Kqeds The California Report

After hours of debate on Tuesday, California’s Reparations Task Force cast a historic vote deciding who will be eligible to receive compensation. . Reporter: Cristina Kim, KPBS  COVID-19 numbers in California have improved drastically since the beginning of the omicron wave here in the state. But there are some concerns that a highly transmissable variant could bring more cases in the coming weeks and months. Guest: Lesley McClurg, KQED Health Correspondent A proposal to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for California workers will not move forward this year in the state legislature. It was dropped without a vote. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED  Wastewater data in the South Bay Area this week hints at the first signs of a sustained rise in COVID-19 because of the BA.2 omicron subvariant. But it’s nothing compared to the last surge.  Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED A California congressman is introducing a new bill aimed at helping provide some relief for drivers from rising gas prices. It would send relief checks to t

Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered water districts to increase water restrictions. But are statewide mandatory water cutbacks coming? Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED A new report out of UCLA shows that a year after a sweep of homeless camps around Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, most of the unhoused who were uprooted have not found permanent housing. Even more concerning, many have fallen off the map of the city's homeless department, and are no longer being tracked.  Guest: Ananya Roy, Professor of Urban Planning and Chair of UCLA's Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy The state Assembly has voted to extend pandemic eviction protections for tenants still waiting on rent relief. How big is the problem? Well fewer than half of the nearly 500,000 people who’ve applied for rental assistance have yet to receive a payout.  Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED The COVID-19 pandemic has taken the lives of nearly 10,000 nursing home residents and staff in California. To honor them, and to press for better working con

Despite bargaining this weekend, there’s no new deal as a teacher’s strike continues in the Sacramento City Unified School District. That means campuses will remain closed, and that's taking a toll on families. Reporter: Pauline Bartolone, CapRadio Student debt is a crushing financial burden for millions of people, including health professionals who’ve worked hard treating COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. Now, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla of California has introduced a bill to help get rid of student loans for frontline healthcare workers.  Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED  Talks aimed at ending a strike by hundreds of unionized workers at Chevron's refinery in the city of Richmond are restarting Monday morning.  It's the first bargaining session since the workers walked off the job a week ago over pay, health benefits and worker safety concerns.  Reporter: Ted Goldberg, KQED  After years of scrutiny and criticism of how the Bakersfield Police Department does its job, an agreement between the depa

State lawmakers have introduced a bill to extend protections for tenants waiting on rent relief from the state. But it won't extend the deadline to apply for rent relief, which expires at the end of March. Reporter: Molly Solomon, KQED The race to be Los Angeles' next mayor has kicked off, and the leading candidates are all promising to tackle one major issue if elected -- homelessness. But many are questioning whether their proposed solutions will actually help with the issue. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Yet another guard at the federal women's prison in the city of Dublin has been charged with sexual abuse. The lockup has been nicknamed "the Rape Club" by people incarcerated there. Reporter: Alex Emslie, KQED Three Muslim Americans are suing the Department of Homeland Security, over what they say is unconstitutional treatment at Los Angeles International Airport. Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRW A new rule just published by the Biden administration will overhaul the way asylum claims made

Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing to spend $9 billion on tax refunds, to help California motorists at the pump. Newsom wants to use the state's windfall of tax revenue to send drivers a $400 debit card -- one each for up to two vehicles.  Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED  Hundreds of Eastern European migrants are arriving in Tijuana, fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and increasingly repressive governments in Russia itself and its ally Belarus. The migrants coming to Tijuana dream of crossing the border and getting asylum in the U.S.  Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler  In Sacramento, classes are canceled again on Thursday, after thousands of teachers and staff at the Sacramento City Unified School District walked off the job. Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio Navigating through the pandemic and drought conditions has been a major challenge for California's farming industry. With more dry conditions ahead, and costs increasing and the global supply chain still an issue, it could be another tough year. Guest: Ryan

As the US Senate considers the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the first Black female justice on the US Supreme Court, a panel in San Francisco has voted to confirm Appeal Court Justice Patricia Guererro to become the first Latina member on the California Supreme Court. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Two major California bail bond service providers are set to be hit with proposed class action lawsuits. The lawsuit names two of the largest bail bond agents in California – Aladdin Bail Bonds and All-Pro Bail Bonds – and seeks repayment for people who’ve co-signed bail bond payments without getting notices that make clear what that obligation entails. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has many of us here in the United States asking what we can do to help. A couple in Los Angeles are now hosting a Ukrainian woman who fled her home in Kyiv.  Reporter: Caroline Feraday, KCLU

A strike by workers at the Chevron refinery in the Bay Area city of Richmond could mean more bad news for already sky-high California gas prices. Chevron says it plans to continue normal operations at the plant despite the walkout, but any disruptions could lead to even higher prices. A California inmate originally from Cambodia is awaiting final approval for parole. But he fears that rather than be released to his family, he could get locked up again by immigration authorities, and even deported. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

Efforts are ramping up to recall Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon from office. A similar effort failed last year, but supporters of the recall say public safety could play a big role this time around. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report  WNBA star Brittney Griner is currently jailed in Russia after being accused of smuggling hashish oil into the country, something that could carry up to a 10 year prison sentence. Her arrest has called into question LGBTQ rights and the possible political motivation behind her detainment. Reporter: Sara Hossaini, KQED

A new bill aims to protect transgender youth and their families from legal action if they come to California for medical care. This comes after a number of Republican-controlled states considered legislation targeting gender-affirming medical care. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW In 1966, at the height of the civil rights movement, a live call-in radio show premiered on San Diego’s airwaves. The show washosted and created by local civil rights leaders Harold K. Brown and Reverend R. Major Shavers. Brown now reflects on what has and hasn't been done in the fight for racial equality. Reporter: Christina Kim, KPBS At least three proposals to address the high cost of gasoline are floating around in Sacramento. One that seems to have widespread support is a $400 rebate plan for California taxpayers.  Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles are falling, and fewer people are in the hospital. But an omicron subvariant is putting the county health department on alert.  Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KP

A new proposal from a group of mostly Democratic state lawmakers would send a $400 rebate to California taxpayers to help with the massive surge in gas prices. The group has sent a letter to Governor Newsom, arguing that a rebate would cover the current 51-cents per gallon state gas tax for a full year. For two years now, Los Angeles tenants have been protected from eviction over non-payment of rent. Now, county leaders are giving landlords some relief on their taxes. Reporter: David Wagner, KPCC California Attorney General Rob Bonta is calling out the city of Pasadena for trying to avoid the implementation of SB 9. That's the new state law that allows for the construction of up to four housing units on parcels of land previously zoned for single family homes.  Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report  A California Assembly bill with bi-partisan support aims to hold social media platforms liable with financial consequences for knowingly addicting children to their services. The bill – known as the So

Tuesday marks the one year anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings in which eight people were killed – six of them Asian women. In Los Angeles, rememberances will be deliberatley muted. Reporter: Josie Huang, KPCC In the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, the California Department of Corrections disciplined two officers for making racist statements on social media. Thanks to a new law, we now can see what those officers, both white, posted and how they were disciplined. Guest: Sukey Lewis, Criminal Justice Correspondent, KQED From racial disparities in arrests, to the percentage of crimes solved and the cost of policing, San Francisco is performing worse than other major cities across the state. That's according to a new report from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. Reporter: Alex Emslie, KQED The family of a man who died in California Highway Patrol custody says a video proves that CHP officers killed him. The video was released as part of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of 38-y

Ukrainians seeking asylum at U.S. southern border may be turned away because of a Trump-era policy relating to the pandemic. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS Alleged sexual assault of incarcerated women at a Dublin prison is so rampant some inmates and staff refer to it as “the rape club." California lawmakers personally visited to hear from incarcerated people firsthand. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Gov. Newsom signed emergency legislation yesterday to nullify a court order freezing enrollment at UC Berkeley after it passed unanimously in the state legislature. Reporter: Sara Hossaini, KQED Two California lawmakers want the state's fire agency, CAL Fire, to respond more quickly to forest fires, but fire experts say fire intense suppression is already CAL Fire policy, and that it's to blame for increasingly severe fires. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED 

Community health clinics have vaccinated hundreds of thousands of low income Californians for more than a year, but due to a federal funding glitch the clinics have been absorbing the cost. And now, Los Angeles’ largest community health center may have to close vaccination sites in some of LA’s poorest areas. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC California voters passed a ballot measure in 2018 to do away with changing our clocks twice a year. But almost four years later, we’re still springing forward. Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio High school students across the state have been walking out of class to call for change in how administrators handle sexual assault claims. In Humboldt County last fall, students protested for three straight days. Months later, some students in the rural town of Fortuna say they’re still grappling with the fallout of speaking out. Reporter: Holly J. McDede, KQED You, of course, go to the library for books and information. But in Los Angeles, the public library system might soon be

The state’s top conservation official says that California is "very clearly" headed into a third year of drought. He encouraged Californians to save water, but the state is not yet mandating it. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED According to the United Nations, more than two million people have fled Ukraine since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of the country late last month. Two of them are a 94-year-old mother and her 70-year-old son with family in San Francisco. They made it safely to Germany this week, with the help of two of Ukraine's most famous athletes. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report The Senate and House have approved a massive $1.5 trillion spending plan that will keep the federal government funded through September. It awaits President Biden's signature. But many restaurant and bar owners feel like they're being left out in the cold. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Advocates for immigrants in California are rallying around an Orange County man, who is suing

California officials are cheering a Biden administration move to restore the state’s power in setting its own smog control rules. The decision reverses a Trump-era policy.  Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED California Republican Congressman and House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy is calling on Governor Newsom to reverse the state’s restrictions on oil and gas production, now that Russian oil imports have been banned. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED  Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Californians have rushed to aid people from the embattled country, no matter if they had ties to it or not. Those relief efforts continue on the ground in Europe. Guest: Kerri Murray, President, ShelterBox USA Starting Friday, San Francisco will no longer require proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter restaurants, bars and gyms. Reporter: Carly Severn, KQED In Los Angeles, the city council on Wednesday took a step toward rolling back L.A.’s indoor vaccine mandate. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC  As tax time approaches,

As we continue to see and hear the harrowing stories coming out of Ukraine, we’re talking to Californians with connections to the region who are trying to help . One of them is Patrick Kolasinski, an immigration attorney now based in Modesto, but originally from Poland. He and other attorneys are helping Ukrainians with legal issues they might have. Guest: Patrick Kolasinski, Immigrant Attorney based out of Modesto Governor Gavin Newsom gave his annual State of the State address on Tuesday night and used the speech to push back against critics who say California is careening out of control under his leadership. He's also proposing to help Californians who are struggling with record-high gas prices. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED With gasoline prices at record levels in California and President Biden announcing a ban on the importation of Russian oil to the U.S. in response to the invasion of Ukraine, many Californians are wondering how high gas prices will go, and whether the state can do anything to help all

Governor Gavin Newsom will deliver his annual State of the State address from Sacramento on Tuesday. The state of the state speech is typically a chance for governors to lay out their big plans for the year ahead, but it could be a little different this year. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED  California’s seas are rising and for the first time, all 17 of the state’s agencies have come together to plan for the impact. But some long-discounted communities are yet again feeling left out of these conversations. Guest: Ezra David Romero, Reporter, KQED A bill introduced in the state legislature would prohibit police from matching DNA from rape survivors to unrelated crimes. It comes following a scandal involving the San Francisco Police Department, which misused a rape victims' DNA to arrest her for burglary. Reporter: Alex Emslie, KQED A San Francisco supervisor is introducing a resolution supporting a campaign to allow young immigrants to legally work while they apply for humanitarian protections known as Special

On Sunday, volunteers at Los Angeles’ Ukrainian Cultural Center filled big plastic bags full of supplies dropped off by people, to help Ukraine.  Ukrainian advocates in the Bay Area are welcoming news that federal authorities will offer humanitarian protections to thousands of Ukrainians already in the U.S. An estimated 75,000 Ukrainians could receive Temporary Protected Status for 18 months, if they arrived in the U.S. before March 1. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED   Many school districts across the state are trying to figure out how to deal with budgetary issues, along with declining enrollment numbers. Some are proposing closing campuses, which has led to protests from students and their families. Guest: Michael Fine, Executive Director of California’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team California State Parks is considering a new name for part of Folsom Lake State Recreation Area east of Sacramento. Some residents say, the current name has caused harm for decades.  Reporter: Sarah Mize

Los Angeles County is lifting its universal mask mandate on Friday. That means face coverings will no longer be required in public indoor settings -- whether or not you're vaccinated. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC A new podcast -- “Idolo: the Ballad of Chalino Sanchez” -- follows the remarkable story of a Mexican singer, whose career was cut short at its peak when he was murdered in the early 1990s. Both Sanchez and the creators of the podcast have deep roots in Southern California. Reporter: Blanca Torres, KQED A recently released report shows that California is way behind in helping people with COVID-related hardships pay their back rent. The study from PolicyLink finds that in a year of operation, only 16 percent of applicants have received aid.  Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED Immigrant and worker rights advocates gathered in Sacramento on Thursday in support of the first-ever bill to give unemployment benefits to undocumented immigrants. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Bars and restaurants have b

Poor people and people of color have been largely kept out of neighborhoods with single family homes in Los Angeles. And a new study from UC Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute confirms that LA’s single family zoning laws are to blame.  Guest: David Wagner, Reporter, KPCC and LAist The Los Angeles police commission has approved a new policy that requires officers to explain on camera why they’re making a traffic or pedestrian stop. The commission cracked down specifically on pretextual stops – that’s when an officer makes a traffic or pedestrian stop for a minor issue and uses it to search for a more serious crime.  Reporter: Emily Elena Dugdale, KPCC  California Attorney General Rob Bonta is joining a bipartisan coalition of state Attorneys General, investigating how TikTok promotes itself to children and young adults. He's looking itno whether TikTok possibly violated state consumer protection laws. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED California’s courts, police and other services are partially funded