KQED's The California Report

U.S Supreme Court Rules Against Parts of California's Ban on Indoor WorshipOver the weekend, some parishioners gathered in houses of worship across the state after the U.S Supreme Court ruled against parts of California’s ban on indoor worship services put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. Collapse of Highway 1 Means Big Economic Consequences for Big Sur CommunitiesHighway 1 along the coast of Big Sur is one of the most scenic stretches of pavement in the country, but it can also be fragile. A big chunk of Highway One collapsed in heavy rains last month, and that has big economic consequences for the tourism-dependent communities in Big Sur. Reporter: Erika Mahoney, KAZU Campaign to Recall Newsom from Office Appears to be Gaining SteamA recent poll by UC Berkeley shows support for Governor Gavin Newsom falling. And the campaign to recall him from office, once a fringe idea, appears to be gaining steam. Recall organizers have until March 17th to turn in a million and half verified voter petition signatures to qualify a recall measure for the ballot. Inside a Vaccination Super CenterMore than nine million Californians get their health care from Kaiser-Permanente. And for both its members and non-members, Kaiser is playing a growing role in the distribution of the coronavirus vaccines. Guest: Dr. Michael Moore, a director of Kaiser's COVID-19 vaccination programs Families Wait for Relief After President Biden Revokes Travel BanOne of Joe Biden’s first actions as president was to revoke Donald Trump’s travel ban against several Muslim-majority and African nations. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay Area Congressional Representatives Condemn Enduring Trauma from Family Separation PolicyCongressional representatives from the Bay Area condemned the enduring trauma caused by the Trump administration’s family separation policy. That policy has drawn shock and anger since coming to light in 2018. Reporter: Michelle Wiley, KQED Scientists Still Unsure How to Treat COVID-19 Related Brain FogA new study out this week suggests long-term cognitive issues may be more common than we thought, especially in people who had mild COVID-19 cases. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED Berkeley Considers Upending Rules Around Single Family ZoningBerkeley was the first city in the country to adopt single-family zoning. Or rules that restrict housing development to one home on one lot. That was back in 1916. Now Berkeley is one of a handful of California cities considering upending those rules. Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED New Labor Laws Reveal Glaring Inequities in State's Art SectorSmall arts groups are struggling to comply with the new rules while coping with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Reporter: Chloe Veltman, KQED Incentives Allowed by California Regulators May Have Made Rural Grids More VulnerablePG&E is suspected of causing last year’s deadly Zogg Fire in Shasta County last year. At the time, the utility had turned off power in parts of several counties, but not in the area where the Zogg Fire started. Guest: Steve Weissman, Policy Advisor, Center for Sustainable Energy & Lecturer, UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Grocery Association Sues Over 'Hero Pay' for Essential Workers The California Grocers Association sued Oakland on Wednesday, a day after the city council mandated an additional $5 an hour in pay for workers at supermarkets there. Disputes have escalated as more California cities consider ordinances aimed at compensating grocery workers during the pandemic. Workers protested in Long Beach, where Krogers has announced two store closures in response to a similar mandate. Guest: Howard Simmons, Ralphs Employee KQED's Digital Team Takes on Listener Questions about Vaccinations California’s COVID vaccine rollout has been among the slowest in the nation. Those eligible have found it hard to know where to get the vaccine. So people are looking for information where they can, including from KQED. Guest: Carly Severn, KQED San Francisco Files Lawsuit Against District to Force Classrooms Open San Francisco’s school board president is calling a lawsuit filed .. against the district by the city petty and embarrassing. The city maintains the district lacks a plan to safely reopen public schools during the pandemic. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Biden Administration Works with State to Open Two New Vaccination Sites in California The sites will be at the Oakland Coliseum and California State University - Los Angeles. Governor Newsom said the locations were chosen intentionally. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED PG&E Faces New Conditions on Federal Probation The conditions were prompted by the company's suspected role in starting a deadly Shasta County fire last fall. REporter: Dan Brekke, KQED Two Bay Area Lawmakers Propose Building 'Social Housing' to Address High Housing Costs Assemblymembers Alex Lee of San Jose and Buffy Wicks of Oakland introduced the Social Housing Act earlier this week. It would create a statewide housing authority to build and manage housing that’s available to not just the poorest residents, but to middle-income people as well. Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden signed several executive orders on immigration Tuesday, including one that creates a task force to reunify migrant families separated by the Trump administration. Reporter: Michelle Wiley, KQED President Biden recently signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to stop contracting with private prisons. What impact could this have on detention facilities here in California? Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KVCR As the COVID-19 surge slowly subsides in our hospitals, the state public health department says nurse staffing ratios will begin to return to normal. Hospitals desperate to find enough staff during the surge applied for waivers allowing nurses to care for more patients than they normally would. Reporter: Jackie Fortiér, KPCC Dealing with COVID skeptics in your family isn't easy. Take it from one L.A. journalist who’s been working at it with his dad this past year. He consistently provided his father with accurate information about COVID-related health risks, and even convinced him to get the vaccine. Guest: Gustavo Arellano, L.A. Times California's outgoing Attorney General Xavier Becerra has filed a brief with a federal appeals court, arguing the federal government should be allowed to enforce its robocall ban for the years 2015-2020. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a campaign to recall Governor Gavin Newsom inches closer to the ballot, a new poll shows voters are unhappy with his handling of the pandemic, just 46% approve of the job he’s doing. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED As Newsom’s ratings fall, former San Diego Mayor and Republican Kevin Faulconer, announced last night he’s running for governor, whether in 2022 or a recall election, if there is one. Opinions on his time as mayor are mixed. Guest: Katie Orr, KQED Immigrant advocates are calling on federal authorities to release most people held at immigration detention centers in California. This comes after the Biden administration issued new priorities for who should be arrested and locked up. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress are proposing an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Five years ago, California debated its own $15 minimum wage. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED In Southern California, two grocery chains are planning to close stores in Long Beach. it’s a move that comes after the city passed a temporary pay raise for local grocery workers because of the pandemic. Reporter: David Wagner, KPCC TV, movie, and commercial shoots in the L.A. area have gotten the go-ahead to resume production this week. This comes a month after three industry groups recommended that local production be put on hold, due to a surge in COVID cases. Reporter: Chery Glaser, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oxygen Suppliers Struggle to Keep Up with Demand from COVID-19 patients COVID-19 patients who recover enough to go home from the hospital often need supplemental oxygen. But with so many COVID patients, oxygen companies are struggling to keep up with the demand. Reporter: Jackie Fortiér, KPCC At least four employees linked to the company’s plant in south Fresno have now died. A December outbreak there infected at least 193 workers and prompted an investigation by the county health department. Reporter: Alex Hall, The California Report New preliminary data show the University of California got a record number of applications this year, with a remarkable surge in members of underrepresented groups looking for a spot. Guest: Teresa Watanabe, Reporter, L.A. Times It’s back to business for many parts of the Los Angeles economy this month. Restaurants are open for outdoor dining, mini golf and batting cages are hosting guests, and nail salons are opening too. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shirley Weber Confirmed as California's Top Election Official San Diego Assemblywoman Shirley Weber will become California's first Black Secretary of State roughly half a century after her family fled Arkansas when her father was threatened by a lynch mob. No legislator in either house opposed the nomination, but all Senate Republicans abstained. Guy Marzorati, KQED There have been a lot of major announcements in the last few weeks related to the pandemic, from Governor Gavin Newsom's lifting of the stay at home order to new rules for who gets priority for getting a COVID-19 vaccination. Guest: Molly Peterson, KQED health reporter The state has vaccinated more than 8,000 people incarcerated in state prisons, but it’s unclear if any ICE detainees have been vaccinated yet. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED People with underlying health conditions were originally set to get vaccinated after most essential workers. Now that the governor is shifting to an age-based system, people with disabilities feel they’ve been pushed out of line. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED The audit says EDD had a heads up from the Department of Labor as far back as May that it needed to prepare for more than a billion dollars’ worth of potentially fraudulent claims. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Adhiti Bandlamudi shares this story about living with two people who have a different idea about what it is to be safe during COVID. Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democratic State Lawmakers Renew Push for Bail Reform In November, state voters sided the bail industry, and killed legislation that would have ended cash bail in the state and replaced it with a system that gave judges more power to decide who should be released from jail before trial.Now Democratic state lawmakers are taking another swing at bail reform. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Governor Gavin Newsom is going through a political rough patch, with people criticizing his sometimes confusing pandemic announcements and tendency to act first and explain himself later to other elected officials. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED California’s slow vaccine rollout has been blamed on a limited vaccine supply, but having enough trained people to actually give the shots on an industrial scale is also a factor. Reporter: Tarryn Mento, KPBS According to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, nearly 4,000 inmates and staff members have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. Sheriff’s office spokesperson Tony Botti says the high caseload in the jail reflects what’s happening in the county. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR Most changes in the virus don’t raise alarm bells. But genomic sequencing can help identify variants that are more deadly or contagious. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio The newly formed Open Schools California unifies parent groups from San Diego to Marin. These are parents who accuse the governor of not having the political will to re open school campuses, after nearly a year of distance learning. Reporter: Julia McEvoy, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labor Unions Lobby for Vaccine EligibilityFor weeks, labor unions like the powerful Service Employees International Union have been pressing state and local officials to provide vaccinations to their members as quickly as possible. As vaccine eligibility shifts, other groups are making pleas too. Reporter: Darrell Satzman, KCRW Supervisors got a report on Tuesday from the L.A. County counsel’s office about how Villanueva could be removed from office. County counsel said there are four possibilities to remove the elected sheriff: one would be to amend the county charter, another would be a voter recall. Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCC A street medicine team in Bakersfield is working to educate people experiencing homelessness about the pandemic, including misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, KQED Many Californians were surprised when this week Governor Gavin Newsom announced he was lifting the state’s stay at home order. But a lot of state legislators were also surprised. They say it’s part of a pattern that’s emerged with this governor. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED It’s called MyTurn. You can go online now to register… the system will notify you when you’re eligible for a shot. Beginning in February those who qualify can begin booking appointments. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED State Auditor Finds Agency Charged with Sending Out Unemployment Checks Still Falling ShortAccording to the audit, the Employment Development Department’s call centers still aren’t functioning efficiently, despite the agency hiring more 55,000 new staffers. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the state works to speed up delivery of the coronavirus vaccine, Governor Gavin Newsom says California will shift its priorities for who’s at the top of the list, and put people over 65 in line to get shots first. Reporter: Molly Peterson, KQED California renters who faced the prospect of mass evictions at the end of this month might not have to worry in the short term. That after the state's top lawmakers and Governor Newsom reached a tentative agreement to extend an eviction moratorium through June. Reporter: Molly Solomon, KQED Governor Newsom lifted regional stay-at-home orders yesterday in favor of county-by-county restrictions. The changes mean hair and nail salons can reopen, and allows outdoor dining in many places. Local officials could choose to impose stricter rules. Guest: Anne Rimoin, Professor of Epidemiology, UCLA Fresno County officials say they want to prioritize farmworkers for vaccination, but the county is facing a challenge, they are ready to vaccinate 30,000 people every week, but don't have the supply to do so. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED A new economic forecast says things are improving for the Los Angeles area, fed by optimism around the coronavirus vaccines. From construction, to healthcare, to retail, companies are hiring. But some sectors of the local economy are months away from recovery Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW Nine school districts in California are starting rapid COVID-19 testing of their students and staff. It’s a pilot program that could allow more schools in the state to reopen safely. Reporter: Julia McEvoy, KQED A lot of people are struggling to pay their rent, mortgage and other bills because of the pandemic. 1.6 million California households are behind on their water bills according to a recent survey from the State Water Resources Control Board. Reporter: Nina Sparling, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's Justice Department Launches Civil Rights Investigation Into L.A. County Sheriff Department Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the inquiry comes after credible reports of excessive force, retaliation and other misconduct at the Sheriff’s Department. Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCC Throughout the pandemic private citizens have crowdsourced everything from COVID case tallies to behavior risk calculators Lesley McClurg, KQED COVID-19 has spread like wildfire inside a jail north of Sacramento that also holds immigrant detainees. Now, about half of all the people locked up there have tested positive for the virus. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who Will be the Next California Attorney General?Other than Governor, being California’s Attorney General is arguably the most coveted political job in California. It makes you the Golden State’s top prosecutor, you get tons of attention, and the job can serve as a launching pad to higher office, like it did for Vice President Kamala Harris. The Attorney General’s position will soon be vacant and lots of people want the job. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED This will mean more regular beds and ICU beds at Pacifica Hospital of the Valley in Sun Valley. And the state is reopening Pacific Gardens Medical Center in Hawaiian Gardens, which had closed four years ago. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC San Jose Senator Dave Cortese says despite the fanfare around Newsom's goal to start re-opening next month, plenty of disagreements remain. That includes a proposal for weekly testing of students. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Just over three thousand inmates have gotten their first dose of the vaccine so far, but it still takes a few weeks for it to take effect. Health experts fear the worst is yet to come. Reporter: Marco Siler-Gonzales, KQED COVID-19 has spread like wildfire through California’s prisons and jails. To reduce caseloads and deaths, the state has prioritized certain groups of inmates for early release. Reporter: Lucy Copp The California Report Magazine: The History of 'Amazing Grace' and U.S PresidentsFor years, there’s been this link between Amazing Grace” and U.S. presidents all along the political spectrum. Reporter: Chloe Veltman, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People Who Knew Kamala Harris Best Reflect on Watching Her Ascend to the White HouseKamala Harris represents a lot of firsts, from the first female vice president to the first Black vice-president to the first vice president of South Asian descent. But what do the people who knew Harris as a San Francisco D.A., California Attorney General, and U.S Senator think about her ascent? Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED After the new vice president was sworn in yesterday, Kamala Harris turned her attention to her first official duty: swearing in her replacement to represent California in the U.S. Senate. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Amanda Gorman is the 22-year-old poet from Los Angeles who recited her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the inauguration. Gorman got her start writing poetry through an LA-based non-profit called WriteGirl. Caroline Champlin, KPCC The Biden White House has unveiled an ambitious immigration agenda, including a reform bill that would set a path to legalization for the estimated 11 million undocumented people in this country. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero Overall, Latinos cast an estimated 16.6 million ballots in November and preferred Biden to Trump by a 3 to 1 margin. This new study by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative looked at counties with the most Latino voters in more than a dozen states Reporter: Darrell Satzman, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Biden Inauguration Marks End of Political and Legal Warfare Between California and the Trump Administration The presidency of Donald Trump ends Wednesday morning, and when it does, it will mark the end of four years of feuding with the Trump Administration over issues like health care, the environment, and immigration. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED The New Year’s surge is not as bad as health officials feared. The number of people requiring medical care has stabilized and declined slightly. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED Under the new Trump administration rule, immigration court fees would jump by hundreds of dollars. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta says the fee hikes would have caused plaintiffs irreparable harm, and were likely unlawful. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Health care workers are treating more COVID19 patients than ever in this pandemic, and hospitalizations from the virus are mounting more pressure on an already strained health care system. Reporter: Marco Siler Gonzales, KQED State health officials are recommending a pause in using one batch of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine because of unexpected adverse reactions. Reporter: Molly Peterson, KQED Weeks after Proposition 22 became law, we are already seeing the effects ripple out into industries beyond the “gig economy.” The country’s second-largest grocery store chain, Albertsons, is now laying off its grocery delivery employees and replacing them with contractors at DoorDash. Critics of the measure say they warned this would happen. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED As the sun sets on the Trump Administration, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has proposed removing the protected status of millions of acres of desert lands across California. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Padilla Calls for Legalization of Undocumented Immigrants in Essential Services Kamala Harris will officially resign her California U.S. Senate seat as she prepares to be sworn in as vice president on Wednesday. Harris's appointed successor, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, says undocumented immigrants working in essential services deserve not just labor protections, but the security of a path to citizenship. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks Todd Gloria is San Diego's new mayor. He's a Democrat, and the first openly gay person and person of color to lead San Diego, a city of nearly 1.5 million people. Guest: Todd Gloria, San Diego mayor Fraudsters have stolen as much as $8 billion dollars and counting in unemployment benefits from the state. Now Bank of America is facing a federal lawsuit in connection with that fraud, and the impact it’s had on innocent customers. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris resigned her California U.S. Senate seat today, but that vacant seat won’t be vacant for long. Governor Gavin Newsom tapped current Secretary of State Alex Padilla to serve out the final two years of Harris’s Senate term. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Los Angeles County Approaches Nearly a Million COVID-19 Cases With around 10 million residents, L.A. is the most populous county in the U.S. As the county approaches a million cases, that also means roughly 1 in 10 Angelenos has had a confirmed case of the virus at some point throughout the pandemic. Matt Guilhem, KCRW Los Angeles County Latino Residents Now Dying from COVID-19 at Eight Times the Rate in November The region has been the epicenter of the pandemic for months, but the speed of transmission continues to alarm officials. COVID-19 has devastated communities of color more than any other, and the data is alarming. Guest: Ron Lin, Reporter, Los Angeles Times Pistachio Plant Workers Take to the Streets to Demand Safety Farmworkers and those in food production have been left vulnerable by the pandemic. In the Central Valley, employees of the pistachio producer Primex recently made the rare, risky decision to take to the streets. Guest: Julia Lurie, Mother Jones California Fall Short on Ambitious Vaccination Goals Counties in California aren’t giving shots to members of the public yet. To make that happen, lawmakers and county health officials say they’re going to need a lot more help from the state. Reporter: Sammy Caiola, CapRadio California Steps Up Security Prep as Biden Inauguration Draws Near Newsom activated up to one thousand of the state’s National Guard to work closely with the CHP to protect infrastructure in and around the State Capitol in Sacramento. The move comes just days after the FBI warned of possible armed violence planned by extremist groups targeting all 50 state capitals. Reporter: Scott Shafer, Politics Editor, KQED California Lawmakers Eager for Immediate Action Begin Budget Hearings Lawmakers wasted little time beginning to debate Newsom’s $227 billion budget proposal. It calls for immediate action on several pandemic relief items, including cash payments to the state’s lowest income earners. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

State Officials Announce New Approach to Getting Vaccines to People 65 or Older The idea is to ramp up vaccine distribution to those at greatest risk of becoming hospitalized. This comes after deaths in the state continue to climb, with nearly 600 deaths on Tuesday, according to state data. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Members of California's GOP Congressional Delegation Speak Out Against Impeachment Out of California’s 10 Republican members of congress, only the Central Valley’s David Valadao voted for impeachment. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Trump Ally Kevin McCarthy Stays Loyal to Trump When House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) spoke on the House floor yesterday, he said President Trump was partly to blame for inciting the insurrection. But, he added that impeaching the president would only divide the country further. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED With Accounts Frozen, 1.4 Million Californians Wait for Unemployment Benefits The Employment Development Department locked the accounts in another attempt to fight potential fraud. Applicants got notices saying their claims had been frozen for suspected fraud, and that staff would send instructions on how to unfreeze accounts starting January 6th. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report Los Angeles Leaders Look to Toughen COVID-19 Mask Mandate The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to have an ordinance drawn up that would add penalties for people who don’t cover their faces as infections reach new highs across Southern California. Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRW Legislators Consider Whether to Continue Mailing Every Voter Ballots In an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus at the polls, every registered voter in California was mailed a ballot last year. State Senator Tom Umberg of Orange County is introducing a bill to continue universal vote-by-mail for any election this year. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Coalition of Public Defenders Urges Biden Administration to Reform Immigration System Public defenders are demanding a halt in deportations for a year while repairing the damage they say was done by Trump anti-immigrant policies. The nearly 40 public defense offices also want President-Elect Joe Biden to slash the immigration detention budget and reinvest that money instead in offering lawyers to those who can’t afford one while fighting deportation. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Lawmakers Consider Domestic Terrorism Units State Senator Tom Umberg is proposing a unit to investigate and thwart acts of domestic terrorism and criminal activities by white nationalists, anti-government militia and groups like the Proud Boys. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED The FBI warned this week of the potential for armed protests at all 50 state Capitols. In California, local law enforcement say they are on alert to protect city and county buildings as well. Marisa Lagos, KQED Legal aid groups in California sued to block the fee hikes, and a federal court is hearing the case Thursday. Plaintiffs say low-income immigrants facing deportation will be priced out of a fair day in court. Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

L.A. Moves from Pushing COVID-19 Testing to VaccinationCOVID-19 testing at Dodger Stadium ended Monday as L.A. transitions to more of an emphasis on the distribution of coronavirus vaccines. A vaccination center will soon be set up at the stadium parking lot, where officials hope 12,000 people a day will be able to get a shot when the facility is fully operational. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report San Luis Obispo Prison Suffers Largest COVID-19 Outbreak YetState data show about a third of the population incarcerated at the California Men’s Colony has tested positive for COVID-19 over the past two weeks.. Reporter: Alex Hall, The California Report New Biography "Kamala's Way" Looks at Kamala Harris's Path to PowerKamala Harris will soon make history as the first woman to become vice president. Journalist Dan Morain has a biography out called" Kamala's Way". Guest: Dan Morain, Sacramento Press Club president and author of "Kamala's Way" California Lawmaker Moves to Repeal Law Requiring Public School Teachers on Extended Sick Leave to Pay for Substitutes The policy was put into the California Education Code by the Legislature and the governor back in the 1970s. The Protect School Employees and Medical Leave Act would make sure school employees could continue receiving their full pay while on extended sick leave. Reporter: Julia McEvoy, KQED Facebook Attempts to Manage Fallout from Suspending TrumpMenlo Park-based Facebook is warning employees not to wear company swag after its crackdown on content falsely claiming that Trump actually won the election. Now the company has a warning for employees. Alex Heath, The Information Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most Commonly Used COVID-19 Test in Los Angeles Prone to Inaccuracy, FDA Says The test is made by the company Curative, which was hired to provide tens of thousands of tests at city and county sites throughout Los Angeles. The Food and Drug Administration says the test poses a “risk of false results, particularly false negative results." Jackie Fortier, KPCC People who test positive for COVID-19 typically have symptoms like coughing or headaches that can last for a few days or a few weeks. But for a small number of people, the symptoms linger for months, and can cause debilitating illness even after they test negative. Sammy Caiola, CapRadio It’s notoriously difficult to get housing built in California, and that’s why lawmakers have passed a number of bills in recent years to override local opposition and clear the way for new projects. Now Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing to direct millions of dollars to ensure those laws are actually working so the state can chip away at its chronic housing shortage. Erin Baldassari, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Educators Help Students Make Sense of U.S Capitol Insurrection Teachers Help Students Process Violence at U.S Capitol The storming of the U.S Capital by pro-Trump mob was an awful episode in American history. It also provides a teaching moment for California educators, who are leading difficult discussions about what happened, and why. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED Some Supporters Defend Trump after Capitol Hill Insurrection California is a progressive-leaning Blue state, but it also has big patches of red. Some Republicans in the Central Valley say the insurrection on Capitol Hill does not represent Trump supporters. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Doctors and Nurses Exhausted and Angry as Some Patients Ignore COVID-19 Warnings In California, the virus is claiming about 360 lives a day and infecting thousands more. In overburdened hospitals, doctors and nurses are frustrated by people who are blasé about COVID's dangers or pandemic deniers. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED California Orders Hospitals in Certain Regions to Postpone Non-Essential Surgeries The state issued a new health order to try to ease the strain on over burdened hospitals. Hospitals that have room also must accept patients from other facilities that have maxed out their intensive care beds. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC How College Students Are Processing the Insurrection and Violence in D.C Cal State Los Angeles senior, Marisa Martinez got reactions from two of her fellow students after the insurrection at the Capitol. Reporter: Marisa Martinez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Donald Trump’s words rallied them to action, rioters bent on overturning results of the lawful election stormed the U.S. Capitol building as congress tallied the electoral college vote. Lawmakers were forced to flee the chambers, and hunker down in offices. Some were evacuated to undisclosed safe locations. In response to yesterdays attack on the U.S. Capitol, elected officials were removed to secure locations and told to shelter in place. One California lawmaker said the experience of hiding in her office as rioters roamed the halls, reminded her of school shootings. Guest: Los Angeles Congresswoman, Nanette Diaz Barragan Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the rioters in Washington D.C. and San Francisco Mayor London Breed tweeted that it was quote “an attempted coup encouraged by the president of the United States.” As chaos enveloped the U.S. Capitol. there were also protests in California. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio Yesterday’s insurrection has many Americans asking themselves how the country reached this point. One of them is a political scholar and author of the book “Black Nationalism in the United States: From Malcolm X to Barack Obama.” Guest: James Taylor, Professor, African American Studies, University of San Francisco Members of California law enforcement and civil rights leaders expressed dismay and outrage at the tepid response to the insurrectionists who stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to overturn the election. They say the response would have been very different if the crowd was made up of people of color. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The state’s pandemic numbers continue to worsen, with mushrooming infection rates and more than 27,000 COVID fatalities. California is averaging more than 35,000 cases per day, according to the state. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED Frontline health care workers are supposed to be some of the first people to get the coronavirus vaccines. But many of those workers are hesitant to get the shots. In response, the Los Angeles Fire Department has turned to prizes to encourage its personnel to get vaccinated. Reporter: Angel Carreras, KCRW many California grocery workers could soon get a temporary pay raise under proposals cities and counties are considering. That includes parts of Los Angeles, where COVID cases are higher than ever. Reporter: David Wagner, KPCC Cash bail has long been controversial because of equity and class. If you have access to funds, you can get out of jail. If you don’t, you stay behind bars. Yesterday, California Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a landmark cash bail case that tackles that issue. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED More than 200 workers at Alphabet, the parent company of Google, have announced they are forming a union with the Communications Workers of America. In the past, service workers at companies like Apple and Facebook have joined traditional unions. But the Alphabet union is the first of its kind in Silicon Valley. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Californians who are unhappy with the way Governor Gavin Newsom has handled the coronavirus pandemic are gathering signatures in an attempt to qualify a recall measure in a special election. 1.5 million verified signatures need to be collected by March 17th. Guest: Randy Economy, Gavin Newsom Recall Campaign California's former top elections watchdog is calling for the state to investigate the largest donor to the campaign to recall Governor Newsom. An Orange County Company is suspected of failing to follow rules regarding campaign contributions. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED The California corrections department has reported 19 COVID-related deaths of incarcerated people this week, more than any other week since the pandemic began. 45 people have died over the course of the month. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED In many parts of California that were ravaged by wildfire last year, the rainy season brings a new risk: debris flows. Officials on the Monterey Peninsula are urging the public to follow debris flow evacuation orders, just as they would for a wildfire. Reporter: Michelle Loxton, KAZU California regulators have failed to meet a deadline to create new safety and health rules for oil drilling in the state. At Issue are setback rules for drilling near homes, schools, and playgrounds. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1,200 Medical Workers Deployed to Respond to Pandemic The extra staff includes more than 800 contract workers, but those workers are from the same pool that a lot of hospitals around the state already pull from to get extra help. Reporter: Marco Siler-Gonzales, KQED Last week, stay at home orders were extended for another 3 weeks for the Greater Sacramento region, due to low ICU capacity and rising coronavirus numbers. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED Companies are now requirement to notify employees within 24 hours if there's been a COVID-19 exposure in the workplace. In labor news, the minimum wage is now $14 dollars an hour for larger companies. Guy Marzorati, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bark Beetles Pose New Threat to Giant Sequoias Giant Sequoias are found along a 260 mile range on the slopes of the Sierras. Many of the trees are ancient, and face threats like climate change, droughts and wildfires. Bark beetles are now posing yet another challenge. Reporter:Ezra David Romero, CapRadio Test Can Now Detect Deadly Mushroom Poison in Minutes A team at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Northern California has developed a simple, portable test that can rapidly detect a deadly mushroom poison. The test is now available for sale online just in time for mushroom season. Chloe Veltman, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year California saw some of the most destructive wildfires in state history, blazes that when combined scorched more than three million acres, an area larger than the state of Delaware. Fires also destroyed or damaged thousands of structures and killed dozens of people. Guest: Yana Valachovic, UCANR Forest Advisor A new study on the comprehensive cost of wildfires, estimates that the 2018 California wildfires led to thousands of deaths, far more than the official count. It also cost the state around $150 Billion Dollars. That larger number factors in the harm of air pollution, and the broader economic impacts of these disasters. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re looking back on 2020 and how some of the year’s biggest news stories changed our lives. The coronavirus has had a huge impact on transportation and how Californians get from point A to point B. Public transportation systems have been hit hard. When many people began working from home, buses, trains, and subways saw dramatic decreases in ridership Guest: Ethan Elkind, UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment Five years ago, Volkswagen was in the news for all the wrong reasons. VW's cheating was partly discovered by California air quality regulators, but not before the company had sold or leased 85,000 of its dirty diesel cars to unsuspecting drivers. Now the automaker is hoping it's new all-electric SUV will help repair its image. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we look back on this difficult and confusing year we reflect on the events, movements, and people who helped shape it. Racial justice issues and civil unrest took center stage, and Black Lives Matter was at the forefront of the ongoing fight to end injustice against people of color. Guest: Melina Abdullah, Professor, Cal State Los Angeles Long before the Black Lives Matter movement, at the beginning of the 20th century, a newspaper called The Liberator served L.A.’s Black community, during a time when only a few thousand Black people lived in LA, and were barely represented in other media. Guest: Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, L.A. Bureau Chief, Cronkite News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Look Back at Lessons Learned from the Pandemic There was no bigger or more tragic story than the pandemic this year. KQED's Saul Gonzalez spoke with epidemiologist and public health expert Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo to talk about the coronavirus and how California officials responded to it. Guest: Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo with UC San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richmond Museum Saves Lost Historic Mural A mural called "Richmond: Industrial City" hung in a post office from 1941 to 1976. After it was taken off the wall while the building was renovated, it was put in a crate and put in a basement. It took four years to raise $45,000 dollars to restore the canvas. Reporter: Raquel Maria Dillon, KQED In 1933, Congress passed a series of reforms aimed at pulling America out of the Depression. The New Deal gave rise to the Works Progress Administration, which established the Federal Music Project to help keep musicians at work. Reporter: Austin Cross, KPCC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On November 8th, 2018 The Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise. It killed at least 85 people, and displaced tens of thousands. Two California-based journalists were on the ground as the fire burned and have turned their experience, as well as hundreds of interviews with locals and experts, into a book about the tragedy. Guest: Dani Anguiano, Author, Fire in Paradise The relationship between San Diego and Tijuana, right across the border, is often misunderstood. A new book explores the misunderstood relationship, and common cause, residents of the two cities often find. Guest: Michael S. Malone, Author, El Tercer Pais Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla is heading to Washington to finish Senate term of vice-president-elect Kamala Harris. Governor Gavin Newsom made the historic announcement yesterday. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED If the surge continues, the state could run out of intensive care beds by the end of the month. The state broke another record on Monday with more than 60,000 newly identified cases. That’s despite most of the state now under the governor’s latest regional stay-at-home order. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED In Washington, Congress finally passed a stimulus package this week. Critics say it’s not nearly enough support, but it does offer some relief. Unemployed workers-turned advocates were among those who lobbied lawmakers to do something, by taking on the cause like it’s their job. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The stay-at-home orders affecting most Californians are likely to be renewed and extended into the new year. Statewide two and a half percent of ICU beds are still available, but Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley are at zero percent capacity. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Police use of non-lethal projectiles at demonstrations in California have injured some protestors. Now state leaders are proposing ways to restrict their use. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal Court Filing Looks into PG&E's Role in Deadly Zogg Fire Crews hired to remove potentially hazardous trees in Shasta County were chased away two years ago by a woman brandishing a firearm, according to information PG&E shared with a federal judge. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED Court filings reviewed by KQED show just one of the law firms representing PG&E charged more than $143 million in fees and expenses. PG&E voluntarily entered bankruptcy protection early last year because of liabilities from wildfires caused by its equipment. While PG&E has funded a trust for fire victims, just a tiny fraction of them have received any compensation. Facebook conducted a pre-election misinformation sweep in August, deleting a bunch of groups. One woman in Walnut Creek lost 13 years worth of photos on Facebook in the process. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The availability of intensive care beds at many Southern California hospitals has reached zero percent because of an explosion of new COVID patients. Forecasts predict if infection rates continue, there could be thousands of people in need of ICU beds in the region by early next month. The COVID-19 Pandemic has been tough for California’s child care providers. Many have struggled to keep their doors open in order to care for the children of essential workers, and getting little support themselves. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED For child care providers there is now a direct line to state officials to make the case that they need more resources to work safely during the pandemic. Yesterday, the newly ratified Child Care Providers Union had its second bargaining meeting with the state. Reporter: Deepa Fernandes The United Farm Workers union and two Foster Farms employees are suing the poultry company. They’re asking a judge to immediately force Foster Farms to protect workers from COVID-19 inside one of the company’s plants in the Central Valley. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Any business that serves food in San Diego County is now allowed to reopen after a superior court judge ruled in favor of two San Diego strip clubs that defied the statewide shutdown order. Reporter: Jacob Aere, KPBS Democratic state lawmakers are renewing a push to end mandatory prison sentences for certain drug crimes. The bill would allow judges to choose between jail time, probation, or other options for nonviolent drug offenders. Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

293 people died from the coronavirus in California yesterday and more than 50,000 new cases were reported, setting new daily records as the virus surges. This is putting the statewide healthcare system under great strain. Next year, there are big changes coming to how California deals with young people convicted of crimes. Starting July 1st, the Department of Juvenile Justice will stop accepting virtually all new wards, leaving the state’s 58 counties to figure out how to handle those young people. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED A lot of the Golden State’s history is the story of booming population growth, but according to new state figures, California's population grew at the slowest rate in more than a century. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Early in the pandemic some grocery store chains offered employees hazard pay to compensate workers for the health risks they faced at work during the pandemic. Now, the City of Long Beach is looking to make it a requirement for large chain stores operating in the city. Reporter: Angel Carreras, KCRW Many Americans, including hundreds of thousands of people in California, are hoping for more than just money in the new relief package being hashed out in Congress. They’re hoping they won’t have to pay back unemployment money they’ve been overpaid by their state unemployment agencies. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

the first doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine are going out to frontline healthcare workers across the state. We’ve tracked that story all this week and this morning we look at vaccinations in San Diego. Reporter: Matt Hoffman, KPBS The arrival of the Pfizer vaccine and the anticipated approval of Moderna's vaccine could mean people who are involved in clinical trials for other vaccines might drop out of those studies. Reporter: Tarryn Mento, KPBS A Sacramento disability rights advocate says it took him days to get a COVID-19 test because many of the county’s testing sites are not ADA accessible. Reporter: Sarah Mizes-Tan, CapRadio The University of California, Irvine just signed an agreement with the state prison system to create the first UC bachelor’s degree program behind bars. KQED’s Vanessa Rancaño reports. There are new faces joining Los Angeles’ City Council who have vowed to confront L.A.’s homelessness crisis. They are Mark Ridley-Thomas and Nithya Raman, along with California veteran politician Kevin DeLeon. Reporter: Libby Denkman, KPCC Federal wildlife officials announced this week that Monarch butterflies qualify to be protected as an endangered species. But the iconic insect won’t get that status under the Endangered Species Act right now, because there’s a backlog of species in line for protection. Reporter: Peter Arcuni, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ICU bed capacity hit zero percent in the Central Valley over the weekend. Health officials are activating a COVID surge facility in the Tulare County town of Porterville to treat patients they don’t have room for at the local hospitals. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED As coronavirus vaccinations begin in California many public health experts worry that people may start letting their guard down when it comes to social distancing and other safety measures. Guest: Dr. Kirstin Bibbins Domingo, Epidemiologist, UCSF Frontline health care workers are first in line for the coronavirus vaccine, but which essential workers should come next? Teachers? Delivery drivers? How about the farm workers who pick California’s food crops? The state of California is working with counties to figure it out, and they may not always see eye to eye. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED After making progress last month, California's Unemployment Development Department is once again facing a big backlog of claims even after a new verification system showed initial promise. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Companies like Uber warned they’d have to raise prices if Prop 22 failed and they had to pay for employee protections. Prop 22 passed last month, and Uber’s market value surged, but they're raising prices anyway. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Doctors Ready for Reluctant Patients as Vaccines ArriveAs people start getting vaccinated, California doctors are preparing to talk to patients about it, and the physicians are expecting some resistance. Reporter: Sammy Caiola, KQED That number of restaurants likely to close could be significantly higher in the Bay Area and Los Angeles County where immigrants make up a larger share of restaurant owners. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW L.A County health officials are going to use the Moderna vaccine at nursing homes, and it’s training nursing home staff to administer it. Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, Moderna’s doesn’t require deep-freeze storage. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC Early numbers show Sacramento City Unified enrolled about 600 fewer kindergartners this year, and Los Angeles Unified has thousands fewer. Reporter: Pauline Bartolone, KQED PG&E got out of bankruptcy protection almost six months ago. As part of that deal, the utility agreed to pay a billion dollars to California cities and counties harmed by the wildfires it’s equipment caused. It's unclear where all the money will go. Reporter: Lily Jamali, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Federal Trade Commission and more than 40 states, including California, have accused Facebook of illegally squashing competition by operating as a social media monopoly. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED Latinos are almost 40% of California’s population but they make up nearly 60% of the state’s cases of COVID-19, and half of the deaths. A new survey shows Latinos are more concerned than any other group about how the pandemic is affecting them. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Nine months into the pandemic, COVID testing remains top of mind for Latino activists in the Bay Area. In July, we took you to a pop-up testing site set up by the Latino Task Force in San Francisco’s Mission District. Since then, they've been able to expand testing, but outcomes are still frustrating. Guest: Jon Jacobo, Health Chair, Latino Task Force It's December, but the 2020 Census isn’t over yet. The legal fight over the count continues to play out in court. The 34th congressional district in central L.A. had the state’s lowest response rate to this year’s census, and that has local leaders worried. Reporter: Caroline Champlin, KPCC The closure of playgrounds has been frustrating for frazzled parents during the pandemic. Following outcry from moms, dads, and some lawmakers, the state announced yesterday it will reopen playgrounds at reduced capacity. The California Report’s Saul Gonzalaez visited a playground in L.A.’s Griffith Park. Guest: Mariah Lajara, Mother As COVID cases surge, many hospitals in the Central Valley are approaching capacity. That’s not the case in Mariposa County, But the county’s health officer is warning that resources are becoming scarce for those who need critical care. Reporter: Kerry Klein, Valley Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Diego County Hospitals Grapple with Staffing Shortages Almost 900 COVID positive or suspected positive patients are hospitalized in San Diego County, more than double a month ago. Hospitals are struggling with shortages of staff, personal protective equipment, and testing supplies. Reporter: Tarryn Mento, KPBS Back in 2016, voters in Los Angeles approved Proposition HHH, a $1 billion measure to pay for thousands of new housing units for the homeless over 10 years. KCRW’s Anna Scott has been looking at one project funded with a small slice of those funds. Reporter: Anna Scott, KCRW 50 states have certified their election results, and Joe Biden has won the presidency. But Texas is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the ballots of millions of voters in four swing states, and 106 House Republicans have signed onto an amicus brief to support this. Guest: Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) Officials in San Francisco and Los Angeles introduced resolutions last week asking for school workers to get priority in phase 1 of the vaccination roll out. That would put them right after health care workers and seniors living in congregate settings. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED Public health and other officials in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties want to be designated a separate region, and they want only their metrics used to determine pandemic restrictions. Reporter: Greta Mart, KCBX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An L.A. County judge overturned a ban on outdoor dining Tuesday. In a tentative ruling, the judge called the ban an arbitrary way to control the coronavirus, adding that L.A. County public health officials failed to balance health risks with potential harm to the economy. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED To find out more about the controversy over outdoor dining, and the people on both sides of that debate, The California Report's Mary Franklin Harvin spoke to a journalist who's been following the issue closely. Guest: Farley Elliot, Senior Editor, Eater LA New research that estimates the comprehensive cost of wildfires, found that the 2018 California wildfires led to thousands of deaths, far more than the official count. That larger number factors in the harm of air pollution. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Four men who were set to be released from California prisons earlier this year, were instead handed over to federal immigration authorities. Now they are seeking thousands of dollars in damages from the state. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED This week the city of Fresno named its next police chief. When he’s sworn in next year, Paco Balderrama will make history as the first Latino to lead the department. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, Valley Public Radio California lawmakers have introduced a new bill calling on the state to declare racism a public health crisis. The bill is big on goals but short on details at the moment. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

State lawmakers are introducing a bill that would give public schools a deadline for reopening campuses. The effort comes amid rising concern about the effects of distance learning on children. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED California is launching a new smartphone app to let people know when they’ve been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Governor Gavin Newsom says the app is voluntary and anonymous. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Three Foster Farms facilities in the Central Valley are seeing several cases of COVID-19. They include the site of a major COVID-19 outbreak this summer that resulted in nine deaths nearly 400 infections and. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Uber has struck a deal that hands the keys of its self-driving car division over to startup Aurora Innovation. The deal involves Uber making a $400 million investment in Aurora. Guest: Chris Urmson, CEO, Aurora Innovation Bank of America told California lawmakers as much as $2 billion in unemployment benefits may have been stolen from the state, nearly double the amount previously thought to be lost. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Oral Arguments were heard Monday in San Francisco's 9th Circuit Court of Appeals over whether video of the trial that led to legalization of same-sex marriage in California should be released. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, KQED A U.S.C. survey shows the percentage of people staying home hasn't changed much since June, even as public health experts have urged caution in recent weeks. As much of the state returns to lockdowns approaching what California experienced in March, some experts wonder if the approach makes sense. Guest: Dr. Monica Gandhi, Professor of Medicine and Infectious Disease, UCSF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Legislature to Introduce Pair of Eviction Protection Bills The proposals would get relief into the hands of renters and landlords facing mounting debt and extend eviction protections adopted during the pandemic. Tenants who have been struggling to keep up with rent say the measures can’t come soon enough. Molly Solomon, KQED San Bernardino County now has the second highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state. Instead of paramedics answering every emergency call in an ambulance, healthcare workers will do more symptom assessments over the phone. Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KVCR Positive COVID tests and hospitalizations are both at record highs in California. Doctors and nurses are particularly vulnerable. Medical staffers in the Bay Area, Orange County, and the Central Valley weigh in as they watch cases mount. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED President-elect Joe Biden has chosen California’s Attorney General as his nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services. Xavier Becerra would be the first Latino to serve in that role, a critical one now as impacts of the pandemic get worse. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Becerra’s selection is getting mixed reactions from the medical community. Last week, the American Academy of Family Physicians was one of several groups that called on President-Elect Joseph Biden to select qualified physicians to serve in key health roles. Guest: Dr. Ada Stewart, President of the American Academy of Family Physicians Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a new wave of coronavirus cases engulf California, Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a new regional stay at home order. Areas of the state where ICU capacity dips below 15 percent will have to shut down bars, hair salons, and in person dining both indoor and outdoor. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED The survey from Blue Shield of California was conducted in early October and found that when it came to education, nearly half of the parents were most concerned about COVID-19 health risks, followed by helping their child with remote learning, and their childs’ mental health. Reporter: Alice Woelfle, KQED The National Labor Relations Board complaint names two employees, both of whom Google fired just before Thanksgiving last year. One of them was organizing against Google's decision to work with a corporate consultant known for helping firms fend off unionization efforts. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED In a letter to Governor Newsom this week, the prosecutors say it was only the results of a federal subpoena that made the scope of the fraud clear to them. They are calling for an executive order to make it easier to identify fraudulent applications. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report Trying to guess who Governor Newsom will pick to fill Kamala Harris’ California U.S. Senate seat as she becomes Vice-President. Newsom’s under pressure to select someone who reflects the state’s diversity….but in a state as diverse as ours that’s no easy task. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED News This week on our sister show, The California Report Magazine, they dedicate their whole show to a documentary about Luna Guzmán, a transgender asylum seeker from Guatemala, and her long and sometimes agonizing journey to make it to California. Reporter: Sasha Khoka, The California Report Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California reported more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases yesterday. In Los Angeles County, public health director Barbara Ferrer pleaded with people to wear masks when out of the house. Los Angeles County will begin mailing COVID-19 test kits to some people’s homes. This new effort is aimed at those with mobility issues. Reporter: Jackie Fortier KPCC Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones has tested positive for COVID-19. He has been vocal about his refusal to enforce public health mandates, including mask requirements. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio A red flag warning went into effect for most of Southern California last night as 70-80mph Santa Ana winds whipped through the region. The Bond Fire broke out in Orange County around 10pm and has burned thousands of acres. High profile California politicians, including the Governor and San Francisco Mayor, have been called out recently for defying their own health advice by dining out in groups. Behavior like this can undermine public trust in coronavirus guidelines. Guest: Kimberly Elsbach, Professor of Management, UC Davis A San Francisco based appeals court has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the so-called public charge rule, which penalizes low income immigrants who use public benefits like Medi-Cal and food stamps. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED With the pandemic, the lives of Farmworkers in California have gotten more difficult, and dangerous. A new UC Berkeley study looks at the toll on laborers in one corner of California and why some are hesitant to get vaccinated when treatments do become available. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California Department of Public Health is recommending weekly COVID testing for all health care workers at hospitals. Nurses have been calling for this for months. Reporter: Polly Stryker, KQED As COVID-19 cases soar, communities of color are bearing much of the burden, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. These communities around Sacramento are utilizing several strategies to bring infection rates down. Reporter: Pauline Bartolone, CapRadio Government climatologists say two-thirds of California is in some state of drought. With little rain in the forecast, is this the beginning of another prolonged dry spell? Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED One L.A. area restaurant is defying the ban on outdoor dining which went into effect Monday, and also poking fun at the politicians who didn’t follow their own advice about mask-wearing and social distancing. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW California lawmakers are demanding accountability after it was revealed that a statewide unemployment scam was being run out of jails and prisons. This week, officials confirmed at least $400 million in stolen benefits has been lost through the scheme. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom says the state could see another stay-at-home order for regions where COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admission rates are surging. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Nearly a month after Election Day, the last of California’s close congressional races has been decided, and it brings good news for Republicans. Reporter Guy Marzorati, KQED The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday over whether the Trump Administration can exclude immigrants without legal status from the census totals to determine Congressional seats for each state. The stakes are enormous for California. Reporter: Caroline Champlin, KPCC A group of families have filed a lawsuit against the State of California. The suit claims the state is denying underserved students the equal right to education during the pandemic. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED The San Jose city council will vote today on a measure to ban natural gas in nearly all new buildings beginning next year. The city estimates the ban will prevent hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon emissions from wafting into the atmosphere over the next fifty years. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED Oil and gas companies got approval to drill hundreds of wells in California last year without proper review. That’s outraged environmental groups. Reporter: Nina Sparling, KQED The pandemic has forced millions of Californians to file for unemployment benefits, which has led the state to look for possible unemployment fraud. Those efforts have left some San Diego residents in a months-long fight for their payments. Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices