KQED's The California Report

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Sacramento Police - Mass Shooting Likely Involved Rival Gangs Apr 07, 2022

Show notes

Sacramento police now believe at least five individuals fired guns in the downtown shooting that left six dead and 12 injured early Sunday morning. Investigators say they believe gangs played a role in the shooting.

Guest: Sam Stanton, Sacramento Bee

Since 1959, California’s Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, has set rules of conduct for law enforcement in the state. The commission will hold a special meeting on Thursday to work on defining what kind of police misconduct is serious enough to revoke an officer’s badge.

Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQED

There are more than a million unfilled tech jobs in the United States. That’s a problem for tech companies but an opportunity for IT professionals in Mexico.

Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS

This week, San Diego’s City Council approved a new municipal board that will oversee surveillance related issues in the city. The new board will give advice and recommendations on the city's use of surveillance technologies and personal data, as well as review how they are currently being used.

Reporter: Christina Kim, KPBS

A poll out this week from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies gives new insight into concerns Californians have for farmworkers employed in wildfire evacuation zones. More than 80% of California voters polled think that farmworkers should both get hazard pay for this work – and be given safety training in their own native language.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report

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Suspect in Sacramento Mass Shooting Makes First Court Appearance Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

The first suspect arrested in connection to Sunday's mass shooting in Sacramento, Dandrae Martin, made his first brief appearance in court on Tuesday. His brother has also been arrested and a third person was taken into custody, but police say as of now, he's not facing any charges related to the mass shooting.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg is joining victim and criminal justice reform advocates to demand that the state do more to stem violence. 19 community groups are calling on state leaders to invest $3 billion in local programs to support crime survivors and help interrupt cycles of violence.

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

One month ago, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled an ambitious proposal to create mental health courts in California. These so-called "CARE Courts” would be places where homeless people with severe mental health disorders could get connected to the treatment they need. But more controversially, the courts would also have the authority to force some people into care if they didn't want to go, raising concerns about abuse and civil liberties.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

State senators voted on Tuesday to advance a gun control bill that would use the threat of lawsuits to fight the sale and manufacture of illegal firearms. Senate Bill 1327 would allow any California citizen to sue those who pay for, manufacture or distribute ghost guns.

Reporter: Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, KQED

In recent years, a lot of people have become rideshare and delivery drivers to make some extra cash. But those drivers face a number of threats while on the road. A new report out Wednesday claims that the gig companies the drivers work for aren't doing enough to compensate the drivers when bad things do happen.

Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED

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Second Arrest Made in Sacramento Mass Shooting As Community Mourns Apr 05, 2022

Show notes

Last night in downtown Sacramento people gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor the victims’ memories after a mass shooting there early Sunday morning. A variety of community leaders spoke, from Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg to community activist Barry Accius.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, KQED

57-year-old Melinda Davis was one of the victims of the shooting. She was unhoused and had lived on the streets of downtown Sacramento for much of the past decade.

Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio

Sacramento public school teachers have announced they are calling off a more than week-long strike. The pivot point might have been the aftermath of this weekend’s shootings.

Reporter: Janelle Salanga, CapRadio

At the same time, teachers with Summit Charter School Network are threatening a strike if leadership doesn’t agree to a contract after more than a year of stalled negotiations.

Reporter: Julia McEvoy, KQED

San Diego City is proposing a moratorium on “No Fault” evictions until September 30th 2022 or 60 days after the end of the local state of emergency, whichever comes first.

Reporter: Cristina Kim, KPBS

Malibu's City Council has voted to move its homeless population outside of the city limits. The city’s homeless task force believes its solution will meet the needs of people willing to accept services while also making it easier for the sheriff’s department to enforce the city’s no camping policy.

Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW

In Los Angeles County, Sheriff Alex Villanueva will be forced to testify in court over long-running allegations that deputy gangs exist in his department.

Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRW

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Sacramento Mass Shooting Over Weekend Leaves Six Dead, Twelve Injured Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

A mass shooting happened in Sacramento around two a.m. Sunday morning in a crowded downtown business district, not far from the state capitol building, a district filled with bars and restaurants which were closing for the night.

Host Saul Gonzalez spoke with Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester, Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, State Assemblymember Kevin McCarty and Sacramento residents in the aftermath of the shooting.

Now that pandemic rental relief has been extended thanks to a bill signed late last week the state Attorney General’s Office is putting some landlord attorneys on notice after receiving reports that their clients are using false claims in order to evict tenants.

Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED

For weeks new COVID cases in LA County had been steadily falling, but they have now plateaued. KPCC Senior Health Reporter Jackie Fortier says lifting mandatory mask rules and the spread of another highly transmissible variant are to blame.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

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Free Tax Prep Not Free Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

The FTC is suing Intuit over its TurboTax software. The agency says the California-based company is misleading consumers by marketing the product as free.

Guest: Justin Elliot, ProPublica

A new push for mental health warnings on legal cannabis products.

Reporter: April Dembosky

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Investigation Finds California’s Private Homecare Industry In Crisis Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

California’s private homecare industry is in bad shape, with overwhelmed employers and underpaid workers. That’s from a new report out of UCLA’s Labor Center.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

California lawmakers are expected to vote today on a bill to extend eviction protections for tenants still waiting on rent relief. More than 500-thousand have applied for that assistance.

Guest: Erin Baldassari, Housing Reporter, KQED

A six month-long investigation commissioned by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has found that LA county’s homelessness services are “under tremendous strain” and in need of sweeping reform.

Reporter: Danielle Chiriguayo, KCRW

Soon you’ll no longer have to show proof of Covid vaccination to get inside many businesses in Los Angeles.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

Exotic dancers at a North Hollywood bar have been on a strike for more than a week to demand safer working conditions.

Reporter: Robin Estrin, KCRW

More than seven years after its passage, Proposition 47 has saved California 600 million dollars in prison costs according to a new report by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.

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State Task Force Votes on Who Qualifies for Reparations Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

After hours of debate on Tuesday, California’s Reparations Task Force cast a historic vote deciding who will be eligible to receive compensation. .

Reporter: Cristina Kim, KPBS

COVID-19 numbers in California have improved drastically since the beginning of the omicron wave here in the state. But there are some concerns that a highly transmissable variant could bring more cases in the coming weeks and months.

Guest: Lesley McClurg, KQED Health Correspondent

A proposal to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for California workers will not move forward this year in the state legislature. It was dropped without a vote.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

Wastewater data in the South Bay Area this week hints at the first signs of a sustained rise in COVID-19 because of the BA.2 omicron subvariant. But it’s nothing compared to the last surge.

Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED

A California congressman is introducing a new bill aimed at helping provide some relief for drivers from rising gas prices. It would send relief checks to taxpayers.

Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

A new report on safety inspections at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in San Luis Obispo County has found failures by inspectors from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to appropriately identify several issues at the facility.

Reporter: Rachel Showalter, KCBX

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Governor Newsom Orders Additional Water Restictions Mar 29, 2022

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Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered water districts to increase water restrictions. But are statewide mandatory water cutbacks coming?

Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED

A new report out of UCLA shows that a year after a sweep of homeless camps around Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, most of the unhoused who were uprooted have not found permanent housing. Even more concerning, many have fallen off the map of the city's homeless department, and are no longer being tracked.

Guest: Ananya Roy, Professor of Urban Planning and Chair of UCLA's Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy

The state Assembly has voted to extend pandemic eviction protections for tenants still waiting on rent relief. How big is the problem? Well fewer than half of the nearly 500,000 people who’ve applied for rental assistance have yet to receive a payout.

Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken the lives of nearly 10,000 nursing home residents and staff in California. To honor them, and to press for better working conditions, several dozen unionized long-term care workers held a vigil Monday in Sacramento.

Reporter: Sara Hossaini, KQED

A federal judge in Santa Ana is ordering a controversial Southern California legal scholar to turn over documents to the House Committee investigating the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED

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Sacramento City Teachers Remain on Strike Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

Despite bargaining this weekend, there’s no new deal as a teacher’s strike continues in the Sacramento City Unified School District. That means campuses will remain closed, and that's taking a toll on families.

Reporter: Pauline Bartolone, CapRadio

Student debt is a crushing financial burden for millions of people, including health professionals who’ve worked hard treating COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. Now, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla of California has introduced a bill to help get rid of student loans for frontline healthcare workers.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Talks aimed at ending a strike by hundreds of unionized workers at Chevron's refinery in the city of Richmond are restarting Monday morning. It's the first bargaining session since the workers walked off the job a week ago over pay, health benefits and worker safety concerns.

Reporter: Ted Goldberg, KQED

After years of scrutiny and criticism of how the Bakersfield Police Department does its job, an agreement between the department and the California Department of Justice may force the department to make changes. That includes how Bakersfield PD officers respond to calls involving people with mental health issues.

Reporter: Soreath Hok, KVPR

If you’re looking for a house to buy in California, this won’t surprise you. Home ownership became even more unreachable for the great majority of Californians last year. And housing affordability was worse for prospective Black and Latino buyers.

Reporter: Alex Emslie, KQED

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California Legislators Look to Extend Eviction Protections Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

State lawmakers have introduced a bill to extend protections for tenants waiting on rent relief from the state. But it won't extend the deadline to apply for rent relief, which expires at the end of March.

Reporter: Molly Solomon, KQED

The race to be Los Angeles' next mayor has kicked off, and the leading candidates are all promising to tackle one major issue if elected -- homelessness. But many are questioning whether their proposed solutions will actually help with the issue.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

Yet another guard at the federal women's prison in the city of Dublin has been charged with sexual abuse. The lockup has been nicknamed "the Rape Club" by people incarcerated there.

Reporter: Alex Emslie, KQED

Three Muslim Americans are suing the Department of Homeland Security, over what they say is unconstitutional treatment at Los Angeles International Airport.

Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRW

A new rule just published by the Biden administration will overhaul the way asylum claims made at the border are decided. It could speed up the process for tens of thousands of asylum seekers.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

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