Kqeds The California Report

On November 8th, 2018 The Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise. It killed at least 85 people, and displaced tens of thousands. Two California-based journalists were on the ground as the fire burned and have turned their experience, as well as hundreds of interviews with locals and experts, into a book about the tragedy. Guest: Dani Anguiano, Author, Fire in Paradise The relationship between San Diego and Tijuana, right across the border, is often misunderstood. A new book explores the misunderstood relationship, and common cause, residents of the two cities often find. Guest: Michael S. Malone, Author, El Tercer Pais

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla is heading to Washington to finish Senate term of vice-president-elect Kamala Harris. Governor Gavin Newsom made the historic announcement yesterday. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED If the surge continues, the state could run out of intensive care beds by the end of the month. The state broke another record on Monday with more than 60,000 newly identified cases. That’s despite most of the state now under the governor’s latest regional stay-at-home order. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED In Washington, Congress finally passed a stimulus package this week. Critics say it’s not nearly enough support, but it does offer some relief. Unemployed workers-turned advocates were among those who lobbied lawmakers to do something, by taking on the cause like it’s their job. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED

The stay-at-home orders affecting most Californians are likely to be renewed and extended into the new year. Statewide two and a half percent of ICU beds are still available, but Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley are at zero percent capacity. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Police use of non-lethal projectiles at demonstrations in California have injured some protestors. Now state leaders are proposing ways to restrict their use. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio

Federal Court Filing Looks into PG&E's Role in Deadly Zogg Fire Crews hired to remove potentially hazardous trees in Shasta County were chased away two years ago by a woman brandishing a firearm, according to information PG&E shared with a federal judge. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED Court filings reviewed by KQED show just one of the law firms representing PG&E charged more than $143 million in fees and expenses. PG&E voluntarily entered bankruptcy protection early last year because of liabilities from wildfires caused by its equipment. While PG&E has funded a trust for fire victims, just a tiny fraction of them have received any compensation. Facebook conducted a pre-election misinformation sweep in August, deleting a bunch of groups. One woman in Walnut Creek lost 13 years worth of photos on Facebook in the process. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED 

The availability of intensive care beds at many Southern California hospitals has reached zero percent because of an explosion of new COVID patients. Forecasts predict if infection rates continue, there could be thousands of people in need of ICU beds in the region by early next month. The COVID-19 Pandemic has been tough for California’s child care providers. Many have struggled to keep their doors open in order to care for the children of essential workers, and getting little support themselves.      Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED For child care providers there is now a direct line to state officials to make the case that they need more resources to work safely during the pandemic. Yesterday, the newly ratified Child Care Providers Union had its second bargaining meeting with the state.  Reporter: Deepa Fernandes The United Farm Workers union and two Foster Farms employees are suing the poultry company. They’re asking a judge to immediately force Foster Farms to protect workers from COVID-19 inside one of the

293 people died from the coronavirus in California yesterday and more than 50,000 new cases were reported, setting new daily records as the virus surges. This is putting the statewide healthcare system under great strain.  Next year, there are big changes coming to how California deals with young people convicted of crimes. Starting July 1st, the Department of Juvenile Justice will stop accepting virtually all new wards, leaving the state’s 58 counties to figure out how to handle those young people. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED A lot of the Golden State’s history is the story of booming population growth, but according to new state figures, California's population grew at the slowest rate in more than a century.   Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Early in the pandemic some grocery store chains offered employees hazard pay to compensate workers for the health risks they faced at work during the pandemic. Now, the City of Long Beach is looking to make it a requirement for large chain stores operating in the city

the first doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine are going out to frontline healthcare workers across the state. We’ve tracked that story all this week and this morning we look at vaccinations in San Diego. Reporter: Matt Hoffman, KPBS The arrival of the Pfizer vaccine and the anticipated approval of Moderna's vaccine could mean people who are involved in clinical trials for other vaccines might drop out of those studies. Reporter: Tarryn Mento, KPBS A Sacramento disability rights advocate says it took him days to get a COVID-19 test because many of the county’s testing sites are not ADA accessible. Reporter: Sarah Mizes-Tan, CapRadio The University of California, Irvine just signed an agreement with the state prison system to create the first UC bachelor’s degree program behind bars. KQED’s Vanessa Rancaño reports. There are new faces joining Los Angeles’ City Council who have vowed to confront L.A.’s homelessness crisis. They are Mark Ridley-Thomas and Nithya Raman, along with California veteran politician

ICU bed capacity hit zero percent in the Central Valley over the weekend. Health officials are activating a COVID surge facility in the Tulare County town of Porterville to treat patients they don’t have room for at the local hospitals. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED As coronavirus vaccinations begin in California many public health experts worry that people may start letting their guard down when it comes to social distancing and other safety measures.  Guest: Dr. Kirstin Bibbins Domingo, Epidemiologist, UCSF   Frontline health care workers are first in line for the coronavirus vaccine, but which essential workers should come next? Teachers? Delivery drivers? How about the farm workers who pick California’s food crops? The state of California is working with counties to figure it out, and they may not always see eye to eye.  Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED   After making progress last month, California's Unemployment Development Department is once again facing a big backlog of claims even after a new verificati

California Doctors Ready for Reluctant Patients as Vaccines ArriveAs people start getting vaccinated, California doctors are preparing to talk to patients about it, and the physicians are expecting some resistance. Reporter: Sammy Caiola, KQED That number of restaurants likely to close could be significantly higher in the Bay Area and Los Angeles County where immigrants make up a larger share of restaurant owners. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW L.A County health officials are going to use the Moderna vaccine at nursing homes, and it’s training nursing home staff to administer it. Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, Moderna’s doesn’t require deep-freeze storage. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC Early numbers show Sacramento City Unified enrolled about 600 fewer kindergartners this year, and Los Angeles Unified has thousands fewer. Reporter: Pauline Bartolone, KQED PG&E got out of bankruptcy protection almost six months ago. As part of that deal, the utility agreed to pay a billion dollars to California cities

The Federal Trade Commission and more than 40 states, including California, have accused Facebook of illegally squashing competition by operating as a social media monopoly.  Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED Latinos are almost 40% of California’s population but they make up nearly 60% of the state’s cases of COVID-19, and half of the deaths. A new survey shows Latinos are more concerned than any other group about how the pandemic is affecting them. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Nine months into the pandemic, COVID testing remains top of mind for Latino activists in the Bay Area. In July, we took you to a pop-up testing site set up by the Latino Task Force in San Francisco’s Mission District. Since then, they've been able to expand testing, but outcomes are still frustrating. Guest: Jon Jacobo, Health Chair, Latino Task Force It's December, but the 2020 Census isn’t over yet. The legal fight over the count continues to play out in court. The 34th congressional district in central L.A. had the state’s lowest respon

San Diego County Hospitals Grapple with Staffing Shortages Almost 900 COVID positive or suspected positive patients are hospitalized in San Diego County, more than double a month ago. Hospitals are struggling with shortages of staff, personal protective equipment, and testing supplies. Reporter: Tarryn Mento, KPBS Back in 2016, voters in Los Angeles approved Proposition HHH, a $1 billion measure to pay for thousands of new housing units for the homeless over 10 years. KCRW’s Anna Scott has been looking at one project funded with a small slice of those funds. Reporter: Anna Scott, KCRW 50 states have certified their election results, and Joe Biden has won the presidency. But Texas is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the ballots of millions of voters in four swing states, and 106 House Republicans have signed onto an amicus brief to support this. Guest: Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) Officials in San Francisco and Los Angeles introduced resolutions last week asking for school workers to ge

An L.A. County judge overturned a ban on outdoor dining Tuesday. In a tentative ruling, the judge called the ban an arbitrary way to control the coronavirus, adding that L.A. County public health officials failed to balance health risks with potential harm to the economy. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED To find out more about the controversy over outdoor dining, and the people on both sides of that debate, The California Report's Mary Franklin Harvin spoke to a journalist who's been following the issue closely.  Guest: Farley Elliot, Senior Editor, Eater LA New research that estimates the comprehensive cost of wildfires, found that the 2018 California wildfires led to thousands of deaths, far more than the official count. That larger number factors in the harm of air pollution. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED  Four men who were set to be released from California prisons earlier this year, were instead handed over to federal immigration authorities. Now they are seeking thousands of dollars in damages from the

State lawmakers are introducing a bill that would give public schools a deadline for reopening campuses. The effort comes amid rising concern about the effects of distance learning on children. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED California is launching a new smartphone app to let people know when they’ve been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Governor Gavin Newsom says the app is voluntary and anonymous.  Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Three Foster Farms facilities in the Central Valley are seeing several cases of COVID-19. They include the site of a major COVID-19 outbreak this summer that resulted in nine deaths nearly 400 infections and. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Uber has struck a deal that hands the keys of its self-driving car division over to startup Aurora Innovation. The deal involves Uber making a $400 million investment in Aurora.  Guest: Chris Urmson, CEO, Aurora Innovation Bank of America told California lawmakers as much as $2 billion in unemployment benefits may have

California Legislature to Introduce Pair of Eviction Protection Bills The proposals would get relief into the hands of renters and landlords facing mounting debt and extend eviction protections adopted during the pandemic. Tenants who have been struggling to keep up with rent say the measures can’t come soon enough. Molly Solomon, KQED San Bernardino County now has the second highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state. Instead of paramedics answering every emergency call in an ambulance, healthcare workers will do more symptom assessments over the phone. Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KVCR Positive COVID tests and hospitalizations are both at record highs in California. Doctors and nurses are particularly vulnerable. Medical staffers in the Bay Area, Orange County, and the Central Valley weigh in as they watch cases mount. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED President-elect Joe Biden has chosen California’s Attorney General as his nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services. Xavier Becerra would

As a new wave of coronavirus cases engulf California, Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a new regional stay at home order. Areas of the state where ICU capacity dips below 15 percent will have to shut down bars, hair salons, and in person dining both indoor and outdoor. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED The survey from Blue Shield of California was conducted in early October and found that when it came to education, nearly half of the parents were most concerned about COVID-19 health risks, followed by helping their child with remote learning, and their childs’ mental health. Reporter: Alice Woelfle, KQED The National Labor Relations Board complaint names two employees, both of whom Google fired just before Thanksgiving last year. One of them was organizing against Google's decision to work with a corporate consultant known for helping firms fend off unionization efforts. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED In a letter to Governor Newsom this week, the prosecutors say it was only the results of a federal subpo

California reported more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases yesterday. In Los Angeles County, public health director Barbara Ferrer pleaded with people to wear masks when out of the house. Los Angeles County will begin mailing COVID-19 test kits to some people’s homes. This new effort is aimed at those with mobility issues. Reporter: Jackie Fortier KPCC Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones has tested positive for COVID-19. He has been vocal about his refusal to enforce public health mandates, including mask requirements. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio A red flag warning went into effect for most of Southern California last night as 70-80mph Santa Ana winds whipped through the region. The Bond Fire broke out in Orange County around 10pm and has burned thousands of acres.  High profile California politicians, including the Governor and San Francisco Mayor, have been called out recently for defying their own health advice by dining out in groups. Behavior like this can undermine public trust in coronavirus g

The California Department of Public Health is recommending weekly COVID testing for all health care workers at hospitals. Nurses have been calling for this for months.  Reporter: Polly Stryker, KQED As COVID-19 cases soar, communities of color are bearing much of the burden, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. These communities around Sacramento are utilizing several strategies to bring infection rates down. Reporter: Pauline Bartolone, CapRadio Government climatologists say two-thirds of California is in some state of drought. With little rain in the forecast, is this the beginning of another prolonged dry spell? Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED One L.A. area restaurant is defying the ban on outdoor dining which went into effect Monday, and also poking fun at the politicians who didn’t follow their own advice about mask-wearing and social distancing. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW California lawmakers are demanding accountability after it was revealed that a statewide unemployment scam

Governor Gavin Newsom says the state could see another stay-at-home order for regions where COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admission rates are surging. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Nearly a month after Election Day, the last of California’s close congressional races has been decided, and it brings good news for Republicans.  Reporter Guy Marzorati, KQED The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday over whether the Trump Administration can exclude immigrants without legal status from the census totals to determine Congressional seats for each state. The stakes are enormous for California. Reporter: Caroline Champlin, KPCC A group of families have filed a lawsuit against the State of California. The suit claims the state is denying underserved students the equal right to education during the pandemic.  Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED The San Jose city council will vote today on a measure to ban natural gas in nearly all new buildings beginning next year. The city estimates the ban will prevent hundr

Record Number of Californians Hospitalized for COVID-19 There are now more than 7,400 people hospitalized in California because of the coronavirus. That’s more than triple the number who were hospitalized just a month ago. As coronavirus cases surge, a new stay at home order takes effect for Los Angeles County residents. Which Healthcare Workers Will Receive COVID-19 Vaccine First? Health care workers will be first in line to receive the coronavirus vaccine once it’s available, but that first shipment may not be enough to vaccinate all of them. California has 2.4 million health care workers, but the state expects to receive just 1 to 2 million vaccines in the first allocation from the federal government. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED Tobacco Industry Coalition Looks to Referendum to Overturn Flavored Tobacco Ban California legislators passed a law this year banning the retail sale of flavored tobacco products in the state as a way to stop young people from getting hooked on the products. Now a coalition back

Young Queer Candidates of Color are Changing the Bay Area Political Scene KQED podcast 'The Bay' is kicking off a series about expanding concepts of democracy and increasing representation in government. In the first episode, The Bay’s host Devin Katayama talks to KQED reporter Adhiti Bandlamudi about LGBTQ candidates of color who've recently been elected in the Bay Area.