Kqeds The California Report

New State Bill Would Bring Back Affirmative Action California’s Assembly has advanced a possible constitutional amendment that would once again allow affirmative action in the state. The measure, ACA 5, would repeal a current section of the California Constitution written in the 1990’s. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Janet Napolitano Fights To Protect DACA The Supreme Court will soon make a decision on whether so-called "Dreamers" can stay in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Janet Napolitano created DACA as Homeland Security Secretary under President Obama. And in her current role as President of the University of California, has taken the lead in the fight over whether DACA is legal. Guest: Janet Napolitano, University Of California President 28,000 Californians Face Deportation If Temporary Protected Status Ends. An estimated 28,000 essential workers in California could be at risk of deportation if the courts allow President Donald Trump to end humanitarian protections call

Coronavirus Cases Spike in Some Parts of State As California moves to reopen bars, gyms and other businesses on Friday, some areas are seeing their coronavirus numbers spike. Hospitalizations in Sacramento have quadrupled in the past two weeks. Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio Orange County's Public Health Direct Resigns Scientists say masks protect those around you and help stop the spread of the coronavirus. But in Orange County, the debate has grown so intense that the county’s public health director has resigned. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report co-Host Former Cop Turned State Politician Wants to Ban Certain Police Chokeholds Democratic state lawmakers have introduced legislation that would outlaw police from using certain holds to restrain people. Assembly Bill 1196 bans chokeholds that halt blood from flowing to someone’s brain, including the carotid restraint that killed George Floyd in Minneapolis. Assemblyman Mike Gipson, a former police officer from Carson, authored the bill. Gues

California Reacts to Calls to "Defund the Police" There’s a growing movement calling on governments to “defund the police,” as nationwide protests continue over the killing of George Floyd. It’s a provocative idea. But what exactly these kind of long overdue police reforms might look like in real life? Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio Mayors: Some Promise to Reallocate Police Funding, Others Balk Some mayors are resisting calls to reallocate police funding, saying it’s not realistic. The city of San Jose released its budget just yesterday. And the mayor there says defunding urban police departments is "the wrong idea at the worst possible time." Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED "Defund the Police": Just a Slogan Or An Opportunity? Police unions will stand in opposition to many of the reforms that are being proposed in this moment. But what about the officials who run those departments? We wanted to know if there's appetite for change at the top. Guest: Prof. David Kennedy, director of the National Network

Black and Tired in an American Newsroom We have a saying in the news business: report the story, don't become it. And yet, during this difficult year, it's hard to find anyone whose life hasn’t been affected in some way by the news, including the unrest that we've seen in recent weeks. Austin Cross is a producer and reporter at our partner station KPCC in Los Angeles. As he explained in an article on the website LAist, it can be challenging to separate yourself from some stories when the ones getting hurt look like you. Reporter: Austin Cross, KPCC

Curfews Are Lifted As Protests Continue Across California cities and counties, that had curfews in place, started lifting them. Authorities felt that was safe to do because of a noticeable cooling of anger on the streets. Protesters marching against police violence and racism increasingly emphasized a message of non-violence and dialogue over confrontation. Governor Proposes Help For Businesses Damaged During Protests This week’s protests across California against police brutality have been overwhelmingly peaceful. But for businesses that did suffer vandalism, break-ins and ransacking…. Governor Gavin Newsom wants to offer financial help. At a press conference in Stockton yesterday, he said that aid should come in a variety of ways. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED SCOTUS To Decide The Fate Of DACA This Month The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this month on whether the Trump administration can end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals --or DACA. The program protects nearly 200,000 Californians from de

Governor Issues Pandemic Voting Guidelines California counties must hold three days of in-person early voting before the November election. It’s one of several guidelines set out in an executive order issued Wednesday by Governor Gavin Newsom to address concerns of holding an election during a pandemic. Reporter: Tara Siler, KQED New State Budget Leaves Many Questions Unanswered As California wrestles with the costs of the coronavirus pandemic, leaders in the state legislature have struck a deal on a framework for a new state budget. But this new budget leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Wildfire Survivors Question PG&E Settlement Vote PG&E is close to getting out of bankruptcy. A few weeks back, survivors of several fires caused by PG&E equipment voted on a settlement. But a KQED investigation has revealed that many ballots arrived several weeks after PG&E claims they were mailed out. Now, there are calls for an audit of the vote. Reporter: Lily Jamali, KQED Protestors

No Show of Force from Police During Oakland Protests, Despite Curfew Last night was different in Oakland. For the first time since protests started there last week, there were no flash-bang grenades, no teargas and no arrests. And protests throughout the Bay Area over the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police were calmer, too. Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED Anti-Police Violence Protests Stay Mostly Peaceful in L.A. Really big, multi-racial protests against police violence and racism stayed mostly peaceful across the state Tuesday. Though there were confrontations here and there.Here in L.A. protesters marched in Hollywood and downtown..and things stayed civil. Guest: Pastor Winfred Bell, Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church Protesters Grateful When Police 'Take a Knee' Protesters are challenging police officers to "take a knee" to show respect for the march’s message: an end to police violence and institutional racism. Is it meaningful or purely symbolic? Guest: John Bernard, protester Do Curf

LA Mostly Peaceful Protests Move Into San Fernando Valley Last night, there were more protests against racial injustice and police abuse across the state. Many cities and counties imposed curfews on residents. The footprint of the protests also continued to expand. For the first time since the demonstrations began, large protests were held in LA’s San Fernando Valley, home to roughly 2 million people. Reporter: Ben Gottlieb, KCRW Organizers Worried About Risk of Catching Coronavirus While Protesting Health professionals who are worried about the hazards of demonstrating during a pandemic. Organizers, like Cat Brooks with Oakland's Anti-Police Terror Project, are taking precautions. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Progressive Prosecutors Want to Limit Political Donations from Police Unions In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, a coalition of California prosecutors is pushing for a new ethics rule to limit law enforcement’s political influence. Reporter: Holly J. McDede, KQED San Diego Bans Controve

Outrage Over Police Violence Erupts Across California Over the weekend, thousands of protesters took to the streets in cities across the state to express anger and pain. The immediate spark was George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police, as well as other acts of violence against people of color by law enforcement. But in many cities—Oakland, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and even suburban Huntington Beach and Walnut Creek—violence clouded that message of justice. Guest: Charlotte Smith, Oakland hair salon owner Mayors Ask for Calm, Impose Curfews Mayor Eric Garcetti made an appeal to not let violent individuals hijack the protests’ message about racial injustice. Audio Postcard from Fresno Voices from the Fresno protest, as organizers struggled to keep out interlopers and maintain a peaceful demonstration. Producer: Alex Hall, KQED Michael Tubbs: On Leading Stockton and His Hopes for a Better World for His Son Mayor Michael Tubbs says the protests are an "expression of nihilism

Long Beach Restaurants Hope Closing Streets to Cars Will Help Business Few industries have been hit harder by the COVID-19 outbreak than the hospitality business. A recent state tally shows that 900,000 jobs have been lost in California alone. As the state continues to reopen, cities and counties are exploring ways that restaurants can serve customers again in person, including shutting down streets to cars. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW California's Cap-and-Trade Auction Didn't Raise Much Money Every three months, our state auctions off what are known as "cap and trade" credits. It’s a way of raising money that the state can then turn around and spend on environmental programs. But the action held this month? It didn’t make much money. It’s more coronavirus fallout. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED Science Dentists Reopen With Many Changes To Protect Workers and Patients Are you overdue for a dental cleaning? Dentistry looks a lot different in the age of COVID-19. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Science

OC Sheriff Won't Enforce Mask Order As much of California reopens, elected officials in Orange County are doing so while disregarding the orders of their own public health department to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Sheriff there says he will NOT enforce a new countywide order requiring people to wear face coverings in public. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW Key Testing Milestone: CVS Pharmacies to Offer Tests to Uninsured More than a hundred CVS pharmacies in California now offer coronavirus testing even to the uninsured. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED Science OC Assemblyman Loses Committee Seats After Harassment Investigation In Sacramento, an embattled Orange County Assemblyman has been stripped of his committee memberships after a sexual harassment investigation. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Politics Schools Consider Policies for Fall Several Bay Area school districts are considering temperature checks for students and staff, that’s “if” they reopen physical campuses at the start of the new s

Governor Newsom Says You Can Now Get A Haircut Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that California counties can now allow barbershops and hair salons to re-open with precautions. It’s the latest example of Newsom turning over the keys to reopening to local officials. Reporter: Guy Marzaroti, KQED Prison Officials Ask Governor For Help With Outbreak Avenal State prison in Kings County now has the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in the state corrections system: 198. Kings County is reaching out to Governor Gavin Newsom for help. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, KVPR Mental Health Workers Step Up To Support Frontline Colleagues Mental Health experts are worried about the psychological toll the pandemic is taking on doctors, nurses, paramedics and other first responders. Mental health workers are now participating in a new volunteer effort to support these frontline workers. Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCC Private Spacecraft Leaves For International Space Station Wednesday NASA is scheduled to sen

A Look at Coronavirus Outbreaks at Prisons around California Protesters gathered over the weekend outside a federal prison facility in Lompoc, home to the worst COVID-19 outbreak in the entire federal prison system with 900 inmates testing positive and 2 deaths so far. Reporter: Kathryn Barnes, KCRW Assembly to Discuss State Budget and Take Back Control from Newsom Today at the State Capitol, the Assembly is meeting as what’s known "a Committee of the Whole." That means the Assembly will talk about a topic without having to take a vote. That topic, no surprise, is the sad state of California’s budget during the state shutdown. And it comes against the backdrop of a restless legislature that’s ceded quite a bit of power to Governor Gavin Newsom during this emergency and is ready to take some control. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Politics California Could Lose a Seat in Congress Despite some COVID-19 related delays, the census is still underway. Next year that data will determine how many representatives in C

SF General Nurse Who Served in Afghanistan Reflect on Caring for COVID-19 Patients The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all of us to find new tools to cope with this unprecedented crisis. Perhaps no group has been affected more than first responders working at hospitals throughout the state. We spoke with a registered nurse at San Francisco General Hospital who served in the U.S. Army during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 who says he's using lessons from his military service more than ever right now. Guest: Adam Visher, RN and Army veteran

Unemployment in California Climbs to 15% There are new unemployment figures out this morning from the U.S. Department of Labor showing unemployment in California in April climbed to 15.5 %. But for a lot of people who are newly jobless, filing for unemployment benefits has been difficult because of the crush of applications. State elected officials also expressed frustration at a legislative hearing yesterday. Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio UC Admissions Won't Require Standardized Tests Anymore The University of California Regents voted unanimously to phase out SAT and ACT test scores as admissions requirements. The standardized tests have long been criticized for creating barriers to higher education for less privileged high school students. Guest: Education Professor Frances Contreras, UC San Diego More Questions Than Answers About Reopening Schools California’s superintendent of public instruction says most districts plan to open on time this fall. Tony Thurmond hosted a statewide meeting yesterda

Pastors Want To Resume In-Person Religious Services More than 1,200 California pastors are vowing to hold religious services on May 31st, Pentecost Sunday. That would be in defiance of a state moratorium on religious services put into place to help halt the spread of the coronavirus. One pastor explains what it's like to shut down his house of worship at a time when people's needs, both spiritual and practical, are so great. Guest: Pastor Robert Chavez of Victory Outreach Church Film and TV Production To Resume, But Probably Far from Hollywood Governor Gavin Newsom says he’s "drafting" guidelines and standards so television and film projects can resume production as California emerges from the pandemic shutdown. But Los Angeles County likely won’t meet those standards at first, so Hollywood still won’t be able to shoot in Hollywood. Reporter: Shannon Lin, KQED Watchdogs: Cuts to Senior Services Could Endanger Elderly, Disabled Nursing home watchdogs say proposed cuts to programs serving the elderly and t

U.S. Justice Department Warns State Not To Violate Religious Freedoms Are measures put into place to protect Californians from the coronavirus also stepping on religious freedoms? In a letter sent to Governor Gavin Newsom, the U.S. Justice Department warns that keeping houses of worship closed might violate constitutional rights. Over One Million Undocumented Californians Seek Financial Relief This is the first week undocumented Californians hit hard by the pandemic can apply for state financial relief. The response has been overwhelming. Just two of the dozen nonprofits the state selected to screen applicants say they got 1.3 million calls on the first day. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED UC Regents Consider Cuts The financial toll of the pandemic is coming into focus for the University of California system. As UC Regents meet to discuss the issues this week, advocates are making a case against cuts. Reporter: Vanessa Rancano, KQED California Lawmakers Consider Making Housing a 'Right' Califo

Newsom Changes Qualifications for Next Phase of Reopening The vast majority of counties in the Golden State can start easing pandemic restrictions and reopening their economies, says Governor Gavin Newsom. This despite the fact that there are more than 80,000 confirmed coronavirus infections in the Golden State and more than 3,200 Californians have died from COVID-19. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Legislators Ready to Reassert Power in Sacramento Since the pandemic started and the state shut down, Governor Newsom has wielded an enormous amount of power. But the legislature is now back in session and at a state Senate hearing Monday, lawmakers seemed ready to reassert themselves as budget negotiations get underway. These discussions are going to be tough because of the need to make up for a huge drop in tax revenue. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Barbershops and Nail Salons Worry They Can't Last Until Reopening Maybe you can’t wait to get back to your favorite barber or nail salon. But it may still be a while

Undocumented Californians Get Access to Financial Help Starting Monday, undocumented Californians affected by the pandemic can get financial assistance through a 125 million dollar fund set up by the state and philanthropic groups. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Hospitals Ask for State Funds for Fall COVID-19 Wave California hospitals are disappointed that Governor Gavin Newsom’s new state spending proposal doesn’t include any financial support for them. The hospitals say without more help, they won’t be ready for a possible second wave of COVID-19 this fall. Reporter: Sammy Caiola, CapRadio Maternal Mental Health Program Cuts Coming Psychologists are warning that the coronavirus pandemic could soon be followed by a mental health crisis. But the governor is proposing making cuts to funding for mental health services for new moms. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED Coping with COVID-19 on Atlantic Boulevard: From Hip Hop Clothing to Face Masks From time to time, we're checking in with people along L

Coronavirus Pandemic Decimates State Budget State lawmakers there are looking at painful cuts to the state budget. Governor Gavin Newsom has projected a somber picture in his revised budget proposal for the state post-coronavirus. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Politics California's Schools Face Deep Budget Cuts Just as schools across the state gear up to reopen, they’re facing deep budget cuts. Governor Newsom is asking legislators to approve some adjustments to soften the blow. Reporter: Julia McEvoy, KQED Less Money for Housing for Homeless in Revised Budget An ambitious plan to invest more than 1 billion dollars from the general fund to tackle homelessness. It’s been scrubbed from the Governor’s revised budget. Reporter: Molly Solomon, KQED Governor's Budget Proposes Cuts to Medi-Cal In addition to the many other reductions, Governor Gavin Newsom has announced substantial cuts to Medi-Cal as part of his May revision to California’s budget. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED Help for Nursing Homes in Latest