KQED's The California Report

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Vallejo Police Hid Details Of In Custody Death May 15, 2025

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Across California, families have had to fight, sometimes for years, just to learn what happened to their loved ones in police custody. Darryl Mefferd wasn't under arrest when he died after an encounter with Vallejo police in 2016. Local officials ruled his death an accidental drug overdose and for years, that's where the story ended. But new records and never before seen body camera footage are challenging that version of events.

Guest: Geoffrey King, Executive Editor, Open Vallejo

Facing a massive $12 billion dollar budget deficit, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled his revised budget on Wednesday. It includes scaling back safety-net health insurance for undocumented immigrants, cutting coverage for weight loss drugs like Ozempic and reducing home health services. But the governor also wants to fast-track a contentious project lawmakers have debated in California for over half a century.

Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED

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Challenges of Participating in CA's Budget Process May 14, 2025

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It’s budget season at the State Capitol, which means grassroots advocates from around California come to plead for the funding they need for key community programs and projects. But, participating in the budget process and public committee hearings can be a heavy lift – especially for those outside Sacramento’s high-powered lobbyist class.

(Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio)

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An Aging Homeless Population Amidst A Push by Newsom to Ban Encampments May 13, 2025

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In recent years, the population of homeless people has aged, with about 20% of them now 55 or older. Many have never been homeless before.

(Reporter: Jane Vaughan, Jefferson Public Radio)

Conservative activists are welcoming an announcement from Governor Gavin Newsom this week pushing cities to ban homeless encampments across California. Advocates for unhoused people are condemning the move as cruel and counterproductive.

(Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED)

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Federal Funding Cuts May Jeopardize A Library Program Serving Blind and Print-disabled Communities May 12, 2025

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The Institute of Museum and Library Services is a federal agency that funds programs in libraries nationwide. In March, President Trump signed an executive order to slash the agency’s funding. And California's Braille and Talking Book Library, which serves the state's blind and print-disabled community, could be hit by these cuts.

Reporter: Jasmine Ascencio, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

Over the weekend, Catholic churchgoers attended the first Sunday mass since the election of the first pope with Creole ancestry.

Reporter: Billy Cruz, KQED

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Newly-built Passageways Help Wildlife Safely Cross Roads May 09, 2025

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Los Angeles County's Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is a 90-million-dollar bridge now under construction. It's designed to connect green spaces between a freeway so animals can cross safely. But animals don’t need these kinds of crossings to be so expensive and fancy. There are smaller and cheaper ways to cross the road.

Guest: Seth Riley, Biologist, National Park Service

Some of the country’s cities, including parts of San Francisco, are slowly sinking, according to a new study. But in San Francisco, tectonic activity and areas built on reclaimed land are causing the subsidence.

Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED

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California's Tiny Home Boom Signals Hope In Housing Crisis Though Challenges Remain May 08, 2025

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A bill introduced in the state legislature by Sacramento Democratic Assembly member Maggy Krell aims to increase penalties for loitering to solicit minors for sex. But a provision specifically aimed at soliciting 16- and 17-year olds has divided state Democrats, and given Republicans a political opportunity to criticize their opponents.

Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio

California's tiny home industry is experiencing a boom in production, which signals hope for a new era of homeownership. The boom also could face road blocks, such as soaring construction prices and local zoning challenges.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

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Democrats Hope a Progressive Push Can Flip one of California's Conservative Enclaves May 07, 2025

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For a long time, California's Central Valley has been a bastion of conservative political support; the red spot in a state that's awash in blue. However, there are signs that support for the right could be wavering, as President Trump's policies on trade and immigration are impacting livelihoods in the Central Valley; and some of the biggest progressives in the country are eyeing the region as a place that is ready for change.

Since Covered California went into effect more than ten years ago, millions of state residents have relied on the program to obtain healthcare, year after year. However, the trust that Californians have put into the program may start to fray, after a CalMatters investigation revealed that Covered California is sending people's personal information to private companies.

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Trump's Proposed Budget Threatens NASA Space Research May 06, 2025

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Last week, the Trump administration announced its goal of cutting $6 billion from NASA or nearly a quarter of the space agency's budget. Science programs would be hit especially hard, like the work done by NASA facilities in California.

Guest: Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy, Planetary Society

Three people are dead, four have received medical attention and at least seven remain missing after a small boat believed to be carrying migrants capsized near San Diego on Monday morning.

Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS

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Communities In Far Northern California Challenged By Return Of Gray Wolves May 05, 2025

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For decades, wolves were thought to have been hunted and poisoned into extinction in California with the last sighting of the animal in the 1920s. But that changed in late 2011 when a wolf wearing a radio collar crossed into the state from Oregon. In the years since, California’s gray wolf population has grown into the dozens, threatening the livelihood of cattle ranchers in places as far north as Modoc County.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

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Tariffs Likely To Increase Cost Of Weddings In California May 02, 2025

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Weddings are pricey affairs in California — and they’re about to get even more expensive. According to the National Bridal Retailers Association, about 90 percent of all wedding gowns sold in the U.S. are made in China. With 145% tariffs now being imposed on all Chinese goods coming into the U.S., that could mean big price increases for California bridal shop owners and brides-to-be.

Reporter: Tina Caputo

Congress is moving ahead with a plan to block California’s electric vehicle mandate.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

When Tulare Lake refilled two years ago in the middle of Kings County, two prisons narrowly avoided dangerous flooding. A new state audit now argues those prisons were not prepared for flooding or evacuation.

Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR

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