KQED's The California Report

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Group Of Migrants Bussed Into Los Angeles From Texas Jun 15, 2023

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A busload of more than 40 migrants, sent by the state of Texas, arrived in Los Angeles Wednesday afternoon. The group included at least eight children.

Questions linger about how two groups of migrants ended up on flights to Sacramento earlier this month. Some asylum seekers now say the state of Florida hired contractors to push them to get on the flights.

Guest: Jack Herrera, L.A. Times national correspondent

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Gardeners Struggle To Adjust As Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Being Phased Out Jun 14, 2023

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Local and state officials are cracking down on the use of gas-powered gardening equipment, like leaf blowers. But not everyone is thrilled about these changes.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

Tijuana’s migrant shelters are struggling to stay afloat. A few things threaten their long term future: declining donations and rising costs.

Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS

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California Congressmembers Want EPA To Support Prescribed Burns Jun 13, 2023

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20 members of Congress from California sent a letter to the EPA. They're worried that a rule intended to improve air quality could make it harder to conduct prescribed burns.

Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED

The rejection of a social studies textbook by three conservative Christian school board members in Temecula is causing more upheaval. While California's Attorney General awaits a response from the board to justify its decision, some community members in Temecula are pushing for a recall of the board members.

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR

Residents are moving into an all-electric housing development in the sunny, arid city of Menifee in Riverside County. There are roughly 200 single-family homes, all designed to create zero harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED

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Training For Private Security Guards Called Into Question Jun 12, 2023

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There are more than 300,000 licensed security guards in California - a number that’s been growing over the past decade. But in the wake of a fatal shooting of an alleged shoplifter in San Francisco last month by a Walgreens drug store guard, the training required by state regulators is looking increasingly outdated.

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

Thousands of unionized hotel workers in Southern California have overwhelmingly voted for a strike authorization measure. If they do walk off the job, they say it will be the biggest hotel strike in U.S. history.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

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Salton Sea Could Provide Clues To Seismic Activity On San Andreas Fault Jun 09, 2023

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The southern San Andreas Fault hasn’t generated a major earthquake in 300 years. But why? Well, new research published in the scientific journal Nature explains that might be due to the shrinking of the nearby Salton Sea.

Campaigns to ban books are on the rise in the U.S. That includes the Riverside County community of Temecula. There, the school board’s decision to reject a textbook has sparked a censorship battle.

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR

Music legend Chris Strachwitz passed away last month in Marin County at the age of 91. He was the founder of Arhoolie Records. He also traveled the country making field recordings of music performed by cotton-pickers, janitors, and other working people.

Reporter: The Kitchen Sisters

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Push To Make Housing A Human Right In State Constitution Moves Forward Jun 08, 2023

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Should Californians have a right to housing enshrined in the state constitution? Well, a bill to do just that just passed its first legislative hurdle in Sacramento.

Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED

Many people living in wildfire-prone areas of California were already struggling with home insurance before the news that Allstate and State Farm would stop writing new policies. So for those who've lost homes to fire, how does this change their financial calculus?

Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED

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Florida Agency Confirms Sending Migrants To Sacramento Jun 07, 2023

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The administration of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says it’s responsible for sending two chartered planes of asylum seekers to Sacramento over the past week. That comes after Governor Gavin Newsom suggested that DeSantis, who’s also running for president, might be guilty of kidnapping.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

The return of a Tulare Lake in California’s Central Valley because of flooding has caused millions of dollars in agricultural damage. But the new lake is also giving members of a Native American tribe a rare chance to get back in touch with their roots and sacred traditions.

Reporter: Soreath Hok, KVPR

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Many LA Renters Left Without Legal Representation In Eviction Court Jun 06, 2023

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Eviction cases are piling up in Los Angeles County courtrooms, especially now that the county’s COVID protections have ended. Landlords almost always show up with attorneys, while tenants tend to represent themselves.

Reporter: David Wagner, LAist

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg says he's proud of the way community groups and local officials are stepping up, to aid the dozens of bewildered migrants who’ve arrived in his city by chartered jets in recent days.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

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LA County Promises To Be Ready To Implement CARE Court Program Jun 05, 2023

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The CARE Court program is part of the state's big changes in how it treats the most severely mentally ill. A handful of counties are scheduled to begin the programs this year, including Los Angeles County.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

State authorities say they’ll investigate how a group of migrants, who were reportedly bused from Texas to New Mexico, before being flown to California, ended up at a church in Sacramento.

Reporter: Daphne Young, KQED

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Renters Could Get A Break On Security Deposits With New Proposal Jun 02, 2023

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State lawmakers are trying to make renting more affordable by capping how much landlords can charge for security deposits.

Reporter: Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, CalMatters

There's been some very un-California weather in the southern part of our state. Cloudy skies have filled the skies the last few weeks.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

Accessible health care is often a huge challenge in rural parts of California. That includes in Nevada County in the Sierra Foothills.

Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED

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