Kqeds The California Report

Federal labor enforcement authorities recover millions of dollars for workers each year from employers who break minimum wage, overtime pay and other laws. But a significant chunk of that money never makes it to wage-theft victims, many of whom are in California. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED State lawmakers are jockeying to push remaining bills through to Governor Newsom before the Legislature adjourns on Saturday.  Reporter: Sameea Kamal, CalMatters A bill that would compensate people for property taken by racially-motivated uses of eminent domain is headed to the governor’s desk after being approved by the state legislature on Thursday. Reporter: Annelise Finney, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the state is dealing with a big budget deficit, it's harder to get bills with big price tags approved. But now, a handful of lawmakers say they think the Newsom administration purposely overestimated how much their bills would cost to help ensure they wouldn't advance in the legislature. Guest: Ryan Sabalow, CalMatters A milestone in the largest dam removal in U.S. history happened early Wednesday. Two temporary dams were breached, directing the Klamath River back into its historic channel for the first time in more than a century. Reporter: Juliet Grable, Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bill making its way through the state legislature in Sacramento would commemorate a little-known chapter of US history: a large-scale deportation of Mexicans – and Mexican-Americans – nearly a century ago that hit California hard. It comes in an election year when mass deportation is again a political topic.  Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Undocumented immigrants may soon qualify for a California program that gives loans to first time, first generation home-buyers. A bill expanding the program - known as The California Dream For All - advanced in the state senate on Tuesday.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve had a close loved one pass away, what comes next includes a lot of logistical hurdles: planning a funeral, reading a will, and deciding what to do with their body. There’s traditional burial, there’s cremation, and recently a new method has taken off. It’s called terramation. Basically, human composting. Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW Public school teachers in California are required to call the police if a student assaults or threatens them. This week, state lawmakers will vote on a bill that could change that. Reporter: Jenna Peterson, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the last week for state lawmakers to decide on a set of reparation bills meant to address hundreds of years of racial discrimination. Meanwhile in Santa Monica, one woman is still seeking justice decades after the city took her father's land. Silas White was a black entrepreneur who planned to turn the land into a beach club for black beach goers. In March, the Santa Monica City Council voted to explore compensating White's descendants for his plot of land. But in late July, the city missed its self-imposed deadline for a report that would have provided recommendations on reparations to the council. Guests: Connie White, daughter of Silas White and Kavon Ward, CEO of Where Is My Land  State occupational health and safety regulators are trying to speed up their investigations of fatal accidents. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the biggest stage of her political career, Kamala Harris introduced herself as the party’s official presidential nominee. In a packed arena at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Harris addressed delegates, elected officials and voters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As record-breaking temperatures melt California this summer, medical professionals are sounding the alarm about the added risks extreme heat poses to people with diabetes. But one bakery in Imperial County has some solutions. Reporter: Philip Salata, inewsource The Newsom administration has cut a deal with Google and OpenAI to kill two state bills that would have made tech platforms share ad revenues with news organizations.  Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED San Bernardino County is California’s largest county in terms of size, with a population of just over 2 million people. The county has studied the idea of seceding from the rest of California, arguing that San Bernardino County doesn’t get its fair share of state money. But a new independent study that’s out says that argument is just wrong. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last ten years, something strange has been happening in Monterey Bay. Juvenile white sharks, whose range historically didn’t reach Northern California, have been spotted in droves in places like Aptos and Marina. And these new predators are changing the ecosystem. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU Governor Newsom touted new job figures showing the state added thousands of fast-food jobs this year. Those gains occurred after California raised the minimum wage for most fast food workers to $20 an hour in April. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

University of California President Michael Drake sent out a letter this week calling on campuses to enforce a zero tolerance policy when it comes to protest encampments on college campuses. But some UC students say the crackdown is untenable. Reporter: Billy Cruz, The California Report Long Beach is the latest city in California to tackle the issue of homeless encampments. Because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on encampments, giving cities more leeway to enforce anti-camping regulations, more local governments will likely take the same route as Long Beach, and start to clear the unhoused population off the streets. Governor Gavin Newsom has also threatened to withhold state funds if cities don’t start working to clear encampments. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, Hollywood Boulevard has been marketed to the world as a glamorous and sophisticated place. But the reality of contemporary Hollywood Boulevard is very different. Some blocks, like around Grauman’s Theater, are packed with throngs of tourists, merchants and street performers. But they’re on overcrowded sidewalks with few amenities, like shade and seating. But planners are working to make it more friendly for walkers and cyclists alike. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Thousands of Democratic Party delegates, party leaders and politicians are in Chicago to kick off this week’s Democratic National Convention and officially name Vice President Kamala Harris as their party's presidential candidate. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another’s treasure. And that’s true at a landfill in Riverside County. Workers at the Lamb Canyon Landfill have started rescuing items to resell at a new store.  Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR A new poll shows California voters are supportive of a plan to increase penalties for theft and drug offenses, and to raising the state's minimum wage. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Last month, Governor Newsom signed a bill into law that bans school districts from requiring staff to disclose a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation to anyone without the student’s permission. But this week, the school board of the Cajon Valley Union School District in San Diego County voted unanimously to do just that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three years ago today, as the U.S military completed its pull out, Taliban forces captured Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. In the wake of that change, many Afghan refugees fled to the U.S. and California. They settled in the Bay Area, L.A. and San Diego, but some also found a new home in California’s Mojave Desert.  Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR  The Boise Fire, burning in Humboldt and Siskiyou counties, has charred more than 9600 acres, according to fire officials. The fire has led to mandatory evacuations. Reporter: Justin Higginbottom, Jefferson Public Radio Some California Democrats have announced a campaign to back a state proposition that would increase penalties for theft and drug crimes.  Reporter: Kristin Lam, CapRadio  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Syringe exchange programs have been around in the U.S. since the 1980s, and offer people who use drugs clean needles to reduce the spread of HIV and other infectious diseases. But in some California cities or counties, residents or political leaders are fighting to keep them out. Harm reduction advocates are hoping for the state's support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans are hammering Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on immigration. They're calling her a 'failed border czar' responsible for the surge of migrants coming to the U.S., but she's pushing back with a tough on the border message. So where does she stand on immigration and the border? Guest: Tyche Hendricks, KQED  A 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck 2.5 miles southeast of Highland Park, in LA County on Monday afternoon. In terms of intensity, the shaking was strong enough to knock items off shelves, but didn't cause any widespread damage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A group of incarcerated people, led by a former prison doctor, are trying to influence policy in California. They’re doing this by looking inward, and reflecting on their beginnings. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio On Sunday, the 2024 Summer Olympic Games concluded in Paris. Now attention shifts to Los Angeles, host of the Games four years from now. How’s planning for the L.A. Olympics going and what's left to do? Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five actors take the stage for a performance in Humboldt County. One of them is Black, the others are white. In this region, fewer than 25% of residents identify as people of color and they often find themselves victims of lifelong habits of the white majority. This production of The White Card aims to shake up those entrenched dynamics. Reporter: Kelby McIntosh California Governor Gavin Newsom helped clear a homeless encampment in the Los Angeles region on Thursday. Newsom vowed to take money away from local governments if they don't clean up homeless encampments. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Multiple cities throughout California have seen temperatures way above 90 degrees this week. Workers, both indoors and outdoors, are feeling the heat, but for the first time ever, indoor workers finally have protections against excessive heat in the workplace. At the end of last month, state officials unveiled new rules of what’s required in indoor workplaces when temperatures surpass 82 degrees. Guest: Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí, KQED California put hundreds of millions worth of federal homelessness dollars at risk. A federal audit out this week blames “chaotic” and “disorganized” anti-fraud policies at the state’s housing agency. Auditors gave the California agency it's lowest possible ranking. Reporter: Marisa Kendall, CalMatters A new report says abortions are up nationwide compared to before Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago. California is leading the way, providing more than 16,000 abortions a month on average. Reporter: Spencer Whitney, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc

It's been just a few weeks since President Joe Biden decided to end his presidential campaign. And now with Vice President Kamala Harris atop the ticket, young Democratic voters in California are energized in the lead-up to the November election. Guests: Aashi Jhawer and Dzian Tran, Voters of Tomorrow For many young GOP voters in California, the selection of JD Vance speaks volumes to them. He's a younger running mate who shares many of the same values as them. And it's not just the presidential race that's on their mind. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stories about homelessness in Los Angeles tend to focus on problems in big, urban cities. But homelessness has actually been growing faster in a remote desert region 90 minutes north of Downtown L.A.’s Skid Row. Reporter: David Wagner, LAist Sacramento State has released the findings of a highly anticipated forensic examination of Capital Public Radio’s finances. It found more than $700,000 in “unsupported” payments, or payments that could not be backed up by expense reports or receipts. Nearly $400,000 was paid out to one individual, whose name was redacted. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite some unsettled weather this weekend, crews continue to make progress on the massive Park Fire burning northeast of Chico. The fire, the fourth largest in state history, has burned more than 401,000 acres. Many evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted, meaning residents can return to their homes. Reporter: Alec Stutson, North State Public Radio A UC Davis report confirms a years-long trend at Lake Tahoe, where water clarity improves in the winter but becomes far worse in the summer. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices