KQED's The California Report

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What California Voters Should Know About Recall Election Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

California voters will soon be getting vote-by-mail ballots for the gubernatorial recall election. And Election Day itself, September 14, is only about a month away. So what should voters know about the election?

Guest: Dr. Shirley Weber, California Secretary of State

California is the first state in the country to require that all teachers and school staff be vaccinated against the coronavirus or be tested weekly for COVID-19. School districts will have until mid-October to comply with this latest health order.

Two federal agencies have joined the investigation into an incident last month involving a drone that interfered with Cal Fire aircraft at the start of the Dixie Fire. Federal and state laws prohibit drone pilots from interfering with firefighting operations.

Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED

A former college lecturer is being held in a Sacramento County jail on charges related to wildfire arson. Although he's been charged in connection with one fire, he's suspected of starting several others in the Lassen and Shasta Trinity National Forests recently.

Reporter: Nina Thorsen, KQED

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Governor Newsom Expected to Implement Vaccination or Testing Requirement for School Staff Aug 11, 2021

Show notes

Governor Gavin Newsom is expected to announce rules that would require teachers and staff at schools in California to either be vaccinated or submit to regular testing for COVID-19. California would be the first state in the country to implement such rules.

California could get billions of dollars to fight wildfires and drought from the $1 trillion infrastructure bill approved by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. The plan still needs to be approved by the House.

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

Women make up only about 2% of skilled construction workers in California. We’re talking jobs like plumbers, carpenters, electricians. And that number is actually less than it was a few decades ago. So why have women made so little progress getting good paying blue collar jobs?

Reporter: Jill Replogle, KPCC

An activist in far Northern California’s Siskiyou County is recovering after holding a hunger strike for nearly three weeks. The protest started after police shot and killed a Hmong man during a wildfire evacuation in June.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report

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COVID-19 Hospitalizations on the Rise Due to Delta Variant Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

Nearly 6,000 people are hospitalized in California due to the coronavirus as the delta variant continue to surge. The vast majority of those hospitalized continue to be people who are unvaccinated.

As the Dixie Fire continues to burn across Northern California, small communities in Plumas County are trying to pick up the pieces after the fire badly damaged their towns.

Guest: Scott Rodd, Reporter with CapRadio

The head of a special trust in charge of distributing billions of dollars to 70,000 Pacific Gas & Electric fire victims says they will never be fully compensated for all that they lost.

Reporter: Lily Jamali, The California Report

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed manslaughter charges against a former LAPD officer, who allegedly shot and killed a man with mental disabilities in 2019. The ex-cop was arrested Monday for the incident inside a Corona Costco -- nearly two years after Riverside County declined to press charges against him.

Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRW

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Dixie Fire Continues to Grow, Now Second Largest Wildfire in State History Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

Crews tried to take advantage of cooler conditions over the weekend as they continue to battle the massive Dixie Fire burning in Northern California. The fire has burned more than 489,000 acres.

Brian Burrows, who grew up in Northern San Diego County, took home a bronze medal in the mixed team trapshooting event at the Tokyo Olympics. He spoke to The California Report about his time in Japan during the Summer Games.

Guest: Brian Burrows, Member of the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team

Faced with a national homelenssess crisis that grew worse during the pandemic, cities across the country are opening so-called “tiny home” villages for the unhoused. The California Report visited one in Los Angeles County.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

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Extreme Fire Conditions Expected to Ease as Crews Battle Dixie Fire Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

Following two days of extreme fire weatehr conditions, crews battling the Dixie Fire in Plumas and Butte counties are expected to get a bit of a respite Friday. The fire is now the third largest in state history, burning more than 432,000 acres.

Last August, California saw rolling blackouts as the state's electricity grid was stressed during a major heat wave. With more hot weather expected this month, many are asking whether the state's power grid is prepared this time around.

Guest: Elliot Mainzer, President and CEO of California Independent System Operater

California will require that all healthcare workers be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 30th. Hospitals will also need to verify that all visitors are vaccinated.

Reporter: Raquel Maria Dillon, KQED

With COVID-19 hospitalization rates on the rise, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer announced this week that all unvaccinated city employees will soon be required to take weekly covid tests.

Reporter: Madi Bolanos, Valley Public Radio

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Extreme Fire Conditions Cause Northern California Wildfires to Spread Quickly Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

Extreme fire conditions on Wednesday led to spot fires from the massive Dixie Fire, as it tore through the town of Greenville in Plumas County. Meanwhile, the River Fire ignited in Placer County before crossing over into Nevada County, destroying dozens of structures.

Guest: Scott Rodd, CapRadio

A Southern California family took a much-needed trip to Disneyland in June, and took precautions to protect themselves from the spread of the coronavirus. But even though they were vaccinated, they're now struggling with COVID-19.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

Four candidates vying to replace Governor Gavin Newsom sparred in a debate on Wednesday night in Orange County.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

The federal receiver in charge of medical care inside California's prisons is asking a judge to require that all corrections staff get COVID-19 vaccinations. Only 40% of corrections officers in the state are vaccinated.

Reporter: Angela Corral, The California Report

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More Evacuations Ordered as Crews Battle Challenging Conditions in Fighting Dixie Fire Aug 04, 2021

Show notes

In Plumas County, thousands of residents have been ordered from their homes as the Dixie Fire continues to spread. Officials sent out notice Tuesday afternoon as high winds have made it tougher for firefighters trying to contain the fire’s spread.

Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED

We’ve heard a lot about controlled burning recently –- carefully lit intentional fires that have benefits for wildfire risk and the environment. But lighting them –- like fighting fires –- takes a lot of work.

Guest: Hannah Hagemann, Reporter with the Santa Cruz Sentinel

Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature wildfire prevention measure has been 35 “priority projects” aimed at protecting the state’s most vulnerable communities. In June, one was put to the test during the Lava Fire --one of the first large fires this season. As it threatened the town of Lake Shastina near the Oregon border, one of those priority fuel breaks didn’t contain the fire, leaving evacuees stuck in dangerous traffic.

Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio

During a wildfire, it’s often not flames or heat that ignite a home, but embers. Wind can carry these small pieces of smoldering material for miles, but there are ways to protect your home.

Reporter: Sarah Bohannon, North State Public Radio

A COVID-19 outbreak at a Northern California state prison has infected more than 100 incarcerated people in the last two weeks. It appears the cases spread at the Sierra Conservation Center in Tuolumne County after a prison employee came to work with the virus.

Reporter: Ted Goldberg, KQED

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PG&E Equipment May Have Sparked Northern California Wildfire Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

In a preliminary report filed with state regulators, Pacific Gas & Electric says the Fly Fire may have started when a tree fell on one of its power lines. The fire started in Plumas County near Highway 70 -- and combined with the Dixie Fire late last month to form the largest wildfire currently burning in the state.

With the rapid spread of the delta variant, and cases going up across the region, Bay Area heatlh officials are putting in place a mask mandate indoors again. The only counties that aren't mandating masks are Napa and Solano counties.

COVID-19 cases are rising due to the highly contagious delta variant. So what makes this strain so much more contagious than others?

Guest: Dr. Monica Gandhi, Infectious Disease Expert, UC San Francico

More California-based entertainment companies are requiring employees to get a COVID 19 vaccine. Now you can add Disney and Netflix to the list.

Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW

The water in Lake Mendocino is dropping at an alarming rate, threatening supplies for communities along the upper Russian River. Water in the reservoir is below minimum storage levels, stressing drinking water supplies and fish that depend on the river.

Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED

The trillion dollar infrastructure bill moving through Congress includes language that could tax cryptocurrency companies. But crypto lobbyists are pushing back.

Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED

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San Francisco Considering Indoor Mask Mandate Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

San Francisco is the latest county that's considering a mask mandate to help ease the spread of the delta variant. Public health officials say a decision could come as early as this week.

Subsidies for electric vehicles have been hailed by environmentalists as a key clean energy policy. But do EVs actually reduce emissions?

Guest: David Rapson, UC Davis Economics Professor

With wildfire smoke now a year-round problem in many parts of the state, Ventura County just launched a first-of-its-kind alert system to notify farmworkers when air quality conditions may pose a risk to their health.

Reporter: Matt Guilhem, KCRW

Among the San Joaquin Valley’s community of Punjabi Sikhs, there are many reasons people have been vaccinated against COVID-19. But many in these communities are also concerned that their vaccination concerns aren’t being addressed by health authorities.

Reporter: Kerry Klein, Valley Public Radio

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State on Pace to Break Last Year's Record Breaking Fire Season Jul 30, 2021

Show notes

California’s fire season is off to a fast start, outpacing 2020, which was the worst year on record. Wildfires have burned over 480,000 acres in California so far this year. That’s about four times the total during the same time last year.

Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio

One of Los Angeles' most extraordinary works of public art is in a storm water channel in the San Fernando Valley. Started in the 1970's and still not complete, it's a more than half-mile long mural -- one of the longest in the world -- called the "Great Wall of L.A." The mural was conceived by artist Judy Baca.

Guest: Artist Judy Baca

Because of the drought, the top environmental issue on the minds of Californians is water and how much there is of it. Roughly two-thirds of adults say water supply and drought are big problems in this state, that according to the latest Public Policy Institute of California survey.

Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED

Gymnast Sunisa Lee has become the first Hmong-American to win gold for Team USA. And just as her hometown in Minnesota cheered her on, the San Joaquin Valley was watching as well.

Reporter: Kerry Klein, Valley Public Radio

The shooting competition at the Olympics is wrapping up and one Californian is hoping to take home a medal in her first Summer Games. Sagen Maddalena grew up in Groveland near Yosemite National Park and got an early start in the sport.

Guest: Sagen Maddalena, Member of the U.S. Shooting Team

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