Kqeds The California Report

Food Banks Face Enormous Need This Thanksgiving Many Californians confront incredible hardships this Thanksgiving because of the pandemic. Food banks all over the state are stepping in to fill in the gaps, including distributing Thanksgiving meals. They expect the need this year to be enormous. Guest: Amanda Green, Director, Union Station Homeless Services Rare Rose Flourishes on Alcatraz After Decades of Neglect Many of Alcatraz Island’s indoor spaces are off-limits to visitors because of the pandemic. But The Rock’s craggy outdoor landscape is full of unexpected finds, like a rare rose once thought to be extinct.  Reporter: Chloe Veltman, KQED

Incarcerated People Got Hundreds of Millions in California Unemployment Scam A group of California prosecutors says thousands of state prison inmates have scammed California's Employment Development Department out of hundreds of millions of dollars of unemployment benefits. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Trump Gives Uber and Lyft Five Year Government Contract California-based ride hail companies Uber and Lyft have negotiated a big contract with the Trump Administration to provide transportation services to federal employees. Those who’ve traditionally provided those services are not happy. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED Elected Officials Weigh Public Health Against Economic Needs As many California counties and cities implement pandemic restrictions, elected officials confront the charged issue of how to balance public health and the needs of the economy. The mayor of Long Beach, felt the pain of the pandemic personally when his mother and stepfather died from the coronavirus. Guest: Robert Garcia, Mayor o

Health Officials Urge Californians to Scale Back Holiday Plans as COVID-19 Cases Surge New COVID-19 cases in the state continue to increase rapidly, with well over a million cases so far. In Los Angeles County, supervisors are contemplating a strict stay-at-home order, similar to the one implemented in the early days of the pandemic. Judge Denies Reopen Request from San Diego Businesses A San Diego judge has denied a request from a group of local businesses demanding to be allowed to reopen indoor operations, despite record numbers of coronavirus cases in California. The judge found that the risk to public health outweighed the needs of the businesses. Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS COVID -19 Vaccines Require Rigorous Safety Procedures Coronavirus vaccines may be available to the general public soon. That’s extraordinarily fast, but experts say the vaccines must still go through a rigorous safety process and California will have a role. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Dianne Feinstein Resigns from Senate Jud

L.A County Suspends Outdoor Dining As the state and counties put in place new coronavirus restrictions, California businesses try to survive. Guelaguetza is a well known restaurant here in L.A. known for its Oaxacan dishes from Mexico. Guest: Bricia Lopez, the co-owner of Guelaguetza, a restaurant in L.A Hospitals Brace for COVID-19 Surge California hospitals are seeing an increase in COVID-19 patients, which they expect will only increase. Hospitals are applying lessons learned at the beginning of the pandemic to deal with the surge. Sammy Caiola, CapRadio Kaiser Enrolls Youth in Sacramento and Santa Clara for Vaccine Study Kaiser Permanente says it’s enrolling 12 to 15 year olds in Sacramento and Santa Clara in an expanded late-stage study of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine. Pfizer has said the vaccine is safe and 95 percent effective in adults. Now researchers want to determine how well it will work in adolescents and teenagers.  

How Police and the Public Are Likely to Respond to Newsom's Curfew Order Governor Gavin Newsom is imposing an overnight curfew as California tries to head off a surge in coronavirus cases. California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly says the limited stay-at-home order is being implemented in 41 counties. Guest: Scott Rodd, CapRadio New Report Shows State Employment Agency Left People Vulnerable to Identity Theft The report says E.D.D. has sent at least 38 million pieces of mail containing Social Security numbers since the start of the pandemic. The problem persists even though the state auditor asked the agency to remove this information from many of these documents a year and a half ago. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report New Rules Aim to Protect California Workers from COVID-19 The emergency standard approved unanimously by the board that oversees Cal OSHA standards requires employers to implement cleaning protocols, investigate and respond to positive COVID cases in t

Stockton's Mayor Lost Reelection. Will His Initiatives Continue? Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs has lost reelection to his challenger, Republican pastor and veteran Kevin Lincoln. Tubbs conceded the race on Tuesday. Tubbs launched initiatives that generated national attention. When he leaves office, the resilience of those programs will be tested.  Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED California's Economic Outlook is Better than Expected Budget projections released yesterday show the state’s finances are in a better position than many expected this far into the pandemic. The number of people signing up for assistance programs has been below expectations, and tax revenue is higher. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Apple to Pay $113 Million Over Battery Lawsuits California and 33 other states have announced a $113 million settlement against Apple. It accounts for false claims made by the company about battery performance and processing power in some iPhones.  Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED Nurses Grapple With Pandemic Fatigue and F

Largest River Restoration in U.S. History to Proceed with Removal of Klamath Dams The largest river restoration in U.S. history will proceed along the Klamath in 2023, under a new agreement announced Tuesday. This summer the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission threw a wrench in the gears of an agreement decades in the making, to remove the dams. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED L.A. County Could Be Headed for Lockdown as COVID Cases Surge California’s most populated county could be headed for a three-week lockdown. Yesterday officials in Los Angeles County imposed new restrictions on businesses after daily confirmed coronavirus cases more than doubled in the last two weeks. Hospitalizations there are up 30%. Childcare Industry on the Verge of Collapse Due to COVID-19 Requirements Child care providers who care for some of the state’s neediest families are warning the system is about to collapse if they don’t get help. Their union has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the state. Reporter: Katie O

Why State is 'Putting the Brakes' on Reopening According to Governor Gavin Newsom, 41 counties in the state are now in the "purple" tier, indicating the most widespread risk. This comes as the holidays loom near. Will these new restrictions make a difference? Guest: Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, UC San Francisco Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Chair Most Californians Back To Tightest COVID-19 Restrictions Governor Gavin Newsom and his top health advisors are concerned about a sharp jump in California’s COVID cases. They’re rising at a level that, if unchecked, Newsom says could overwhelm the state’s healthcare system. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Politics State Lawmakers Head to Honolulu for Policy Conference As our state’s COVID cases rise at the fastest rate since the pandemic began, a group of state lawmakers is in Honolulu, Hawaii for a policy conference. Guest: Hannah Wiley, Sacramento Bee Federal Judge Considers Extending COVID-19 Rules at Detention Center A federal judge in San Francisco is consid

How Biden's Pledge to End Travel Ban Could Impact Immigrant Communities President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to end the Trump administration’s travel ban on several Muslim-majority nations, including Iran. The impact could be big in California, which is home to the largest Iranian community in the country. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED  Why The LA Times Handed Over Letters Page to Trump Supporters The Los Angeles Times provided a page full of letters from Trump supporters this weekend. The move led to a lot of pushback online. Guest: Sewell Chan, Los Angeles Times Editorial Page Editor What's Next for California's Bail Industry? California voters have shot down Proposition 25, a referendum on whether to ban cash bail. That means people working in the bail industry will stay in business, and lawmakers who supported the measure are weighing their next steps. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio 

Over One Million Coronavirus Infections Confirmed in California California has now reached one million confirmed coronavirus infections. This comes nearly 10 months after the first cases were confirmed here. San Francisco Lawyers Say ICE Misled Federal Judge About Coronavirus Outbreak San Francisco lawyers representing immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement say the agency ignored CDC protocols, and misled a federal judge about the causes of a coronavirus outbreak at an ICE jail in Bakersfield. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED A Smooth Election in California Despite Manufactured Suspicions Well over 150 million Americans cast ballots this year. And in California, a majority of the more than 15 million votes cast were sent by mail after Governor Newsom issued an Executive Order to ensure all registered voters in the state would get a mail-in ballot. Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED Secretary of State Alex Padilla Frontrunner to Fill Kamala Harris Senate Seat  Speculation is rising over who Gov

California Has Recorded Nearly One Million COVID-19 Cases California is on the brink of recording it’s one millionth COVID-19 infection. That’s more than any other state except Texas. This grim milestone has been accelerated by the virus’ recent uptick, with more than 6,000 new daily cases recorded in the state over the past week. False Claims of Voter Fraud in Nevada Persist Republicans and conservative groups continue to make unproven claims about voter fraud in Nevada’s presidential election. Some have even suggested that Californians unlawfully helped President-elect Joe Biden win that state. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio’s PolitiFact California Orange County Swings Purple in 2020 Election In 2018, Democrats were elated when they flipped four Orange County congressional seats held by Republicans. This year, the GOP managed to claim at least one back and appears to be on track to flip another.  Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Election Spotlight on Jones Day Expands to Other Clients As President Trump ref

Trump's Immigration Policies Could be Difficult to Reverse The Trump administration has focused much of its energy on the border over the past 4 years. Joe Biden has promised to undo many of these policies, but that might be difficult, according to a report out this week from the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute. Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS COVID-19 Increases Restrictions in 11 Counties, Cases Continue to Rise Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise across the state. 11 California counties have moved into to more restrictive tiers. If COVID-19 rates continue on their current trajectory more than half of the state’s 58 counties could be back in restrictive tiers by next week. COVID-19 Spreads Among Fresno County Officials Fresno’s incoming mayor announced yesterday he’s tested positive for the coronavirus. This comes as Fresno county’s top health official says COVID cases there are increasing, and that he expects the region will soon move into a more restrictive category. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED L.A.

Governor Warns Against Complacency as COVID-19 Cases Swell The U.S. has surpassed more than 10 million coronavirus cases and looks on track to hit record hospitalizations. Here in California, COVID-19 cases are increasing as well. In a press conference yesterday, Governor Gavin Newsom warned against complacency. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Who Should Get the Coronavirus Vaccine First? A panel of experts with the state’s Department of Public Health is getting to work this week on how to decide who’s first in line to get a coronavirus vaccine. This comes after Pfizer’s announcement yesterday that the company’s vaccine is more than 90% effective.  Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Newly Conservative SCOTUS Reconsiders Obamacare Today, with it's new six-to-three majority, the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments over whether the Affordable Care Act should be struck down. If that happens, California will lose several billion dollars a year in federal health insurance subsidies. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC Liberal Ca

Biden-Harris Supporters Celebrate Across California People celebrated in downtown L.A. on Saturday morning after it was announced that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had won the 2020 election and Donald Trump had been defeated. The same kind of scenes played out in many cities and town across California as people gathered spontaneously to express their joy. The Extraordinary Rise of Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris With Joe Biden now poised to become the nation’s 46th president, Vice President-elect Harris will break a glass ceiling other women, like Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin, before her tried and failed to break. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED  A Historic Mayoral Win for Todd Gloria in San Diego Todd Gloria is a Democrat and member of the State Assembly. Gloria ran a mayoral campaign emphasizing how it was time for San Diego to recognize its increasingly urban character and start tackling big problems facing the city, like housing and homelessness, transportation and combating climate change. Hopes for

California's College Students Come to Grips with Prop 16's Defeat Students who lobbied hard this year to overturn the state’s ban on affirmative action are coming to terms with the rejection of Proposition 16. Reporter: KQED’s Vanessa Rancaño, KQED Criminal Justice Reform Advocates Celebrate Wins at the Ballot Box California voters gave people on parole the right to vote, and half dozen Bay Area cities passed police accountability measures. In Los Angeles, the progressive District Attorney candidate George Gascon appears to have prevailed over his rival who was backed by law enforcement. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Public Advocate at California Public Utilities Commission Recommends Fine Against SoCalGas The public advocate at the California Public Utilities Commission is recommending $255 million dollars in fines against SoCalGas. They claim the utility wrongly used ratepayer funds to sabotage California’s clean energy goals. SoCalGas calls the claims “demonstrably wrong” and says the proposed fine has no

Latino Support For President Trump is Growing Latino voters overwhelmingly supported Joe Biden for the presidency, but a growing share of Latinos voted for President Donald Trump both in California and nationwide. That’s according to a poll of more than 5,000 Latinos across the U.S., taken the day before election day.  Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED  Prop 21's Defeat is a Big Win for the Real Estate Industry Rent control lost big on election night in California. Prop 21 was defeated by a huge margin. It was a repeat of results from a similar ballot measure two years ago, and a major victory for the real estate industry. Reporter Erin Baldassari, KQED Prop 22's Passage Could Set a Precedent For the Future of Low Wage Work On Tuesday, California voters passed Prop 22 by a large margin. Backed by 200 million dollars from Silicon Valley companies like Uber and Doordash, the measure makes it legal for gig companies to classify workers as contractors.  Guest: Sam Harnett, KQED California's COVID-19 Cases Ar

Biden's Lead in Nevada Dwindles to 8,000 Votes Here in California, Joe Biden won a decisive victory against President Donald Trump capturing 64% of the vote. But the presidential race is tight next door in Nevada, where Biden's lead has dwindled to less than 8,000 votes. Reporter: Paul Boger, KUNR  Prop 22 Passed, Allowing Tech Companies to Deny Employee's Benefits Silicon valley’s gig companies like Uber and Doordash spent more than $200 million on Proposition 22, and it has passed, making it legal for those companies to classify workers as contractors and deny them basic employee benefits.  Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED Hotly Contested House Races Too Close to Call There are several important Congressional races happening in California this year. From record-breaking spending in East San Diego's District 50, to the tight Central Valley race that might flip District 21 from blue to red.  Guest: Katie Orr, KQED Politics

Judge Upholds 'Abuse of Power' Lawsuit Against Governor Newsom A judge in Sutter County has handed a victory to two Republican state lawmakers who filed an “abuse of power” lawsuit against Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. The judge struck down an executive order the governor issued in June which set up new requirements for the 2020 election. Guest: Assemblymember James Gallagher, Dictrict 3, Yuba City California Businesses Brace for Potentially Violent Protests Californians have already voted in record numbers. There is excitement, but there’s also tension in cities and towns around the state. Many businesses are boarding up their windows and bracing for potentially violent protests. Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW Oakland Law Enforcement on Standby for Election Night Unrest Law enforcement agencies across the state are also preparing for potentially violent protests as a result of today’s election. In Oakland, Mayor Libby Schaaf says the city’s emergency operations center will be up and running. Last-Minute R

Record Turnout as Californians Vote Early More than 22 million people are now registered to vote in California. That's nearly 88% of those eligible, and according to the Secretary of State's office, it's the highest percentage heading into a general election in the past 80 years. Head of California's Employment Development Department Steps Down Governor Gavin Newsom's office is set to launch a search for a new head of the state's Employment Development Department after the current director announced late last week that she'll be retiring at the end of this year. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Eager California Democrats Hope to Help Flip Arizona Blue Arizona has been a reliably red state in all but one presidential race since 1948 , but this year Democrats are convinced they have a shot at carrying it. That’s prompted eager California Democrats to flood the zone in the final days before this election. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Newsom Unveils New High-Speed COVID-19 Testing Lab The new 25 million doll

As Election Day Nears, Cities Prepare for Unrest Governor Gavin Newsom says that the state is taking precautions to make sure Californians remain safe, although he wouldn’t go into details. In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti says the city’s received no intelligence about possible acts of violence or voter intimidation, but that quote “We prepare for the worst.” Mexican Consulate Speaks Out After Fatal Shootings by U.S Police and Border Patrol 39-year-old Jose Alfredo Castro Gutierrez, a legal permanent resident of the United States, was shot by San Diego police outside his home last month. 30-year-old David Villalobos, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents near the San Ysidro Port-of-Entry. Their families of both men say they were suffering from mental illness. Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS reporter Prop 20 Could Roll Back Some Criminal Justice Reforms and Stiffen Penalties Law enforcement groups have put Prop. 20 on the ballot. It would increase penalties on some theft and fraud crimes, and exclud