KQED's The California Report

It’s the first morning since a stretch of the I-10 Freeway near downtown Los Angeles reopened. The freeway was damaged by a fire and had been completely shut down in both directions for just over a week. It was originally thought that repairs might take months. Guest: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report The state Democratic Party convention this weekend in Sacramento was derailed by protesters demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza. The demonstrations reveal a rift in the party heading into 2024 races. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Thousands of pediatric RSV shots are being shipped nationwide, including here in California. But some health experts say it's too little, too late. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month, Los Angeles County ended its money bail system for many crimes. Now, most people who are arrested in the county for what’s classified as non-violent, non-serious misdemeanors and felonies -- which includes most thefts and vehicle violations -- can be released quickly and without paying a single cent of bail. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report State energy regulators have approved a plan that allows Pacific Gas and Electric to raise rates on its customers. That revenue is supposed to help the utility pay for burying power lines to prevent wildfires and for investments in clean energy. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s largest utility wants to bury thousands of miles of power lines to prevent them from causing wildfires. That’s after Pacific Gas and Electric’s equipment caused the Camp Fire that killed 85 people in the community of Paradise. But state regulators – who will vote on PG&E’s proposal on Thursday – say that will send rates through the roof for the company’s customers. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED This week, leaders from around the world are meeting in San Francisco for the APEC conference. The gathering has also been a magnet for protesters. Nearly a thousand climate activists attempted to prevent attendees from entering the APEC conference on Wednesday. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED Nearly 50 maternity wards in California have shut down in the last decade. That means some Californians have to drive hours to give birth at a hospital. Reporter: Ana Ibarra, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom will make it easier for low-income teens to access mental health treatment. But some parents are protesting, saying it infringes on their rights as parents. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED California’s local governments are thinking about staffing up for climate change related challenges. A new report from the nonpartisan group Next 10 tried to gauge how ready the state’s local governments are when it comes to dealing with a warming planet. Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Officials say it was arson that caused an enormous fire that damaged a stretch of the I-10 Freeway near downtown L.A., shutting it down to traffic. The closure has made L.A.’s already terrible congestion even worse for commuters across much of the city. State transportation officials say they're working around the clock to speed the reopening of the 10 Freeway. But they acknowledge they face a difficult challenge and have no idea when the repairs will be finished. Reporter: Frank Stoltze, LAist The closure of the 10 Freeway is not only affecting people who drive to work each day. It’s also affecting some parents who drop off their kids at school, and teachers and staff at these schools. Reporter: Mariana Dale, LAist CalFire is downsizing its seasonal staff in the northern part of the Bay Area, following the end of fire season. The North Bay has been the site of some of the region's most devastating wildfires. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did the state’s unemployment insurance program get conned out of billions of dollars by scammers, all while millions of Californians who had lost their jobs were stuck waiting for money they badly needed? A year-long CalMatters investigation finds that the state was primed for disaster by years of missed red flags and failed reforms. Guest: Lauren Helper, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration promises a “worker-centered” trade policy that delivers shared prosperity for all Americans. But as San Francisco gets ready to host this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, labor advocates say worker interests are not sufficiently represented at the talks. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Scammers have been stealing millions of dollars a month from low-income Californians’ EBT cards. Yet the state still hasn’t put in needed protections to keep those cards secure. Reporter: Jeanne Kuang, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After months of picketing, SAG-AFTRA has reached a tentative deal to end the strike with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers. In a letter to its members, the union said the new contract is valued at a billion dollars, and that the approval vote was unanimous. Guest: Robert Garrova, Reporter LAist Autonomous taxi operator Cruise says it's identified a software glitch that led one of its cars to drag a pedestrian in a downtown San Francisco crash. The company has now issued a safety recall. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED The owner of a Bay Area farm and its parent company are facing felony charges in the death of a farmworker. Reporter: Nina Thorsen, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wednesday marks exactly five years since the Camp Fire killed 85 people and leveled Paradise. Three years ago, PG&E created the Fire Victim Trust to pay out settlements to fire survivors. But some say they’ve lost hope they’ll ever get their full payments. Reporter: Jamie Jiang, North State Public Radio A federal criminal trial is beginning Thursday for David DePape, the Bay Area man facing life in prison for attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer, and attempting to kidnap former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco last year. Reporter: Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, KQED Jewish members of the California Legislature are calling for public universities in California to take immediate action to protect Jewish students. The letter is signed by the 18 members of the Jewish Legislative Caucus and cites recent anti-semitic incidents, including physical abuse and threats against Jewish students. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The city of Sacramento is among the many communities in California struggling to find answers for its growing homeless population. A shelter in the city serves hundreds of men and women, but is struggling to connect them with permanent housing. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio Governor Gavin Newsom's prominent role in national politics could be costing him support in California. According to a new poll, Newsom's overall approval rating -- just 44%, is the lowest mark of his governorship. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earth’s hottest summer ever recorded is behind us. Now, California is headed into another potentially drenching winter… while some communities are still recovering from last year’s winter storms. As climate change makes extreme weather more common, one group of Californians is living on the frontlines: those experiencing homelessness. Vanessa Rancaño/KQED News Thousands of protestors rallied in San Francisco on Saturday to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. The rally was the biggest so far in the Bay Area since the war began on October 7th, and was held in conjunction with similar demonstrations across the US. Juan Carlos/KQED News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent years, indigenous Land Back movements have been gaining momentum across the country. However, the effort to make reparations for the past can come with a lot of strings attached. To understand the complicated reality of landback actions today, we head to an island near the town of Eureka in Humboldt County, where a landback movement succeeded far ahead of its time. Izzy Bloom/TCR A recent survey from the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies shows who's one step closer to representing the Golden State in the U-S Senate, and whose chances are slim. Guy Marzorati/KQED News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's Sierra Nevada had record-breaking snow levels earlier this year. The extreme weather created big problems for one endangered animal. Jill Replogle/LAist State Utility regulators will vote on a proposal that advocates say discriminates against schools, farms and apartment buildings. If approved, these multi-meter properties will be forced to sell the energy they produce to utilities... and then buy it back at a higher rate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The end of this year will mark the end of California’s historic program to pay reparations to survivors of state sponsored sterilization. There are an estimated 600 living survivors. But 70% of the applications for reparations that have been received, have been rejected. Guest: Cayla Mihalovich, Reporter with the Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism In Fresno, the union representing teachers and the public school district have reached a deal for a new contract. That averts a strike that was scheduled to begin on Wednesday. Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A growing number of California students are choosing to commute to college in Tijuana. They’re drawn by cheaper tuition and other advantages. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS As California moves away from fossil fuel energy sources, officials are looking for ways to ease stress on the state’s electrical grid. Attention is now turning to systems powering swimming pools. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel is proving an especially tough time for Jewish progressives in California. While thousands of Californians take to the streets to support Palestine, many in the Jewish community say they feel abandoned. Reporter: Leslie Berestein Rojas, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Halloween is coming up. For many people it’s just one evening of trick or treating and frightening fun. But in one LA County neighborhood ,there’s a two-block stretch known as “horror row.” It draws people looking to keep things spine-tingling year round. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW As Fresno Unified teachers prepare to strike next week, they have support from an unlikely source - substitute teachers who are supposed to take their place. The union representing Fresno area substitute teachers voted not to cross the picket line. Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Council of American-Islamic Relations is warning its Bay Area members to be alert, after hearing reports that the FBI is targeting Palestinians elsewhere in the country for questioning Reporter: Christopher Alam, KQED A small rural town in Riverside County faces an unexpected danger -packs of aggressive stray dogs. In recent months, the dogs have killed dozens of livestock and terrorized many residents. Authorities say illegal marijuana farms are to blame. Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR In Los Angeles, attorneys have finished opening statements in the trial for the captain of the Conception. That's the diving boat that caught fire four years ago while anchored off the coast south of Santa Barbara, killing 34 people on board. Reporter: Julia Paskin, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Department of Motor Vehicles has suspended permits that allowed robo-taxi company Cruise to operate in San Francisco. That comes after an incident earlier this month, in which one of the company's fully driverless vehicles hit and dragged a pedestrian. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED Teachers from the Fresno Unified School District, California’s third largest public school system, have voted to strike. It’s the first strike authorization by Fresno Unified teachers in more than 40 years. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR When Los Angeles-area landlords want to evict their tenants, they often hire attorney Dennis Block. Block’s law firm and has boasted about evicting more tenants than anyone else on earth. But a new investigation has found that a judge ruled that Block’s firm recently submitted fake cases in court and artificial intelligence might play a role. Reporter: David Wagner, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom authorized $30 million in new spending to increase security and police protection at mosques, synagogues, and other houses of worship. It's an example of how war in the Middle East has increased fears about safety within California's Jewish and Muslim communities. Guest: Dr. Alex Lechtman, President of the Board at Congregation B'nai David in Visalia More than two dozen Stanford students are on the fourth day of a sit-in to demand university support for Palestinians. Reporter: Sara Hossaini, KQED Have you ever wondered just how many mountain lions live in California? Well researchers have an estimate. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Water is the lifeblood of agriculture But as climate change brings more extreme weather, farming towns in the Central Valley face increasing risks from both drought and flooding. But an innovative solution is scaling up with new state investments. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED About 30% of Head Start programs in California aren’t within easy walking distance to a transit stop for families with young children. That’s a problem, according to a new report, because access to transit is one of the biggest barriers for families who qualify for the federal early education program. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been nearly two weeks since Hamas militants abducted nearly 200 people from Israel. Many foreign nationals, including at least 13 Americans, are among the hostages. Here in California, families of the hostages and supporters will be at the state Capitol early next week to demand the release of their loved ones. Guest: Ryan Pessah, Sacramento Resident, Family Abducted by Hamas California's U.S. Senate race took another surprise turn Thursday, as Senator Laphonza Butler says she will not run for a full-term next year. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED California invested billions to help children bounce back from learning loss that happened during the pandemic. But students are still struggling to catch up. That’s according to new test scores out from the state’s Department of Education. Reporter: Carolyn Jones, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A fast growing humanitarian crisis has erupted in Gaza because of the war between Hamas and Israel. More than 5,000 people have been killed since the war began last week. Conflict in this region has been going on for decades, causing many Palestinians to relocate or seek political asylum in other parts of the world, including here in California. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California Report Rampant disinformation about the Israeli/Hamas conflict has the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation calling on social media companies to do better. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In more than a dozen California counties, a little-known rule in the Clean Air Act has forgiven air pollution – not from the sky, but from the record. After wildfires flourished across North America this year, more U.S. states east of the Mississippi may use this exceptional events rule to subtract smoke from the record, if not from the air we breathe. But these exceptional events are no longer exceptional, and the requests to obscure them from air-quality records are more common. Reporter: Molly Peterson, The California Newsroom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of migrant families who were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border by the Trump administration, will now get some benefits and a shot at asylum under a proposed settlement with the federal government. The agreement lets reunified families stay in the U.S. for three years and apply for permanent protection. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED It's clear that artificial intelligence is here to stay. For colleges, this means figuring out how to regulate the use of it, while still encouraging students to engage with the software that will only grow in popularity. Guest: Carolyn Jones, Education Reporter, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time in California history, all coastal cities are now required to plan for sea level rise, a looming climate impact yet to be fully experienced. A new law requires those cities to come up with strategies and recommend projects to address future sea level rise by 2034. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED Climate change is taking a toll on farmworker communities in the Central Valley, from extreme heat and deteriorating air quality to drought and sporadic flooding. New state funding and grass roots organizations are working to help those communities manage the most immediate impacts of the worsening climate crisis. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of protesters in Los Angeles and San Francisco rallied against Governor Gavin Newsom’s veto of a bill that would have extended workplace safety protections to domestic workers. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED The only public employees in California who can’t form a union are its legislative staffers. After four previous attempts failed, Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed landmark legislation to allow them to unionize in 2026. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald A new law was designed to make prisons safer for transgender people. However, the well-meaning law created unwelcome consequences for many transgender women in California prisons. Reporter: Lee Romney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Attorneys representing people who reported being sexually assaulted during Uber rides are seeking safety improvements from the company, as part of a new consolidated lawsuit. Reporter: Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, KQED Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill extending a state law that makes it easier to build affordable housing in cities that have failed to meet state housing goals. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED A bill passed in 2002 created a pilot program that allowed Mexican physicians to practice in disadvantaged communities across California. Now, legislators want to expand the program to more counties and include physicians who speak Mexican indigenous languages such as Mixtec and Zapotec. Reporter: Esther Quintanilla, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California regulators are poised to shake-up the solar market for apartments, schools and farms. An administrative law judge is proposing changes that make the economics of investing in solar projects unappealing. Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS Officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation are proposing significant changes to the use of solitary confinement in the state’s prisons. But advocates say the process is rushed, and the changes don’t go far enough. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio Pacific Gas & Electric pledged to bury ten thousand miles of power lines in California to reduce the risk of them sparking wildfires. But now, state regulators are considering two proposals that would limit that plan, in favor of cheaper and faster alternatives. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Large-scale traffickers of fentanyl could soon face stiffer criminal penalties in California; that's the result of a law signed by Governor Newsom over the weekend. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Governor Newsom has signed a bill that delegitimizes a controversial medical diagnostic theory called "excited delirium," which has been used to defend law enforcement in cases where a person has died while in custody. Reporter: Stephanie O'Neill Patison, KFF Health News Environmentalists cheered when a ghost lake in California’s Central Valley refilled earlier this year, because it created new wetlands for birds; but now, avian botulism is brewing in Tulare Lake. It’s deadly to birds, and rescuers are in a mad dash to prevent a massive die-off. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As workers across industries walked off the job during this remarkable year of strikes, one union in California won big in its fight for child care providers. The organizers behind this movement were largely immigrants and women of color. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED A pair of bills signed over the weekend by Governor Gavin Newsom will require large companies in California to be more transparent about their contributions to climate change, and the risks they face as a result. Reporter: Dana Cronin, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California political legend, was laid to rest in a private ceremony in San Francisco Thursday. Hours earlier, 1500 invited guests attended a memorial service on the steps of San Francisco’s City Hall. Those who gathered there reflected on the long arc of Feinstein's life in San Francisco, where she served as a supervisor and then mayor before being elected to the Senate. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED At the US-Mexico border, immigrant rights activists say thousands of asylum seekers have been dropped off in San Diego by Customs and Border Protection over the last few weeks. In response, the nonprofit Casa Familiar set up a makeshift aid center at San Ysidro Community Park. But it's now at risk of shutting down, over a lack of funding. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS The Golden State Warriors have announced a new WNBA will be created and they’ll start playing in 2025. The team will practice at the Warriors facility in Oakland, and play its home games at Chase Center in san Francisco. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report 100 years ago, women mariachi bands didn’t exist. Even 50 years ago, women playing mariachi music was rare. Today though, women like Sacramento’s Dinorah Klingler are rewriting the story of male dominated mariachi culture. Reporter: Bianca Taylor, The California Report Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A memorial service for Dianne Feinstein is scheduled for Thursday at San Francisco’s City Hall, where she’s been lying in state. President Joe Biden will deliver remarks by video. Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to attend, as well as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. Laphonza Butler, who was sworn in this week to replace Dianne Feinstein, is a longtime labor leader, political strategist and, most recently, the president of EMILY’s List, which fights to elect women to office who support abortion rights. One issue that's not on her resume: climate change. Reporter: Dana Cronin, KQED Sand dunes and native plants on beaches can help protect the California coast from the impacts of sea level rise – if and when they’re allowed to thrive. That's according to new research out of UC Santa Barbara. Reporter: Beth Thornton, KCBX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an unprecedented move in American politics – Bakersfield Republican Kevin McCarthy was ousted as House speaker on Tuesday. Despite this, many of McCarthy's constituents still support the embattled Congressman. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Thousands of Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in California have walked off the job, starting a three day strike. A coalition of unions representing the workers are demanding wage increases, protections against the outsourcing of jobs, and increased staffing. Laphonza Butler was sworn in Tuesday, filling the seat of Dianne Feinstein, who died last week. It's still unclear if Butler will enter the race to fill the U.S. Senate seat. Guest: Marisa Lagos, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we think of cleaner and greener alternatives to gas-powered cars and trucks in California, electric vehicles come immediately to mind. But there is an alternative --hydrogen-powered cars. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Governor Gavin Newsom is defending his decision to appoint Emily’s List president Laphonza Butler to Dianne Feinstein’s open Senate seat –which potentially upends the on-going campaigns for that position in next year’s election. Butler is expected to be sworn-in on Tuesday. Reporter: Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, KQED California water regulators have released support plans for the Bay-Delta watershed, which experts say is in an ecological crisis. But this doesn’t mean final solutions are in sight. Reporter: Rachel Becker, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Longtime labor leader and Democratic strategist Laphonza Butler will be California's new U.S. Senator. News of Butler's appointment -- confirmed by Governor Gavin Newsom's office Sunday night -- comes days after the death of Dianne Feinstein, which left the Senate seat vacant. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED This week, seven California counties launch CARE Courts. They’re the new mental health courts required by the state that have the authority to mandate people with severe mental illness to receive treatment. The implementation of CARE Court will be under particular scrutiny in San Francisco, as the city wrestles with both mental health and homelessness crises. Guest: Rafael Mandelman, San Francisco Supervisor When presidential candidates travel to places like Iowa and New Hampshire, they usually spend time praising the state they’re in. But that is not what Republicans making the pilgrimage to California are saying about the Golden State. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who spent more than three decades in the Senate, has passed away at the age of 90. Senator Feinstein had a long career in politics even before her time in Washington, as a supervisor and mayor in San Francisco. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As of this summer, most incarcerated people across the country can apply for a Pell Grant to pay for a higher education. Criminal justice advocates say this is a key step in keeping people from returning to prison. But in California, the demand is already exceeding the supply. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California Report Southern California communities are paying the cost of a rise in online shopping. More online stores, means more warehouses to store their products. And that's adding to the pollution and economic inequality in these areas. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tijuana has long been a refuge for priced-out Californians looking for affordable housing. But now, rents in Tijuana are rising twice as fast as in San Diego. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS A federal judge in San Francisco is ordering two former Trump administration officials to testify in a lawsuit, brought by migrant parents and children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fentanyl-related deaths are up in California. By a lot. And it's no different in Sacramento County, which jumped from 17 fentanyl related deaths in 2018, to 227 last year. One neighborhood nonprofit is trying to save lives, by getting drug users to recognize what might be causing their use in the first place. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio The iconic Bob's Big Boy diner in Burbank has become the unofficial clubhouse for striking writers. And they're appreciative of the generosity of a Hollywood star, who's helping take care of the bill. Reporter: Yusra Farzan, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After nearly 150 days on strike, a tentative deal has been reached between Hollywood writers and studios. The proposed three year deal would boost pay rates and residuals from streaming shows, and also introduce new rules on the use of artificial intelligence. Shasta County is dealing with major staffing shortages across county departments. Those shortages have forced an entire floor of the county jail to remain closed for over a year. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom has asked the state insurance commission to take emergency action to fix the troubled homeowner's insurance market. This comes after State Farm, Allstate and more than half of the top 12 insurance groups have paused or restricted new business in the state. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED More than 300,000 Californians have lost health insurance since the state resumed Medi-Cal eligibility checks it had suspended during the pandemic. The majority of Californians who lost Medi-Cal got kicked off because of paperwork. Some didn’t send in their renewal packets, while others had errors on their forms. Reporter: Shreya Agrawal, CalMatters A prestigious national laboratory is partnering with CSU Bakersfield to advance green energy research in the San Joaquin Valley. The partnership is seen by some as historic in nature. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Jacob Rock is a non-verbal, autistic teenager from Los Angeles who wasn’t able to speak until 2020. That’s when he began to vividly type out his thoughts and feelings on an iPad. His parents were flabbergasted to realize that he could read and write and convey his emotions and creativity through text. Reporter: Sasha Khokha, The California Report Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nursing homes typically help people recover after surgeries or provide round-the-clock care for people with physical disabilities. But a new LAist investigation finds that thousands of people with serious mental illness are living in California’s nursing homes. Experts call it “warehousing” and say the practice may violate federal law. Reporter: Elly Yu, LAist Farmworker advocates pushing for safer working conditions during wildfires are blasting a decision by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors that could allow crops to be harvested in evacuation zones. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Indigenous tribes are pushing back against a new plan to create a federal marine sanctuary off the Central Coast. Several years ago, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council proposed a sanctuary that would include Morro Bay. But the new federal proposal leaves it out. Reporter: Amanda Wernick, KCBX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sacramento County’s district attorney says he’s taking the city of Sacramento to court, for failing to enforce its own homelessness laws. County DA Tien Ho says Sacramento city officials “allowed, created and enabled” a public safety crisis, by not enforcing their own laws, including the city’s ban on blocking sidewalks and camping on public property. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio More water to replenish a natural spring in a California forest - less water for the company that bottles and sells it as Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water. That's the result of a decision by California's Water Resources Control Board. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR California is suing oil and gas companies for deceiving the public for their role in climate change. The lawsuit could be a landmark for holding oil companies accountable. Reporter: Dana Cronin, KQED A federal judge this week temporarily blocked a California law meant to protect children when they use the internet. Known as the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, the law would require social media companies to take steps to protect minors’ privacy and would limit the use of their information. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been six months since the levee protecting the small Central Coast farming community of Pajaro burst, flooding the town and forcing thousands out of their homes. And while repairs are underway, a permanent fix is still years in the making. Reporter: Scott Cohn, KAZU A group of Democratic state lawmakers is asking California Attorney General Rob Bonta to take the lead on an effort to remove Donald Trump from the March primary ballot. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED At its board meeting in Sacramento Tuesday morning, California’s Water Resources Control Board will consider issuing a ‘cease and desist’ order to end the pumping of millions of gallons of water out of the San Bernardino National Forest. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week marks six months since powerful storms flooded the small farming community of Pajaro in Santa Cruz County, after its aging levee system failed. The community is still facing major challenges with rebuilding. Reporter: Jerimiah Oetting, KAZU At the Climate Week NYC event, Governor Gavin Newsom announced his intention to sign a first-in-the nation climate bill awaiting his approval back in California. The measure would force U.S. corporations doing business in California that make more than $1 billion a year to publicly disclose their annual greenhouse gas emissions. Reporter: Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 60,000 Kaiser Permanente workers have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike if there’s no agreement in contract negotiations by September 30. The healthcare workers -- most of them in California -- are pushing for a 7% wage increase in the first two years of this next contract, and 6.25% the following two years. A California appeals court has agreed to hear a challenge to the state’s recently adopted solar rules. The groups argued the rules do not recognize all the benefits of solar, encourage solar adoption or expand solar in disadvantaged communities. Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS It’s the end of an era along the Klamath River. Labor Day weekend was the last time the whitewater rapids on the Upper Klamath could be rafted during the summer. A group of antiquated dams are coming down on the Klamath, meaning major changes for the river rafting community. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this final day of the legislative session, a lot of eyes in Sacramento are on one particular measure moving through the State Senate. It would allow workers who are on strike for more than two weeks, like the Hollywood writers and actors, to apply for unemployment insurance. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED In Sacramento, it’s the final day of the legislative session -- and that means the fate of dozens of bills must be decided as the hours and minutes tick down. The Assembly and Senate have until midnight to send bills to the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED A $25 minimum wage is in sight for tens of thousands of California’s lowest-paid health workers. The wage hike would be for people like nursing assistants, medical techs and janitorial workers. Reporter: Ana Ibarra, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of a meadow, what comes to mind? Probably a peaceful expanse of grass and flowers straight out of a postcard. A perfect place to have a picnic or read a book. But meadows are also key to the health of forests And in the Sierra Nevada most meadows have been degraded or lost. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR Meeting in Long Beach Wednesday morning, California State University’s Board of Trustees is expected to vote on whether to increase tuition at all 23 CSU campuses. The proposal would include a 6% tuition hike over the next five years. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED California currently bans state-funded travel to 26 states because of their anti-LGBTQ laws. But state lawmakers have voted to repeal the travel bans after acknowledging that they haven’t been successful. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After months of bitter conflict, fast food companies and labor unions have reached a deal that could raise the minimum wage for 500,000 fast food workers in California. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED If you’re a parent or caregiver in the state, chances are you’ve seen billboards urging you to talk, read and sing to your baby. Now the agency behind those ads, First Five California, is pushing a new statewide campaign to raise awareness about toxic stress. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED As cities across California struggle with a lack of affordable housing, developers are thinking micro, as in micro apartments, some smaller than 300 square feet. That includes a new five-story building in downtown Sacramento, the city's third micro apartment community. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices