Kqeds The California Report

Firefighters Deploy Emergency Shelters Amid Intense Conditions Cal Fire is reporting a close call for two crew members who were forced to deploy emergency shelters while fighting the Glass Fire. The incident occurred Sunday night as gusty northeasterly winds created chaotic conditions on the fire. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED New State Law Considers Slavery Reparations Governor Gavin Newsom made the final call on a slew of bills that passed in the Legislative session that just ended. Among the legislation signed Wednesday are bills tied to racial justice and police reform. Reporter: Katie Orr KQED Court Blocks Trump 'Wealth Test' on Immigrants A federal court has blocked a plan from the Trump administration to charge immigrants a lot more money to apply for U.S. citizenship, green cards and other benefits. Critics of the plan call it a wealth test.  Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED How Prop 13 Hurt Schools and Helped Corporations California voters have a shot at overturning one of the most notorious propo

Immigrant Workers Hit Hard by WildfiresThe Glass Fire is just the latest blow to low-wage immigrant workers in Sonoma and Napa counties, who were already struggling during the pandemic. Many of them don't have the option to stay home from work.  Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Local Businesses Step Up Support to Firefighters Fighting the Glass FireSmall businesses in Napa and Sonoma counties have stepped up their efforts to support those on the frontlines of the Glass fire tearing through the community. Food trucks and restaurant owners and feeding and providing supplies to firefighters and other first responders.  Reporter: Julie Chang, KQED California Still Unprepared For Wildfires After $2.5 Billion InvestmentA Bay Area state Senator says California was not prepared for this current fire season, even though the state recently purchased a dozen black hawk helicopters, seven c-130 air tankers and invested $2.5 billion in emergency preparedness. California Wildfire Policy Flares Up in Presidential Deba

Heartbreaking Toll of Wildfires Continues to Grow Three people have died in the Zogg Fire burning in Shasta County outside of Redding. The Glass Fire has burned at least 36,000 acres, tripling in size in just 24 hours in Napa and Sonoma counties, and destroying homes. It’s also forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. California's Emergency Alert System is in Shambles Making sure people get advance word about advancing flames is a matter of life and death.  But are California’s emergency alert systems up the task at a time when many people have lost power because of Pacific Gas and Electric utility shut offs? Reporter: Lily Jamali, KQED Wine Industry Faces Big Fire Losses The fires have dealt a big blow to California’s wine industry. Some wineries have burned to the ground and over a hundred others are within wildfire evacuation zones. The future of some are in question.  Reporter: Nina Sparling, KQED Firefighting Resources Streched Thin Across the State Firefighting resources are stretched thin, with

Wildfires Burning in Napa and Sonoma Counties Hit Santa Rosa Wildfires burning in Napa and Sonoma counties north of San Francisco have reached the city of Santa Rosa where homes in a residential neighborhood on the city’s eastern edge have been destroyed. Newsom Signs Law to Expand Access to Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law on Friday that gives California some of the most expansive standards in the country for providing access to mental health care. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED  Californians Worried about Integrity of Presidential Votes A lot of Californians are worried about the integrity of their presidential votes, according to a new poll from the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED  The Rematch Heating up in California's 21st District  One of the most vulnerable House Democrats in California this year is Representative TJ Cox, who narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Congressman David Valadao two years ago in California’

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration from Ending Census Early A federal judge in San Jose has barred the Trump Administration from putting a halt to counting for the 2020 U.S. Census a month early. Judge Lucy Koh issued a preliminary injunction preventing the administration from doing so. Biden's Massive Lead Against Trump Continues in California Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden continues to hold a huge lead with state voters over President Trump in California. That's according to a new Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Some Progressive Democrats Say Feinstein Not Equipped to Lead Supreme Court Fight As the nation waits to see who President Trump will name to the US Supreme Court seat left empty by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, some are wondering whether Senator Dianne Feinstein is the right person to lead the fight against the confirmation. Guest: Marisa Lagos, KQED 

Governors Executive Order Bans Gas-Burning Car Sales by 2035 California is the largest automobile market in the country, but those cars we love so much are big contributors to climate change. That’s why Governor Newsom signed a historic executive order yesterday banning the sale of new gas-powered cars in the state by the year 2035, replacing them with zero emission vehicles.  Reporter Kevin Stark, KQED Car Dealers Push Back Against Electric Car Mandate The governors' vow to end the sale of gas-fueled cars in California has critics. They include the California New Car Dealers Association, which represents about 1,200 dealers in the state. The associations president says one problem with implementing the order is infrastructure. Guest: Brian Maas, President, California New Car Dealers Association New CSU Chancellor Faces Big Challenges The California State University System is the country’s largest four year public university system, with 23 campuses and about 480,000 students. This mammoth system now has a ne

Audit Finds UC Campuses Favor Wealthy Students “Who you know” can be a big advantage in life, getting you that new job or investment tip. But it’s not supposed to help you get a spot in a University of California school. A new state audit found that four UC campuses improperly admitted dozens of wealthy students over the past six years as favors to donors, family, and friends.   Reporter: Chloe Veltman, KQED California Counties Expand Partial Reopening As they meet coronavirus metrics, most of the Bay Area and Riverside County in Southern California have been given the green light by the state to partially reopen restaurants, houses of worship, fitness centers and movie theaters. Long Beach Mayor Won't Rush Reopening Even as California makes gains against the virus and reopens, some elected officials warn not to rush that process. One of them is Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, who recently lost both his mother and stepfather to COVID. Guest: Robert Garcia, Long Beach Mayor California Defends Affordable Care A

Hotshot Firefighter Dies in El Dorado Blaze A firefighter died last week fighting the El Dorado fire in San Bernardino County. Charlie Morton was a squad boss of a hotshot crew in the San Bernardino National Forest. The Bobcat Fire burning in the San Gabriel Mountains is about 13% contained. It has damaged about 30 structures. California's COVID-19 Numbers Continue To Fall Though more than 15,000 Californians have died from the coronavirus, the states' COVID-19 numbers, seven-day positivity rate, and hospitalization rates continue to drop, says Governor Gavin Newsom. The state is also expanding testing, with 124,000 average daily tests over the last week. CDC Reverses Guidelines Around COVID-19 Transmission On Friday the CDC issued new guidelines for how coronavirus spreads, saying aerosol transmission might mean the virus could travel more than six feet through the air. On Monday, the CDC removed that information, saying it was posted in error. Reporter: Peter Arcuni, KQED Unemployment Audit Recommends Overh

California to Temporarily Halt Accepting Unemployment Claims California’s Employment Development Department plans to stop accepting unemployment claims until October 5 while it tackles a massive backlog of 600,000 cases. This comes as an investigative strike team set up by Governor Gavin Newsom released a report saying the agency needs a massive overhaul. Reporter: Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, KQED  Newsom Signs law to Make More Undocumented Immigrants Eligible for Tax Credits Governor Gavin Newsom signed the measure to expand eligibility for the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit, which benefits low-income workers. The new law removes a requirement that eligible undocumented filers must have at least one child under the age of six. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Mourners Gather in San Francisco's Castro Neighborhood to Honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg Millions of Americans are mourning the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. On Friday evening in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood, many gathered for a candlelight vigil hon

State Prison Officials Meet with Inmate Advocates to Discuss Efforts to Contain COVID-19 Outbreaks What started as a handful of coronavirus cases early last month at Folsom State Prison has ballooned to over 500. Further south, Avenal State Prison in Kings County has had 22 hundred cases. That’s more than any prison in California, including San Quentin. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED  Adelanto Immigration Detention Center Grapples with COVID-19 Outbreak The immigration detention center in the desert city of Adelanto, northeast of Los Angeles, continues to face a COVID-19 outbreak there. 39 individuals have tested positive. Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KVCR How to Build in the Era of Climate Change and Raging Wildfires As fire crews across the state continue to battle record-setting blazes, many people are asking what can be done to make sure future fires aren’t as destructive in an era of climate change. Many experts say one big solution is improved planning and not building homes where they’re threatened by fire.

How Some Families are Coping with Unhealthy Air Quality in Southern CaliforniaAir quality may finally be improving in the Bay Area, but things are still smoky down in Southern California. That’s especially true in in the foothill communities of the San Gabriel Valley, where the Air Quality Index has hit 500 this week.  Reporter: KCRW’s Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW New Poll Shows Tough Fight for Proposition to Reinstate Affirmative ActionThe poll from the Public Policy Institute of California shows just 31 percent support a proposition to reinstate affirmative action. The poll also shows a slim majority of likely voters support Proposition 15, which would change how property taxes are assessed on commercial and industrial properties in the state. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED  Neighbors Step Up to Help One Restaurant Worker Out of Work Since Pandemic BeganThe restaurant industry has been hard hit during the pandemic, losing nearly 400,000 jobs in the state since March. As some businesses reopen, those workers are compe

Kamala Harris Visits Fresno to Meet with Emergency Personnel Battling Wildfires Democratic Vice Presidential hopeful Kamala Harris met Tuesday with emergency service personnel who have been battling the Creek Fire in the mountains near Fresno.  Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Women's Groups Vow to Defend Kamala Harris from Racist, Sexist Attacks As the first woman of color on a major party’s presidential ticket, Kamala Harris is already facing subtle and not so subtle personal attacks that observers say most white men would not encounter. Women's groups are geared up to defend her. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED  New Alliance of Progressive Prosecutors Founded to Lobby for Criminal Justice Reform A group of California prosecutors say they are fed up with their peers’ opposition to criminal justice reform and are starting a new group dedicated to pushing political change. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

Trump Blames Forest Management, Dismisses Climate Change During California VisitBoth presidential nominees turned their attention Monday to the wildfires roaring across the west coast. President Donald Trump landed in Sacramento to receive a wildfire briefing. In his own address on climate issues, across the country, Democratic nominee Joe Biden said four more years of Trump would lead to more fires, floods and storms. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Researchers Use 3-D Simulation to Show the Pending Catastrophe of Sea Level RiseRising sea levels could be exponentially more expensive to deal with than wildfires. Dr. Patrick Barnard, director of climate research at the U.S. Geological Survey, and executive producer Tobin Jones have set out to show rather than tell what climate change could look like. Guests: Dr. Patrick Barnard, director of climate research at the U.S Geological Survey, and animator Tobin Jones  Outrage Continues after Journalist Arrested While Covering ProtestThe search continues for a man who shot

President Trump Expected to Visit California as Wildfires Rage President Donald Trump is set to visit California in Sacramento as fire fighters make progress containing wildfires. Before this Friday, President Trump went three weeks without saying anything about the wildfires   Unprecedented Fire Conditions Continue to Strain Resources Firefighters in California are battling nearly 30 major blazes burning across the state. Chief Dave Winnacker with the Moraga-Orinda Fire District is in the field at the Red Salmon Complex burning in Trinity County.  Guest: Dave Winnacker, Fire Chief at Moraga-Orinda Fire District Newsom Signs Bill to Allow More Formerly Incarcerated Firefighters to Join Professional Fire Crews Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Friday to make it easier for formerly incarcerated fire fighters to be hired by fire agencies in full time positions. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED Two Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputies Shot in Compton Two Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies were shot S

Darrell Satzman

Three Dead and a Dozen Missing in Massive North Complex Fire Driven by high winds the North Complex fire in Butte County exploded across more than 230,000 acres over the last two days. It’s claimed the lives of three people and 12 are reported missing. The blaze also brings back painful memories for the residents of Paradise. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED Clearer Skies Above the Bay Area Mean Worsening Air Quality Californians woke up yesterday to deep orange skies that conjured up images of the apocalypse or another world. Today, the air is expected to look more normal, but that doesn’t mean the air quality is better. Reporter: Lily Jamali, KQED Three Firefighters Injured as Blaze Claims Fire Station The people at greatest risk when it comes to wildfires are the firefighters on the front lines. Earlier this week, while trying to protect a fire station, 14 firefighters were injured in the Dolan Fire in Monterey County near Big Sur. Volunteer Fire Chief Draws on Faith When Delivering Bad News Firefighters do more

Santa Ana Winds Threaten Communities Burning East of Los Angeles Residents in several foothill communities east of Los Angeles are being warned to prepare for possible evacuations due to the Bobcat Fire burning in the Angeles National Forest. The blaze started on Sunday, and firefighters fear it might grow quickly because of forecast Santa Ana winds. Evacuees from Creek Fire Number 30,000 and Counting The Creek Fire east of Fresno has grown to over 162,000 acres and is still zero percent contained. Hundreds of people who were trapped by the blaze have been rescued, and officials are trying to find others who might still need help. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED PG&E Inspects Lines Before Restoring Power to 172,000 Customers Power is expected to be restored to 172,000 Pacific Gas and Electric customers by the end of today. The utility giant intentionally shut the power off as a way to prevent electrical equipment from sparking even more wildfires in hot, dry and windy conditions. Victims of the 2015 Butte Fire Reli

200 People Airlifted to Safety from Creek Fire Near Fresno the Creek Fire broke out Friday night near Fresno trapping around 200 people at the Mammoth Pool Reservoir. They were airlifted out to safety by helicopter. Officials say 20 people had injuries, including burns. The Creek Fire spread quickly and has now burned more than 73,000 acres. Extreme Behavior of Creek Fire Baffles Fire Scientists Dr. Scott Stephens has been monitoring the behavior of the Creek Fire. He says this fire is behaving differently than other fires he's observed in the Sierra Nevada region. Drought conditions have created enormous smoke plumes and intense heat in the interior of the fire.  Guest: Dr. Scott Stephens, Professor of Fire Science, UC Berkeley Record-Breaking Temperatures Recorded in Southern California Across California temperatures reached well into the triple digits on Saturday and Sunday with many places shattering old temperature records. North of Lost Angeles, Woodland Hills recorded a high temperature of 121 degrees

Meteorologists Warn of Dangerous Heatwave to Hit Labor Day Weekend From COVID-19 spread to possible blackouts, there is a lot to worry about when the forecasted heatwave hits. The National Weather Service says the temperatures will climb starting today and should peak by Monday. In Southern California, many temperature records are likely to fall. Reporter: Angela Corral, KQED Firefighters Battle Three Major Sets of Wildfires as Heatwave Looms The heat wave over this Labor Day is expected to bring temperatures in the 90s and 100s in areas where firefighters continue to battle major wildfires. Fire officials say hotter and drier weather could spread current fires or start news ones, but they remain confident in their containment efforts so far. Reporter: Julie Chang, KQED State of Postal Service Means Delayed Prescriptions and Vital Documents Big changes at the U.S Postal Service have many concerned about the upcoming election and mail-in-voting. But issues at the postal service have also made it harder for sta