KQED's The California Report

Latest Episodes:

Proposition 1 Narrowly Approved By Voters Mar 21, 2024

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A proposal from Governor Gavin Newsom to build housing and mental health treatment beds for Californians experiencing homelessness was narrowly approved by California voters. Proposition 1 allows the state to borrow nearly $6.4 billion to build treatment facilities and supportive housing.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

Venues including fast food chains in airports, hotels and convention centers will be exempt from paying a new state-mandated $20 minimum wage to fast food workers. That’s thanks to a bill California lawmakers passed earlier this week.

Reporter: Olivia Zhao, CalMatters

A new report from UCLA researchers finds that nail salon workers are being misclassified as independent contractors and missing out on pay and benefits.

Reporter: Josie Huang, LAist

A new affordable housing community with an innovative design opened in South Sacramento this week.

Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio

The calendar has been saying March for 21 days, but the main event -- March Madness -- starts Thursday. Five women's teams from California made it this year.

Reporter: Ethan Toven-Lindsey, KQED

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Buying And Selling A Home In California Set To Change Mar 20, 2024

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The National Association of Realtors, one of the most powerful real estate groups in the country, announced on Friday it would settle a major class-action lawsuit that had accused the group of artificially inflating the commissions its agents make in home sales. The settlement is seen as a seismic shift in the real estate market.

Guest: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED

In the wake of multiple massive wildfires, some property insurance companies have severely raised their rates, or withdrawn from California altogether. A new proposal would create a method of calculating rates aimed at both bringing back those companies and creating more affordable policies.

Reporter: Alec Stutson, North State Public Radio

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LA County Residents Say A Nearby Landfill is Making Them Sick Mar 19, 2024

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The margin is still too close to call between Yes and No votes on Governor Newsom’s Proposition 1 mental health ballot measure. So close that opponents of the measure, who had previously conceded the race, have now withdrawn their concession.

Reporter: Olivia Zhao, CalMatters

Huntington Beach officials are considering privatizing the city’s library system at Tuesday's city council meeting. The discussion about privatization comes amid fierce debates over content and control over the city's library system.

Reporter: Elly Yu, LA-ist

A years-old chemical reaction beneath the surface of one of LA County’s largest landfills has turned into a toxic headache for the tens of thousands of people living nearby. Air quality officials have slapped the privately-owned Chiquita Canyon landfill near Castaic with more than 130 legal violations, but fixing the problem won't be easy.

Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW

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California's Worst Wage Theft Offender Still In Business Mar 18, 2024

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Not paying someone for a job they did is illegal. It’s called wage theft. But a KQED investigation found California regulators have failed to force the worst offender they cited in the state, to pay more than a tiny fraction of the millions of dollars in wages that he owes.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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Students from India Power the Increase in International Students in the United States Mar 15, 2024

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Can California Legislate Its Way to Happiness?

The newly formed Select Committee on Happiness and Public Policy Outcomes had its first meeting this week to explore the topic of 'happiness.'

Lynn La, CalMatters

Indian Students Lead Way for Increase in International Students in United States

India's U.S. consular team issued over 140,000 student visas last year, more than any other country in the world. California remains a top destination for these students. But what is life like when they get here?

Madi Bolanos, The California Report

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A Coding Program at San Quentin Offers Hope for Careers After Prison Mar 14, 2024

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Humanitarian Parole Program Can Continue

An Oakland man is breathing easier… after a program that protects a Nicaraguan friend survived a court challenge by several Republican-led states. But with a notice of appeal filed this week, his relief could be short lived.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Senior Immigration Editor

People Incarcerated at San Quentin Graduate from Coding Program

Roughly 50 people incarcerated at San Quentin are now one step closer to getting a career out of prison. That’s through a program that gives job training in skills like coding and audio production to prisoners.

Billy Cruz, KQED

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Proposition 1 Will Likely Succeed, Opponents Say Mar 13, 2024

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Opponents of Proposition 1 are conceding that the state ballot measure -- aimed at housing Californians with severe mental illness -- is likely to pass. That result will allow the state to borrow money and shift existing mental health dollars toward building residential treatment facilities and affordable housing.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

Assembly member Vince Fong is the top vote-getter in the race to replace Kevin McCarthy. That means he’ll advance to the general election in November. But a special election for the same seat still needs to be decided.

Reporter: Joshua Yeager. KVPR

When a recruit enters boot camp, the Marine Corps controls virtually all aspects of their life...including, for many, where they bank. An investigation from KPBS in San Diego uncovered how the Marine Corps systematically enrolls thousands of new recruits each year into Oceanside-based Frontwave Credit Union.

Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS

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National Immigration Courts Lose Funding in New Spending Bill Mar 12, 2024

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When the Biden administration opened a new immigration court in the Bay Area city of Concord last month… it was part of an effort to cope with a nationwide backlog of more than 3 million cases. But a new spending deal just reached in Congress actually cuts the court budget.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

Water is a key ingredient in brewing beer, along with hops and barley, but you rarely see it mentioned on labels. One Napa Valley craft brewer goes to extremes to source water from wells and springs throughout the region to use for different beers.

Reporter: Tina Caputo

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Why California Isn't Ready to Scrap Daylight Saving Time Mar 11, 2024

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Why We Keep Springing Forward

Way back in November 2018, California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 7, a measure that was supposed to keep us from having to adjust our clocks twice a year for daylight saving time. So why did we still have to “Spring forward”?

Reporter: Oliva Zhao, CalMatters

In Trinity County, A Key Victory for the LandBack Movement

The Nor Rel Muk Wintu people in Trinity County finally have their own land. That includes 78 acres from an anonymous donor inspired by the LandBack movement.Some members hope it will help the tribe win federal recognition.

Reporter: Jamie Jiang, North State Public Radio

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Many Young Voters Still Not Heading To The Polls Mar 08, 2024

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In California, young people who could vote, and are even registered, just aren’t doing it in big numbers. Tuesday’s primary election was no exception.

Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald

In his State of the Union address, President Biden addressed his push for a secure border, and how he’s been blocked by Republicans. California U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a strong supporter of immigration reform, invited a guest who highlighted a different side of immigration.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

The federal government has announced $72 million will be spent on connecting Tribal communities, including some in California, with reliable, renewable energy. The Yurok Tribe, whose reservation lands are located in and around Humboldt County, is one of the four tribes in California that received a part of this funding.

Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio

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