KQED's The California Report

Latest Episodes:

Bay Area Christmas Tree Farm Gives Customers A Chance To Cut Down Their Own Tree Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

The holiday season brings many traditions for families across California. One that is tried and true - decorating your home with a Christmas tree. While most families buy artificial trees these days, there are still some places in the state where you can not only get a living tree, but even cut it down yourself.

Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

Roughly 2,000 people meander through Old Monterey every December to tour California’s oldest government building and other Alta California adobes. Monterey State Historic Park interpreter Aaron Gilmartin helped coordinate the immersive event.

A panel of federal judges could rule soon on whether California’s new congressional maps can stay in place. That’s after a three day court hearing in Los Angeles ended Wednesday.

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

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Fresno Airport Expansion Exemplifies Growing Region Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

Fresno Yosemite International Airport may be considered small, but more than 2 million travelers passed through it last year. And the city of Fresno is moving to expand the airport and accommodate a growing customer base for a growing region. In 2023, the airport broke ground on a new terminal. And that terminal opened just in time for Christmas and New Year travel.

Reporter: Samantha Rangel, KVPR

Officials in the Bay Area city of Dublin voted unanimously this week to oppose using a closed federal women’s prison as an immigration detention facility, or for any type of incarceration.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

Regulators are set to consider cutting the profits California's major utilities can make.

Reporter: Erin Stone, LAist

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Sikh Truck Drivers Have A Second Chance In California Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

The Newsom administration confirmed it’s backtracking on a plan to indefinitely revoke thousands of commercial drivers licenses held by immigrants. That’s welcome news to the drivers and their families.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

As Jewish communities around the globe struggle to comprehend the deadly mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach, in Kern County, the losses are hitting especially close to home.

Reporter: Jonathan Linden, KVPR

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The Trump Admin Has All But Stopped Reuniting Detained Migrant Children With Their Families Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

For the last six weeks, children who crossed the US-Mexico border alone have been inexplicably stuck in federal custody at shelters across the country. The Trump administration has stopped releasing these kids to their families and loved ones. It’s not saying why. But sources in the government agency that’s in charge of unaccompanied kids — and lawyers who help them — say they’ve never seen anything like this.

Guest: Mark Betancourt, The California Newsroom

Federal authorities say they’ve thwarted a plot to bomb five locations around Southern California on New Year’s Eve. The FBI has arrested four people who they say belong to an extremist anti-government group.

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR

After a Supreme Court decision that allowed authorities to penalize people for sleeping outdoors, the City of Fresno was one of the first to enact its own anti-camping law. Now, a class action lawsuit is challenging its legality. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVCR

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Community Seafood Program Helps Feed The Hungry In Monterey Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

Santa Cruz and Monterey counties largest food banks report a third of residents can’t consistently afford healthy food. And in this rich fishing region, some of the freshest catch is helping fill those empty bellies.

Reporter: Katie Brown, KAZU

Doctors are petitioning California to prohibit the use of a popular countertop material linked to the death of dozens of stoneworkers.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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Ukrainian Woman Freed From ICE Detention Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

ICE has released an immigrant from Ukraine who was arrested after her green card interview last week. She says she was held for days inside a federal building in downtown San Diego.

Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS

We're getting into the cold, wet part of the year, and for many people that means it's time to nestle indoors and stay cozy. But for some, the rain spells a special opportunity - to embark into the woods and forage for wild mushrooms. Over 1500 of these enthusiasts got together recently at a fungus fair in Humboldt County.

Reporter: Katherine Monahan, KQED

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Catholic Bishops Hold Mass For ICE Detainees In Adelanto Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

Catholic bishops from across California held mass at the Adelanto ICE Detention Center near the Mojave Desert on Wednesday. This is part on of an outreach effort to immigrants who have been caught up in the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown here in California.

Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR

Farmworkers across the country are suing the Trump administration. They want to axe a recent change to the guest worker visa program, known as H-2A, that cuts farmworker pay by 25%.

Reporter: Joshua Yeager

Housing advocates filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Governor Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass over their orders banning duplexes in burn zones.

Reporter: David Wagner, LAist

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Why Aren't There More Condos For Sale In California? Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

The condominium used to be a relatively affordable home ownership option in California. But it has almost disappeared from our cities. Why? A new generation of housing activists says California laws have killed the condo, and they want that to change.

Reporter: Frances Anderton, KCRW

Hundreds of millions of dollars to address homelessness in California is in limbo after the Trump administration reversed course on a major funding program — at least, for now.

Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED

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National Parks Changing Fee-Free Calendar Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

Californians hoping to take advantage of free entry days at national parks will see big changes next year. The Trump administration is removing civil rights holidays and adding President Trump's birthday instead. The move is already prompting backlash from civil rights groups and conservation advocates. International visitors will also face new rules for park access.

Guest: Sarah Wright, KQED

The Ukrainian wife of a U.S. citizen remains in ICE custody after she was detained late last week in San Diego. Her lawyers say the arrest marks another new escalation in the Trump administration’s emerging practice of targeting immigrants at their green card interviews. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS

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San Diego Law Enforcement Accessing Private License Plate Readers Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

Dozens of cities and law enforcement agencies from around the state are using automated license plate readers. And in some cases, those communities are fighting back, suing to stop their use. In San Diego County, law enforcement agencies are also searching license plate cameras owned by private businesses -- with little oversight. Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS

A new law banning cat declawing in California is set to take effect next year.

Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED

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