KQED's The California Report

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California Sees Huge Surge in Hate Crimes in 2020 Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

Hate crimes in California surged 31% in 2020, fueled mainly by a big jump in crimes targeting Black people. According to the state attorney general's office, crimes targeting members of the Asian community also surged during the pandemic.

Los Angeles has had a 50% spike in shootings in the first six months of 2021 compared to last year. Several other cities have also seen a spike in shootings. One group that’s trying to stop the violence from getting worse is the Urban Peace Institute, which trains people in the community to de-escalate tensions.

Guest: Fernando Rejon, Director of the Urban Peace Institute in Los Angeles

The Lava Fire burning in far northern California has grown to nearly 20,000 acres. Fire crews are facing challenging conditions with extremely hot weather continuing for at least a few more days.

Guest: Scott Rodd, CapRadio

California’s COVID-19 test positivity rate has inched up in recent weeks. The number is still very low compared to what the state saw during the height of the pandemic, but there is some concern about unvaccinated people being infected with the Delta variant.

Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED

Starting Thursday, Californians with outstanding student loans have new rights and protections. A law signed last year creates an ombudsman to oversee the student loan industry and help borrowers navigate the new regulations aimed at holding loan companies accountable.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED

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Critics Argue State Budget Relies Too Much on Ongoing Spending Jun 30, 2021

Show notes

California legislators have passed a new state budget and it includes billions of dollars in new ongoing spending. Now there are questions about the budget’s details and what will happen when state revenues take a dip.

Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED

For over a century, California has locked up juvenile offenders in prisons run by the state. But starting next month, California will begin closing its remaining juvenile detention centers and turn over that authority to individual counties.

Guest: Dan Macallair, Executive Director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice

Earlier this year, Governor Gavin Newsom pledged to increase the budget for wildfires and fire prevention to $2 billion. But an investigation by CapRadio and NPR's California Newsroom has found that the governor delivered only a fraction of the money promised for wildfire resilience in the state budget.

Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio

Ever since voters passed a $10 billion bond measure to build a high speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the project has been plagued by problems. And voters’ doubts about the project are growing.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED

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Lawmakers Approve Massive Budget Plan Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

Lawmakers approved a nearly $263 billion budget Monday night, sending it to Governor Newsom. It includes a record amount of funding for education.

Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED

The budget deal would expand public health insurance for low-income undocumented older adults.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

The drought is already having a huge effect on some communities in California’s Central Valley. The rural community of Teviston, which is 40 miles north of Bakersfield in Tulare County, has been without running water since early this month after the city’s only functioning well broke down.

Large fires have already started to burn across the state and there are growing concerns about the dry weather and illegal fireworks, with July 4 being celebrated this weekend.

Guest: Brian Fennessy, Fire Chief of the Orange County Fire Authority

California has added five states to its “do not travel” list because they have laws that target LGBTQ people.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED

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Kevin Faulconer Explains Why He Believes Governor Newsom Should Be Recalled Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

He's the former mayor of San Diego and most political observers view him as the most formidable opponent in the recall election of Governor Gavin Newsom. Kevin Faulconer explains why he believes he's the right man for the job.

Guest: Kevin Faulconer, California Gubernatorial Candidate

A nearly $263 billion spending plan will go before state legislators in Sacramento on Monday. The proposal includes expanding Medi-Cal for undocumented immigrants age 50 and older and direct cash payments for income-eligible Californians as part of a COVID-19 relief package.

Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED

The state legislature is expected to vote Monday to extend California's eviction moratorium until the end of September. The vote comes just days before California’s eviction protections are set to expire.

Reporter: Molly Solomon, KQED

California cities are getting about $8 billion in federal funds as part of the Biden Administration's American Rescue Plan. But how cities use that money is still to be determined.

Guest: Carolyn Coleman, Executive Director of the League of California Cities

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San Diego Officials Call for US-Mexico Border Reopening Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

Citing improving vaccination rates and lower COVID-19 numbers, leaders in San Diego are asking the federal government to reopen the US-Mexico border to non-essential travel.

Britney Spears drew the world’s attention this week when she finally spoke out in a Southern California court against the conservatorship she’s been living under for more than a decade. A bill making its way through Sacramento seeks to give people like Spears more control over their cases.

Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED

CalFire has just paused logging on a section of Jackson Demonstration State Forest, right along the Mendocino County coast. Members of the local community spoke out about the project

Guest: Alicia Bales, KZYX

Advocates expect a historic move for California in the coming days - public health coverage for undocumented older adults. The state already offers full-scope Medi-Cal to undocumented children and young adults through age 25.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Venice Beach is normally a popular tourist attraction. But during the pandemic, a large homeless encampment has developed there. Now, Los Angeles city and council officials are fighting over the best way to handle the situation.

Guest: Kate Cagle, Reporter, Spectrum News 1

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Some Lawmakers Want Answers From Governor Newsom Over Wildfire Prevention Claims Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

Some lawmakers are calling for more accountability from Governor Gavin Newsom. This after an investigation from CapRadio and NPR’s California Newsroom found that Newsom has overstated the wildfire prevention work completed during his time in office.

Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has placed his longtime chief of staff on leave over disparaging remarks she made online. This comes as a former advisor to Garcetti is facing a sexual harrassment lawsuit brought by a former member of the mayor's security detail.

Guest: Libby Denkmann, KPCC

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber has confirmed that there are officially enough signatures to place a recall of Governor Gavin Newsom on the ballot. Only 43 signatures were withdrawn from the recall petition, over the six week period when voters were allowed to change their mind.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED

The effort to reunite migrant families torn apart by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues. But even as families are reunited, immigration advocates would like to see more changes from the Biden administration.

Reporter: Michelle Wiley, KQED

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Governor Newsom Vastly Overstated Wildfire Prevention Efforts Before Record-Breaking 2020 Fire Season Jun 23, 2021

Show notes

Governor Gavin Newsom has long touted year-round wildfire prevention efforts in the state since he took office. But an investigation by CapRadio and NPR's California Newsroom has found that the governor overstated, by an astounding 690%, the number of acres treated with fuel breaks and prescribed burns in forestry projects aimed at protecting the state’s most vulnerable communities.

Guest: Scott Rodd, CapRadio

While state lawmakers are wrangling with whether to extend a statewide eviction moratorium that was put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the board of superviors in both Los Angeles County and San Francisco have extended their local orders. The statewide moratorium expires on June 30.

For years, the Justice Department has defended the Trump administration’s decision to end humanitarian protections for an estimated 55,000 immigrants living in California. But now, under the Biden administration, there could be major changes when it comes to Temporary Protected Status for immigrants ln this country.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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Investigation Sheds Light on Bakersfield Police Use of Force Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

Between 2016 and 2019, Bakersfield police officers used force that broke at least 45 bones in 31 people, an analysis of public records shows. No officer has been disciplined for their actions.

Guest: Lisa Pickoff-White, Data Journalist, KQED

Police and fire personnel in Los Angeles are trailing when it comes to COVID-19 vaccination rates in the city. And that's a cause of concern for health officials and community leaders who say this could impact the public health of more vulnerable people.

As the state legislature debates whether to extend California’s moratorium on evictions beyond June, some renters are already being told they have to leave.

Reporter: Molly Solomon, KQED

With California's reopening now a week old, businesses are hoping foot traffic picks up as they're finally able to do away with capacity limitations. That's especially the case in downtown business districts, which have been hit hard by a dwindling amount of office workers.

Guest: Emilie Cameron, District Affairs and Development Director with the Downtown Sacramento Partnership

The largest river restoration project in U.S. history has received a major boost. Federal regulators have approved a dam removal plan along the lower Klamath River in Northern California.

Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED

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Investigation Finds School Records Don't Show True Story of Attendance in One Central Valley District Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

An investigation from NPR’s California Newsroom has found that despite a new state law requiring school districts to keep detailed attendance and engagement records this year, to make sure students online didn’t fall behind, the numbers may not be telling the whole story. In one Central Valley school district, students were counted as present and engaged when they did little more than log-in.

Reporter: Soreath Hok, Valley Public Radio

The state Employment Development Department says that starting next month, unemployed Californians will have to show that they’re actively looking for work to stay eligible for benefits. It could be the latest roadblack for hundreds of thousands of residents who are still waiting for unemploment benefits.

Guest: Daniela Urban, Center for Workers’ Rights

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California Adopts New Workplace Rules for Vaccinated Employees Jun 18, 2021

Show notes

The board that oversees California’s workplace safety agency, Cal/OSHA, has voted on new rules around wearing masks in the workplace. Fully vaccinated employees in most job settings will not have to wear face coverings.

Reporter: Alex Hall, The California Report

Starting next month, the state's Employment Development Department says unemployed Californians will need to show that they’re actively looking for work to remain eligible for benefits. The EDD suspended the work search requirement in March of 2020 due to the pandemic.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report

On Thursday, President Biden offiicially made Juneteenth a federal holiday. Juneteenth has been celebrated annually on June 19, as the day that marked the emancipation of African Americans who had been enslaved.

Guest: James Fugate, Co-Owner of Eso Won Books in Los Angeles

Exiled for 11 years, a deported U.S. Army veteran is back home in California. Andrew DeLeon had lived in the United States for more than 50 years, before he was deported for a nonviolent drug offense.

Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS

Across California, young women often celebrate their 15th birthdays with quinceaneras, which is a religious ceremony and party. But many have been delayed over the past year by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reporter: Madi Bolanos, Valley Public Radio

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