KQED's The California Report

In response to stories about worker abuse in the fast food industry, last year the state legislature passed, and Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law, the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act. The FAST Act created a first of its kind 10 person independent council to improve labor conditions in the fast food industry. But it's already facing pushback from the industry, which has spent millions on a referendum for the 2024 ballot. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report It’s been a week since devastating earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria. As the reported death toll mounts well past 30,000, Californians are looking for ways to help survivors. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s Attorney General has petitioned federal regulators to issue an emergency rule to protect workers from extreme heat. Heat is the leading cause of death among all weather-related workplace hazards, and the dangers for workers in jobs like agriculture are rising with climate change. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Frontline environmental advocates are gearing up for a new fight, now that a California law that would ban new oil drilling near homes, schools, and community sites is on hold. Industry groups have gathered enough signatures to qualify the issue for the 2024 ballot. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED A new housing project called Paul’s Place opened in Davis this week. Organizers say the unique 4-story design, which combines temporary shelter with permanent apartments, will help unhoused people achieve stability. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Half of California hospitals are losing money everyday. Madera Community Hospital is just the latest to close due to financial issues. And experts predict many more will follow across the state. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED In Fresno County, an emergency hospital declaration has just been lifted, despite area hospitals still dealing with an overcrowding crisis. That's in large part due to the recent closure of a hospital in neighboring Madera County. Reporter: Soreath Hok, KVPR For the second year in a row, there’s an effort underway to reform and significantly reduce the use of solitary confinement in California. The Mandela Act would prohibit jails, prisons, and immigration detention facilities from holding people in solitary confinement for more than two weeks in a row. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here in California, we've grown pretty accustomed to power outages. Sometimes it gets knocked out by storms. Other times, it gets turned off on purpose by the utility companies to avoid wildfires. But what if you could live in a community where your lights always stayed on, no matter what happened to the grid? Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report California utility regulators are digging into reasons for this winter’s high natural gas prices. During a hearing on Tuesday, the California Public Utilities Commission pressed industry officials to explain the record setting price hikes for natural gas. Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Half Moon Bay farmworkers – and other vulnerable immigrants who speak up about workplace abuses – could get some protection under a new Biden administration policy. It would shield undocumented immigrants from deportation if they cooperate with labor investigations. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED California’s governor is calling for a federal probe into the record high natural gas prices that have doubled and even tripled some customer bills. Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS Besides its canals, the city of Amsterdam is known for its pot cafes, where you can eat and hang out with friends while using marijuana. California law prevents that kind of establishment, but there’s a move to change that. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When storms battered California last month, the streets of Planada became rivers. Hundreds of homes were flooded and the whole town was evacuated. Now people in this rural Central Valley community are trying to put their lives back together. But many undocumented residents are struggling to access assistance. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom says he expects to collaborate with lawmakers this year on reforms to the state’s environmental review law, which has been used repeatedly by opponents of development to block construction. The California Environmental Quality Act, which was signed into law in 1970, aimed to ensure that the environmental impact of a project is taken into account. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Guru Jagat, a Santa Monica-based yoga instructor, was known for being confident and relatable. She modernized the esoteric practice of Kundalini yoga. But in 2020, her followers started noticing a shift in her beliefs. Reporter: Emily Guerin, Producer, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of two mass shootings that left 18 people dead, California leaders say they’ll pass new legislation to regulate concealed weapon permits. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED The funeral for 29-year-old Tyre Nichols was held Wednesday in Memphis, three weeks after he died following a beating by police. There are increased calls for police accountability across the nation, an issue that’s being taken on here in California by the Bay Area-based Anti Police-Terror Project. Guest: Cat Brooks, Executive Director, Anti Police-Terror Project Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Californians continue to process the series of mass shootings up and down the state, the small community of Goshen in the Central Valley remains shaken by the brutal murders of six family members two weeks ago. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED California’s snowpack is at 208% of normal for this time of year. That's the highest level in decades. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED Thieves have stolen more than $35 million from some of the state’s most vulnerable residents – because the debit cards California uses to send financial assistance are too easy to exploit. Now, the state is trying to make it easier for these theft victims to get their money back. Reporter: Jeanne Kuang, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friends and family of Tyre Nichols, the former Sacramento resident who was beaten and killed by Memphis police officers, held a candlelight vigil in his honor Monday night. Reporter: Sarah Mizes-Tan, CapRadio A new study out of Stanford University finds climate warming will likely reach a critical threshold in the early 2030s. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED Cold temperatures are forecast through Wednesday, prompting The National Weather Service to issue frost advisories and freeze warnings for parts of the Bay Area and the Central Valley. The low temperatures could be dangerous for the unsheltered, and add to high utility bills for housed Californians. Natural gas and electricity prices are both up sharply compared to last year. Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Sur is cut off again thanks to landslides on Highway 1 caused by the rain storms earlier this month. Now supplies are being flown in, and residents along portions of the scenic highway may be stuck for at least another three weeks. Reporter: Jonathan Linden, KAZU The COVID-19 pandemic continues to heavily affect the lives of California’s 9 million children. Those impacts are particularly devastating for kids of color or kids living in poverty, according to new data tracking children’s well-being in each of the state’s 58 counties. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED This month, California issued first-in-the-nation safety guidelines for employers of domestic workers: people like cleaners, nannies and caregivers who have historically been excluded from occupational health and safety laws. But advocates say California is taking the first steps to right that wrong. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Authorities confirm they’re investigating possible wage theft and health and safety violations at the two farms in Half Moon Bay where seven farm workers were killed this week in a mass shooting. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Even as the community mourns in Half Moon Bay, people are looking for ways to heal and grasp for normalcy. Reporter: Madi Bolaños This week, we've covered Monterey Park in the wake of the mass shooting there. But communities shouldn't just be defined by their worst days. So we're looking at one aspect of Monterey Park life not related to this week’s news -- its amazing Asian food scene that’s been created by immigrant communities there. Guest: Denny Mu, The Mandarin Noodle House Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The man accused of gunning down eight people in Half Moon Bay, killing seven, was charged with seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder on Wednesday. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Authorities investigating the mass shooting in Half Moon say the evidence points to it as an incident of “workplace violence.” Acts of violence are a leading cause of occupational death in the U.S. But mass shootings are still relatively rare on the job. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED In Monterey Park, vigils have been taking place nightly, to honor the victims of the dance studio shooting Saturday night. The Star Dance Studio was a hub for professional ballroom dancers, new immigrants and longtime community members of the Asian diaspora. Reporter: Mariana Dale, KPCC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The man accused of fatally shooting seven farmworkers Monday in the city of Half Moon Bay is being arraigned on Wednesday. Chunli Zhao is being held on seven first degree murder charges and one charge of attempted murder for the shootings at two farms in Half Moon Bay. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Monterey Park on Wednesday to honor the 11 people killed in that mass shooting incident over the weekend. We’re also learning more about some of the people who lost their lives. Reporter: Josie Huang, KPCC In the wake of the recent mass shootings in California, there’s more focus on gun violence restraining orders or Red Flag laws. These allow authorities to temporarily seize firearms and ammunition from people who’ve been reported as a danger by family members or co-workers. Guest: Mara Elliott, City Attorney in San Diego Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There has been another deadly mass shooting in the state, this time in the coastal Bay Area community of Half Moon Bay. Seven people were killed and one injured Monday in a pair of shootings at agricultural centers in the city. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED On Monday night, over 200 people gathered in Monterey Park for a candlelight vigil to honor the victims of the mass shooting at the Star Dance Studio. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW We're learning more about the victims of Saturday's massacre in Monterey Park. Reporter: Josie Huang, KPCC In Sacramento on Monday, Asian American legislators gathered at the state capitol to call for stricter gun laws and to honor the victims of the mass shootings in Monterey Park. Reporter: Sarah Mizes-Tan, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 people, five men and five women, are dead and seven people remain in the hospital after a 72-year-old man opened fire in a Monterey Park dance studio late Saturday night. The suspected gunman took his own life on Sunday. The Monterey Park shooting reminds us about just how seemingly random incidents of mass violence can be. That leaves many feeling scared and vulnerable. Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCC San Francisco kicked off Lunar New Year celebrations on Sunday, but the mass shooting in Southern California weighed heavily on those who were there. Reporter: Juan Carlos Lara, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden toured Capitola Village and Seacliff State Park in Santa Cruz County on Thursday. Both of the areas were two of the hardest hit by the recent winter storms. A new bill would give California college athletes more protections and require Division I schools to share revenue with athletes whose market value exceeds the amount of their scholarships. That money would be paid after an athlete graduates. There’s a beam of light bringing people together in Sacramento, where long suffering basketball fans finally have a reason to celebrate. Reporter: Bianca Taylor, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Madera County near Yosemite, the new year has brought more than just stormy weather. The county’s only hospital closed. That leaves 150,000 residents without specialty care, without an emergency room and many of the hospital’s 700 employees without a job. Guests: Omar Rashad and Dympna Ugwu-Oju, Reporters, Fresnoland Los Angeles City Council members are renewing calls for unarmed crisis response efforts by LAPD. This comes after the first week of the year saw two fatal police shootings, and the death of 31-year-old Keenan Anderson, who was repeatedly tased by officers. Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCC Pacific Gas and Electric is in criminal court again, this time to fight charges it killed four Shasta County residents in a 2020 wildfire. The company is facing four counts of manslaughter for its alleged role in starting the Zogg Fire near Redding. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the aftermath of a massacre that left six people dead in the small farming town of Goshen early Monday, details remain sparse. The victims include a teen mother and her infant son. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR California could soon have a new repository of electric power, capable of stabilizing the state’s power grid. A German company is building a virtual power plant brimming with potential. Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Six people were shot and killed in a small San Joaquin Valley community early Monday morning. Reporter: Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado, KVPR When the pandemic hit in early 2020, local governments across the country passed eviction moratoriums to protect tenants from becoming homeless if they couldn’t afford to pay their rents. As the pandemic has eased, many of those protections have been eliminated. One place they still exist is Los Angeles, but maybe not for long. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The storms that have battered much of California will finally start to subside this week. Rain is expected to die down on Monday, although parts of Northern California and the Bay Area could see more precipitation on Wednesday. Much of Southern California will likely start a dry spell starting Tuesday. As communities clean-up following the storms, President Biden has declared a major disaster in California. Reporter: Katherine Monahan, KQED The achievement gap between Black and Latino students and other groups is a long standing problem throughout California. Tony Thurmond, the state superintendent of public instruction, has appointed a task force to identify solutions. But on this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we're checking in with a group that's working at the local level to close the achievement gap. Guest: Lisa Mitchell, Executive Director of African American Academic Acceleration, or A4, Fresno Unified School District Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Salinas River is still at risk of flooding, but authorities now say it may not be quite as bad as they had been predicting. Several low-lying communities near the river remain under evacuation orders and warnings. The intense rains so far this year have flooded farm fields across the state, forcing farmworkers to stay home -- which for most means no pay. Reporter: Leslie Berestein Rojas, KPCC Sam Anderson was surprised to hear a high school friend from New Jersey was accused of murder in connection with an illegal marijuana operation in Mendocino County. The California Report Magazine host Sasha Khokha spoke with Anderson about his wild experiences reporting on what really happened for his podcast "Crooked City: The Emerald Triangle." Reporter: Sasha Khokha, The California Report Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto is warning people to be prepared for the Monterey Peninsula to become an island because of flooding from the Salinas River. Nieto warned that flooding Thursday could eliminate all travel routes on or off the peninsula, leaving people stranded on either side. As the winter storms move through the state, power outages and flooding can make it hard for families to get and preserve food. State officials say families who get CalFresh benefits can apply for replacement funds on their EBT card if their food was lost or destroyed due to misfortune or a disaster. Reporter: Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli, KQED Even in the midst of all this rain, wine makers and grape growers are worried about what wildfire smoke from next fire season will do to their wine. UC Vineyard advisor Chris Chen says the best time to think about preventing fires is when they’re still months away. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED The Merced County town of Planada remains evacuated this morning. About 200 people are sheltering at the Merced fairground and with more rain expected they’re worried about their homes and what happens next. Guest: Esther Quintanilla, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom toured Capitola Village near Santa Cruz Tuesday, surveying the flood damage to small businesses there hit hard by storm surges. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED In Santa Barbara County, cleanup is underway now that evacuation orders have been lifted. Local leaders consider the evacuations a success. There are no reports of major injuries or deaths. Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KCBX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The entire town of Montecito has been evacuated. The order comes exactly five years to the day after a deadly mudslide destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes there after rain washed out a wildfire burn scar. Part of Santa Barbara and the nearby communities of Carpenteria and Summerland were also ordered to evacuate yesterday. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED Governor Gavin Newsom is set to outline his spending priorities for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The new budget proposal comes at a time when the state is facing a projected $24 billion dollar deficit — a sharp contrast to last year when California had a record surplus. Reporter: Alexei Koseff, CalMatters Bakersfield native Kevin McCarthy claimed the Speaker’s Gavel in the House of Representatives early Saturday after a historic 15 rounds of voting. To get there, the San Joaquin Valley Republican made many concessions to party hard-liners. But he didn’t miss a beat during his acceptance speech that made frequent references to his Central California upbringing. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Newsom Says 12 Californians Died in Extreme Weather The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for a large swath of Northern and Central California with 6 to 12 inches of rain expected through Wednesday in the already saturated Sacramento-area foothills. CalMatters Investigates $35 million in Leftover Campaign Cash A new investigation from CalMatters found there are nearly 100 politicians across California sitting on 35 million dollars in leftover campaign funds. CalMatters’ Ben Christopher explains why, and what’s happening to all this money. Reporter: Ben Christopher, CalMatters What Happens After Native American Tribes Get Their Land Back? Governor Gavin Newsom is setting aside $100 million dollars to support Native American tribes in buying back their ancestral lands. It’s part of his “30 by 30” pledge… to preserve one third of state lands and coastal waters by the year 2030. But once a tribe gets their land back… how do they restore and preserve it? An indigenous tribe in Humboldt County bought back 48 acres of land earlier this year. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historic Rainfall Is Especially Tough On The Unhoused California is assessing damage and cleaning up after a week of historic rains. The National Weather Service says San Francisco experienced its wettest ten day period in 150 years. All that rainfall has been especially tough on the unhoused population. California Still In A Drought Despite Torrential Rains The past few big storms have eased drought conditions across the state, but not as much as you might think given the deluge. 98% of California is still in some state of drought. KQED climate reporter Ezra David Romero has the story. CA Governor Gets Sworn In Today Governor Gavin Newsom holds his inaugural celebration in Sacramento later this morning. As KQED Politics Editor Scott Shafer reports, it’s no accident that Newsom chose January 6th to do it. McCarthy Still Unable To Secure Speaker Vote Central Valley congressman Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the speaker’s gavel for a third day as the House of Representatives held an 11th round of voting in Washington on Thursday. McCarthy needs 218 votes to assume the speaker position but remains way short. Back home in Bakersfield, McCarthy constituents are watching closely – some in horror, others with glee. Bakersfield Prison Cited For Violating Workers Rights California’s workplace health and safety regulators have cited a for-profit prison company for violations affecting detained workers locked up at an immigration facility near Bakersfield. It's likely a first. KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Storm Packs A Punch Overnight California continues to be lashed by what’s called a “bomb cyclone” storm this morning, with forecasters warning about rain rates of up to one inch…per hour…in some places and winds of 70 and 80 miles per hour. Infant Killed In Storm When Tree Falls On House In Occidental One of two deaths reported in Wednesdays historic storm includes an infant from Sonoma County. Fire officials say the child died when a large tree fell on his family's home in Occidental. Police in Fairfield say a second death involved a woman who's car careened out of control and struck a light post. San Francisco Mayor Pleads With Residents To Dial 3-1-1 Instead Of 9-1-1 For Storm Related "Non-Life Threatening" Incidents At a press conference on Wednesday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed warned her city’s residents about the dangerous conditions and she’s asking people to avoid tying up emergency lines with non-emergency calls. Heavy Rains Disturb Ancient Burial Sites Around Wilton Rancheria In South Sacramento Tribal leaders at the Rancheria are concerned that continued flooding from the Consumnes River could be disturbing sacred burial grounds nearby. CapRadio’s Sarah Mizes-Tan has the story. Storms Are Creating Additional Misery For The Homeless Before heavy rains started failing in San Francisco, The California Report co-host Madi Bolanos spoke to some unhoused individuals to see how they were preparing to cope with the rain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get ready. Another powerful rain and wind storm is set to pummel parts of California on Wednesday and Thursday. The National Weather Service said parts of Northern California and the Bay Area should expect widespread flooding. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED In San Francisco, small business owners are still dealing with damages from the last big storm. Now, they have to prepare for more rain and wind. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California Report A state report out Tuesday reveals major racial disparities in policing in California in 2021. According to the data, black drivers and pedestrians were searched and subjected to use of force at more than twice the rate of white drivers and pedestrians, despite police stopping more white individuals. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Much of California is still trying to clean up from stormy weather that has hit much of the state over the past week. But forecasters said the worst could be on the way, as an atmospheric river forms off the coast. A new year is bringing a bumper crop of new state laws, which are now officially on the books. They cover everything from abortion to housing and gun rights. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After having a baby, mothers are often barraged with pressure to return to their pre-pregnancy lives and bodies. And that can take a toll on both mental and physical health during one of the most vulnerable periods of their lives. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC For many people, the New Year means setting resolutions and goals for 2023. But for one immigrant, who’s now living in the Bay Area, it means rehabbing his life, following a long stint in prison. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With New Year's Eve around the corner, that means millions of Californians will be out celebrating the end of 2022 and start of a new year. And that could entail a night of drinking. But is there a way to stop from having a nasty hangover the next day? Guest: Danielle Venton, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the tops of the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California lies plants that exist nowhere else in the world. The Pebble Plains ecosystem is more than a million years old. It’s an old expert at adapting to a changing climate, and yet, it’s dying out faster than ever before. Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW During the holidays, many people spend time with their loved one, but also enjoy food that is celebrated in their cultures. Think tamales for Latin American families, or the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Japanese American families often celebrate the New Year in their own way – with mochi. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most Californians are feeling the effects of the drought. But in big areas of the state, where people rely on groundwater, the pain of this drought is especially severe. Wells are going dry and there’s intense competition to find more water that’s underground. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report California’s bighorn sheep population will soon be getting some help in dealing with the state’s drought. A project is underway to build nearly a hundred artificial watering holes for bighorn sheep in San Bernardino, Riverside and Inyo counties. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This has been a big year for space exploration. There was the deployment of a powerful new space space telescope. It's peering billions of years back through time and bringing us stunning images of our universe when it was in its infancy. And a rocket was launched to the moon in preparation for humankind's return to the lunar surface. Guests: Danielle Venton, KQED and Benjamin Burress, Astronomer at the Chabot Space and Science Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of construction delays, and tens of billions of dollars in cost overruns, California’s high-speed rail project has become one of the most controversial infrastructure projects in the country. We go to the Central Valley, to check in on the first phase of high speed rail’s construction and get local reactions to the project’s problems. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The cold weather has hit California and for many Californians, that means the smell of warm tamales wafting through the house. We wanted to learn more about this iconic dish, and it's evolution in California, and why it's so popular during the Christmas holiday. Guest: Bill Esparza, Author of the book L.A. Mexicano Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Residents are assessing the damage after Tuesday's 6.4 magnitude earthquake on California's North Coast. Fire departments in Humboldt County have already been out surveying homes and businesses to find out the extent of the damage. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio Thursday is the fifth night of Hanukkah. All over the world, for many centuries, Jewish people have marked the holiday by eating foods fried in oil. In a city as diverse as Los Angeles, Hanukkah is celebrated with fried foods from Europe, Asia and Africa. Reporter: Robin Estrin, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two people are dead as a result of Tuesday's 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Humboldt County. At least a dozen were injured. Reporter: Erik Neumann, Jefferson Public Radio Most of the damage from Tuesday’s quake happened in the small Humboldt County town of Rio Dell. Much of the town is still without power or water. Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQED This month's first-of-its-kind offshore wind lease auction along California’s coast generated a healthy $750 million in combined sales. The state is charging ahead with plans for floating wind turbines miles off its coastline, preparing for a novel source of clean energy, enough power for 1.5 million homes. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Across California and the nation, governments are looking at new ways to address the crisis of growing unhoused communities. In Sacramento, the city and county have agreed to take a new approach -- bringing shelter and health care services directly to homeless encampments. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio The Biden Administration has announced a big goal of reducing homelessness 25% nationwide by 2025. Housing advocates in California are lauding the plan, but they’re wondering who’s going to pay for it. Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Survivors of September's Mill Fire, which devastated parts of Siskiyou County, are continuing to put the pieces of their lives back together. Now, residents’ access to state and federal assistance will determine whether the historically Black neighborhood of Lincoln Heights in Weed will be able to stay together. Reporter: Erik Neumann, Jefferson Public Radio The Trump-era immigration policy known as Title 42 is scheduled to end this week. Title 42 allowed border patrol agents to turn away migrants at the border. And they don't get a chance to pursue an asylum case in immigration court. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

State utility regulators have approved a controversial proposal that will change how future owners of rooftop solar systems will be compensated for the excess power they produce that’s fed into the grid. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED After years of promising to do so, CalFire has released new, updated hazard maps to help Californians determine if they live in places that face increased wildfire risk. The interactive map was more than a decade in the making and comes after groups voiced criticism of CalFire, calling the department’s maps antiquated and “inexcusable.” Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio Sea level rise poses a threat to California’s coastline. But we don’t often think about how rising water could push contaminants into neighborhoods, especially places near former military or industrial sites. Around half of those sites in California are located in the Bay Area. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bakersfield is now home to the Central Valley’s first Holocaust Memorial. The tranquil garden is a monument against hate and rising anti-Semitism. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Study after study shows an alarming increase in hate crimes and racist incidents in California targeting a variety of groups, including Jews. Worries about rising anti-Semitism have gotten more attention recently after the bigoted comments of artist Kanye West who now goes by the name Ye. How is California's Jewish community reacting? Guest: Heidi Gantwork, President and CEO of the Jewish Foundation of San Diego The State Task Force studying reparations for Black residents with enslaved ancestors is meeting this week in Oakland. One item on the agenda? Discussing how reparations might help overcome negative stereotypes about Black families. Reporter: Annelise Finney, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s desert lands have long been used for everything from mining to military training to rest and relaxation. Think Palm Springs. Now, the state’s deserts have a growing role in helping to create a green energy revolution. And that's sparked a backlash among some who argue that desert wilderness is being sacrificed for renewable power goals. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report The oil industry says it has enough signatures to get a measure on the state ballot to overturn California's recently enacted buffer zone law. It restricts new oil wells, keeping them away from homes and schools. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent sale of five leases off the coast of California for offshore wind turbine projects is seen as a victory for renewable energy advocates. But it’s also raising safety concerns about one of California’s treasures -- the whales that migrate off the coast every year. Reporter: Amanda Wernik, KCBX Most of the estimated 270, 000 janitors in California work in the private sector. A new study finds their median wages are well below what state law requires. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED With COVID-19 rates rising, California’s Director of Public Health is urging anyone over 50 years old to have a treatment plan in place in case they get infected. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio California’s COVID sick pay law offers up to 2 weeks of paid leave for reasons related to COVID – but it’s expiring at the end of this month. Reporter: Carly Severn, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management just sold five leases for wind turbine projects off the coast of California. Three are located in Morro Bay off the Central Coast. Now, local indigenous tribes are speaking up about the projects. Reporter: Gabriela Fernandez, KCBX Every year in the three weeks around Thanksgiving, the official count of monarch butterflies takes place. Over the last few decades, the monarch butterfly population has been in decline. But this year, volunteers counted 129,000 butterflies in San Luis Obispo County alone. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Bay Area member of Congress says federal immigration authorities plan to end their contract with a Northern California county jail, the last public facility in the state to hold immigrants fighting deportation. It comes after years of outcry over substandard conditions. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED A tiny local election in the Central Valley could have big ripple effects for farming, and water. The Westlands Water District produces crops like tomatoes, garlic, and almonds – and it’s historically fought with environmentalists, who accuse the wealthy farmers there of hogging water. Westlands has just elected a slate of board members promising a new strategy - a recognition that large-scale farming will have to shrink. Reporter: Dan Charles in collaboration with the Food and Environment Reporting Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new bill introduced this week would make it illegal for unhoused residents in California to sit or sleep in certain public spaces. The proposal is already drawing ire from advocates, who say it does little to solve homelessness. Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED California is home to the largest population of Cambodians in the U.S.. Most Cambodians who first arrived in the country came as refugees in the 1980s. They were fleeing the communist Khmer Rouge regime where an estimated two million Cambodians were killed through starvation, torture, executions and much more. 40 years later, Cambodians in California are still grappling with mental health issues caused by this genocide. Guest: Soreath Hok, Reporter, KVPR The Interior Department finalized the sale of offshore wind leases along California’s coast on Wednesday. Combined bids totaled more than $750 million. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you've ever thought twice about jaywalking because of fear getting a ticket that will soon change. Starting on January 1, California's "Freedom to Walk Act" becomes law. It will prohibit police from writing jaywalking tickets, unless people are caught trying to cross the street in clearly dangerous traffic conditions. Guest: John Yi, Executive Director of Los Angeles Walks State Senator Scott Wiener is yet again introducing a bill to make it easier to build affordable housing on land owned by religious groups and nonprofit colleges. This is his third attempt in getting similar legislation passed. Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sky-high gas prices this year prompted Governor Gavin Newsom to propose a new law limiting how much oil companies can charge at the pump. Newsom’s proposal would put a cap on how much companies can charge for a gallon of gas and penalize those that charge more. But it doesn’t include specific profit ceilings yet. Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio Popular countertops made from synthetic stone are making the people who cut and process them sick. Some of these workers – most of whom are immigrants – are dying. The problem is particularly bad in Los Angeles. Reporter: Leslie Berestein Rojas, KPCC in collaboration with Public Health Watch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices