KQED's The California Report

Californians are deciding on a ballot measure that could reshape how our state is represented in Congress. Proposition 50 would redraw California's congressional district lines to help Democrats pick up five additional seats in the House. Prop 50 is part of a national fight over redistricting. And if it passes, political lines from Sonoma down to San Diego will be transformed. Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED To understand what's at stake with Proposition 50, we're going to some of the districts that would be redrawn. It's a series we're calling California Divided. We begin in the state's 3rd Congressional District, at Lake Tahoe: a blue dot in a Republican-held district. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The World Series gets underway Friday night from Toronto as the Blue Jays take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic. LA is looking to become the first back-to-back champs in 25 years. Toronto hasn't won a championship since 1993. Guest: Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times President Trump says he will not be sending a surge of federal agents to San Francisco. This comes after a call with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. While that's eased some concerns in San Francisco, across the Bay in Alameda County, tensions remain high. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Some of the same families that were forcibly separated at the U.S.-Mexico border during President Trump's first administration are being split up again. That's according to the ACLU, which is in a pitched battle with the government over what it says are violations of a federal settlement agreement. Reporter: Mark Betancourt, California Newsroom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Proposition 50 would temporarily let the legislature draw new congressional maps, a move supporters, including Governor Newsom, say is meant to stop gerrymandering and protect democracy. But opponents are calling it a partisan power grab, warning it could weaken the state's independent redistricting commission. One of the most vocal critics is Charles Munger Jr., a physicist and political activist who is the top donor for the No on Prop 50 campaign. Guest: Charles Munger Jr. Bay Area officials are pushing back on news of Trump administration plans to send dozens of Border Patrol agents to the Bay Area. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California civil rights advocates are calling on the federal courts to halt Trump administration policies leading to the arrest of asylum seekers, victims of trafficking and people attending immigration court hearings. A series of recent class action lawsuits argue: the arrests violate federal law and the U.S. Constitution. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks/KQED At an election cybersecurity forum hosted by USC, experts discussed how to maintain the system's resiliency after the Trump administration knee-capped the federal agencies previously entrusted with that task. Reporter: Rachael Myrow/KQED Humboldt County is getting $75 million for mental health care. The hope is that it will relieve pressure on emergency departments and jails serving those in crisis. Reporter: Justin Higginbottom/Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebuilding after January's fires in Los Angeles County is underway for some people. But an Altadena family is facing what may be insurmountable financial obstacles. Reporter: Erin Stone/LAist Congressional Democrats plan to investigate reports that federal agents unlawfully detained U.S. citizens during the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Democrats in California attempt to convince voters to approve new maps next month to give them more seats in Congress, and Republicans fight back against the redistricting measure, both sides are relying on familiar political playbooks. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Hundreds of thousands of people took part in No Kings rallies across California on Saturday. In the conservative stronghold of far Northern California, more than a dozen communities also participated. That includes Chico. Reporter: Ken Devol, North State Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal immigration officials could be setting their sights on Sonoma county. A local supervisor says Department of Homeland Security officials asked in a meeting if the sheriff's office would notify DHS when undocumented immigrants are arrested.   Shandra Back, KRCB Farmers in wine country have been working at all hours to get their grapes off the vine before they rot. The harvest follows an especially hard season slowed by a cooler summer and made worse by other obstacles including tariffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of California families rely on in-home daycares for their kids. But after the housing market collapse in 2008, the state lost 30% of these types of child care settings, leading to a crisis. As part of its effort to rebuild, California passed a law in 2019 forbidding landlords and homeowners' associations from refusing to rent to in-home child care providers. But that hasn't stopped the practice. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED is joining 13 others to create an alliance aimed at coordinating public health policy-- a direct rebuke of the Trump Administration Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED 5.5 million Californians could soon lose their food assistance benefits, if Congress doesn't end the shutdown and approve a budget agreement. That's according to The California Department of Social Services, who oversees the program, CalFresh. Reporter: Nick Gerda, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In San Francisco, more people are now ordering Waymo robotaxis than Lyfts with human drivers. People are getting more comfortable using driverless cars. This got us thinking - is the same thing about to happen in LA? And how do human Uber and Lyft drivers feel about it? Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW A new state audit released this week finds that California's public college systems aren't doing enough to meet the need for student housing. Reporter: Sara Hossaini, KQED Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea has never had street addresses. A recent vote by the city council will change that. The decision comes after multiple town hall meetings and input from residents. Reporter: Ngozi Cole, KAZU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A tiny California town in Sacramento's Delta has struggled for decades, and within a matter of months, could face some big decisions on its status as a city. Financial choices over the years have put Isleton in a sink or swim situation– with talks of disincorporation or bankruptcy and what that could mean for the city's 800 residents. Reporter: Riley Palmer, CapRadio The governor vetoed a handful of bills that aimed to advance reparations for Black Californians. Reporter: Guy Marzorati , KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump Administration is considering a change to the federal Endangered Species Act that could create new risks for an area in California that has more sea otters than any other in the state. Last October, the state finished removing four dams from Klamath River up in far Northern California. In the year since the removal, there has been drastic changes to the area's fish population, and overall water quality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many families experiencing homelessness, school can be a difficult hurdle to clear. Chronic absenteeism is higher, and graduation rates are lower among homeless students. But the Fresno Unified School District has been working to combat this problem. And the efforts appear to be working. Reporter: Rachel Livinal/KVPR Doctors at Adventist Health White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles County say administrators are allowing federal immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and block doctors from properly treating detained patients who need emergency care. Reporter: Jill Replogle/LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you talk about Altadena, you can't not talk about its trees. It's why one young Altadenan is documenting the stories of the community's trees in the wake of the Eaton Fire. Reporter: Erin Stone, LAist A 29-year-old man has been arrested for starting a fire that eventually became the deadly Palisades Fire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California made national headlines last month when Governor Newsom signed a bill barring law enforcement officers from wearing masks -- a law aimed at immigration agents. Federal officials say they won't comply. But the skirmish is about more than just masks. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED New data suggests Fresno is a more prosperous city than it was 12 years ago. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Almost nine months have passed since the Eaton Fire ripped through Los Angeles County. It destroyed more than 9,000 buildings and left billions of dollars in damages. At first, attention focused on Southern California Edison's transmission lines as the likely cause. But a new NPR investigation shows there may have been other failures, too. Guest: Chiara Eisner, NPR Another immigrant has died in the custody of federal immigration authorities in California, this time in the Imperial Valley. New questions are being raised about the care of detainees under the Trump administration's ongoing mass deportation campaign. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When President Donald Trump signed his sweeping policy bill this summer, it included $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, known here as Medi-Cal. The program is recognized for helping low-income people access health care, but it also funds services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Now, many Californians with disabilities face an uncertain future. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, KQED A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops from California to Oregon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise remains California's deadliest and most destructive wildfire in history. The Northern California fire claimed the lives of 85 people. Now, a new movie depicts the real-life heroic escape of one local bus driver. Reporter: Claudia Brancart, North State Public Radio Yosemite National Park remains open during the government shutdown, but there won't be many rangers there to help visitors. Reporter: Carly Severn, KQED The US Department of Education is ending several grant programs that support minority-serving institutions. Department officials say these programs are discriminatory. California stands to lose more grant money than any other state - for programs that support Black, Latino, Asian and Native American students on college campuses. Reporter: Adam Echelman, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the last federal government shutdown in late 2018 and early 2019, national parks here in California were greatly impacted. Some shut down completely, meaning a significant loss in potential revenue. Others remained open, but were not fully staffed. That includes Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. Vehicles drove off-road, causing major damage to sensitive areas, and trash piled up, scattered around the park. The hope is things will be different this time around. Guest: Kenji Haroutunian, Executive Director, friends of Joshua Tree Santa Clara County prosecutors have secured a grand jury indictment against 11 pro-Palestinian Stanford University protestors who barricaded themselves in the campus president's office in 2024. Reporter: Joseph Geha, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Around the Salton Sea, dust storms have become an increasing problem, sparking dozens of public health studies. But many Imperial Valley residents have grown weary of repeated studies that all basically say the same thing: that the air quality is bad and getting worse. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS National Parks are once again caught up in the middle of the federal government shutdown. During the last shutdown – for more than 30 days in 2018 and 2019 - parks that remained open were unstaffed, leading to widespread vandalism and environmental damage. There's growing concern that an extended shutdown could once again put at serious risk of damage. Reporter: Sarah Wright, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What once was a fire season in California is now a fire year. As a result, the state is looking to combat increasing wildfires with funding for more year-round firefighters. Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR California voters approved a $10 billion climate bond measure, last November. We're now getting a sense of where the first round of Prop 4 money is going. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Marin County, rents are among the highest in the nation.  There, a group of mobile home park residents are in a years-long fight to keep hold of one of the county's few affordable options. They're residents of the RV Park of San Rafael, where a property management company has been raising the rent, setting new rules and threatening residents with eviction. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California Report The Trump administration has expanded its investigation of alleged antisemitism on college campuses to the California State University system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week a SpaceX Falcon9 rocket launched from Florida – the mission?  To study the outermost parts of the earth's atmosphere. The rocket is being driven by remote control from UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED A report out this week details major failures in LA County's response to the January firestorms. Reporter: Jacob Margolis, LAist Immigration agents arrested three day laborers outside of a well-known worker center in Pomona Thursday morning. Immigration advocates say they're worried about the health and safety of the people now being detained. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR A Southern California attorney is facing a historic fine for filing a state court appeal full of fake quotations generated by the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT. Reporter: Khari Johnson, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Healthcare workers across Southern California are struggling to provide medical care to undocumented patients, without clear guidance on how to handle encounters with immigration agents. Medical workers want hospitals to improve guidelines and provide better training so they can protect patients and themselves. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR A federal court hearing on whether or not roving immigration patrols can continue in the Los Angeles area has been postponed. Reporter: Wendy Fry, CalMatters A nearly seven mile stretch of Highway 1 near Big Sur will remain closed this winter, three years after back to back landslides wrecked the roadway. But things could improve in the spring. Reporter: Robert Garrova, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As concerns continue to grow over ICE detention and enforcement in California, the agency is also ramping up its hiring efforts, as it aims to bring on 10,000 new agents by the end of the year. But some experts say the agency's recruitment strategy is filled with white nationalist messages and imagery. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS After months of delays and refinement, supervisors in Shasta County, which has for years been at the center of election integrity debates, have approved funding for new changes to the county's voting system. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know, if your car gets towed in California and sold because you didn't claim it, you're entitled to the profit? And if you don't claim your money, the DMV gets to keep it. Reporter: Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered the Trump administration to restore 500 National Institutes of Health grants that it suspended at UCLA over the summer. Reporter: Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMatters The Tulare County Public Defender's Office has agreed to overhaul an alleged culture of sexual harassment among employees, under the terms of a deal announced Monday. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom is poised to sign a new law lowering state cannabis taxes from 19% to 15%. Pot companies say it will bring much needed relief to an overtaxed, overregulated industry. But youth groups who are funded by this tax say kids are being betrayed. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED Governor Gavin Newsom signed a series of bills into law on Saturday, aimed at reigning in aggressive immigration enforcement in the state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tequila is produced exclusively in Mexico and has become a star in California's cocktail culture. More than 50 million cases of tequila were sold in the U.S. in 2023, with most of that consumed in the Golden State. And demand for tequila is growing faster than vodka, whiskey, and all other spirits combined. But this summer, several legal battles have begun which could shake up the entire industry. Guest: Carlos Cabrera Lomeli, KQED Bay Area immigrant advocates are suing the Trump administration to end its controversial immigration courthouse arrests, and stop detaining people for days in San Francisco holding rooms meant for only a few hours. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED When immigrants are detained by the feds, families often struggle to pay rent. LA County officials are now trying to help these families. Reporter: David Wagner, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Almost every night for nearly three decades in Santa Cruz, Bob and Patti Vasconcellos have gotten a little gussied up. They throw their walkers in the trunk and head to their local karaoke bar. Their performances have made them local celebrities. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU California's oil industry regulator is expecting gasoline prices to rise through the end of the year– and is calling on refineries to help. Reporter: Julie Small, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Santa Barbara Senator Monique Limón is set to become the leader of the California Senate this November, and a recent housing bill she authored is raising some eyebrows because it would keep CEQA requirements in place on one tiny plot of land in her district. Reporter: Ben Christopher, CalMatters As California experiences a record number of cases of Valley Fever cases, the Salinas Valley is seeing one of the largest spikes. Clouds of dust rise up behind trucks and tractors in the fields and sweep across Highway 101 in the wind, creating the perfect conditions to spread spores of the fungus that causes Valley Fever. People who work outside, like farm and construction workers, are especially at risk. Reporter: Jerimiah Oetting in Paso Robles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of George Floyd's death and the protests that followed, California passed a law limiting the use of force against people exercising their First Amendment rights. An LAist investigation found that even when police departments appear to be breaking that law, the state doesn't have a mechanism to actually enforce it. Reporter: Yusra Farzan, LAist Two companies with thousands of permits to drill oil wells in California merged on Monday, just two days after state lawmakers loosened environmental reviews for permits in Kern County. Reporter: Julie Small, KQED UC Merced students are speaking out after several campus leaders in charge of diversity, equity and inclusion programs were laid off. Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world lost an icon when Latin jazz pioneer Eddie Palmieri died last month. His music lives on through recordings, but also through sheet music, thanks in part to a publisher in rural California. This pioneer has helped make the work of Palmieri and other Latin jazz artists available to the world, from his home office in Madera. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR A handful of controversial bills on climate and energy are heading to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk. That's after state lawmakers passed the bills in the final hours of the legislative session on Saturday. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED While discourse during this year's end of session at the Capitol was dominated by that package of energy measures, some other big bills were sent to the governor's desk. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shasta County's voter-approved plan to become a charter county has been delayed by over a year because local officials failed to file necessary paperwork with the state. Local officials say the paperwork was finally filed last month. Justin Higginbottom, Jefferson Public Radio A push to build an immigration detention facility at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield is now on hold, according to the Department of Defense. Tyche Hendricks, KQED Dozens of carwash employees and their family members rallied alongside immigrant rights activists in Los Angeles on Thursday to denounce federal immigration raids at their worksites. Now, they're organizing patrols for possible future sweeps. Benjamin Gottlieb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Across Latino communities, the fear of arrest has become a part of daily life under stepped up immigration enforcement. Advocates say that constant stress is wearing on people's mental health.. And many are carrying the burden quietly. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Gov. Gavin Newsom's attempt to fast-track his administration's proposal for a 45-mile-long tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta failed to pass the Legislature. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For two decades, the nation's solution to homelessness has been pretty straightforward: get people into housing. This approach is known as Housing First, and in California it's even written into state law. But this summer, President Trump signed an executive order reversing this policy, turning a California mandate into a liability. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED The Garnet Fire east of Fresno has burned more than 56,000 acres, and has reached the McKinley Grove of Giant Sequoias. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR A San Diego law firm filed a class action lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement – arguing that federal agents are breaking the law when they arrest asylum seekers at immigration court. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Immigrant communities across Southern California are once again on edge after the US Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration's roving immigration sweeps can continue. There could be broad implications from Monday's ruling. Reporter: Wendy Fry, CalMatters Business owners in the Bay Area, and across the state, have been following the dramatic workplace immigration raids in Southern California. That's left many wondering what to do if ICE shows up at their place of business. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's farm labor force is aging  and younger generations aren't stepping in to fill those jobs. At the same time, agriculture itself is changing with new technology and immigration enforcement, leaving big questions about the future of the industry. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report John Burton, a towering figure in California politics, has died at the age of 92. A family member confirmed his death to KQED. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate change and tariffs may be shaking up the coffee industry. But young people are still abuzz these days about specialty drinks like lattes and macchiatos. And a Merced coffee shop is even giving this industry a boost, by training more people to serve up the delicious drinks. Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have filed suit against Southern California Edison, over its alleged role in starting a pair of deadly wildfires. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED A bill that would have created career pathways for incarcerated firefighters was shelved by a Senate committee on Thursday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the state capitol, negotiations are heating up over California's signature program to fight climate change. It's called cap and trade, and the state uses it to cap greenhouse gas emissions. But the program expires in 2030, and lawmakers are debating how to extend the program amid rising energy costs and concerns about the closure of oil refineries. Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED California, Oregon, and Washington are forming a health alliance to issue their own vaccine recommendations. The move comes in response to the Trump administration's changing vaccine guidance. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED A major new immigration detention facility has quietly opened in California's Mojave Desert. But advocates say the private prison company that owns it has not obtained permits to operate.  Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The federal budget allocated a record-setting $170 billion for immigration enforcement. The money is set to go toward expanding detention facilities and hiring new agents for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. After pledging in June to protect the agriculture industry from crackdowns, President Trump reversed course a few days later. Now, as California's annual grape harvest begins, the state's wine community is on edge. Reporter: Tina Caputo The only emergency room in a rural North State county is closing its doors on October 21. Glenn Medical Center serves some 30,000 people in Glenn County but federal regulators have pulled its funding. Reporter: Sarina Grossi, North State Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of volunteers in California are getting up early in the morning to stand at corners where day laborers wait for jobs. The goal? To watch out for ICE.  Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Governor Gavin Newsom has launched a new taskforce to clear homeless encampments in California. Reporter: Marisa Kendall, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Labor Day, we're taking a closer look at the labor force here in California. With increased immigration enforcement from the Trump administration, the state of the immigrant workforce has perhaps never been more in flux. Guest: Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder of United Farm Workers, President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Minor league baseball has a rich history in California, going back more than a century.  But minor league baseball is changing. Like other professional sports, it has become a big-money game, attracting owners looking to cash in on rising team values. One Central Valley city is witnessing what that big-money game looks like firsthand, as its longtime team plays its last few home games, before moving to Southern California.  Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices