KQED's The California Report

Latest Episodes:

Wait For Unemployment Money Continues For Hundreds of Thousands of Californians May 06, 2021

Show notes

After waiting months for an update on their unemployment claims, nearly a million out of work Californians will likely have to wade through even more red tape to access their benefits. That's because the Employment Development Department has disqualified their applications.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report

A federal judge has struck down the CDC’s nationwide eviction moratorium, a decision the Justice Department is appealing. The ruling could have major ramifications for millions of tenants struggling to pay rent during the pandemic, but not here in California.

Reporter: Molly Solomon, KQED

Reality TV celebrity Caitlyn Jenner caused a media frenzy when she jumped into the California governor’s race two weeks ago. On Wednesday night, she sat down for an interview on Fox News.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED

A KQED investigation has found that the Fire Victim Trust, set up to distribute money to victims of wildfires caused by Pacific Gas and Electric, has spent the vast majority of its money on overhead, rather than fire survivors themselves.

Guest: Scott McNutt, Bankruptcy Attorney and former California State Bar governor

Most sports facilities are back in full swing, as L.A. County moves into the yellow tier for reopening this week. But that's not the case for basketball courts in Venice Beach.

Reporter: Angel Carreras, KCRW

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Recall Election Ramps Up with New Ads and Campaign Launch May 05, 2021

Show notes

California’s recall election is in full swing, with a campaign launch featuring a live bear. Meanwhile, embattled Governor Gavin Newsom is defending his record managing the state through a tumultuous year.

Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio

Public health experts are keeping a close eye on data that shows the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations slowing down. While the slowdown is concerning, some early skeptics of the vaccine have had a change of heart, and are now getting their shot.

Guest: Dr. Brian Castrucci, president and chief executive officer of the de Beaumont Foundation

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors has voted to launch another investigation into complaints that sheriff’s deputies harass relatives of victims of law enforcement violence. This comes following a new report released by the National Lawyers Guild and American Civil Liberties Union.

Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCC

A law passed in 2018 that requires California companies to have women on their boards of directors is having an effect. The number of female directors at California has doubled in the three years since the measure was signed into law.

Reporter: Nina Thorsen, KQED

Smaller family-owned businesses have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, leaving some to close their doors and others to pivot to new ventures. One immigrant family in the Central Valley used generosity and foresight to help them get through the last year.

Reporter: Soreath Hok, Valley Public Radio

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Some Health Officials Concerned About People Skipping Second Dose of COVID Vaccine May 04, 2021

Show notes

It's still unclear how many people in California have actually delayed getting the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. But there's concern about what that will mean for their immunity moving forward.

Guest: Dr. Steven Parodi, Executive Director of the Permanente Group at Kaiser Permanente

As COVID-19 numbers continue to improve across the state, more counties are expecting to move into the least restrictive yellow tier on Tuesday. That will mean businesses will be able to open with even fewer restrictions.

Immigrant advocates in California applauded President Joe Biden’s decision to raise the limit on refugee admissions this year, from a historic low to more than 62,000. The president has also reaffirmed his goal of doubling that number by next year.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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Why Are People Vaccine Hesitant? May 03, 2021

Show notes

The Fresno County Department of Public Health is diverting COVID-19 vaccines allocated to that county elsewhere because of low demand. Some people in the county are still waiting to get the vaccine, but for reasons that might not be often associated with hesitancy.

Reporter: Alex Hall, The California Report

Four people are dead after a 40-foot cabin cruiser, suspected of being part of a human smuggling operation, crashed and overturned Sunday in the waters off of Point Loma in San Diego.

The temporary shelter for unaccompanied migrant children is located at the Fairplex in Pomona. The goal is to reunite them with their family or sponsor within two weeks.

The Biden administration's Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas spoke at UCLA on Friday. He called the decision to expel most migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border "a source of pain."

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

Some California students are suing the state and its top education leaders, claiming they’re denying underserved students an “equal right to an education” during the pandemic.

Reporter: Vanessa Rancano, KQED

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Vaccine Supply Outweighs Demand in L.A. County Apr 30, 2021

Show notes

Health officials said they're worried about the lack of demand for doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which has dropped significantly this week. Many California counties are experiencing similar issues as supply of the vaccines is outweighing demand.

California’s underwater kelp forests are in trouble. A combination of climate change and hungry purple sea urchins have decimated these vital marine habitats. But the Monterey Peninsula has a kind of kelp forest guardian -- sea otters.

Reporter: Erika Mahoney, KAZU

Disneyland and Disney California Adventure opened to guests Friday for the first time in more than 13 months. The parks have COVID-19 safety protocols in place and are limiting capacity to 25% for now.

Guest: Gavin Doyle, Founder of the website MickeyVisit.com

Everyone 16-and-up is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine -- and it’s now easier for older teenagers in L.A. County to get the shot. They can now bring a signed consent form with them, rather than have their parents there in person.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

Immigration rights activists in California and across the country are planning marches Saturday to call on Congress to legalize millions of unauthorized immigrants in the country.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

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State Superintendent Praises Safety Measures as More Schools Reopen Apr 29, 2021

Show notes

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond toured several schools in the L.A. Unified School District on Wednesday. He said districts are progressing well when it comes to getting kids back in classrooms.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

Despite heated debates over school reopenings across the state, a majority of Californians approve of how their elected officials have handled classroom closures. That's according to a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

California’s Supreme Court Chief Justice is praising a new policy issued this week by the Department of Homeland Security that will limit how federal officials operate in or near courthouses.

Reporter: Michelle Wiley, KQED

The Los Angeles Police Department says it needs nearly $70 million to address problems that contributed to its mishandling of last year’s protests, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCC

Numbers from the state health department show that nearly 1,400 Californians have tested positive for COVID-19 after they were fully vaccinated. These cases are fully expected, because the vaccines don’t protect people 100 percent of the time.

Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED

Officials are investigating how schemes to rip off the state’s unemployment insurance program, some of which was done by people in prison, may have cost California billions of dollars. Lawmakers are trying to close loopholes, but some advocates for the incarcerated argue it could do more harm than good.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report

Consumers often misunderstand the triangular, “chasing arrows” symbol on packaging when it comes to recycling. California lawmakers are taking on this issue with a proposal they call "Truth in Labeling For Recyclable Materials."

Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio

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Will Distance Learning be Allowed in California Next School Year? Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

Despite billions of dollars funneled from the state Capitol, the share of school districts in California offering full-time, in-person learning ranks among the lowest in the U.S. But as more districts begin opening their doors, state lawmakers are turning their focus to next school year as part of the annual state budget process.

Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED

For adults on the autism spectrum it can be hard to get and keep a job. Now a Sacramento-based pilot program that’s helped some autistic adults find employment is looking to expand statewide.

Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED

Bay Area immigrant advocates are urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to get rid of Trump-era orders that deny asylum to many immigrants fleeing domestic violence.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

As thousands of migrant families cross into the United States, many are being flown by Customs and Border Protection to San Diego, where they are then removed to Mexico, without any of their belongings. This type of treatment is likely contributing to the rise of unaccompanied children crossing the border.

Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS

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Recall Effort Officially Qualifies for Ballot Apr 27, 2021

Show notes

Governor Gavin Newsom will face a recall election later this year. State officials have announced that the campaign to remove the governor from office has gathered enough signatures to put it before voters.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

The 2020 Census results came out Monday and California is among the losers. The state is among those losing a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED

With California losing a Congressional seat due to the latest Census results, some are wondering whether the final tally was truly accurate, or if the results undercounted communities of color in the state.

Guest: Fernando Guerra, Director for the Center of the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University

California’s new Attorney General Rob Bonta, who was appointed by Governor Newsom, has only been on the job for a few days. But he already has a high profile challenger for the 2022 election.

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

The city of Fresno has reached settlements totaling nearly $10 million with the families of people killed in separate incidents by police in that city.

Reporter: Alex Hall, The California Report

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Homeless on L.A.'s Skid Row Have Mixed Feelings Over Judge's Ruling Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

The ruling to offer shelter to the homless by October has been sharply criticized by the city and county of Los Angeles, which plan to appeal the decision. Many of the homeless who live on Skid Row said that despite the ruling, people may not leave the area.

L.A. County is home to the largest Armenian community outside of Armenia itself. Many welcomed the news that President Biden formally recognized the mass killings of Armenians by Turkish forces during World War I as a genocide.

On Friday, Governor Newsom took a big step to ban fracking in California. He said California will stop issuing fracking permits by 2024 and halt all oil extraction by 2045.

Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED

With the deadline for validating signatures fast approaching, Gavin Newsom will almost surely face a recall election later this year. Democrats learned some hard lessons when then Governor Gray Davis faced his own recall, nearly two decades ago.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED

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UC, Cal State Systems to Require COVID-19 Vaccinations for the Fall Apr 23, 2021

Show notes

Leaders of the University of California and the California State University systems have announced that their students and employees will need proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to return to campus in the fall. But there are a few conditions to that requirement.

Reporter: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, KPCC

This week's conviction in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd has one Californian questioning why such a volume of video evidence was so necessary in the case at all.

Guest: Allissa Richardson, Journalism Professor, USC

California will soon be getting a new Attorney General as the state legislature has confirmed Oakland Assemblyman Rob Bonta’s appointment to the position. He'll be taking over for Xavier Becerra who is now serving as Health and Human Services Secretary under the Biden administration.

Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED

12 governors, including Governor Newsom, are urging the Biden Administration to set strict standards for a faster transition to clean vehicles. They want all new cars and light trucks sold to be zero-emission by 2035.

Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED

A section of Highway 1 in Big Sur has been closed since late January after it collapsed during a storm. But it's reopening Friday, two months ahead of schedule.

Reporter: Erika Mahoney, KAZU

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