KQED's The California Report

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For California Latinos, COVID Testing Resources Remain Scarce Dec 11, 2020

Show notes

The Federal Trade Commission and more than 40 states, including California, have accused Facebook of illegally squashing competition by operating as a social media monopoly.

Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED

Latinos are almost 40% of California’s population but they make up nearly 60% of the state’s cases of COVID-19, and half of the deaths. A new survey shows Latinos are more concerned than any other group about how the pandemic is affecting them.

Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED

Nine months into the pandemic, COVID testing remains top of mind for Latino activists in the Bay Area. In July, we took you to a pop-up testing site set up by the Latino Task Force in San Francisco’s Mission District. Since then, they've been able to expand testing, but outcomes are still frustrating.

Guest: Jon Jacobo, Health Chair, Latino Task Force

It's December, but the 2020 Census isn’t over yet. The legal fight over the count continues to play out in court. The 34th congressional district in central L.A. had the state’s lowest response rate to this year’s census, and that has local leaders worried.

Reporter: Caroline Champlin, KPCC

The closure of playgrounds has been frustrating for frazzled parents during the pandemic. Following outcry from moms, dads, and some lawmakers, the state announced yesterday it will reopen playgrounds at reduced capacity. The California Report’s Saul Gonzalaez visited a playground in L.A.’s Griffith Park.

Guest: Mariah Lajara, Mother

As COVID cases surge, many hospitals in the Central Valley are approaching capacity. That’s not the case in Mariposa County, But the county’s health officer is warning that resources are becoming scarce for those who need critical care.

Reporter: Kerry Klein, Valley Public Radio

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Hospitals in Parts of California Have Reached a Breaking Point Dec 11, 2020

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San Diego County Hospitals Grapple with Staffing Shortages

Almost 900 COVID positive or suspected positive patients are hospitalized in San Diego County, more than double a month ago. Hospitals are struggling with shortages of staff, personal protective equipment, and testing supplies.

Reporter: Tarryn Mento, KPBS

Back in 2016, voters in Los Angeles approved Proposition HHH, a $1 billion measure to pay for thousands of new housing units for the homeless over 10 years. KCRW’s Anna Scott has been looking at one project funded with a small slice of those funds.

Reporter: Anna Scott, KCRW

50 states have certified their election results, and Joe Biden has won the presidency. But Texas is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the ballots of millions of voters in four swing states, and 106 House Republicans have signed onto an amicus brief to support this.

Guest: Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale)

Officials in San Francisco and Los Angeles introduced resolutions last week asking for school workers to get priority in phase 1 of the vaccination roll out. That would put them right after health care workers and seniors living in congregate settings.

Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED

Public health and other officials in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties want to be designated a separate region, and they want only their metrics used to determine pandemic restrictions.

Reporter: Greta Mart, KCBX

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L.A.'s Outdoor Dining Ban Survives Legal Challenges Dec 09, 2020

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An L.A. County judge overturned a ban on outdoor dining Tuesday. In a tentative ruling, the judge called the ban an arbitrary way to control the coronavirus, adding that L.A. County public health officials failed to balance health risks with potential harm to the economy.

Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED

To find out more about the controversy over outdoor dining, and the people on both sides of that debate, The California Report's Mary Franklin Harvin spoke to a journalist who's been following the issue closely.

Guest: Farley Elliot, Senior Editor, Eater LA

New research that estimates the comprehensive cost of wildfires, found that the 2018 California wildfires led to thousands of deaths, far more than the official count. That larger number factors in the harm of air pollution.

Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED

Four men who were set to be released from California prisons earlier this year, were instead handed over to federal immigration authorities. Now they are seeking thousands of dollars in damages from the state.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

This week the city of Fresno named its next police chief. When he’s sworn in next year, Paco Balderrama will make history as the first Latino to lead the department.

Reporter: Madi Bolaños, Valley Public Radio

California lawmakers have introduced a new bill calling on the state to declare racism a public health crisis. The bill is big on goals but short on details at the moment.

Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED

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A Plan to Reopen California Schools by March... With Conditions Dec 08, 2020

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State lawmakers are introducing a bill that would give public schools a deadline for reopening campuses. The effort comes amid rising concern about the effects of distance learning on children.

Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED

California is launching a new smartphone app to let people know when they’ve been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Governor Gavin Newsom says the app is voluntary and anonymous.

Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED

Three Foster Farms facilities in the Central Valley are seeing several cases of COVID-19. They include the site of a major COVID-19 outbreak this summer that resulted in nine deaths nearly 400 infections and.

Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED

Uber has struck a deal that hands the keys of its self-driving car division over to startup Aurora Innovation. The deal involves Uber making a $400 million investment in Aurora.

Guest: Chris Urmson, CEO, Aurora Innovation

Bank of America told California lawmakers as much as $2 billion in unemployment benefits may have been stolen from the state, nearly double the amount previously thought to be lost.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED

Oral Arguments were heard Monday in San Francisco's 9th Circuit Court of Appeals over whether video of the trial that led to legalization of same-sex marriage in California should be released.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, KQED

A U.S.C. survey shows the percentage of people staying home hasn't changed much since June, even as public health experts have urged caution in recent weeks. As much of the state returns to lockdowns approaching what California experienced in March, some experts wonder if the approach makes sense.

Guest: Dr. Monica Gandhi, Professor of Medicine and Infectious Disease, UCSF

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Xavier Becerra's Cabinet Appointment Spells Political Change in California Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

California Legislature to Introduce Pair of Eviction Protection Bills

The proposals would get relief into the hands of renters and landlords facing mounting debt and extend eviction protections adopted during the pandemic. Tenants who have been struggling to keep up with rent say the measures can’t come soon enough.

Molly Solomon, KQED

San Bernardino County now has the second highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state. Instead of paramedics answering every emergency call in an ambulance, healthcare workers will do more symptom assessments over the phone.

Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KVCR

Positive COVID tests and hospitalizations are both at record highs in California. Doctors and nurses are particularly vulnerable. Medical staffers in the Bay Area, Orange County, and the Central Valley weigh in as they watch cases mount.

Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED

President-elect Joe Biden has chosen California’s Attorney General as his nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services. Xavier Becerra would be the first Latino to serve in that role, a critical one now as impacts of the pandemic get worse.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED

Becerra’s selection is getting mixed reactions from the medical community. Last week, the American Academy of Family Physicians was one of several groups that called on President-Elect Joseph Biden to select qualified physicians to serve in key health roles.

Guest: Dr. Ada Stewart, President of the American Academy of Family Physicians

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Newsom Issues Regional Stay-At-Home Order Dec 04, 2020

Show notes

As a new wave of coronavirus cases engulf California, Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a new regional stay at home order. Areas of the state where ICU capacity dips below 15 percent will have to shut down bars, hair salons, and in person dining both indoor and outdoor.

Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED

The survey from Blue Shield of California was conducted in early October and found that when it came to education, nearly half of the parents were most concerned about COVID-19 health risks, followed by helping their child with remote learning, and their childs’ mental health.

Reporter: Alice Woelfle, KQED

The National Labor Relations Board complaint names two employees, both of whom Google fired just before Thanksgiving last year. One of them was organizing against Google's decision to work with a corporate consultant known for helping firms fend off unionization efforts.

Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED

In a letter to Governor Newsom this week, the prosecutors say it was only the results of a federal subpoena that made the scope of the fraud clear to them. They are calling for an executive order to make it easier to identify fraudulent applications.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report

Trying to guess who Governor Newsom will pick to fill Kamala Harris’ California U.S. Senate seat as she becomes Vice-President. Newsom’s under pressure to select someone who reflects the state’s diversity….but in a state as diverse as ours that’s no easy task.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED News

This week on our sister show, The California Report Magazine, they dedicate their whole show to a documentary about Luna Guzmán, a transgender asylum seeker from Guatemala, and her long and sometimes agonizing journey to make it to California.

Reporter: Sasha Khoka, The California Report Magazine

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L.A. County Health Director Seeing 'Terrifying Increases' in COVID-19 Cases Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

California reported more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases yesterday. In Los Angeles County, public health director Barbara Ferrer pleaded with people to wear masks when out of the house.

Los Angeles County will begin mailing COVID-19 test kits to some people’s homes. This new effort is aimed at those with mobility issues.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier KPCC

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones has tested positive for COVID-19. He has been vocal about his refusal to enforce public health mandates, including mask requirements.

Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio

A red flag warning went into effect for most of Southern California last night as 70-80mph Santa Ana winds whipped through the region. The Bond Fire broke out in Orange County around 10pm and has burned thousands of acres.

High profile California politicians, including the Governor and San Francisco Mayor, have been called out recently for defying their own health advice by dining out in groups. Behavior like this can undermine public trust in coronavirus guidelines.

Guest: Kimberly Elsbach, Professor of Management, UC Davis

A San Francisco based appeals court has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the so-called public charge rule, which penalizes low income immigrants who use public benefits like Medi-Cal and food stamps.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

With the pandemic, the lives of Farmworkers in California have gotten more difficult, and dangerous. A new UC Berkeley study looks at the toll on laborers in one corner of California and why some are hesitant to get vaccinated when treatments do become available.

Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED

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State Recommends Weekly COVID-19 Testing for Health Care Workers Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

The California Department of Public Health is recommending weekly COVID testing for all health care workers at hospitals. Nurses have been calling for this for months.

Reporter: Polly Stryker, KQED

As COVID-19 cases soar, communities of color are bearing much of the burden, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. These communities around Sacramento are utilizing several strategies to bring infection rates down.

Reporter: Pauline Bartolone, CapRadio

Government climatologists say two-thirds of California is in some state of drought. With little rain in the forecast, is this the beginning of another prolonged dry spell?

Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED

One L.A. area restaurant is defying the ban on outdoor dining which went into effect Monday, and also poking fun at the politicians who didn’t follow their own advice about mask-wearing and social distancing.

Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW

California lawmakers are demanding accountability after it was revealed that a statewide unemployment scam was being run out of jails and prisons. This week, officials confirmed at least $400 million in stolen benefits has been lost through the scheme.

Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED

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Hospital Admissions Surge as Governor Considers New Stay-at-Home Order Dec 01, 2020

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Governor Gavin Newsom says the state could see another stay-at-home order for regions where COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admission rates are surging.

Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED

Nearly a month after Election Day, the last of California’s close congressional races has been decided, and it brings good news for Republicans.

Reporter Guy Marzorati, KQED

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday over whether the Trump Administration can exclude immigrants without legal status from the census totals to determine Congressional seats for each state. The stakes are enormous for California.

Reporter: Caroline Champlin, KPCC

A group of families have filed a lawsuit against the State of California. The suit claims the state is denying underserved students the equal right to education during the pandemic.

Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED

The San Jose city council will vote today on a measure to ban natural gas in nearly all new buildings beginning next year. The city estimates the ban will prevent hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon emissions from wafting into the atmosphere over the next fifty years.

Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED

Oil and gas companies got approval to drill hundreds of wells in California last year without proper review. That’s outraged environmental groups.

Reporter: Nina Sparling, KQED

The pandemic has forced millions of Californians to file for unemployment benefits, which has led the state to look for possible unemployment fraud. Those efforts have left some San Diego residents in a months-long fight for their payments.

Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS

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Which Healthcare Workers Will Receive COVID-19 Vaccine First? Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

Record Number of Californians Hospitalized for COVID-19

There are now more than 7,400 people hospitalized in California because of the coronavirus. That’s more than triple the number who were hospitalized just a month ago. As coronavirus cases surge, a new stay at home order takes effect for Los Angeles County residents.

Which Healthcare Workers Will Receive COVID-19 Vaccine First?

Health care workers will be first in line to receive the coronavirus vaccine once it’s available, but that first shipment may not be enough to vaccinate all of them. California has 2.4 million health care workers, but the state expects to receive just 1 to 2 million vaccines in the first allocation from the federal government.

Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED

Tobacco Industry Coalition Looks to Referendum to Overturn Flavored Tobacco Ban

California legislators passed a law this year banning the retail sale of flavored tobacco products in the state as a way to stop young people from getting hooked on the products. Now a coalition backed by the tobacco industry says it’s collected more than a million voter signatures to place a referendum on the November 2022 ballot that would overturn the flavored tobacco ban if passed.

US Citizenship Test Just Got Longer and Potentially Harder to Pass

Starting Tuesday, applicants for naturalization will have to take a new naturalization test. The Trump administration is doubling the length of the test from 10 to 20 questions, and the list of possible questions people need to study will also increase to 128. Critics say a longer test is meant to discourage people from becoming citizens.

Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

UC Application Deadline Extended Due to Technical Difficulties

Because of an online power outage it experienced, UC is extending the deadline for applications from today, Monday, to Friday of this week. But now that the system is back up and running, UC is advising prospective students not to procrastinate and get in their applications as soon as possible.

How a Controversial News Blog Helped Cost Michael Tubbs Re-Election in Stockton

The defeat of Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs was a surprise to many and in part attributed to how he was covered in a Stockton news blog, the 209 Times. Without trusted news sources, residents go to other places for information.

Sarah Minez-Tan, CapRadio

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