KQED's The California Report

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Governor Newsom Offers New Gas Relief Plan Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing to spend $9 billion on tax refunds, to help California motorists at the pump. Newsom wants to use the state's windfall of tax revenue to send drivers a $400 debit card -- one each for up to two vehicles.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

Hundreds of Eastern European migrants are arriving in Tijuana, fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and increasingly repressive governments in Russia itself and its ally Belarus. The migrants coming to Tijuana dream of crossing the border and getting asylum in the U.S.

Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler

In Sacramento, classes are canceled again on Thursday, after thousands of teachers and staff at the Sacramento City Unified School District walked off the job.

Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio

Navigating through the pandemic and drought conditions has been a major challenge for California's farming industry. With more dry conditions ahead, and costs increasing and the global supply chain still an issue, it could be another tough year.

Guest: Ryan Jacobsen, CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau

As many as half of the people serving life in prison without possibility of parole in California were convicted under a law critics say perpetuates gender and racial disparities. That’s according to a national report out this week by advocacy organizations calling for an end to the practice.

Reporter: Alex Emslie, KQED

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First Latina Confirmed to California Supreme Court Mar 23, 2022

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As the US Senate considers the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the first Black female justice on the US Supreme Court, a panel in San Francisco has voted to confirm Appeal Court Justice Patricia Guererro to become the first Latina member on the California Supreme Court.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED

Two major California bail bond service providers are set to be hit with proposed class action lawsuits. The lawsuit names two of the largest bail bond agents in California – Aladdin Bail Bonds and All-Pro Bail Bonds – and seeks repayment for people who’ve co-signed bail bond payments without getting notices that make clear what that obligation entails.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has many of us here in the United States asking what we can do to help. A couple in Los Angeles are now hosting a Ukrainian woman who fled her home in Kyiv.

Reporter: Caroline Feraday, KCLU

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Gas Prices Could Be Impacted By Chevron Refinery Strike Mar 22, 2022

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A strike by workers at the Chevron refinery in the Bay Area city of Richmond could mean more bad news for already sky-high California gas prices. Chevron says it plans to continue normal operations at the plant despite the walkout, but any disruptions could lead to even higher prices.

A California inmate originally from Cambodia is awaiting final approval for parole. But he fears that rather than be released to his family, he could get locked up again by immigration authorities, and even deported.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

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Different Pictures Painted in Recall Effort in Los Angeles Mar 21, 2022

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Efforts are ramping up to recall Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon from office. A similar effort failed last year, but supporters of the recall say public safety could play a big role this time around.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

WNBA star Brittney Griner is currently jailed in Russia after being accused of smuggling hashish oil into the country, something that could carry up to a 10 year prison sentence. Her arrest has called into question LGBTQ rights and the possible political motivation behind her detainment.

Reporter: Sara Hossaini, KQED

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Bill Would Provide Protection, Refuge for Transgender Kids Mar 18, 2022

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A new bill aims to protect transgender youth and their families from legal action if they come to California for medical care. This comes after a number of Republican-controlled states considered legislation targeting gender-affirming medical care.

Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW

In 1966, at the height of the civil rights movement, a live call-in radio show premiered on San Diego’s airwaves. The show washosted and created by local civil rights leaders Harold K. Brown and Reverend R. Major Shavers. Brown now reflects on what has and hasn't been done in the fight for racial equality.

Reporter: Christina Kim, KPBS

At least three proposals to address the high cost of gasoline are floating around in Sacramento. One that seems to have widespread support is a $400 rebate plan for California taxpayers.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED

COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles are falling, and fewer people are in the hospital. But an omicron subvariant is putting the county health department on alert.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

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State Lawmakers Proposing Rebate Plan to Help Californians Struggling With Gas Prices Mar 17, 2022

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A new proposal from a group of mostly Democratic state lawmakers would send a $400 rebate to California taxpayers to help with the massive surge in gas prices. The group has sent a letter to Governor Newsom, arguing that a rebate would cover the current 51-cents per gallon state gas tax for a full year.

For two years now, Los Angeles tenants have been protected from eviction over non-payment of rent. Now, county leaders are giving landlords some relief on their taxes.

Reporter: David Wagner, KPCC

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is calling out the city of Pasadena for trying to avoid the implementation of SB 9. That's the new state law that allows for the construction of up to four housing units on parcels of land previously zoned for single family homes.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

A California Assembly bill with bi-partisan support aims to hold social media platforms liable with financial consequences for knowingly addicting children to their services. The bill – known as the Social Media Platform Duty to Children Act – is the first of its kind in the nation.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report

Scientists monitoring Bay Area wastewater for signs of another coronavirus wave, driven by an omicron subvariant, have not detected any sustained rise in the region.

Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED

Minor League baseball players have been pushing for better pay for years. Now, a California state senator is hoping his legislation can lead to a national movement to help them.

Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

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Events to be Held to Honor Victims of Atlanta Spa Shootings Mar 16, 2022

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Tuesday marks the one year anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings in which eight people were killed – six of them Asian women. In Los Angeles, rememberances will be deliberatley muted.

Reporter: Josie Huang, KPCC

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, the California Department of Corrections disciplined two officers for making racist statements on social media. Thanks to a new law, we now can see what those officers, both white, posted and how they were disciplined.

Guest: Sukey Lewis, Criminal Justice Correspondent, KQED

From racial disparities in arrests, to the percentage of crimes solved and the cost of policing, San Francisco is performing worse than other major cities across the state. That's according to a new report from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.

Reporter: Alex Emslie, KQED

The family of a man who died in California Highway Patrol custody says a video proves that CHP officers killed him. The video was released as part of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of 38-year-old Edward Bronstein, who died after a DUI stop in Los Angeles in 2020.

Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCC

Public records reveal that, between 2014 and 2019, more than 40% of people seriously injured or killed by Bakersfield police displayed signs of a mental health condition or intoxication. That’s according to a new analysis done by Valley Public Radio and the California Reporting Project.

Reporter: Soreath Hok, KVPR

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Ukrainians Seek Asylum at U.S. Southern Border Mar 15, 2022

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Ukrainians seeking asylum at U.S. southern border may be turned away because of a Trump-era policy relating to the pandemic.

Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS

Alleged sexual assault of incarcerated women at a Dublin prison is so rampant some inmates and staff refer to it as “the rape club." California lawmakers personally visited to hear from incarcerated people firsthand.

Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED

Gov. Newsom signed emergency legislation yesterday to nullify a court order freezing enrollment at UC Berkeley after it passed unanimously in the state legislature.

Reporter: Sara Hossaini, KQED

Two California lawmakers want the state's fire agency, CAL Fire, to respond more quickly to forest fires, but fire experts say fire intense suppression is already CAL Fire policy, and that it's to blame for increasingly severe fires.

Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED

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Health Clinics in Los Angeles Still Waiting to be Reimbursed After Vaccinating Thousands Mar 14, 2022

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Community health clinics have vaccinated hundreds of thousands of low income Californians for more than a year, but due to a federal funding glitch the clinics have been absorbing the cost. And now, Los Angeles’ largest community health center may have to close vaccination sites in some of LA’s poorest areas.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

California voters passed a ballot measure in 2018 to do away with changing our clocks twice a year. But almost four years later, we’re still springing forward.

Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio

High school students across the state have been walking out of class to call for change in how administrators handle sexual assault claims. In Humboldt County last fall, students protested for three straight days. Months later, some students in the rural town of Fortuna say they’re still grappling with the fallout of speaking out.

Reporter: Holly J. McDede, KQED

You, of course, go to the library for books and information. But in Los Angeles, the public library system might soon be a place people go for help with mental health issues.

Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCC

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State Officials Warn of Another Dry Year, But No Water Use Mandates Put in Place Mar 11, 2022

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The state’s top conservation official says that California is "very clearly" headed into a third year of drought. He encouraged Californians to save water, but the state is not yet mandating it.

Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED

According to the United Nations, more than two million people have fled Ukraine since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of the country late last month. Two of them are a 94-year-old mother and her 70-year-old son with family in San Francisco. They made it safely to Germany this week, with the help of two of Ukraine's most famous athletes.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report

The Senate and House have approved a massive $1.5 trillion spending plan that will keep the federal government funded through September. It awaits President Biden's signature. But many restaurant and bar owners feel like they're being left out in the cold.

Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

Advocates for immigrants in California are rallying around an Orange County man, who is suing the federal government over repeated attempts to deport him. An Nguyen committed several robberies in California, for which he served 26 years, before he was released in 2019.

Reporter: Josie Huang, KPCC

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