KQED's The California Report

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Why Medi-Cal And GOP Budget Could Cut Into Republican Gains In California Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

In last year’s presidential election, Donald Trump improved on his 2020 performance all across California. Voters in every congressional district in the state shifted toward Trump. But the areas moving most toward Republicans also have a lot to lose from the party’s budget plan in Washington.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

Lawmakers are introducing a bill to strengthen existing statewide tenant protections. Some property owners are not happy.

Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED

San Joaquin Valley has the lowest ratio of doctors to patients in the entire state. A new bill co-authored by Democratic representative Jim Costa of Fresno is aiming to change that.

Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR

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Apprenticeship Program Aims To Help California's Struggling Logging Industry Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

California's logging industry has been shrinking for years, with an aging workforce and fewer young people entering the trade. But in Northern California, a community college is stepping in to change that, helping to train the next generation of loggers through an innovative apprenticeship program.

Guest: Kate Rix, The Hechinger Report

The California snowpack is close to 100 percent for the third year in a row. That hasn’t happened in three consecutive years since the late 1990s.

Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED

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A's Welcomed By Thousands For Home Opener In West Sacramento Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

Major League Baseball is underway and for many fans of the Athletics, it’s a bittersweet season. That’s because the team used to be known as the Oakland Athletics, until they left Oakland last year. The A’s are now set to play at least three seasons in their new home in West Sacramento, while the team prepares for a permanent move to Las Vegas.

Reporter: Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, KQED

Nearly 60,000 workers across the University of California are walking off the job again Tuesday.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Almost 60 years ago, Cesar Chavez ended a 25-day fast at Memorial Park in Delano. He was protesting the treatment of farmworkers across California. On Cesar Chavez Day, thousands of people marched from that same park, to continue in the legendary labor leader’s footsteps.

Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR

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Police Accountability Law Slowly Showing Results Mar 31, 2025

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Hundreds of police officers in California have been stripped of their badges in the last few years for serious misconduct. The offenses range from sexual assault to excessive force to racial bias. But thousands of cases still need to be reviewed.

Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS

A pair of bills aiming to limit the harms of social media on children will face their first hearing in the California legislature this week.

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Nearly Two Dozen Bills Attempt to Cut Through Housing Red Tape Mar 28, 2025

Show notes

What does it take to get new housing approved in California? Way too much, say some lawmakers. To change that, a bipartisan group is proposing a package of nearly two dozen bills to cut through barriers they say is putting the brakes on housing production.

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Ramadan Traditions Continue Despite Devastation From Eaton Fire Mar 27, 2025

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The holy month of Ramadan is a special time when Muslim families often gather together. But when the Eaton Fire destroyed the only mosque in the Altadena area, it nearly upended the community’s ability to uphold tradition.

Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW

A bill in the state Legislature asking for more accountability from California’s homeless shelters has passed out of its first committee hearing. The proposed legislation comes after a CalMatters investigation found evidence of violence and mismanagement at shelters across the state.

Reporter: Lauren Hepler, CalMatters

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Program Aims To Help Sonoma Farmers Map Out Their Future Mar 26, 2025

Show notes

Sonoma County, is of course, famous for its vineyards but a lot more is produced there by small farmers. From eggs to milk and all kinds of specialty greens, Sonoma County is the Bay Area’s bread basket. But making it as a small farmer in Sonoma – like the rest of the state -- has gotten a lot harder in recent years. In part, because land has gotten so expensive.

Reporter: Noah Abrams, KRCB

Drivers for ride hailing apps are rallying Wednesday in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, ahead of mediation talks linked to charges that Uber and Lyft stole wages from drivers.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

The elections clerk in Shasta County, where several debates over voting and election integrity have occurred, is resigning at the end of April.

Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio

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Californians With Student Loan Debt Face Uncertain Future Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

President Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate the Department of Education. He also appears poised to make big changes to student loan programs. What could all this mean to people paying off their loans?

Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR

A California non-profit is suing the Trump Administration over its decision to end humanitarian parole programs. This comes after the Trump administration announced Friday that it will end a program for some Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report

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Bay Area Democrat Holds Town Halls In Red-Leaning Districts Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

In a series of town halls on Sunday, Bay Area congressman Ro Khanna urged residents of Republican-held congressional districts in California to organize against the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to programs like Medicaid and the wider social safety net.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

Congressman Khanna's next stop was an amphitheater in the Inland Empire community of Norco, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles.

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR

A federal rent assistance program that tens of thousands of Californians rely on is running out of money.

Reporter: Ben Christopher, CalMatters

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Yiddish Making A Comeback In Los Angeles Mar 21, 2025

Show notes

The historic language of Jews in Europe – Yiddish – was once spoken by tens of thousands of Jewish immigrants in Los Angeles. That language was almost destroyed by assimilation and the Holocaust. But now, Yiddish is making a comeback.

Reporter: Robin Estrin, KCRW

Dozens of postal workers gathered in protest outside a Bakersfield courthouse on Thursday. They were fighting against the potential privatization of one of the nation’s oldest institutions.

Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR

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