KQED's The California Report

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Some California Counties Begin Administering COVID-19 Shots for Younger Children Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

Many California children, ages 5 to 11, have started getting the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. In Los Angeles alone, more than 900, 000 school-aged children are now eligible for the shot.

Reporter: Jackie Fortiér, KPCC

As the United Nations Climate Change Conference continues in Scotland, many Californians can see the effects right here along the California coast. For instance, look out the window on a trip on Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, which connects downtown Los Angeles and downtown San Diego, and the effects of climate change are right in front of you.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

California Attorney General Rob Bonta says his office will take a larger role in enforcing California's housing laws. He's launching a 12 member strike force to step up enforcement.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

As the United Nations climate summit continues in Scotland, a majority of Californians are making it clear they support the state’s climate change mitigation goals. And they see the damage caused by global warming. That’s according to new findings from the Public Policy Institute of California.

Reporter: Danielle Chiriguayo, KCRW

Levels of carbon emissions have almost returned to where they were before the pandemic, according to Stanford research.

Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED

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California Prepares to Roll Out COVID Vaccine for Younger Children Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that all children ages 5 through 11 get a low-dose COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech. In California, counties across the state are preparing to deliver the shots to children.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva continues to attack his county’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. He claims the sheriff's department could lose thousands of employees because of the mandate, although he hasn't provided evidence that that will actually happen.

It’s important to have health insurance, especially during a pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic, some insurers chose not to charge COVID-19 patients for expensive hospital stays and therapies. A few have continued that policy as long as the public health emergency is in place, but most are quietly going back to business as usual.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

California has sent a contingent of officials to attend the United Nations climate change conference in Glasgow. The delegation includes state Senator Josh Becker, a Democrat who represents San Mateo County and part of Santa Clara County.

Guest: Josh Becker, Bay Area State Senator

State utility regulators have reached proposed settlements with California's two biggest power companies, over allegations they violated safety rules before a string of destructive fires. Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric are alleged to have violated a wide range of safety regulations before the blazes, which include the Thomas and Woolsey fires in Southern California and the Kincade Fire north of San Francisco.

Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED

Pacific Gas & Electric ratepayers could be stuck footing at least some of the bill for the Dixie fire. It's just the latest scandal for the troubled utility. Now, a Silicon Valley congressman says he hopes this will be the tipping point that pushes PG&E towards a public takeover.

Reporter: Angela Corral, The California Report

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Study Finds Climate Change is Primary Source Behind Increasing Western Wildfires Nov 02, 2021

Show notes

A new report finds that climate change is chiefly responsible for the growing frequency and severity of California's wildfires. The team of researchers from UCLA and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory based that estimate on how quickly dry air sucks up moisture.

Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW

Pacific Gas and Electric says it's received a subpoena from federal prosecutors, in connection with this summer's catastrophic Dixie Fire. The fire burned nearly a million acres and has led to investigations by CalFire and by prosecutors in several counties.

Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED

Like so many other places in the country, California is grappling with its racist past. It’s also looking at the idea of reparations for African Americans and Black descendents of slaves. A new task force is studying this issue, and families are coming forward to share their experiences.

Reporter: Sarah Mizes-Tan, CapRadio

In the wake of the Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan, Sacramento is struggling with an influx of refugees from the country. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Beccerra visited the region Monday, and heard from refugees about the struggles of finding affordable housing, getting around without a car and enrolling children in school.

Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED

Using fresh Census data, state, local and federal political maps are redrawn every ten years to account for population changes over the past decade and to even out representation. The maps by the nonpartisan commission are by no means final. But they show some potentially big shakeups in Northern California’s congressional districts.

Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio

Geneticists at the San Diego Zoo have found the first ever case of condor reproduction by just a single parent. Testing revealed two young condors, reared by two separate mothers, had only one parent. Their eggs were not fertilized by male sperm.

Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS

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California Officials to Tout State's Ambitious Climate Change Goals at U.N. Summit Nov 01, 2021

Show notes

The United Nations Climate Change Conference kicks off this week in Scotland. And while Governor Gavin Newsom canceled his trip at the last minute, the state will be well represented, as officials hope to showcase California's ambitious climate goals.

Guest: Ezra David Romero, KQED Climate Reporter

Over the weekend, employees of healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente staged worker solidarity rallies. Tens of thousands of Kaiser workers, like nurses, pharmacists, and physical therapists are threatening to strike across the state.

This past weekend, activists and supporters gathered at Dolores Park in San Francisco to celebrate the release of the last remaining person detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Yuba County Jail. Now the “Free The Yuba 11 Coalition” is advocating that federal officials end ICE’s contract with the jail.

Reporter: Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, KQED

A new organization in California hopes to help people who have been released from prison re-integrate back into their communities. The Re-Entry Providers Association of California – or REPAC -- is the nation’s first statewide coordinated effort to help formerly incarcerated people succeed on the outside.

Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

The White House says it's committed to immigration reform, ultimately creating a pathway to citizenship for the 11 to 12 million undocumented immigrants who live in this country. A key figure in that effort is California’s U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, who is himself the child of immigrants from Mexico.

Guest: U.S. Senator Alex Padilla from California

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State Senate Holds First Hearing on Orange County Oil Spill Oct 29, 2021

Show notes

The state Natural Resources and Water Committee held its first hearing Thursday on the massive oil spill off the coast of Orange County. The cause of the spill remains under investigation.

Central Valley farmworkers and their families are calling on state and local officials to restrict the use of 13 pesticides that have been linked to childhood cancers. They also want to be warned ahead of time when these pesticides are used.

Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

Facebook has changed its company name to Meta. The social media company has been under fire for spreading misinformation and other things. And the new name led to plenty of snarky Twitter comments.

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California Health Officials Prepared to Vaccinate Younger Children Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

The state has pre-ordered 1.4 million doses of Pfizer's pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, so medical providers can start putting shots in arms as soon as federal health officials sign off.

Staffing levels for federal wildland firefighters have dipped dramatically in recent years, impacting efforts to contain massive wildfires across the country, particularly in California. At a hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, advocates argued for two pieces of legislation aimed at helping hire more firefighters.

Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

President Joe Biden has presented a trimmed down reconciliation bill to Congress on Thursday morning. California Senator Alex Padilla joined the California Report to talk about the proposal and some of the reasons it's been so heavily debated by his Democratic colleagues in the Senate.

Guest: U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, California

The Beverly Hills Police Department has been accused of racially profiling Black shoppers on Rodeo Drive. New records from a class action lawsuit show that out of 90 people who were arrested along the shopping corridor, 80 were Black.

Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRW

The coronavirus pandemic led to record drug use across the country. Fatal overdoses rose almost 30% percent last year, driven mainly by fentanyl and other opioids. But the stimulant methamphetamine is also a huge part of the problem. It doesn’t get as much attention, though, in part because it doesn’t cause the impressive death counts that make for good headlines.

Guest: Sam Quinones, Journalist and Author of the book "The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth"

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FDA Panel Endorses Pfizer Vaccine for Younger Children Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

With Tuesday’s FDA committee vote endorsing the use of Pfizer's Covid vaccine in kids over the age of 4, public health officials in California are getting ready to distribute the kid-size doses. It’s looking like children will be able to get their shots in the next couple weeks, as soon as the review process is completed.

Guests: Jessica Nicholson and Maura Fallon McKnight, Parents in Richmond and Humboldt County

In Los Angeles, city employees who don’t get vaccinated by December 18 could lose their jobs. A plan approved Tuesday by the L.A. City Council would also require people who are not vaccinated to undergo regular COVID-19 testing, on their own dime.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

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EDD Officials Grilled Over Backlog and Fraudulent Claims Oct 26, 2021

Show notes

California's embattled Employment Development Department says it's taking steps to fix some of what's broken there, from clogged phone lines to fraud. State lawmakers grilled agency officials at an oversight hearing in Sacramento on Monday.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report

Rising rents and limited affordable housing continue to put pressure on many Californians. And new research shows the housing market is particularly challenging for Black renters in San Diego.

Reporter: Cristina Kim, KPBS

The atmospheric river has effectively put an end to California’s wildfire season. And there's more evidence in the Sequoia National Forest.

Reporter: Soreath Hok, Valley Public Radio

Wildfire prevention is one of the key goals of President Biden’s trillion dollar infrastructure bill. Democrats are pushing for a vote on it in Congress this week. One of them is Josh Harder who represents California’s Central Valley. He’s been especially focused on measures that would address the health impacts from wildfire smoke.

Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW

Immigration advocates are calling on Governor Gavin Newsom to cancel a no-bid, $350 million contract. It was awarded to a border wall company to help with the state’s COVID-19 response.

Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio

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Rain Pummels Bay Area, Northern California Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

Rain and wind wreaked havoc across Northern California and the Bay Area on Sunday, causing power outages, flooding and downed trees in several areas. Several cities saw rainfall records broken.

This weekend's record-breaking rainfall is still not nearly enough to curb the state’s drought. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency for all 58 counties in California last week. Farmers in Fresno County, like Joe Del Bosque, have been struggling for months.

Reporter: Madi Bolanos, Valley Public Radio

Hundreds of Hollywood artisans held a candlelight vigil in Burbank Sunday night for Halyna Hutchins. She's the 42-year-old cinematographer who was accidentally killed by actor Alec Baldwin last week on a film set in New Mexico. An investigation is ongoing in New Mexico, but in California, it's prompted legislative action.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

Two dozen Congressional Democrats from California are calling on the Biden Administration to shut down three immigration detention centers in the state. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, 23 members of Congress, plus Senator Alex Padilla, note that conditions in the facilities violate health and safety standards set by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

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Governor Newsom Proposes Ban on Oil Drilling Near Neighborhoods Oct 22, 2021

Show notes

Governor Gavin Newsom wants to ban new oil drilling near schools, homes and many businesses, proposing a rule aimed at improving the health of millions of Californians. The rule would bar new drilling within 3,200 feet of houses, schools and businesses open to the public.

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

The Bay Conservation and Development Commission has adopted a Bay Area-wide plan for adapting to rising seas. Scientists project the bay could rise by several feet by the end of the century, a result of warming temperatures.

Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED

In response to its homelessness crisis, the city of Los Angeles has opened the country's largest so-called tiny home village. It's located in northeast Los Angeles and more than 200 people will be able to live there.

Guest: Amy King, CEO of Pallet, a company building many of these homes

A new state audit has found that California’s Board of State and Community Corrections, which helps run the state’s adult and juvenile justice and penal systems, mismanaged nearly $60 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED

The recall attempt targeting Governor Newsom is over, but there are other efforts across the state to remove elected officials from office. In Shasta County, a conservative member of the Board of Supervisors is facing a recall election promoted by members of a local militia and things have gotten ugly.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED

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