KQED's The California Report

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Did California Travel Bans Work As Planned? Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

California bans state-funded travel to other states that discriminate against LGBTQ people. That list has ballooned as legislation targeting trans people sweeps the country. Now Democratic lawmakers want to change tactics.

Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio

Residents in Orange County’s Anaheim Hills are voting on a self-imposed tax that would fund a groundwater pump system. That pump system has protected homes from landslides for 30 years, but funding will run out at the end of this year.

Reporter: Izzy Bloom, The California Report

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Effort Continues To Allow Legislative Staff To Unionize Jul 26, 2023

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Legislative staff in California’s State Capitol have long been banned from unionizing. In recent years, efforts to grant them that right have been shot down. But another bill to allow staff to unionize is making its way through the state legislature.

Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio

Advocates rallied Tuesday in support of a bill California lawmakers are considering that would let workers take more paid sick days to care for themselves or family.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Operations at Diablo Canyon, California’s last nuclear power plant, were going to stop in a couple years. But Pacific Gas and Electric is applying to keep it open through 2045 to help the state meet its ambitious green energy goals. A new study says those extra years could result in significantly higher bills for PG&E's ratepayers

Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW

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Big Tech Plays Big Role In Hollywood Strikes Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

The Hollywood strikes this time are different from those of the past, and not just because the technology has changed. Silicon Valley has taken over Hollywood, and Big Tech has an established anti-union bent.

Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED

New data shows California has taken 1 in 5 people off Medi-Cal in its first month of the renewal process. Medi-Cal is the state’s health insurance program for its poorest residents.

Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio

California representatives in Washington D.C. have joined more than 100 lawmakers calling for new heat illness protections for workers. Lawmakers want these protections implemented right away.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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A Closer Look At Why Salmon Season Is Closed This Year Jul 24, 2023

Show notes

This year, there's no fresh, locally caught salmon. The season was closed. So few adult fish are now in the ocean off the California coast, fisheries managers decided they all were needed to return to their natal streams and spawn.

Guest: Danielle Venton, KQED Science Reporter

Much of California continues to buckle under a sweltering heat wave with no end in sight. But the state’s epic snowpack isn’t going anywhere just yet.

Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR

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Sea Otter Remains Elusive In Santa Cruz Jul 21, 2023

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The best surf spots in Santa Cruz are infamous for territorial locals and some occasionally aggressive confrontations. But lately, not all of the offenders have been human. A five-year-old sea otter has become famous for stealing surfboards, and evading capture.

Reporter: Erin Malsbury, KAZU

California regulators are developing emergency rules to protect workers dying from inhaling silica dust, in shops making kitchen countertops.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Wednesday's winning Powerball ticket was bought in downtown Los Angeles' Garment District.

Reporter: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, LAist

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The Sights And Sounds Of Shakedown Street At A Dead And Company Show Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

The Grateful Dead’s offshoot band, Dead and Company, says this summer was their last tour. And their final stop on that tour was in San Francisco, where fans celebrated the end of an era.

Reporter: Izzy Bloom, The California Report

Doctors in California say a growing number of workers are getting really sick and dying from inhaling silica dust, while they sand and cut artificial stone to make kitchen countertops. State regulators are considering a petition Thursday for emergency rules.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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Temecula School Board Rejects Textbook, Despite Warning From Governor Newsom Jul 19, 2023

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After months of fighting, the Temecula school board once again failed to approve a new elementary social studies textbook on Tuesday night. That sets up a showdown with the governor’s office.

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR

California is dumping at least $100 million a year into its flagship rehabilitation program for former prisoners. Specialized Treatment for Optimized Programming, also known as STOP, provides housing and other support for parolees. But a new investigation from CalMatters has found the state has no idea if the program works.

Reporter: Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters

The California State University system is failing to adequately protect its community from sexual harassment. That's according to a new report from the state auditor released this week.

Reporter: Amy Mayer, KQED

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Orange County Faces Challenges In Implementing CARE Court System Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Starting this fall, judges in 8 counties will be put in charge of ordering treatment for people with serious psychotic illness. Some politicians say these new CARE Courts will clean up the streets, while health advocates argue a courtroom is no place for vulnerable patients. In Orange County, officials are balancing this tension as they start to implement the controversial new plan.

Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED

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Heat Wave Brings Triple Digit Temperatures To the State Jul 17, 2023

Show notes

Central and Southern California are still not in the clear, with heat warnings in place for much of those regions. And for the state’s 115,000 unsheltered homeless residents, trying to keep cool is easier said than done.

Reporter: Vanessa Rancano, KQED

Construction crews are ahead of schedule on the demolition of the first of four dams on the Klamath River along the Oregon-California border.

Reporter: Erik Neumann, Jefferson Public Radio

Most small business owners in California support expanding benefits that help employees take care of their health and their family, like paid sick days. That’s according to the results of a new opinion poll.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

California’s latest effort to get college athletes paid is stalled in the legislature after pushback from universities. The bill would have allowed college athletes to get a share of the revenue that they create for their school.

Reporter: Ryan Loyola, CalMatters

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Actors Now On Strike, Halting Entertainment Industry Jul 14, 2023

Show notes

SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents film and TV actors, announced that its 160,000 members are striking, with actors expected to form picket lines outside of studios on Friday. SAG -AFTRA members will join already striking Hollywood writers. Such a labor stoppage by both unions at the same time hasn't happened since 1960 and it basically shuts down Hollywood production.

The heat wave that’s expected to blanket large swaths of the state is forecast to push temperatures in Palm Springs to more than 120 degrees this weekend. The city is struggling to keep its growing homeless population safe in the heat.

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR

What about the state’s power grid, which is always a concern during extended heat waves? California’s electric grid operator says it has more tools to make sure the power stays on.

Reporter: Izzy Bloom, The California Report

With temperatures reaching triple digits in much of California, state regulators are once again fanning out to inspect high-risk worksites.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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