KQED's The California Report

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State Launches Civil Rights Investigation into Eaton Fire Response Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

California’s Department of Justice is opening a civil rights investigation in connection with last year’s deadly Eaton Fire. Attorney General Rob Bonta said they want to find out if race, age or disability discrimination were factors during the emergency response in the historically Black community of West Altadena.

The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and environmental groups are celebrating the purchase of Sargent Ranch by the Peninsula Open Space Trust.

Reporter: Erin Malsbury, KAZU

Valentine's Day for many means heart shaped candies and chocolates. But if romance is not your thing, visitors to San Francisco’s Exploratorium can interact with the actual organ.

Reporter: Alonso Daboub, KQED

An environmental advocate who helped build the community of fans around Big Bear’s bald eagles has died.

Reporter: Makenna Sievertson, LAist

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Maidu Tribe Returns to Its Roots of Ancestral Fire Feb 12, 2026

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Amongst the ponderosa pines in California’s Butte County, Native Maidu people are lighting fires to encourage the re-growth of useful plants and reduce the risk from future wildfires.

Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED

A new bill introduced in the state assembly this week could make it easier to secure long-term funding for a program that lets people check out state parks passes from their local library .

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Teachers' Unions Across The State Mobilizing In Labor Fights Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

San Francisco teachers are in their third day of a high stakes labor fight with the district, leaving nearly 50,000 students out of school. And they're not alone. Across California, more local teachers unions are in active disputes right now, from bargaining breakdowns to strike authorizations and walkouts.

Guest: Danielle Mahones, UC Berkeley Labor Center

A new report commissioned by LA County lays out how ICE raids there have hurt some local businesses.

Reporter: Libby Rainey, LAist

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Families Struggling To Find ICE Detainees Who Are Hospitalized Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

As federal immigration enforcement efforts continue across California, families of detainees are struggling with a new problem. Many can't find loved ones who've been hospitalized after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Guest: Claudia Boyd-Barrett, KFF Health News

A federal judge blocked a California state law barring federal officers from wearing masks on Monday. But the ruling also handed the state a partial victory.

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

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Bay Area Latino Community Celebrates Bad Bunny Halftime Show Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

It was another historic halftime show at this year’s Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara as global superstar Bad Bunny took the stage.

Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

2025 was a pivotal year for health insurance reform: more than two dozen states, including California, passed laws limiting insurers’ ability to delay or deny medical services after a doctor has ordered them. The practice is known as prior authorization. Criticism of it reached a fever pitch last year and California is leading the way with reform.

Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED

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Sign Language Interpreter Will Also Make History During Super Bowl Halftime Show Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

This Super Bowl Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, Bad Bunny will make history, headlining the halftime show, and singing entirely in Spanish. It will also be the first time the show includes Puerto Rican sign language.

Reporter: Nastia Voynovskaya, KQED

People who say their rights are being trampled at a remote immigration detention facility in the Mojave Desert get their first day in court on Friday.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

Kern County's District Attorney is suing an oil and gas producer for alleged environmental violations. This comes as the county’s oil production is ramping up under a new state law.

Reporter: Cresencio Rodriguez Delgado, KVPR

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San Jose, Santa Clara Still Feel Shunned By TV Broadcasts At Levi's Stadium Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

Super Bowl 60 will air on NBC on Sunday. And if you can’t watch the game in person at Levi’s Stadium, you’ll likely be one of millions glued to a TV screen. The game is being played in Santa Clara, but you might not know it from some of the images the broadcast is likely to show.

Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

California’s new congressional map will stay in place after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the new districts Wednesday.

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

Over a year ago, California voters passed a measure, Proposition 36, to crack down on theft and drug crimes. But counties have been left to figure out how to fund it.

Reporter: Riley Palmer, CapRadio

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Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show Comes At Politically Charged Time Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

This weekend's Super Bowl halftime show is expected to be one of the most-watched performances of the year, and this time it's headlined by Bad Bunny. The global superstar has never shied away from politics. Just days ago at the Grammys, he used his acceptance speech to denounce ICE at a moment when immigration enforcement has become more aggressive in parts of the country, including here in California. So what does it mean for an artist like Bad Bunny to take the Super Bowl stage right now?

Guest: Nastia Voynovskaya, KQED Arts Editor

A naturalization ceremony in Fresno to swear in new U.S. citizens was abruptly cancelled recently. Many waiting for citizenship were thrown into confusion. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR

Up until now, police in California could cite drivers with an open container violation, if they found loose marijuana in a vehicle. But a new ruling by the California Supreme Court finds that police can’t issue a citation, or search the car, unless the pot they find is ready to be consumed.

Reporter: Nigel Duara, CalMatters

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Big Bear Ski Resorts, Businesses Face Challenging Winter Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

Every winter, skiers trek up to the Southern California mountain town of Big Bear to hit the slopes. But this winter, snow has been hard to come by. Rain and unusually warm temperatures have dominated and put a chill on ski resorts and businesses in the region.

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR

Every time there’s a major disaster in California, the state is supposed to write a report on lessons learned. But they're years behind.

Reporter: Jacob Margolis, LAist

A bill to regulate unaccredited groups that help veterans access benefits is pending on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.

Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio

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LA Fire Victims Look To 1940's Project To Build Homes Quicker Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

Since the catastrophic fires in Los Angeles more than a year ago, rebuilding has been slow. So some local architects have been thinking about how to move things along. A few took inspiration from a project in the 1940s to build homes quickly, which ended up revolutionizing architecture and forever associating LA with the mid-century modern home.

Reporter: Brandon Reynolds, KCRW

It seems like California just might be repeating last year’s snowpack story. Massive storms drenched the state in December. But California was virtually dry for most of January.

Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED

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