Kqeds The California Report

Hundreds of California farmworkers and growers are rallying in Washington this week. They're supporting a bipartisan bill that would create a pathway to citizenship for the nation’s undocumented farmworkers. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR The University of California academic workers' strike continues today and could stretch into the Thanksgiving holiday and beyond. Hear from one striking researcher who's been on the picket line all week. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald In a preview of our sister show, The California Report Magazine this week checks in on immigrant detainees who say they were retaliated against for waging a labor strike at the two facilities where they’re held. One man says he faced 40 days in solitary confinement for supporting the strike.  Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Bass, a community activist turned Congress member, defeated developer Rick Caruso in a race marked by his record spending. In a statement on her win, she pledged to solve homelessness and respond urgently to crime. California’s nonpartisan budget analyst is warning of rocky financial times ahead. California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office is projecting a $25 billion budget deficit for the next fiscal year.  California released its latest ambitious climate change plan yesterday that would reduce the state’s dependence on fossil fuels. The plan calls for slashing emissions by 48% by 2030, based on 1990 levels

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has lost his reelection bid to his opponent, Robert Luna, who continued to hold a commanding lead as the vote count continued. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, KQED As votes continue to be tallied, it’s looking like Californians are on track to elect the most diverse legislature in state history. As many as 52 female candidates could take office once all the votes are counted. Eight LGBTQ candidates are also on track for election. Reporter: Ariel Gans, CalMatters Activists in Los Angeles say they’ve noticed a pattern. When a restaurant offering, say, $30 entrees, opens in a working class neighborhood, rents start to rise faster, there are more evictions, and long-time locals are forced to leave. Some restaurants are now trying hard to limit their impact on gentrification. But is it enough? Or will their presence always be problematic? Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW

Thousands of Employees of the University of California Remain on Strike At U.C. Merced, the system’s newest campus, employees are calling on the UC Regents to raise wages so they can afford housing. Reporter: Esther Quintanilla, KVPR A U.C. Berkeley Ph.D Candidate Studying Reptiles Decides to Strike Strikers, represented by the United Auto Workers are disrupting business on UC campuses at a pivotal time in the semester. Isaac Krone is a PHD candidate who studies reptiles, but he says he hasn't been able to focus on his research because he must teach every semester. Reporter: Jean Zamora, The California Report Border Rule Changes Could Speed Up Crossings, Impact Aslyum Seekers Change is coming to the U.S-Mexico border in our region. Mexican immigration officers on that side of the border at San Ysidro will check US-bound travelers’ documents. Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW A Week Since Election Day, Multiple Statewide and Municipal Races Still in Limbo California, like a handful of states across the West,

Nearly a week after the final day of voting, several key races in California could help determine which party will control the House of Representatives. Of the remaining House contests too close to call, more than half are in California. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED After several days of narrowly trailing in the mayoral vote count, Congressmember Karen Bass opened up a narrow lead against her opponent, shopping mall mogul, Rick Caruso, as ballots continued to be counted over the weekend. As of the most recently announced totals, Bass is nearly 9,500 votes ahead. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, KQED Last week Alex Padilla became the first Latino elected to the U.S. Senate from California. Patricia Guerrero is poised to become the first Latina California Supreme Court Justice. The outcome of these 2022 midterm elections is a product of "immense anger" that started in 1994 with the Anti-Immigration Proposition 187, according to an expert. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, KQED

The California Public Utilities Commission has released a proposal that would gradually reduce the price utilities pay for power from rooftop solar systems. The proposal has been met with widespread criticism.  Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED This week, an episode from the new season of "Uncuffed," a podcast from KALW focused on intimate stories made by people incarcerated in California prisons. Edmond Richardson talks about marriage on the day before his wedding day inside San Quentin State prison. Reporter: Edmond Richardson, KALW

Republicans will likely be in the majority in the House of Representatives come January. Bakersfield Republican Kevin McCarthy is expected to become Speaker, but his path forward is far from clear. One expert says the challenge for McCarthy, especially with a small majority, is that he lacks trust from the far right wing of his caucus. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED The largely Republican Shasta County in northern California has been the subject of national attention since the takeover of the county board of supervisors by a far-right majority earlier this year. But on election night, heightened security measures and support for poll workers seem to have contributed to a more relaxed atmosphere. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio

There was a sweep by Democrats in statewide races for Governor, U.S. Senate, Secretary of State, Lieutenant Governor and State Treasurer. The high-profile Los Angeles mayoral race is looking tight, with Rick Caruso at a slight lead over Karen Bass as of this morning. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is losing in his bid to stay in office against his rival, former Long Beach police chief Robert Luna. Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy delivered a short speech at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, promising that by the time people wake up, Republicans would be in the majority. But as of right now, Republicans haven’t taken control of the House and the Red Wave hasn’t materialized.

CARE Courts, a county-based initiative, will combine teams of outreach workers and therapists with civil courts. Seven California counties have already volunteered to implement the CARE Court system first. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, KQED Thousands of low-income families could miss out on a child tax credit that became available during the pandemic. Californians have until November 17th to file for these tax credits. Reporter: Wendy Fry, CalMatters In August, dancers at a strip club in Los Angeles filed a petition to unionize, vying to become the only unionized strip club in the country. On Monday afternoon, the dancers had their union election.  Reporter: Robin Estrin, KCRW

Last year, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified’s two most conservative board members eventually supported adopting an ethnic studies class. But around the same time, the school board banned the teaching of critical race theory. This tug-of-war over values is coming to a head this election, as the long-time incumbents face political newbies who are promising to keep race and gender identity issues out of schools. Reporter: Jill Replogle, KPCC A new poll from UC Berkeley finds that Californians of all political stripes are worried that American democracy is in crisis and is at risk of failing. And they're overwhelmingly pessimistic about the chances that people with different political views can work out their differences together.  Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

Less than a month before finals are meant to start, University of California student workers have voted to authorize a strike. The strike could arrive as early as November 14. Reporter: E. Okobi, KQED According to new numbers from the election tracking site Ballotpedia, nationally a little more than a billion dollars have been spent on state ballot measures this election cycle. And California accounts for about 70% of the cumulative spending. Most of that has been spent fighting over Propositions 26 and 27. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, KQED Many potential young voters that college student Kennedy McIntyre talks to are concerned about a host of issues: affordable housing, gun control, abortion rights. But they aren't convinced that voting will make much of a difference. Reporter: Jessica Kariisa, The California Report Magazine

In several of California's most competitive races, Latino voters could be decisive, which isn’t so surprising. But more than half of Latino voters who were recently polled say no campaign has asked for their vote. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED The Central Valley has been synonymous with conservative, small-government politics for a long time. But there’s a new state Assembly district in the Central Valley and the two candidates vying for the seat are both women, Democrats and people of color. Reporter: Ariel Gans, CalMatters      

Prosecutors say David DePape, the man who allegedly attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, claimed he was on a suicide mission, with plans to kidnap Speaker Pelosi. DePape entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday and is due back in court on Friday. "Voter integrity" groups claim they're looking to root out fraud. But the targeted door-knocking in Shasta County amounts to voter intimidation and could be illegal under California election laws, according to election officials. It's also part of a broader national trend motivated by election conspiracy theorists. Reporter: Erik Neumann, Jefferson Public Radio William Curry, who reportedly graduated from high school in Alabama last year, was finally escorted off campus last week. Despite multiple removals from campus since December 2021, Curry continued to return. Campus officials caught Curry on Thursday morning after he allegedly stole a TV from a dorm basement.

Man Accused of Attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Husband Will Be Arraigned in San Francisco Superior Court Today 42-year-old David De Pape is making his first appearance in court since his arrest on Friday at Pelosi’s house.  DePape faces both local and federal charges after the attack, which left Paul Pelosi with a fractured skull. Bay Area Democratic Congresswoman Jackie Speier Warns Her Colleagues In Congress That There Needs To Be A Change In The Radicalized American Political Culture Representative Speier knows about violence wielded by extremists. In 1978 on a trip to the South American country of Guyana to investigate Jim Jones and his People’s Temple cult, the then 28-year-old was shot five times in an ambush by followers of Jones. At the time, Speier worked for congressman Leo Ryan. Ryan and four other people were killed in the attack. This Election Season Voters In San Bernardino Will Vote To Consider Breaking Away From California San Bernardino County is just east of Los Angeles and is home

Prosecutors are expected to announce charges against the man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi. The suspect, 42-year-old David DePape, is facing attempted murder charges as well as assault with a deadly weapon and residential burglary. Just like in the 2020 election, there are claims of fraud this election cycle, particularly in northern California's Shasta County. While some call for a full independent review of the ballots to eliminate cheating, others worry these fraud worries are making it hard to build trust in the election system, no matter how safe it actually is. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio Nearly a third of Black Californians questioned in a statewide survey say they feel they have been treated unfairly while trying to get health care because of their race. Most respondents change how they act at doctor's offices to minimize negative experiences. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

Paul Pelosi Assaulted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office says someone broke into the Pelosi residence in San Francisco this morning and violently assaulted the speaker's husband. The Congresswoman's spokesman says the person who assaulted Paul Pelosi is in custody. Paul Pelosi was taken to a hospital and is recovering. Oil Companies Just Sold Thousands of Old Wells, Concerning Environmentalists Shell and ExxonMobile recently sold thousands of aging oil wells in California to smaller players in the industry. This has environmentalists worried that those smaller firms won't be able to pay what it will cost to close them down when the time comes, and that taxpayers will be left to foot the bill. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW The Man of Science and The Ouija Board This week, as part of a collaboration with the podcast ‘Bay Curious,’ a ghost story for Halloween. It comes from reporter and former KQED science editor Jon Brooks, who usually lives in the world of evidence, facts and data. But many years ago, Jon an

In response to a massive housing shortage, new rules require California cities to locate affordable housing in single-family neighborhoods as a way to combat decades of racial segregation. Residents in some California cities are pushing back and hope to rely on a time-tested tradition: using the local ballot box to restrict growth.  Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED Settlement talks have broken down in a case from San Francisco seeking to preserve federal humanitarian protections. More than 260,000 immigrants nationwide face a risk of deportation.   Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

One of the most competitive House races in California pits a Republican incumbent who opposed certifying the presidential election against a Democratic challenger who helped prosecute January 6th rioters.  Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED State utility regulators have recommended fining PG&E more than $150 million for alleged safety infractions they connected to a deadly fire two years ago in Shasta County. The Zogg Fire started in September 2020 after a pine tree fell on a PG&E line near the town of Redding. Four people were killed in the fire. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED California voters will weigh in on high profile political offices, like Governor and Congress this fall. But they’ll also be voting on four California Supreme Court justices.  Reporter: Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters

Most of the California tribes who have weighed in on Proposition 27 are against it. They’re worried about language tucked away in the measure that could potentially undermine tribal sovereignty. But at least one tribal chair says it's a way to support financially disadvantaged tribes that don't own big casinos. Reporters: Guy Marzorati, KQED and Nicole Nixon, CapRadio California K-12 students’ academic progress has plunged during the pandemic. Math is the worst decline, with the percentage of students who are proficient or better dropping seven percentage points statewide.  Reporter: Julia McEvoy, KQED

Governor Gavin Newsom and State Senator Brian Dahle sparred over the economy, climate and more in a debate at KQED on Sunday. It was the first and only debate the two have had. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Voters will be deciding on Proposition 30 in November. It's the plan to tax the wealthy to pay for electric vehicle incentives, and the measure has split Governor Gavin Newsom from his fellow Democrats. Reporter; Kevin Stark, KQED