Kqeds The California Report

Peso Pluma’s new album Éxodo just dropped and it hit the Billboard 200. The artist sings corridos, a type of Mexican traditional music that was once relegated to Spanish language radio. But today, a younger generation of artists like Peso Pluma and Xavi are bringing the music into the mainstream. And California's demographic change is helping to fuel this movement. Reporter: Aisha Natalia Wallace-Palomares, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism The U.S. Postal Service has until Friday to put forward a plan to reopen two rural California post offices. For over two years, the town of Niland in Northern Imperial County has been cut off from daily access to the mail, after the local post office burned down in 2022. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California State Fair kicks off this week in Sacramento. This year's State Fair will have something new that no state fair in the U.S. has ever had. For the first time, marijuana sales and on-site consumption will be allowed. Guest: James Leitz, Executive Producer of the State Fair’s cannabis competition and exhibit As calls continue from some elected officials for President Biden to drop out of the presidential race after his poor debate performance, Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he remains steadfast in his support of the president as the Democratic Party’s nominee. Former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer is also dismissing calls for Biden to step aside. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED A new law will mandate California high schools teach students about the dangers of fentanyl. Reporter: Heidi de Marco, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Uprooting Almond Trees in California Could Impact Bees’ Ability to Pollinate Fruit Trees Further North Yesterday we told you how over-production in California's almond industry was hurting local growers, with some resorting to uprooting almond trees to maintain their livelihoods. That’s been a buzzkill for some beekeepers in the Pacific Northwest. In Washington and Oregon, bee populations rely on the nectar they get from California almonds trees, which ultimately help keep fruit trees productive at home, and hive populations thriving. After Ripping Through Thousands of North California Acres, Thompson Fire 100 Percent Contained The toll of a wildfire that broke out last week near Oroville in Butte County has been released. State fire officials say the Thompson Fire destroyed 13 single family homes and destroyed or damaged several other buildings. The fire, which scorched nearly 4,000 acres was declared 100 percent contained on Monday of this week.  California Bills Aimed to Regulate Artificial Intelligence on

In the last decade, almonds have turned up everywhere. Even at the Super Bowl, where a commercial showed actor Jeremy Renner supercharged by almond milk. Even so, California almond producers have been struggling. Growers have in some ways been the victims of their own success - although the outlook might be improving.  Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR A sweltering heat wave continues in much of our state this week. Now, a new report from the state’s insurance commissioner takes a long view on the dangers of high temperatures, reporting that nearly 140,000 Californians visited the hospital because of extreme heat in the last decade  Reporter: Olivia Zhao, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The state uses the billions raised from the gas tax every year to pay for the constant work of freeway and highway maintenance and new road construction. But the gas tax faces a reckoning. Newer vehicles are ever-more fuel efficient, meaning less revenue is raised from taxing the fuel that’s pumped into them. So the state could eventually move to a model where drivers pay a fee for every mile they travel. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report A $10 billion bond for California’s schools will go before voters this November. If it passes, the multi-billion dollar bond would pay for repairs and upgrades at thousands of K-12 school and community college buildings across California.  Reporter: Carolyn Jones, CalMatters  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Breakdancing has been part of American culture for decades. Introduced in the Bronx in the 1970’s, it's synonymous with the birth of hip hop in this country. And it's about to be in the spotlight again this summer. For the first time, breaking will be a sport in the Summer Olympics in Paris. While New York has long been the home of breakdancing and the B-Boy and B-Girl culture here in the U.S., the West Coast played a significant role in the movement as well. Guests: Zulu Gremlin, DJ Hazze, Asia One Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that we're in the heart of summer, and given that this is California, probably a lot of us are going to go to the beach and plunge ourselves into the Pacific, or maybe will splash into a backyard or public swimming pool. But in California's wilderness areas, there are lots of other places to find bliss in the water, like lakes, waterfalls, ponds, and hot springs. Guest: Dillon Seitchik-Reardon, Author "Places We Swim California" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California now has an official state mushroom. The designation went into effect this year thanks to a new law signed by Governor Newsom. The Californian Golden Chanterelle was chosen in a poll by the California Institute for Biodiversity which pitted five other mushrooms against the winning chanterelle. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 6400 Latinos died in police confrontations or in police custody between 2000 and 2022. That's according to La Raza Database project, which seeks to uncover the true number of Latinos who have died in violent confrontations with police. Still, the project's researchers say that number is likely much higher. Guests: Roberto Camacho, Reporter and Ivette Xochiyoti Boyzo, Project Manager, La Raza Database Project  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting Monday, a new law goes into effect in California that will require businesses to disclose all costs up front. Basically a ban on so-called junk fees. This would impact the next time you stay at a hotel, buy concert tickets, or book a short term rental, as you should in theory, know the entire price beforehand. Restaurants were supposed to be included in this new law, but a fast track bill was passed last week and signed by Governor Newsom that exempts them. So they're allowed to continue using service charges as long as the nature of that fee is clearly stated on its menu. Guest: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The program allowing Californians to borrow a state parks pass from their local library has received funding for another year. The program started in 2021 as a way to make access to state parks easier for Californians who might not be willing or able to pay 195 dollars for an annual pass. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio A woman from Michigan will become the first hijab-wearing athlete to attempt the oldest 100-mile ultramarathon in the country, right here in California. While the race is considered one of the most prestigious in the running world, it’s also one of the most exclusive. Reporter: Mark Nieto, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of thousands of health care workers in California who’ve been expecting a minimum wage increase will have to wait until at least October to get it. The delay comes as a result of the state's new budget deal. Reporter: Ana B. Ibarra, CalMatters In Oakland, nearly 20 percent of young children enrolled in Head Start are going through homelessness. That makes it hard for their families to get to the preschool program consistently and on time. So the city found a way to reach these children where they’re at. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve found yourself at a makeup store recently, especially in a mall after school, you might’ve noticed more young people around you. Like really young. Like elementary and middle school young. This is a trend and it has a name: Sephora Kids. And their purchases are doing damage to more than just their parents’ bank accounts. Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW Fresno's Police Chief has resigned. This follows an investigation that cleared Paco Balderrama of wrongdoing, after an internal complaint stemming from an affair with an officer’s wife. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden's recent executive actions point asylum seekers toward existing legal pathways. But those pathways, like the CBP One app, aren’t working for the most vulnerable migrants. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS State fire officials say so far this year, the number of acres consumed by fires in California is four times the five-year-average. Meteorologists are predicting a hot, dry summer that could lead to a very active, dangerous fire season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recycling centers have been shutting down across California for years. That means fewer opportunities for people to recycle their bottles and cans — and get back their deposits. And the state is sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars in unclaimed bottle deposits. Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS State leaders say they’ve reached an agreement on the state budget. In a press release, Governor Newsom said the deal involves $300 billion in expenditures, while filling a nearly $47 billion budget deficit. The deal proposes to use more than $12 billion from the state’s rainy day fund over the next two years to help shore up the deficit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Information is still scarce regarding the FBI's raid of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's home on Thursday. It was one of a number of raids conducted by the agency in the city. School districts in California are under pressure to reduce chronic absenteeism. But getting kids back to the classroom can be a challenge for districts with limited resources. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED     Baseball fans are saying bye to the "Say Hey Kid" Willie Mays. Thursday night’s San Francisco Giants game was held at the historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham Alabama, where Mays made his professional debut in 1948. But at Oracle Park in San Francisco, fans old and young came together to watch the game on the scoreboard, root for their team - and grapple with the loss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About a quarter of all new vehicles sold in California last year were zero emission. But there are big regional differences in where electric vehicles are bought and driven in the state. You see a lot of them on the road in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Orange County, but it’s harder to spot them in the Central Valley or Imperial County. But there are programs aimed at addressing the EV gap. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED California workplace regulators are expected to vote Thursday on new protections from dangerous heat for millions of indoor workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is considering new rules that would require most employers to keep indoor work areas below 87 degrees when feasible, or if it's not, change workers’ shifts or use protective equipment to reduce the risks. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays passed away on Tuesday. He was 93. Mays spent 21 years with the Giants and is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Reporter: Brian Watt, KQED Today is Juneteenth, the day that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. at the end of the Civil War. In Humboldt County, the group Black Humboldt is ready to shift its Juneteenth focus to a broader celebration of the Black experience on California’s North Coast. That's after four years of Juneteenth events aimed at educating the local community about the holiday. Reporter: Kelby McIntosh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresno State calls itself the Central Valley’s university, but campus buildings and infrastructure are increasingly dilapidated. And twice now, Fresno County residents have voted down ballot measures that would have provided the university with more than a billion dollars for repairs and maintenance. Will voters ever change their mind? Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR  Wildfires are burning up and down the state. In Sonoma County, crews are beginning to get a better handle on the Point Fire, which has burned more than 1,200 acres. And staff from around a dozen wineries in Sonoma County are anxiously waiting to learn the fate of their businesses, after they fled the fire on Sunday.  Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Palm Springs is known as a wealthy city filled with luxurious hotels and casinos. But lesser known is the history of its violent racism against a predominately Black and Latino neighborhood. Now, former residents are seeking reparations.  Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California Report Several large wildfires broke out across the state over the weekend, burning thousands of acres in the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices