some companies a re trying to find a way around it. Reporter: Katie Orr President Trump Visits San Diego, Border Wall Near Tijuana President Trump in back in Washington after a "memorable" two-day swing through our state this week. He drew protests in San Diego where he attended a fundraiser but also visited the border fence in Otay Mesa. Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler , KPBS New Study Finds Climate-Related Disasters Are Costing Billions Climate-related events like heat waves and wildfires are getting worse. A new study finds that the costs of those events are rising into the hundreds of billions of dollars. Reporter: Lesley McClurg UC President Janet Napolitano Will Step Down In 2020 University of California President Janet Napolitano.. that she's stepping down as president after holding the coveted job since 2013. Napolitano will be resigning next August when she takes a role teaching at UC Berkeley. Reporter: Vanessa Rancano Chico Could Go Its Own Way With Electricity Officials in Chico will weigh a plan that would change local residents' relationship with Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Used in a few other California cities, 'Community Choice Aggregation' creates a new body that would buy electricity from producers. It would still be delivered by PG&E. Currently, PG&E buys electricity from power plant owners and distributes it. Reporter: Marc Albert, Northstate Public Radio What Exactly Are CCA's? The California Report's Lily Jamali speaks with a Berkley Goldman School of Public Policy lecturer to find out more about what the process really is when a city decides to use a Community Choice Aggregation. Los Angeles Traffic Memorial Art Installations The city of Los Angeles is trying to raise awareness about the human toll of distracted or unsafe driving. They're setting up rainbow halo memorials to honor victims of traffic collisions. It's a disc that refracts sunlight into a rainbow pattern on the sidewalk. Host Saul Gonzalez was at the unveiling of the first of these memorials in the San Fernando Valley.

Trump's EPA to End California's Stricter Car Emissions

President Trump Visits California We review President Donald Trump's Golden State visit and its emphasis on homelessness and fundraising. Reporter: Scott Shafer The View from Los Angeles' Skid Row We sample opinions from homeless people on Skid Row about the Trump Administration's focus on homelessness in Los Angeles. EPA Set to End California Authority Over Car Emissions The Trump Administration plans to roll back California's decades-long authority to regulate auto emissions with tougher standards than the federal government. The state says the move is short-sighted and vows to fight it. Reporter: Peter Arcuni Measuring California's Progress Toward Electric Vehicle Targets We review California's progress in boosting EV sales and the big challenges ahead when it comes to meeting ambitious electric vehicle targets. Can we really get million EVs on the road in just over a decade? Guest: Joel Levin, Executive Director, Plug In America

Amid Outbreak of Vaping Illnesses, Gov. Newsom Cracks Down

Amid Outbreak of Vaping Illnesses, Gov. Newsom Cracks Down There have been 63 cases of respiratory illnesses associated with vaping in the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order addressing what he called a "skyrocketing increase" in youth vaping. Reporter: Laura Klivans How California Wildfires Affect Water Resources California gets 70 percent of its drinking water from the Sierra Nevada, and a group of researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently did a study to find out how wildfires are impacting these water resources. Guest: Danielle Venton, KQED Science Habitat for Humanity Adapts to State's Housing Crunch In the Silicon Valley suburb of Fremont , a 31-year-old, low-income single mom has managed to become a homeowner despite one of the most brutally expensive housing markets in the country. All she had to do was help build the house herself. Reporter: Matthew Green

Activist Throws Menstrual Blood on California Lawmakers

Activist Throws Menstrual Blood on California Lawmakers The Senate was in the middle of a floor vote Friday when the proceedings took a dramatic turn. In the final hours of the California legislative session, a woman threw red liquid onto the crowded Senate floor. The woman then walked out of the Senate gallery, where she was arrested and charged with assault, vandalism and disrupting the Senate. Her Facebook page contains anti-vaccination messages like those promoted by groups protesting two bills signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week limiting medical exemptions from vaccines. Reporter: Katie Orr San Diego Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Reacts to Protesters Host Lily Jamali speaks with Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez about being a direct target of anti-vaccine protesters. She asks her what she makes of their protests becoming increasingly hostile since those bills became the law last week? California Lawmakers Pass a Bill Requiring Public Universities to Provide the Abortion Pill State lawmakers have passed a bill that would require health clinics at California's public universities to provide the abortion pill on campus. Former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a previous version of this bill, so all eyes are on Gov. Gavin Newsom. Reporter: April Dembosky Remembering Kristy Finstad: Diver, Marine Biologist and Santa Cruz Local It's been two weeks since the devastating dive boat fire off the Santa Barbara coast that left 34 people dead. On board the boat Conception were scientists, photographers, parents and their kids, and the trip's dive master: a marine biologist. Reporter: Erika Mahoney, KAZU

PG&E Reaches $11 Billion Deal With Wildfire Insurers

PG&E Reaches A $11 Billion Deal With Wildfire Insurers A group of insurance companies has reached a settlement with PG&E over wildfire claims for $11 billion dollars. The group had initially asked for $20 billion dollars in the utility's bankruptcy proceeding all from claims from last year's Camp Fire and other Northern California fires in 2017. Host Lily Jamali breaks down what the details. Safety Questions Remain Around Conception Fire The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on the Labor Day fire aboard a diving vessel off Santa Cruz Island. It reveals that the five surviving crew members were asleep when the fire broke out at around 3 AM. That fire killed 34 people. The last body was just pulled from the wreckage on Thursday. Reporter: Matt Guilhem, KCRW California Legislature Round-Up The clock is quickly ticking down in Sacrament with today being the last day of the California legislative year. And what a year it's been with some landmark pieces of legislation passed, especially in just the last few days. Host Saul Gonzalez talks with KQED's politics and government desk, Katie Orr, about this big legislative week in Sacramento. ACLU: Supreme Court Ruling Puts Asylum-Seekers In Danger The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the right of the Trump Administration to stop most migrants, many of whom are from Central America, from seeking asylum in the United States. That's going to affect thousands of migrants who journeyed to Tijuana to try to cross the border and to have their asylum petitions heard by U.S. authorities. Reporter: Max Rivlin Nadler, KPBS Transgender Opera Singers Discovering New Voices When it comes to gender transitioning, most people focus on what they see, not what they hear. But transitioning can have an effect on the voice. KQED's Chloe Veltman has an in-depth story about how three professional California opera singers, who all happen to be transgender navigated their changing voices, both professionally and personally.

California Legislature Passes AB 5, But Uber Says It Might Refuse To Follow It

California Legislature Passes AB 5, But Uber Says It Might Refuse To Follow It As California's legislative year comes to a close this Friday, elected officials in Sacramento are passing some blockbuster pieces of legislation like a bill to cap rent increases statewide and another allowing college athletes to sign endorsement deals and get paid. But one of the most controversial pieces of legislation, AB 5 has sparked a battle with numerous tech giants. It would reclassify potentially hundreds of thousands of workers in California, who now work as independent contractors into employees. Now Uber is saying they might refuse to follow the bill. Reporter: Sonja Hutson How Do Gig Workers Feel About AB 5 Passing? The California Report's, host Saul Gonzalez speaks with Los Angeles Lyft Driver Tammy Briggs who says "that working as an independent contractor is a sucker's game, they aren't even making pennies and she is skeptical of AB 5. Fresno Priest Facing Sexual Battery Charges Father Jesus Antonio Castaneda Serna is facing 22 counts of battery, sexual battery, attempted sexual battery and dissuading a witness. Castaneda was arrested back in February, but has since been out on bond running his new church. Reporter: Alex Hall How Tech Companies Are Trying to Gut the California Consumer Privacy Act With no federal law governing digital privacy, California's Consumer Privacy Act is expected to set the national standard when it goes into effect on Jan. 1. Unless it's neutralized by the state Legislature, which is wrapping up its 2018-2019 session. Reporter: Rachel Myrow

California Legislature Passes AB 5, But Uber Says It Might Refuse To Follow It

Listen · 12:43

State Senate Passes AB 5, Bill That Limits Who Can Be Classified As Contractors

State Senate Passes AB 5, Bill That Limits Who Can Be Classified As Contractors A bill that could upend the gig economy in California took a major step forward Tuesday. The state Senate has approved Assembly Bill 5, which puts limits on who can be classified as a contractor. Under a 2018 state Supreme Court decision, workers who perform core functions of a business must be classified as employees and not contractors. AB 5 would codify that decision. Reporter: Katie Orr Uber Lays Off Hundreds Of Employees The ride-hailing company Uber is laying off more than 400 workers – that's about 8 percent of its workforce. That's about 8 percent of the company's workforce in its product and engineering divisions. The new layoff round follows the firing of 400 Uber employees over the summer. Trump Administration Cracking Down On California's Homeless The Trump Administration has taken an interest in the city's homeless crisis.This week, White House staffers and officials from various cabinet departments were in L.A. touring Skid Row and talking to homeless activists. The Washington Post reports the Administration is looking at using federal resources to get people off the streets and into shelters in federal facilities. The California Report's Host, Saul Gonzalez speaks with homeless in Echo Park in Los Angeles. LA's Fur Ban Could Set A Precedent Statewide There's a bill in the state legislature that would ban the manufacture and sale of new fur products in California making it the first state in the nation with such a law.Animal rights activists say the business is cruel. But furriers argue they're being unfairly targeted. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW Catholic Hospital Refuses Transgender Man Hysterectomy A hysterectomy is an operation done to remove a uterus. Justices for a California appeals court heard arguments Tuesday in the case of a Catholic hospital that refused to do the procedure. Dignity Health, the hospital chain that runs Mercy, said doing the surgery would contradict its Catholic beliefs. Reporter: April Dembosky Islamic Group Accuses Rep. Hunter Of War Crimes During His Service In Iraq A group is calling for an investigation into East County Congressman Duncan Hunter in light of his claim that he likely killed hundreds of civilians while he was a Marine serving in Iraq. Members of the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations made their case outside Hunter's El Cajon office Monday. Reporter: Matt Hoffman , KPBS Apple Revels iPhone 11-Without Mentioning Fears About Trade War With China Apple's product reveal yesterday was a celebratory affair, despite fears President Trump's trade war will escalate in December. Apple is still worth around a trillion, despite calls from President Trump to de-globalize its global supply chain.

State Senate Passes AB 5, Bill That Limits Who Can Be Classified As Contractors

Listen · 7:09

Immigration Lawsuits Explained, Plus Which Matter Most

Gov. Signs Vaccine Compromise Amid Loud Protests After a tumultuous day yesterday, filled with protests and several people detained by police at the state Capitol, Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills into law granting the state more say in overruling vaccine medical exemptions for school children. Reporter: Katie Orr Prosecutors From Across County Launch Antitrust Investigation of Google Fifty attorneys general from 48 states, plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico are investigating Google for potential antitrust violations. But California, where Googlde is not one of them. Reporter: Sonja Hutson All the Immigration Cases Against Trump Explained, and Why The Latest Decision Matters There have been a lot of legal challenges to the Trump Administration's hard-line immigration policies. So many, in fact, it can be hard to keep them all straight. But not for KQED's Farida Jhabvala Romero, who closely follows all of these cases. She discusses a federal judge's ruling yesterday that was seen as a defeat for the Administration. Guest: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Immigration Reporter

GOP Convention: Republicans Want to Take Back the OC

PG&E Action: Tax-Free Bond Bill Stalls in Legislature, Bankruptcy Plan To Be Filed In Sacramento, a bill that would have let PG&E issue up to $20 billion in tax-free bonds to pay those survivors has stalled. Meanwhile, the state's largest utility is expected to file its plan for how it plans to come out of bankruptcy. The plan is expected to shed light on how much money PG&E plans to earmark for wildfire victims of the fires. Guest: Michael Wara, Director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at Stanford University GOP Convention: Republicans Want to Take Back Orange County This weekend, California Republicans gathered in Indian Wells for their state party convention. In an increasingly blue California where the GOP has suffered a string of election defeats, the party has one overriding goal: to get more Republicans elected in the Golden State in the 2020 elections. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, California Report co-host Burning Man Festival Makes Trash and Lots of It The Burning Man festival on the playa in the Nevada desert has a mantra: leave no trace, including no dumping trash. But, the tens of thousands of Burners generate garbage. Reporter: Paul Boger, KUNR

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