KQED's The California Report

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Joshua Tree National Park Nonprofit Concerned About Latest Government Shutdown Oct 02, 2025

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During the last federal government shutdown in late 2018 and early 2019, national parks here in California were greatly impacted. Some shut down completely, meaning a significant loss in potential revenue. Others remained open, but were not fully staffed. That includes Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. Vehicles drove off-road, causing major damage to sensitive areas, and trash piled up, scattered around the park. The hope is things will be different this time around.

Guest: Kenji Haroutunian, Executive Director, friends of Joshua Tree

Santa Clara County prosecutors have secured a grand jury indictment against 11 pro-Palestinian Stanford University protestors who barricaded themselves in the campus president’s office in 2024.

Reporter: Joseph Geha, KQED

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Dust Storms An Increasing Problem Around The Salton Sea Oct 01, 2025

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Around the Salton Sea, dust storms have become an increasing problem, sparking dozens of public health studies. But many Imperial Valley residents have grown weary of repeated studies that all basically say the same thing: that the air quality is bad and getting worse.

Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS

National Parks are once again caught up in the middle of the federal government shutdown. During the last shutdown – for more than 30 days in 2018 and 2019 - parks that remained open were unstaffed, leading to widespread vandalism and environmental damage. There’s growing concern that an extended shutdown could once again put at serious risk of damage. Reporter: Sarah Wright, KQED

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State Looks To Hire Thousands Of Year-Round Firefighters Sep 30, 2025

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What once was a fire season in California is now a fire year. As a result, the state is looking to combat increasing wildfires with funding for more year-round firefighters.

Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR

California voters approved a $10 billion climate bond measure, last November. We're now getting a sense of where the first round of Prop 4 money is going.

Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio

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San Rafael RV Park Residents Fight To Keep Rent Affordable Sep 29, 2025

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In Marin County, rents are among the highest in the nation. There, a group of mobile home park residents are in a years-long fight to keep hold of one of the county’s few affordable options. They’re residents of the RV Park of San Rafael, where a property management company has been raising the rent, setting new rules and threatening residents with eviction.

Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California Report

The Trump administration has expanded its investigation of alleged antisemitism on college campuses to the California State University system.

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NASA Mission, With Help From UC Berkeley, To Explore Earth's Exosphere Sep 26, 2025

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This week a SpaceX Falcon9 rocket launched from Florida – the mission? To study the outermost parts of the earth’s atmosphere. The mission is being steered by remote control from UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED

A report out this week details major failures in LA County’s response to the January firestorms.

Reporter: Jacob Margolis, LAist

Immigration agents arrested three day laborers outside of a well-known worker center in Pomona Thursday morning. Immigration advocates say they’re worried about the health and safety of the people now being detained.

Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR

A Southern California attorney is facing a historic fine for filing a state court appeal full of fake quotations generated by the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT.

Reporter: Khari Johnson, CalMatters

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Healthcare Workers Look For Better Guidelines On How To Handle Immigration Encounters Sep 25, 2025

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Healthcare workers across Southern California are struggling to provide medical care to undocumented patients, without clear guidance on how to handle encounters with immigration agents. Medical workers want hospitals to improve guidelines and provide better training so they can protect patients and themselves. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR

A federal court hearing on whether or not roving immigration patrols can continue in the Los Angeles area has been postponed.

Reporter: Wendy Fry, CalMatters

A nearly seven mile stretch of Highway 1 near Big Sur will remain closed this winter, three years after back to back landslides wrecked the roadway. But things could improve in the spring.

Reporter: Robert Garrova, LAist

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Experts Concerned About Imagery, Language In ICE Recruitment Materials Sep 24, 2025

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As concerns continue to grow over ICE detention and enforcement in California, the agency is also ramping up its hiring efforts, as it aims to bring on 10,000 new agents by the end of the year. But some experts say the agency’s recruitment strategy is filled with white nationalist messages and imagery. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS

After months of delays and refinement, supervisors in Shasta County, which has for years been at the center of election integrity debates, have approved funding for new changes to the county’s voting system.

Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio

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Car Owners Have Additional Tool To Find Out If They Can Recoup Money From Auctioned Vehicle Sep 23, 2025

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Did you know, if your car gets towed in California and sold because you didn’t claim it, you’re entitled to the profit? And if you don’t claim your money, the DMV gets to keep it.

Reporter: Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters

A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered the Trump administration to restore 500 National Institutes of Health grants that it suspended at UCLA over the summer.

Reporter: Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMatters

The Tulare County Public Defender’s Office has agreed to overhaul an alleged culture of sexual harassment among employees, under the terms of a deal announced Monday.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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Newsom Signs Bill Decreasing Cannabis Tax, Which Could Boost Struggling Industry Sep 22, 2025

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Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a new law lowering state cannabis taxes from 19% to 15%. Pot companies say it will bring much needed relief to an overtaxed, overregulated industry. But youth groups who are funded by this tax say kids are being betrayed.

Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a series of bills into law on Saturday, aimed at reigning in aggressive immigration enforcement in the state.

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Lawsuit Could Shake Up Tequila Industry Sep 19, 2025

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Tequila is produced exclusively in Mexico and has become a star in California's cocktail culture. More than 50 million cases of tequila were sold in the U.S. in 2023, with most of that consumed in the Golden State. And demand for tequila is growing faster than vodka, whiskey, and all other spirits combined. But this summer, several legal battles have begun which could shake up the entire industry.

Guest: Carlos Cabrera Lomeli, KQED

Bay Area immigrant advocates are suing the Trump administration to end its controversial immigration courthouse arrests, and stop detaining people for days in San Francisco holding rooms meant for only a few hours.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

When immigrants are detained by the feds, families often struggle to pay rent. LA County officials are now trying to help these families.

Reporter: David Wagner, LAist

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