Kqeds The California Report

It’s been more than a year and a half since a levee breach flooded the community of Pajaro. The state of California gave Monterey County $20 million for recovery, with $10 million earmarked for direct aid to residents and businesses. But Pajaro residents are still waiting on most of that money. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU A powerful atmospheric river continues to slam Northern California. Weather conditions have toppled trees, flooded roads, left thousands without power, and forced the closure of some schools as a precautionary measure. The National Weather Service warns Eureka and Humboldt County could see extensive flooding.  Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the country's Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has promised that the Trump administration will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water on day one in office. But what will that mean for water, and our teeth? Guest: Dr. Howard Pollick, Professor of Dentistry, UCSF The state Legislature’s fiscal analyst is out with its first round of budget projections this week. The takeaway? The budget is roughly balanced, for now. Reporter: Alexei Koseff, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Several California tribes are renewing their push for the federal government to protect their ancestral lands. They’re urging the Biden administration to create three new national monuments across the state before the end of the year. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS On Wednesday, unions representing tens of thousands of healthcare, professional, service and technical employees at the University of California launched a two-day strike. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re one of the unlucky people who get bitten by a venomous snake, you’re going to need antivenom. And it’s costly. Millions of Californians live in rattlesnake territory, and are unaware that the medical bill could be enormous. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KFF Health News It's been two weeks since Lake County’s Measure U asked voters if the town of Kelseyville should change its name to Konocti. Over 70% voted against the change. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President-elect Donald Trump has yet to announce his pick to lead the Labor Department. His choice will reveal the direction the administration plans for the agency. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED The first case of a more severe strain of mpox has been found in California. State health officials confirmed the first known U.S. case of the strain – known as clade I – in San Mateo County over the weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The LA County city of Inglewood has been on a roll the last few years. SoFi Stadium, home to two NFL teams, the L.A. Rams and L.A. Chargers opened in 2020 at a cost of over $5 billion. And just this year, the Intuit Dome became the home of the LA Clippers. While the sport venues were supposed to be a boon for the area, some Black-owned small business owners say they're actually doing more damage than good. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report The Palm Springs City Council unanimously approved a settlement with Section 14 residents and descendants Thursday night. The neighborhood was home to mostly Black and Latino families, whose homes were burned down by the city in the 1960's.   Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to reenter the White House, California housing advocates are bracing for how a second term could impact the state’s challenges in building housing, notoriously high home prices, rents, rates of homelessness. Guest: Dan Dunmoyer, President and CEO, California Building Industry Association The Palm Springs City Council will vote Thursday on whether to approve a settlement for the survivors and descendants of a predominantly black and brown neighborhood that was burned down 60 years ago. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supporters of criminal justice reform in California suffered some big losses in last week’s election. But people on both sides of the debate over crime and punishment say the election shouldn’t be seen as a renunciation of progressive reforms entirely. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED In the Central Valley, Republican Congressman David Valadao has won re-election, moving the GOP closer to control of the House.  Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED For the first time in history, women will make up at least half of the California State Senate. Reporter: Sameea Kamal, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President-elect Donald Trump made plenty of promises during his campaign that could affect the state of California. But California is already taking action to defend itself against potential Trump administration policies. Will it work? Guest: Melanie Mason, Politico Federal health officials are making a new push to test more workers who might be infected with bird flu.  Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Veterans Day, a reminder that thousands of veterans, young and old, are homeless in our state. But in Sacramento and surrounding communities, the numbers of homeless vets has noticeably dropped over the past couple of years.   Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio  The California Air Resources Board is moving ahead with changes to toughen the state’s low carbon fuel standard. Regulators voted to approve the controversial amendments late Friday. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED As the Southern California Kaiser mental health worker strike enters its fourth week, some patients are turning to social media to show their support.  Reporter: Robert Garrova, LAist  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week marks the 70th anniversary of the release of the original Godzilla film across Japan. But the movie that American audiences first saw was actually an altered version with added scenes shot at a small Los Angeles studio. Reporter: Josie Huang, LAist The Mountain Fire burning in Ventura County has destroyed 132 structures, most of which were homes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Details are still coming in about how voting demographics broke down in the presidential election. But so far, it seems Republicans made big gains with Latino voters, particularly men. Guest: Christian Paz, Senior Politics Reporter, Vox Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate in Ventura County because of a wind-whipped wildfire that continues to burn out of control. The Mountain Fire is believed to have destroyed dozens of homes so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has been elected the 47th President of the United States. Although a handful of states have not been called, the former president clinched the victory with his win in Wisconsin.  Guest: Marisa Lagos, KQED Democratic representative Adam Schiff won the US Senate seat long held by the late Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday night. A number of statewide ballot measures were decided on Election Night, although the outcome of some are still up in the air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Millions of Californians are expected to head to the polls Tuesday in the 2024 general election. They'll be voting on local measures, state propositions and our next president. If you're one of those people and you've got some last minute questions you're too afraid to ask, we've got you covered. Guest: Kim Alexander, President of the California Voter Foundation  PG&E says as many as 15,000 in 17 counties across its sprawling area could lose power starting Tuesday night, because of the onset of dangerous fire weather. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent years, you’ve likely heard news stories about fiery school board meetings. But most often, they’re pretty routine. In the November election, there are several school board races on the ballot. But many are not, because the races have not attracted more than one candidate. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU  Shasta County in far Northern California has been the epicenter of election denialism in the state, and the tension is taking a toll on election workers. Officials have confirmed that 10 out of 21 workers with the Shasta County Registrar of Voters have quit as of last week. Reporter: Sergio Olmos, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tens of thousands of University of California workers have authorized their unions to call a strike in coming weeks. They say many departments are understaffed and accuse UC administrators of bargaining in bad faith. Although California's more than 180,000 unhoused residents could be impacted by the results of next week's election, many may not vote due to various challenges. Data from Sacramento County shows less than 10 percent of unhoused voters there are registered. Reporter: Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters Statewide Proposition 34 is, on its face, about requiring health care providers to spend nearly all of their revenue on patients. But the measure is backed by a landlord lobbying group and only applies to a single provider who is pushing for more rent control in California. Reporter: Aaron Schrank, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Young voter turnout across the U.S. has historically been low. But this year, youth voter registration has surged. And that could make a difference in the Congressional District 13 race in northern San Joaquin Valley. Two years ago, Republican John Duarte beat Democrat Adam Gray by less than 600 votes.  Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR Another demographic that could sway the vote in California’s 13th District is Latinas. They make up 1 in every 4 voters in the District, according to Lucete Latina, a Federal Political Action Committee. Guest: Roxana Pantoja, 19-year-old Merced resident  The Los Angeles Dodgers won in dramatic fashion Wednesday night, coming from behind to beat the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 of the World Series. It's the franchise's eighth World Series championship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California election officials are bracing for Election Day amidst concerns about distrust. Officials have been investing in outreach and education. One county that's dealt with a lot of distrust is Shasta County in far northern California. The county's longtime registrar of voters, Cathy Darling Allen, retired in May this summer. The board appointed a new registrar to replace her. Guest: Alex Hall, KQED Proposition 35 is one of ten statewide ballot measures that Californians will be voting on this election. It would put new guidelines around Medi-Cal spending to help secure better pay for doctors who serve low-income Californians. Reporter: Kristen Hwang, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the last few months, voting rights advocates have been hitting the ground across the Imperial Valley as part of a new effort to get more people ready to cast their ballots in November. They’re fighting an ongoing battle: decades of low voter turnout. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS More than 37,000 University of California service and patient care workers are voting this week on whether to authorize a statewide strike. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a win away from a World Series Championship. L.A. defeated the New York Yankees in Game 3 Monday night, 4-2, to take a 3-0 lead in the series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should a California town change its name because of its association with a murderous settler? That’s the question at the heart of a ballot measure this election season, in Lake County. It’s a rural area about two hours drive north of Sacramento. Voters are being asked if the small town of Kelseyville should be renamed Konocti.  Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio Southern California’s largest Asian American advocacy group is training its poll monitors to keep an eye out for racist rhetoric and bullying. Reporter: Josie Huang, LAist Californians will vote on ten statewide ballot propositions this fall. Among them is Proposition 2, which would let California borrow $10 billion through a state bond to pay for updates to school facilities. Reporter: Carolyn Jones, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices