Kqeds The California Report

New research is showing the potential dangers from indoor gas appliances in California homes. The study from PSE Healthy Energy, a nonprofit research institute, found that leaking gas stoves are emitting benzene, and other dangerous pollutants. Reporter Jessica Kariisa has spent years writing about and dancing to African music in cities up and down the East Coast. When she moved to the Bay Area, she wasn’t sure what she’d find by way of African music, but she soon discovered a club scene that’s thriving and rich with history. Reporter: Jessica Kariisa, The California Report Magazine 

In his first sit down interviews since a racist audio recording was released of Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon, and two other councilmembers , speaking with a local labor leader, de Leon was apologetic, but said he does not plan on resigning.   For the midterm election, California voters will once again be asked to decide on a ballot measure dealing with dialysis clinics. Similar measures have failed to pass in 2018 and 2020. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

Striking mental health care workers are voting on a new contract, after reaching a tentative deal with Kaiser Permanente on Tuesday. Over 2,000 therapists, psychologists, social workers and counselors took to the picket lines at Northern California Kaiser facilities in mid-August to demand increased staffing and more support for workers. Reporter: Nimah Gobir, KQED  Following a tumultuous last few week, the L.A. City Council has a new president. During a virtual meeting on Tuesday, Councilmember Paul Krekorian was unanimously selected to lead the council. He'll replace Nury Martinez, who resigned last week after she was caught on an audio recording making racist comments and discussing how to manipulate the redistricting process in the city. Latino voters could make the difference this midterm, between Democrats maintaining control of Congress or Republicans seizing the gavel. While the GOP has made inroads with some Latino voters, especially in states like Texas, California Latinos have not swung as far to

This year California voters will take up two propositions that would legalize sports betting. One of them would expand gambling in tribal casinos. But opponents say if it passes, it could also put card rooms out of business, and hit cities that rely on them for their bottom line. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW Governor Gavin Newsom has announced the COVID-19 State of Emergency will end this coming February, nearly three years after the order first went into effect. The state has logged more than 10 million COVID cases since the start of the pandemic. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED 

Next month, voters will decide whether or not to increase arts funding to public schools across the state. We look at what it could mean for one school in the Bay Area.  Reporter: Julia McEvoy, KQED  The racist conversation between three members of the Los Angeles City Council and a labor executive have struck a familiar chord with Black and Afro Latinos struggling to gain political representation. Reporter: Emily Elena Dugdale, KPCC

Today's regularly scheduled Los Angeles city council meeting has been canceled because two council members who are at the center of a scandal over a leaked racist conversation have not yet resigned. Both Gil Cedillo and Kevin De León have issued apologies, but nothing more. They haven’t been seen in the City Council chambers since Monday, when they were shouted at by an outraged crowd who demanded their resignations. Reporter: Jackie Fortier  Every day, children across the country – some as young as two and three years old – are forced out of their preschools and daycares. And more often than not, it’s children of color who are expelled. A law signed late last month by Governor Gavin Newsom aims to reduce the number of expulsions in state-funded preschool settings. Reporter: Amanda Stupi, KQED In a preview of The California Report Magazine, we hear from the first episode of “Imperfect Paradise: The Sheriff,” a new podcast from LAIST studios. In it, KPCC’s Frank Stolze takes a deep dive into the tenure of co

The former president of the Los Angeles City Council, Nury Martinez, has resigned. This comes days after a recording surfaced of her making racist remarks in a closed-door meeting. State Attorney General Rob Bonta is now investigating the redistricting process in LA, following the release of the conversation. One of the most competitive House races in California is taking place in the northern part of Los Angeles County, where Republican Congressman Mike Garcia is facing off for the third time against Democrat Christy Smith. The issues of abortion and Latino identity have been central to the campaign. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED 

During a contentious city council meeting, LA residents voiced their displeasure with three councilmembers, who were caught on a recording using racist language. The calls continue to grow for Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon to resign, although none have done so. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Dozens of workers at Amazon’s largest air hub on the West Coast announced they’ll go on a one-day strike later this week . The workers at the facility in San Bernardino are upset over low wages and unsafe working conditions. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Three members of the Los Angeles City Council are facing a barrage of calls to resign, after an audio recording of them making racist comments was made public.  This comes as the council is meeting for the first time on Tuesday, since the recording was released. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Local governments should consider wildfire risk, when evaluating proposals for new housing. That's according to new recommendations from California Attorney General Rob Bonta. 

Janitors who work at the facilities of Facebook and its parent company Meta have been on strike since last Wednesday. Late last week, the strikers received support from two major groups advocating for workers, Silicon Valley Rising and the South Bay Labor Council.  The National Labor Relations Board has approved a union recognition election for dancers at a topless bar in North Hollywood. If the performers at Star Garden organize, they would become the only unionized strippers in the nation. Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRW A teacher shortage has forced dozens of preschools in California to close classrooms since the start of the school year. Low wages were driving away early childhood educators -- most of them women of color -- long before the pandemic. But the emotional and financial stress, plus the health risks of working during the crisis drove them to quit faster. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED We’re celebrating Indigenous People’s Day with a focus on Nikole Aanapou Mann, who became the first native woman t

If you’ve been struggling with inflation-fueled high prices, from groceries to gasoline, some help is on the way. Starting Friday, the state will start sending out about nine and a half billion dollars worth of tax rebates to Californians to help people with their bills. The one time payments will range from $400 to $1,050 dollars for joint tax filers and between $200 and $700 dollars for those who filed individually. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, KQED   In Sacramento, Black residents are three times as likely to say they can't afford their rent or mortgage compared with the area’s overall population. A poll published this week by Valley Vision, a civic leadership organization in the Sacramento area, found nearly nine of every 10 Black residents are concerned about the cost of housing in the Sacramento region. That's higher than any other racial or ethnic group. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio In a preview of our sister show, the California Report’s weekly Magazine, we hop on a bus many in the Vietnamese Americ

During the first months of World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. It authorized the U.S. government to relocate and incarcerate more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry. Now more than seven decades later, a group led by a USC professor has taken on the challenge of creating a list of every single person forced into camps and jails. Reporter: Josie Huang, KPCC  A family of four, that was kidnapped from their business in Merced this week, has been found dead. The bodies were discovered near where the kidnapping took place.

For years ago, then Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law that unsealed internal official investigations into serious use of force, dishonesty and sexual misconduct by peace officers. But California prison officials are not complying. That’s according to a lawsuit filed by KQED. Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQED Gas prices remain sky-high in California. $6.42 on average for a regular gallon of gasoline as of Wednesday, that according to AAA. Production issues at refineries are being blamed for the skyrocketing price. But some relief could be on the way. Reporter: Andrea Bautista, KCRW Tijuana gas stations are capitalizing on California’s soaring gas prices. Several stations in Mexico are advertising cheaper gas to commuters heading to San Diego. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS

The mid-term elections are a little more than a month away, and officials here in California and across the country are working to make sure the election process is safe and secure. But there are also concerns about threats levied against election workers and voters at the polls. Guest: Neal Kelley, Chairman, Committee for Safe and Secure Elections As the weather cools, the U.S. could be headed into a severe flu season. Experts say small children who haven’t been exposed due to pandemic restrictions and masking may be most at risk.  Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC

When the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade first leaked in April, state lawmakers in California went to work. They moved forward to place a measure on the November ballot, Proposition 1, that, if passed, will enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. But such a constitutional amendment raises questions about fetal viability and whether abortion rights would actually be expanded. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED On Friday, the deadline passed for Governor Gavin Newsom to sign or veto hundreds of bills sent to his desk by the legislature. One of the bills he signed will increase cash benefits for hundreds of thousands of working Californians who take time off to care for an ill relative or to bond with a new child. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED 

The trust representing 70,000 PG&E wildfire victims reached a nine-figure settlement this week with a group of the utility's former executives and directors. The settlement will come from liability insurance the company held for its officers and directors. Reporter: Dan Brekke Imperial County currently holds one of the world's largest lithium reserves. A recent surge in demand for the mineral, a key component in electric car batteries, is now leading investors from Bolivia, Chile and South Korea to the southeastern corner of California.  Guest: Janet Wilson, Desert Sun reporter California is not expanding unemployment benefits to an estimated 1 million undocumented workers in the state any time soon. The bill Governor Gavin Newsom just vetoed would have created a one-year pilot program offering $300 a week, up to 20 weeks to unemployed, undocumented Californians. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero Flag football already is a sanctioned high school girls sport in states including Alabama and Nevada… but Califo

Ensenada is the birthplace of Mexican surfing. It has a rich history, but many people don’t know about it. Now, two surfers from Ensenada have set out to change that.  Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS  Los Angeles is receiving millions in state funding to help launch a program to combat homelessness among the formerly incarcerated. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi

Gas prices remain stubbornly high in California. In fact, over the last week, the average price of a regular gallon of gasoline has jumped more than 40 cents. But some help is on the way in the form of a one-time state refund payment.  Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report In San Diego, some Black residents talk about how the city used to be known as “Harlem of the West.” Now, the city is attempting to pay homage and respect to that era – before the community was devastated by redlining and other racist policies. One way the city is doing that is by empowering one neighborhood as the newly-formed “San Diego Black Arts & Culture District. Reporter: Jacob Aere, KPBS 

Pacific Gas and Electric says it's facing a criminal investigation, for possibly starting the state's largest wildfire so far this year. The company says in a new filing with federal securities regulators that the US Forest Service has reached an "initial assessment" that the fire started near a PG&E line. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED   Affordable housing is hard to come by for most Californians. In Sacramento, there’s also a severe lack of affordable housing for low-income seniors. But construction is underway to help ease that shortage. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio  When we hear about homeowners in trouble or losing their homes, it’s usually a story about foreclosure. But there’s another process that can penalize homeowners – and sometimes result in people losing their homes. That process is called receivership. A new investigation from The Sacramento Bee found a company called the Bay Area Receivership Group has left some homeowners staring at massively excessive fees and forced them out of their home

Protests have erupted across Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf too loosely, and later died in custody. Demonstrations here in California took place over the weekend. Reporter: Kyana Moghadam, KQED After a summer break, the State Task Force studying Reparations for Black Californians has resumed its groundbreaking work. Over the weekend the panel met in Los Angeles to move the conversation forward -- and talk about lessons they can draw from historical reparations work -- plus the actual economics of the plan. Guest: Annelise Finney, KQED reporter This month marks the 20th anniversary of the passage of Paid Family Leave in California -- the first state to offer this benefit to workers taking time off to bond with a new child or care for an ill relative. Newsom is deciding now whether to sign or veto a bill that would increase payments to 90% of a person’s wages if they are low-income, or 70% for all othe