KQED's The California Report

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Survivors Of Palm Springs Section 14 Neighborhood Still Waiting For Compensation Feb 08, 2024

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Decades ago, the homes in a Palm Springs neighborhood known as Section 14 were deemed eyesores and officials wanted to promote tourism. So they forced out the mostly black and brown families who lived there. Crews tore down everyone’s homes, and then burned them, sometimes with people’s personal possessions still inside. The city made a public apology in 2021, but survivors are still waiting for additional support.

Guests: Pearl Devers, Section 14 Survivor and Areva Martin, Civil Rights Attorney

A Popeyes Chicken franchisee is paying more than $200,000 for child labor and other violations at restaurants in East Oakland, Newark and Tracy.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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LA Outreach Workers Try To Catch Renters Before They Face Eviction Feb 07, 2024

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COVID eviction protections have lapsed for renters in the city of Los Angeles. Now, city outreach workers are going door-to-door, hoping to catch renters before they’re evicted. And they’re using new data to find those most in need of help.

Reporter: David Wagner, LAist

Fresno is the latest city in California to find itself on the receiving end of a bus full of asylum seekers. They were sent from Texas, victims of Governor Greg Abbott’s immigration battle with the Biden administration.

Reporter: Esther Quintanilla, KVPR

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Southern California Drenched With Rain In Latest Storm Feb 06, 2024

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Rain continues to fall in Southern California, which has been drenched in this latest atmospheric river. Downtown Los Angeles has seen more than seven inches of rain the last 48 hours, one of the highest two day rain totals on record.

A California law that went into effect last January said public universities have to provide medication abortions. An LAist investigation has found a patchwork of approaches to communicating that abortion pills are now available. Advocates say that’s hurting access.

Reporter: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, LAist

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Storm Continues To Hammer Parts Of California Feb 05, 2024

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Much of the worst of the latest atmospheric river has passed through Northern California. But areas of Southern California continue to be hit with heavy rain and threats of flash flooding.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

California’s public universities are required to provide abortion pills to students who want them. But LAist found few universities tell students the medication is available. The lack of information caused one student weeks of anguish.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, LAist

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Support Group Helps Mothers Who Have A Child In Prison Feb 02, 2024

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There are more than 1.2 million people incarcerated in the U.S. And there are also a lot of mothers out there, living with the guilt, shame and loneliness that comes with having a child in prison. In Sacramento, one mom is turning that pain into support.

Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California Report

A job fair was held this week for workers laid off by a Fresno-based agricultural company. Prima Wawona, which grows and packages peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots, filed for bankruptcy in October. A few weeks ago, it warned its employees they’d all be laid off in March.

Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR

One of the mushroom farms where a mass shooting took place in Half Moon Bay a year ago has paid more than $126,000 to federal regulators. The U.S. Department of Labor says that California Terra Garden paid $84,000 in back wages for dozens of workers, and more than $42,000 in penalties.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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Asylum Seekers Still Face Challenges With Mobile App Feb 01, 2024

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Last year, the Biden administration introduced a mobile app called CBP One. The idea was that it would help streamline the asylum process for the government agencies and the asylum seekers. But the initial version of the app was riddled with errors. While things have improved, asylum seekers are still facing challenges with the app.

Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS

California’s new oil industry watchdog is recommending reforms to prevent spikes in gas prices at the pump. Tai Milder heads the watchdog agency. He says the state should publish a market price report and require refineries to store a minimum amount of reserve gas.

Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED

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LA Tenants Face Deadline To Start Paying Back Rent Debt Jan 31, 2024

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On Thursday, the City of Los Angeles ends renter protections that were implemented during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. That means tenants need to start paying back the back rent they owe to their landlords. Also, the city will start allowing rent increases in units covered through its rent stabilization program. That means some tenants who live in rent-stabilized apartments will have their rents raised for the first time in four years.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

A new report says state corrections officials have used inappropriate tactics to reduce a backlog of staff misconduct cases. When a person held in a state prison files a complaint alleging staff misconduct, it’s supposed to go to the Department of corrections’ s Office of Internal Affairs or trained investigators. But a report by the state inspector general says prison officials dealt with a backlog by reclassifying hundreds of complaints as routine grievances.

Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED

A bill that would let state legislators shield their property holdings from disclosure forms is advancing in the Legislature this week.

Reporter: Alexei Koseff, CalMatters

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UC Regents Won't Allow Undocumented Students To Work On Campus Jan 30, 2024

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For the past two years, undocumented students at the University of California have campaigned to be allowed to work on campus. They argued that they were missing out on opportunities to work with professors and in labs, which could further their academic careers. But last week, UC Regents voted to halt a plan that would have allowed the university to hire them.

Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California Report

The federal government is awarding California $600 million to fight homelessness. The funding represents a 14% increase over last year’s allocation to the state.

Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED

A 2023 law made it legal for DACA recipients to become police officers in California. But a new investigation from CalMatters shows, uptake has been slow across the state.

Reporter: Justo Robles, CalMatters

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49ers Clinch Spot In Super Bowl With Comeback Win Jan 29, 2024

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The San Francisco 49ers are NFC Champions and heading to the franchise’s 8th Super Bowl. They defeated the Detroit Lions 34-31, after trailing by double digits at halftime.

Reporter: Christopher Alam, KQED

Journalism in Los Angeles and the entire state of California was hit with a major blow this past week. The L.A. Times laid off more than 100 journalists in its newsroom. The cuts come at a time when journalism will play a vital role in informing the public about the upcoming 2024 election.

Guest: Margaret Sullivan, executive director of the Newmark Center for Journalism, Ethics and Society at Columbia University

Mental health counselors gained some wins in the tentative agreement between the California Faculty Association and Cal State University management. CSU said they'll make an effort to boost the ratio of counselors to students.

Reporter: Yusra Farzan, LAist

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Running Club Provides Sense Of Community In LA's Skid Row Jan 26, 2024

Show notes

We continue our series on social isolation and the search for community in California. One place where it can be very difficult to find community is L.A.'s Skid Row neighborhood, where many people live on the streets in squalor, as they also battle mental health and addiction problems. But the Skid Row Running Club has been a place where people can find friendship while also getting healthier.

Guest: Jeremy Price, Skid Row Running Club

University of California Regents voted to suspend work on a proposal that would have allowed the university to hire students who don't qualify for federal work authorizations like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report

According to the latest numbers, more than 350, 000 Californians now get their fire insurance through California’s FAIR Plan. The number of FAIR policyholders has nearly tripled over the last five years. So why the increase?

Reporter: Levi Sumagaysay, CalMatters

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