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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

Electra Fire Officials Say Wildfire Is Now 10-Percent Contained

The Electra Fire which broke out on Monday is now 10-percent contained, according to Cal Fire officials. Nearly 1000 residents in Amador and Calaveras Counties are under mandatory evacuation as 4,000 acres have burned and another 1200 structures are threatened. Dr. Bob Wachter, UCSF Chair of Medicine says people should continue to vaccinate and get boosters because it's easy to get the newest variant. Wachter also recommends people continue to wear masks in an effort to avoid getting the B-A 5 Omicron subvariant. University of California researchers found thousands of prisoners and prison workers were infected with COVID-19, despite the high number of those vaccinated at prison facilities across the state. Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Advance Notice of Termination letters have gone out to at least three dozen employees, half of them in the San Diego Police Department, for failing to take COVID tests and/or get vaccinated, for religious reasons. Claire Trageser, KPBS Investigative Reporter In just a couple weeks, people with mental health emergencies should be able to call 9-8-8 for help. KQED checks in to see how preparations are going ahead of the new number's launch. Robert Garrova, KQED In South Los Angeles every Sunday hundreds of people show up for a free yoga class. But this class isn't just for fitness. It started as a protest against Black lives lost to violence. Megan Jamerson, KCRW The Coachella Valley Firebirds make history by hiring the first full-time female assistant coach in the American Hockey League. Jessica Campbell says she's looking forward to working with the players and helping them get to a level where they can play for the National Hockey League.

Fire Danger Higher Than Normal In Northern, Central California

Fire Danger Higher Than Normal In Northern, Central California

California has entered the hottest and driest months of the year, and the Bay Area faces a treacherous fire season. According to the latest wildfire forecast, the potential for wildfire is above normal across Northern and Central California. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED As of July 1, millions of renters in Los Angeles received stronger protections against eviction. The new rules will provide a stronger defense for many L.A. renters who've been vulnerable to eviction since April, when a last-minute change in state law temporarily revoked the county's protections. Reporter: David Wagner, KPCC With the Supreme Court decision last month overturning Roe v. Wade, California has pegged itself as a sanctuary for abortion services. But in many parts of the state, including the Central Valley, those services are hard to come by. Guest: Lauren Jennings, Reporter, Visalia Times-Delta The state budget approved by Governor Gavin Newsom last week includes $100 million to help children whose parents died from COVID-19. The HOPE for Children Act, will create savings accounts, with $4,000 deposited for kids younger than 9 and $8,000 for those ages 10 to 17. Reporter: Maria Fernanda Bernal, KQED It's July, which means the hottest and smoggiest days are ahead of us. And that dangerous mix of higher temperatures and air pollution in California also means a higher spike in deaths. Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW Climate change is leading to more extreme weather conditions across California. And during the summer months, extreme heat can be more than just an annoyance, it's downright dangerous. That's why the city of Los Angeles has launched a campaign to warn people about the dangers of extreme heat. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

Company In California Desert Looking To Help With Next Moon Mission

Company In California Desert Looking To Help With Next Moon Mission

Masten Space Systems is helping develop a line of rockets that could be used for spaceflights without a crew and eventually, the next mission to the moon. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

Supreme Court Decision On Carbon Pollution Not Expected To Impact California Rules

Supreme Court Decision On Carbon Pollution Not Expected To Impact California Rules

A Supreme Court ruling out this week sharply limits the Biden administration's ability to limit carbon pollution from power plants. But it will not affect California's aggressive climate laws. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED California is adding four new states to the list of places to which state-funded travel is banned due to anti-LGBTQ laws. Attorney General Rob Bonta has added Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana and Utah to California's do-not-travel list. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Governor Newsom and the state legislature have agreed to eliminate more than $500 million in late payment fees on traffic violations for Californians. The penalties are known as civil assessments. They get tacked on as fines when someone doesn't pay off things like speeding tickets on time. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report More people are getting infected with COVID-19 at work in Los Angeles County. With more than 300 workplaces reporting clusters of COVID-19 cases in the past week, L.A. County health officials are urging people to wear masks indoors. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC California immigration advocates have applauded a Supreme Court ruling that gives the Biden administration a greenlight to end a Trump-era immigration policy known as "Remain in Mexico." Under the policy, the Trump administration expelled about 70,000 asylum seekers to often dangerous conditions in Mexico, to wait for U.S. immigration courts to resolve their claims. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Mental health workers say Kaiser Permanente is not ready to comply with a new law that went into effect Friday. It requires insurers to shorten wait times between therapy appointments. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED

Supreme Court Decision On Carbon Pollution Not Expected To Impact California Rules

Listen · 11:19
Two Sports Gambling Bills To Be On November Ballot

Two Sports Gambling Bills To Be On November Ballot

This fall, California voters will decide on two different proposals to legalize and tax betting on sports. Four years after the U.S. Supreme Court made it possible, voters will decide whether to legalize the multi-billion dollar industry here. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED A controversial state bill that would make it easier to build housing in office spaces or strip malls has passed out of a Senate Committee. The bill has split the state's construction trade unions. Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED Sacramento County's homeless population hit a new record high this winter at nearly 9300 people. That's according to the Homeless Point-In-Time-Count, which was released earlier this week. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio California officials urged the federal EPA to let the state enforce its own ambitious clean truck standards at a hearing on Wednesday. The EPA is considering a waiver allowing California to impose strict regulations, forcing manufacturers to limit diesel pollution and increase production of electric trucks. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED California nonprofits that help women access abortion care are reeling from changes to the state budget that lawmakers passed on Wednesday night. Some expenses that they thought would be covered for women traveling from out of state, won't be. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED The University of California has committed to hosting a voting center or ballot drop box at each of its campuses. The plan was announced as part of a partnership with the Secretary of State's Office to encourage students to vote. Reporter: Juan Carlos Lara, KQED

Thousands Waiting For Help As Eviction Moratorium Set To Expire

Thousands Waiting For Help As Eviction Moratorium Set To Expire

The last of California's eviction protections expires on Friday. Lawmakers extended the deadline back in March, to give the state more time to pay out emergency rental assistance. But thousands of people who applied are still waiting, and could soon face eviction. Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED Reported hate crimes in California rose significantly last year, according to a report issued Tuesday by Attorney General Rob Bonta. Overall reports of hate crimes rose nearly 33% last year – to the highest level since right after the 9/11 attacks. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED As California's craft liquor scene grows, some of the state's smaller distillers say their growth is limited by laws preventing them from shipping direct to consumers. Now, a new bill, headed back to a state assembly committee, could change that. Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KCBX

California Voters Get To Decide On Abortion Issue in November

California Voters Get To Decide On Abortion Issue in November

In November, California voters will decide whether to enshrine a right to abortion in the state constitution, after the state Assembly voted on Monday to place the question on the November ballot. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED While abortion in California will remain legal, and the state says it will champion reproductive freedoms, Arizona is looking to enact some of the most draconian abortion laws in the country. What does this mean for both states? Guest: Howard Fischer, Reporter Capitol Media Services in Arizona Los Angeles County has allocated $50 million to start making purchases for 5,000 affordable housing units to help families reduce two big expenses - housing and transportation. Reporter: Janaya Williams/KCRW Undocumented immigrants, ages 26 to 49, will get health coverage beginning in 2024. Roughly 700-thousand people are expected to sign up – at a cost of about 2 billion dollars a year. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Advocates are hopeful that Gov. Newsom's budget proposal will consider an increase wage replacement for workers who take time off to care for an ill relative, or bond with a new child. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Californians Prepared To Help People From Out Of State With Abortion Care

Californians Prepared To Help People From Out Of State With Abortion Care

California, which has positioned itself as a bastion of reproductive rights, plans to welcome people from states where abortion services are now restricted or banned altogether, following last week's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. The state may even help them cover the costs of traveling here. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED This is an election year with control of Congress at stake. And progresssive political activists say in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion and reproductive freedoms will be the biggest issue shaping the political landscape. Guest: Emiliana Guereca, CEO of the Women's March Foundation Legal scholars say it's unsettled whether Californians could be held legally liable for helping people from out of state get abortions. At issue is whether states have authority to criminalize behavior outside of their borders. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED

Californians Prepared To Help People From Out Of State With Abortion Care

Listen · 11:29

After the Supreme Courts Ruling This Week California Lawmakers Gearing Up To Tighten Gun Laws

California has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. Next week state lawmakers are expected to pass a bill that will make carrying a concealed weapon her even harder. Reporter: Kris Hooks, CapRadio Nathan Hochman, a former prosecutor and defense lawyer, has won enough votes to face California's Democratic Attorney General, Rob Bonta, in the November general election in California. Hochman won 18% of the vote in the June 7th primary, while Bonta garnered 54.8%, according to the latest figures released on Thursday by the California Secretary of State's Office. Prosecutors say the accused gunman who attacked a Taiwanese congregation in Laguna Woods was motivated by hate. The shooting shows a painful and complex past for Taiwanese immigrants and their American children. Reporter: Josie Huang, KPCC

After the Supreme Courts Ruling This Week California Lawmakers Gearing Up To Tighten Gun Laws

Listen · 12:38
California Firefighters Dealing With Mental Health Crisis On The Job

California Firefighters Dealing With Mental Health Crisis On The Job

Cal Fire is not only dealing with an increasing amount of wildfires across California, but many of its firefighters are facing their own mental health crisis. An investigation by CalMatters looked at the trauma these firefighters are facing and how it's affecting fire crews across the state. Guest: Julie Cart, Reporter, CalMatters Governor Gavin Newsom's plan to compel severely mentally ill Californians into treatment has cleared its latest legislative hurdle, despite concerns from civil liberties advocates. The CARE Court proposal is now headed to its next committee hearing in Sacramento. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Los Angeles County health officials are being urged to be more aggressive in their efforts to help stop the spread of Monkeypox. Currently, there are at least a dozen confirmed, or suspected, Monkeypox cases in LA County, and 37 total cases across the state. California health authorities are being asked to work harder on getting the word out about the disease, and the Aids Health Foundation wants to remind more people to use condoms.

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