KQED's The California Report

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911 Dispatchers Could Play Key Role In Prosecuting More Hate Crimes May 05, 2022

Show notes

Hate incidents are on the rise in San Diego, but they continue to be difficult to prosecute. Now, 911 dispatchers could play a key role in gathering evidence for these types of cases.

Reporter: Cristina Kim, KPBS

Governor Gavin Newsom says the Supreme Court's anticipated roll-back of abortion rights is part of a larger attack on freedoms and privacy. The governor has reaffirmed California's support for access to reproductive services, after a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion showed a majority of justices supported overturning Roe v. Wade.

As COVID-19 cases increase across the state, Los Angeles is seeing more outbreaks at workplaces and schools.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

The Mountain View-based company behind TurboTax, Intuit, has agreed to pay more than $140 million to customers. $11 million will go to Californians, who were tricked into paying for services that should have been free.

Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED

California voters could decide between two different approaches to legalizing sports gambling this November, after supporters of legalizing online wagers say they've collected enough signatures to make it on the ballot.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

The neat rows of grapevines in California’s wine country are just beginning to bud, as the wine industry faces another season of drought and almost certainly, wildfire. But it’s not just the flames they’re worried about. It’s the smoke too.

Reporter: Jerimiah Oetting, KAZU

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California Legislators Vow To Protect Abortion Rights In The State May 04, 2022

Show notes

Top Democrats in the California Legislative Women’s Caucus are pushing more than a dozen bills that they say will bolster abortion services in the state. Meanwhile, hundreds of people took part in rallies across the state, following news that Roe v. Wade could be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The contents of a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would likely strike down Roe v. Wade are still sinking in – both across the country and here in California.

Guest: Radhika Rao, Law Professor, UC Hastings

Los Angeles County’s Office of Diversion and Reentry houses thousands of people with mental health challenges, who would otherwise end up incarcerated. But its biggest initiative maxed out its budget last year and can’t add any new clients.

Reporter: Emily Elena Dugdale, KPCC

San Diego county has launched a first-in-the-nation program to provide free legal aid to detained immigrants.

Reporter: Kitty Alvarado, KPBS

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California Prepares For Possibility Of Roe v. Wade Being Overturned May 03, 2022

Show notes

A draft majority opinion obtained by Politico appears to show that the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. If that does occur, the effects will be felt nationwide, including in California, which is already preparing for the possibility of an influx of people looking to get an abortion.

Guest: Shannon Olivieri Hovis, Director of NARAL Pro-Choice California

In a recent op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle, former legislative staffer Ruth Ferguson details her experiences working in the office of Bay Area Assemblymember Marc Berman. She says her experience included harassment from her direct supervisor and retaliation for reporting incidents that concerned her. Now, she's looking to help lead change in the ways these claims are investigated.

Guest: Ruth Ferguson, former staffer for Bay Area Assemblymemebr Marc Berman

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Fate of California's Last Nuclear Power Plant Up In The Air May 02, 2022

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California’s last remaining nuclear energy facility, Diablo Canyon in San Luis Obispo County, produces enough carbon-free energy to power three million homes each year. It’s scheduled to shut down by 2025, but now, Governor Gavin Newsom may consider delaying the closure.

Reporter: Rachel Showalter, KCBX

Change is coming to California’s rooftop solar market, but what that change looks like remains a mystery. The state is still waiting for a reboot of efforts to overhaul its solar power system, three months after Governor Gavin Newsom essentially shut the process down.

Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS

This upcoming June primary is the first chance to see the effects of new local campaign finance limits in California. In Shasta County, it will likely test the limits of how much influence a wealthy donor can have on races.

Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio

A new study from the Stanford School of Medicine sheds some light on why it is that teens tune mom out.

Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED

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What's Changed and What Hasn't 30 Years After LA Unrest Apr 29, 2022

Show notes

This week marks the 30th anniversary of one of the most painful and bloodiest chapters in LA's history. The civil unrest of 1992, also known as the riots, the rebellion and the uprising, began in response to the acquittal of four white LA police officers for the beating of a black man named Rodney King. By the time it was over, dozens were dead and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage was done.

Guest: Joel Anderson, Podcast Host of Slow Burn: The LA Riots

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Foster Farms, Hiring Firms Fined Millions Over Sick Pay Violations Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

California’s Labor Commissioner has fined poultry giant Foster Farms and three staffing agencies nearly $4 million for failing to tell thousands of workers about COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave assistance. The failure was discovered during an audit of Foster Farms’ payroll records in 2020.

Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED

Researchers in San Diego County are working to stave off the worst impacts of global warming. They say cattails found in wetlands could be part of the answer.

Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS

Stockton city leaders have found a new chief to lead the police department. Stanley McFadden, who is currently a deputy chief in San Jose, will be the first African American to lead the department.

Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQED

To help protect it and give people more control over what companies do with their data, the state has enacted new privacy laws and created the country's very first privacy protection agency to enforce them. It's only six months old, and director Ashkan Soltani says he knows there are big challenges ahead.

Guest: Ashkan Soltani, Executive Director, California Privacy Protection Agency

An effort to shut down three oil platforms off the Orange County coast has cleared its first legislative hurdle. But there are concerns about the potential costs, even from some Democrats who oppose offshore drilling.

Reporter: Darrell Satzman, KCRW

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More Water Districts Adding Drought-Related Restrictions Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

In Southern California, the Metropolitan Water District, which supplies water to millions of people in several counties, has declared a first of its kind water shortage emergency. Meanwhile, in the Bay Area, the East Bay Municipal Water District has approved a mandatory 10% reduction in water usage compared to 2020 levels.

What little is known about long-COVID in children and teenagers suggests that it can be just as disabling for them as it is for older adults. One family in Los Angeles connected the dots before the doctors.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

A proposal by Governor Gavin Newsom to impose a new form of court-ordered treatment for people with severe mental illness got approval in its first state senate hearing on Tuesday. The CARE Court idea is receiving opposition from civil rights and homeless advocacy groups.

Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED

Nurses at University of California medical centers will protest UC management on Wednesday, in response to staffing issues that the nurses say have been ongoing through the pandemic.

Reporter: Shehreen Karim, KQED

A state audit of five law enforcement agencies has found racist or other biased conduct by police officers at all of them-- and inadequate investigations into that conduct.

Reporter: Alex Emslie, KQED

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Mayors Call For More Funding For Homelessness Services Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

The mayors of California’s largest cities are calling on Governor Newsom to continue funding critical homelessness services. The state’s Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Grants have only been available for three years. But mayors from all over California say their cities rely on their unique flexibility to pay for a wide range of services.

Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED

A study from the L.A. County Department of Public Health comparing unhoused mortality one year before, and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that deaths among young unhoused people, aged 18 to 29, more than doubled.

Reporter: Ethan Ward, KPCC

We're continuing our series examining the field of candidates running to be California Attorney General. The current AG, Democrat Rob Bonta is facing three serious challengers, including Republican hopeful Eric Early, who says the state is headed in the wrong direction.

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

Governor Gavin Newsom has promised that California will halt all in-state oil and gas production by the year 2045. But the state is the country’s 7th largest oil producer. So what might that transition look like, specifically in the San Joaquin Valley towns literally built on oil?

Reporter: Kerry Klein, Valley Public Radio

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High Speed Rail Leaves Many In Central Valley Divided Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

California’s high speed rail project, is supposed to one day whisk passengers between L.A. and San Francisco at over 200 miles per hour. But the project is tens of billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. Despite that, it's brought big changes to the Central Valley.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

A federal trial over San Francisco’s bid to hold drug manufacturers, suppliers and pharmacies liable for opioid addiction and overdoses starts Monday.

Reporter: Alex Emslie, KQED

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year calls for almost $1.2 billion in spending on fighting homelessness. But questions are being raised if there's enough transparency in how that money is spent.

Reporter: Ethan Ward, KPCC

The state’s Employment Development Department – or EDD – has started rolling out a promised expansion of language resources. That’s to better serve the at least 7 million Californians who use a first language other than English.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report

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Masks Will Once Again Be Required On Public Transportation In Los Angeles Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

Starting on Friday, masks will again be required inside L.A. County’s airports and on public transportation. The new health order comes after a Florida federal judge threw out a mask mandate on public transportation and airplanes nationwide.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

California could sanction places to do illegal drugs under the watchful gaze of a healthcare worker. The so-called “safe consumption” sites are an effort to save lives, as overdoses skyrocket across the country. But the prospect of opening them remains controversial.

Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED

California will close its main COVID-19 testing lab next month. The facility in Los Angeles County has faced scrutiny since it opened.

Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio

A new poll finds that 80% of Gen Z youth in California have experienced anxiety, stress or feelings of being overwhelmed as a result of learning about climate change.

Reporter: Anaïs-Ophelia Lino, KQED

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