KQED's The California Report

Governor Newsom Orders Investigation Following Heat-Wave Power Outages Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation into why the state’s electrical grid wasn’t ready for a heat wave-related surge in power demand over the weekend. ISO "Dropped the Ball" Says Board Governor The state didn’t end up calling for blackouts yesterday, thanks in part to Californians who conserved energy. The California Independent System Operator is the non-profit that makes the call on blackouts. A member of its Board of Governors says communication should have been better. Guest: Severin Borenstein, Member, CAISO Board of Governors & Professor, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business California Prepares Legal Action Against Trump Administration Over U.S. Postal Service California has already sued the Trump Administration more than 95 times, and Attorney General Xavier Becerra is looking to add one more suit to the list -- this time, over the U.S. Postal Service. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Rates of Depression and Anxiety Soar Among University Students The rate of students at universities who likely have depression is double what it was a year ago, that’s according to a survey released today from UC Berkeley and other institutions. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED COVID-19 Spreads Rapidly Through ICE Detention Center More than half of the men locked up at a privately-run detention center in Bakersfield have been confirmed with COVID-19. That’s after a federal judge ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to test all detainees at the facility. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED L.A. County Provides Rental Assistance for Tenants Hit by Pandemic Local officials in Los Angeles are releasing more relief money for renters struggling because of the pandemic. Starting this week the county has launched a $100 million dollar emergency rental assistance program for those tenants. Reporter: Anna Scott, KCRW How Did Local Agencies Spend Coronavirus Relief Funds? A new analysis from the Associated Press and Kaiser Health News shows what government agencies are doing with the money they got from the 150 billion dollar Coronavirus Relief Fund. How quickly they spent that money, and what they spent it on, varied widely throughout the state. Reporter: Nina Sparling, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scorching Heat Sets off Power Outages Across California Hundreds of thousands of people across California lost power beginning Friday evening and again on Saturday as hot temperatures became unbearable. The California Independent Systems Operator, instructed utilities to power down parts of the system. 'Firenados' Spotted as Crews Battle Blazes Throughout State Observers of the Loyalton Fire in the Tahoe National Forest reported a fire-induced tornado on on Saturday. That blaze is one of several burning throughout the state. Federal Court Strikes Down California's Ban on High-Capacity Magazines State Attorney General Xavier Becerra says his office is reviewing a decision by the 9th Circuit of the Court of Appeals that struck down California's ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. A three-judge panel ruled on Friday that the blanket ban is an unconstitutional violation of the 2nd amendment. Democratic Party National Convention Kicks Off Tonight — from a Distance The Democratic Party begins its national convention tonight, and what was supposed to be a massive gathering in Milwaukee is now a dramatically pared down event. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

State Lawmakers Scramble as Eviction Ban Set to EndIn the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting job losses, courts in California placed a stop on evictions and foreclosures. But evictions will soon resume again unless state lawmakers can figure out a solution. Reporter: Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, KQED New Data Shows Disparities in Nursing Home Workers Dying from COVID-19Los Angeles County has released new data this week on deaths tied to nursing homes, and it shows that nursing home workers who have died from COVID-19 are more likely to be people of color. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC San Diego County to Begin Free Testing for People Crossing BorderMany people continue to travel between San Diego and Tijuana daily. Now the people crossing the border can get a coronavirus test without an appointment. Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS Californians are Registering to Vote at Historic RatesMore than 83% of eligible voters in California are registered ahead of the November election. According to the Secretary of State’s office, the last time a higher portion of eligible voters signed up, was when Harry Truman was president. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Over 200 Workers at Merced County's Foster Farms Positive for COVID-19With the number of infections among plant employees at Foster Farms Poultry Plant increasing, some say they want all of the plants workers to be tested and for the facility to shut down so it can be cleaned. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED COVID Diaries: California's State Library Documents the PandemicCalifornia's State Library has started the California COVID Diaries, an on-going project to collect and display items from Californians about what they've seen and experienced during the pandemic. Guest: California's State Librarian Greg Lucas Remembering the Brown Berets Who Occupied Catalina Island for Chicano RightsIn 1972, The Brown Berets took on housing discrimination against Mexican-Americans, and occupied Catalina Island, arguing the land did not belong to the U.S government. Reporter: Ariella Markowitz, The California Report Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hughes Lake Fire Forces Evacuations North of L.A. This morning in rural north L.A. County, west of Palmdale, hundreds of firefighters are battling the Lake Hughes Fire. It’s scorched approximately 10,000 acres and is zero percent contained. Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for residents in the area. Uber Threatens Temporary Shutdown to Avoid Paying Overtime and Unemployment Uber and Lyft drivers in California could become employees of those companies instead of contract workers in 8 days because of a court injunction involving lawsuit brought by the state attorney general against the companies. Uber and Lyft are using their network of customers and drivers to fight the ruling Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED UC Reinstates Striking Graduate Students After Union Negotiation UC Santa Cruz has come to an agreement with the union representing graduate students who have been on strike since February. Dozens of the students who were fired from their teaching jobs after withholding grades, are now eligible to work again. Reporter: Hannah Hagemann, KQED Supporting Black Lives Sparks Positive Change in San Joaquin Medical Community In the San Joaquin Valley, close to 300 medical professionals have signed a letter in solidarity with the Black Lives Movement. Some of those who signed say it’s already had a powerful impact. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, Valley Public Radio Working From Home Means Shocking Electricity Bills for Some Californians Californians are seeing their electricity bills rise as they’re forced to spend more time at home. This comes amid the uncertainty and economic hardship caused by the pandemic. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio Farmstand Thrives as Rural Residents Shop Closer to Home The COVID-19 pandemic and the state of the economy have disrupted the food supply chain across the state. In rural Plumas county, a farm stand is helping to reduce food insecurity by offering fresh produce on the honor system. Reporters: Nina Sparling, KQED, and Tessa Paoli Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kamala Harris Makes History as Joe Biden's Running Mate Joe Biden has picked California Senator Kamala Harris to be his vice-presidential running mate. It’s the first time ever that a woman of color will be on a major party presidential ticket and the first time that a California Democrat will also be at the top of such a ticket. Guest: Scott Shafer, KQED Californians Support of Black Lives Matter Movement Grows Harris’ nomination comes as Californians are increasingly concerned about race relations in the state — and supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement. That’s according to a new survey out this week from the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Companies Seek More Diversity on Corporate Boards In the wake of calls to recognize and fight systemic racism in American institutions, there’s growing evidence companies want to do more to add people of color to corporate boards of directors. Reporter: Lily Jamali, KQED Kaiser Is Investing $63 Million in Contact Tracing Health care giant Kaiser Permanente is now getting in the game of contact tracing. It is investing $63 million dollars in the effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED Charter School Law May Escalate Tensions at LAUSD A new state law just took effect that was supposed to de-escalate tensions over charter schools. The LA Unified School Board narrowly approved a plan to carry out the new law. But there’s concern this new policy might actually escalate tensions in the district with the most charter schools in California. KPCC's Reporter: Kyle Stokes, KPCC Android Phones Now Come With Earthquake Alert Millions of Android smartphones users in California will now receive automatic alerts from an earthquake early warning system. Bay Area tech giant Google announced that earthquake warnings are now fully integrated with its operating system. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CA Public Health Director Resigns Following Data Errors There’s much speculation about the resignation of California's top public health director last weekend, but Governor Gavin Newsom is staying tight-lipped. Her departure comes after a glitch in a disease tracking system that delayed the processing of data from hundreds of thousands of COVID 19 test results. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Should Uber and Lyft Drivers Be Employees of Freelancers? Should gig economy workers be employees or freelancers? That’s an issue that’s consumed California politics over the past couple of years. A court injunction issued yesterday means Uber and Lyft drivers could become employees of those companies within 10 days. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED Youth Who Vape Are More Likely to Get COVID-19 Before the coronavirus pandemic, the danger of vaping was one of the big public health discussions in the U.S. A study released by Stanford University this morning says young adults who vape are more likely to get COVID19. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED Flu Season Could Further Strain Hospital Resources Flu season is coming, and experts say getting a vaccine is more important than ever. Flu patients can show up with severe coughs and fevers, just like COVID-19 patients, so demand for ventilators, beds and protective gear for staff could rise. Reporter: Sammy Caiola, CapRadio Excluding Undocumented People From CARES Act Cost The US Economy Big Undocumented people were not eligible to receive $1200 federal stimulus checks earlier this year. A new study from UCLA found that excluding this community from federal relief through the CARES Act cost the United States economy ten billion dollars in potential economic activity. Reporter: Nina Sparling, KQED ICE Detainee Barred from Receiving Outside Medical Treatment for COVID-19 Last week a judge ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to test all detainees at a facility in Bakersfield with a growing COVID-19 outbreak. One of the detainees who tested positive is a 22-year old man who an immigration judge already ruled should stay in the country. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Advocates Say Curtailing the Census Targets Latino and Immigrant Communities Conducting the 2020 U.S. Census during a pandemic isn’t easy, especially in California’s poorer and immigrant communities. But Trump Administration critics say the administration is making it even harder to get an accurate count by cutting the amount of time census workes will spend going door to door. Guest: Lizette Escobedo, director of the national census program at the NALEO Educational Fund Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Parents Anxious as Distant Learning Begins in Some Districts This morning the Oakland Unified School District and others across the state start their school year.It won’t be typical, and all instruction is being done remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic. Guest: Parent Stephanie Campos Southern California Women's Prison COVID-19 Cases Climb to 160 The number of infections at the California Institution for Women in Chino has soared to 160 women, and 13 employees at the prison have active COVID-19 cases. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED California's Top Public Health Official Abruptly Resigns Director of California's Public Health Department Sonia Angell stepped down from her position last night. Angell’s resignation comes just days after it was announced that the state had a backlog of as many as 300,000 coronavirus test results. Ventura County's Godspeak Calvary Chapel Remains Defiant Against Shutdown Order County authorities say the religious gatherings could turn into coronavirus super-spreader events that pose a threat to public health. Godspeak Pastor Rob McCoy is encouraging church goers to continue to show up for indoor Sunday service. Bay Area Lebanese Woman Plans Shaken After Deadly Beirut Explosion Beirut, Lebanon is still reeling from the massive explosion that destroyed vast swaths of the city last week. The blast killed at least 150 people, injured thousands more, and destroyed countless homes and businesses in the heart of Beirut. It's also scrambled future plans for so many Lebanese, including one woman living in the Bay Area. Reporter: Lily Jamali OC Registrar of Voters Confident County Can Handle Mail-in-Ballot Surge Election Day is 85 days away, and it will be like no other in American history because of the coronavirus pandemic. Neal Kelley is Orange County's Registrar of Voters. He oversees voting in the fifth largest election jurisdiction in the country with more than one and half million voters. Guest: Neal Kelley, Orange County's Registrar of Voters Calls to Defund Police Draws Mixed Reaction from Black Clergy In this moment of reckoning over racial justice and equity, many people are looking to churches for guidance. Black pastors in particular are speaking out against police violence. Some of California's Black clergy do not support the push to defund the police. Reporter: Ashlea Brown, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID-19 Cases Top 200,000 in Los Angeles County Los Angeles County has the highest number of reported COVID-19 cases of any county in the U.S. Since January, the coronavirus has killed 4,869 people in L.A. County. That makes it the second leading cause of death after coronary heart disease and far deadlier than the flu. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC Coronavirus Outbreak Hits Santa Cruz Farmworkers For the first time since the pandemic started, COVID-19 outbreaks have been documented at agricultural workplaces in Santa Cruz. Reporter: Hannah Hagemann, KQED Judge Orders Weekly COVID-19 Testing for Detainees at Mesa Verde A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to test for COVID all detainees at a facility in Bakersfield. That’s after at least nine people held there were diagnosed with the coronavirus. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Disability-Rights Group Sues to Move People out of San Bernadino Psychiatric Hospital About 115 patients and 150 staff have tested positive for COVID-19 at Patton Hospital in San Bernadino. An Oakland-based disability rights group is suing the state to move people out of the psychiatric hospital. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED California Counties Allowed Fewer Polling Places this Election Senate Bill 423 from Democratic State Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) allows counties to consolidate voting locations if they allow at least three days of early, in-person voting. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED State Lawmakers Push to Remove Racist Language from Property Records Some Democratic state lawmakers are proposing a system that removes racist language from property records whenever a property is sold or transferred. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio 'Everyday was on Repeat' Healthcare Workers Confront Isolation of the Pandemic For the last five months doctors have seemed unflappable as they confront daily horrors that most of us can’t imagine. They've become our heroes, but now they’re exhausted. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lawmakers Demand Immediate Unemployment Reform There are new demands for immediate reform at the state’s Employment Development Department which is in charge of providing unemployment benefits to Californians who’ve lost their jobs. Those demands are coming from more than 60 California lawmakers. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Nancy Pelosi Calls For Extension Of Federal Unemployment Benefits House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says additional unemployment payments for people who lost their jobs because of COVID are crucial as the country tries to deal with the economic fallout of the pandemic. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Advocates Say Early End to Census Strategically Targets Under-Resourced Communities The U.S. census bureau will now end its counting efforts on September 30th, a month earlier than previously announced. this puts local census efforts in San Diego, already constrained by the pandemic, under even more pressure to get the count done quickly and accurately. Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS L.A. County's COVID Cases Might Be Higher Than Reported Los Angeles county’s COVID-19 cases are growing by more than 2000 cases a day, but the real number may be much higher. As technical issues on the state level may have led to under-reporting of cases for the last two weeks. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC Californians' Views on the Pandemic Fall Along Party Lines A poll from UC Berkeley finds that Democrats and no party preference voters overwhelmingly believe the state moved too quickly to ease pandemic-related restrictions on businesses. But a strong majority of Republicans say the business restrictions needed to be lifted because of the damage they were doing to the economy Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Local Business Owners Bring Entire Staff To Mission District Testing Site In San Francisco's Mission District activists convinced public health officials to set up a pop-up testing site after research revealed that Latinos make up 15% of the city's population, but half of all its COVID cases. The owners of a local tortilla business recently brought their entire staff to get tested together. Guests: Theresa Pasion and Aida Ibarra, Owners, La Palma Mexicatessan CA Attorney General Sues Uber and Lyft Over Worker Status Uber and Lyft are being sued by the state Attorney General for how they classify workers, and now California’s Labor Commissioner is suing the companies, too. The lawsuit comes after over 5,000 drivers filed claims of wage theft for being misclassified as contractors. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Husband of L.A.'s Incumbent District Attorney Faces Criminal Charges In Los Angeles, the race for District Attorney just got more complicated for incumbent Jackie Lacey. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is filing criminal charges against Lacey’s husband after he pulled a gun on Black Lives Matter activists who had gathered outside their house in March. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, KQED CA Attorney General Urges Feds to Expand Production of Remdesivir California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has sent a letter to federal health officials, urging them to allow other companies to manufacture and distribute the Remdesivir. Doctors say the antiviral drug is one of the few treatments that benefits patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Reporter: Peter Arcuni, KQED Data is Power for Latino Activists Fighting for More COVID-19 Testing Early in the pandemic, we thought anybody could get coronavirus. We now know your odds depend a lot on things like where you live and how much money you make. In San Francisco’s Mission District, which is among the hardest hit in the city, community activists with the Latino Task Force have set up a pop-up COVID-19 testing site on the street. Guest: Jon Jacobo, Latino Task Force Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple Fire Caused By Malfunctioning Car Exhaust Pipe In Southern California the Apple Fire has burned almost 27,000 acres in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Firefighters now have the blaze 15% contained. CalFire says it was caused by diesel soot from the exhaust pipe of a malfunctioning car on Friday Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KVCR State and Federal Workers Scramble to Contain Outbreak in Central Valley There are few parts of California that have been hit as hard by the coronavirus pandemic as the Central Valley. The region is a major hub of food production, and a lot of Californians who live there aren’t able to shelter in place. Yesterday Governor Gavin Newsom raised concerns about the valley's growing cases of COVID-19. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED New Research Shows Young Children Are Less Susceptible to COVID-19 Pediatricians say the death of a California teenager from COVID-19 last week is a reminder that children aren’t immune to the illness. Though they are less at-risk than adults. Reporter Sammy Caiola: CapRadio CPB Faces Scrutiny Over Munitions Used Against Protestors The aggressive response by Customs and Border Protection to ongoing protests across the country has come under intense scrutiny from California’s lawmakers. In June, the agency supplied munitions that San Diego law enforcement fired on protesters. Reporter Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS Trump Administration Announces Steep Increase in Application Fees for Citizenship Under a new rule the Trump administration published yesterday, millions of immigrants in California will have to pay hundreds of dollars more to apply for U.S. citizenship and other benefits. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Huey P. Newton's Legacy Resonates With a New Generation of Activists 50 years ago tomorrow, crowds gathered outside the Alameda County Courthouse to greet Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Liberation. Newton had been convicted, with murky evidence, for his involvement in a shooting where a police officer died, and the California Courts of Appeal reversed the decision. The significance of Newton’s release still resonates with activists fighting for racial equity and justice today. Guest: Pendarvis Harshaw, Host, KQED'S Rightnowish podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One Man's Desperate Pursuit of Unemployment Benefits At least seven million Californians have lost their jobs since the pandemic began earlier this year. It took Antonio Rael an estimated 5,600 calls before he could get an Employment Development Department worker on the phone to re-certify his claim. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Basic Questions Are Clogging the Phone Lines, Says EDD Spokesperson Loree Levy, a spokesperson for EDD, says the agency is in the process of hiring more than 5,000 new workers. She is also encouraging applicants to review the agency's FAQs closely before calling in, and says people have been tying up the phone lines with questions already answered online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Lawmakers Look to Tax the Ultra-Rich More than a dozen Democratic lawmakers have signed on to a bill that would tax earnings above a million dollars an extra one percent. There would also be an additional, higher tax brackets for income above two million and five million. Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio COVID-19 Spreads at Foster Farms Poultry Processing Plant A COVID-19 outbreak at a big Central Valley poultry processing plant has grown to 73 confirmed cases with one worker dying. Livingston Mayor Gurpal Samra and other city officials met with Foster Farms representatives this week to make sure the company is following adequate safety protocols. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED California Lawmakers Demand Fix to Unemployment Benefit Process Over a million Californians still want to know why they haven’t received their unemployment benefits. The director of the Employment Development Department said at a hearing yesterday it will be until September to process even the backlogged claims that have been resolved. Reporter: Julie Chang, KQED Fight Intensifies Over Gig Worker Classification Bill California’s Attorney General opened a lawsuit in May against Uber and Lyft for allegedly misclassifying workers. Now supporters of Prop 22, a referendum that would allow these companies to classify workers as contractors, are suing the attorney general for how he worded the title of their ballot initiative. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED Documentary Chronicles Closure of Public Hospital in West Contra Costa County Doctors Medical Center in West Contra Costa County shut down five years ago, citing budget concerns. This hospital mostly served patients who were uninsured or on Medi-Cal. Now former hospital employees have set up a tiny urgent care clinic, where they try to triage patients with just a quarter of their former staff. Reporter: Sasha Khokha, The California Report Magazine Reporter Still Haunted Months after Being Shot by Police with Foam Round Journalists have been injured by police using tear gas, batons and projectiles to disperse crowds these last few months. KPCC's Adolfo Guzman Lopez was hit in the neck by a policeman’s foam bullet while covering a protest in Long Beach in May. Guest: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, KPCC and LAist reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Newsom Announces Strike Team to tackle Unemployment Backlog The state agency that sends out unemployment insurance checks. has been overwhelmed with applications since the pandemic began, which has led to lots of complaints about late checks and terrible customer service. The Newsom Administration says it’s taking actions to improve the situation. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Tenants Call for Statewide Rent Forgiveness On August 1st rent will be due for lots of Californians. But since the pandemic began, millions of people haven’t been able to pay, and they’ve been protected by a moratorium on evictions. Many renters say more help is necessary and are calling for a statewide program of rent forgiveness. Guest: Pea Nunez, Boyle Heights Rent Striker Proposed Bill Seeks to Extend Eviction Moratorium State Assemblymember David Chiu introduced a bill which gives qualifying tenants protection from eviction until the current state of emergency ends, or until April of next year. Tenants unable to pay rent because they’ve lost work, or who can’t pay because of expenses related to COVID-19 would have an extra year to pay back past rent. The Future of Commercial Real Estate Looks Grim With so many people working from home because of the pandemic, the demand for office space has plummeted. A new UCLA survey reports people in the California commercial real estate market are feeling grim about the future. Reporter: Matt Guilhem, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump Administration Defies Supreme Court, Rejects New DACA Applications Advocates for immigrants in California are blasting the Trump administration for its decision to reject new applications for the DACA program, which allows undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to stay in the country. The Administration’s decision comes in spite of a Supreme Court ruling last month striking down President Trump’s attempt to end the program Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED CA Sues Trump Administration to Include Undocumented Residents in the Census Last week President Trump issued a memorandum ordering that undocumented residents not be counted when it comes to determining seats in Congress. California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra responded yesterday with a lawsuit arguing that counting everyone is a constitutional mandate, and not including the undocumented could cost California seats in Congress. L.A. County's Atlantic Avenue is Quiet Amid High Unemployment we've been checking in on how the pandemic has affected people along L.A. County's Atlantic Avenue, a thoroughfare more than 20 mile long that cuts through a variety of working class communities, with large Black, Latino and immigrant populations. Today we hear from Reginald Hall, who lives just off of Atlantic. Guest: Reginald Hall, Atlantic avenue resident Esselen Tribe Purchases 1,200 Acres of Ancestral Land For the first time in more than two centuries, The Esselen tribe in the picturesque Big Sur area has land to call its own. Through a state grant, the Monterey county tribe this week purchased almost 1,200 acres of its traditional territory. Reporter: Matt Guilhem, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Newsom Will Direct Tens of Millions to Central Valley for COVID Relief When it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, L.A. county and the Bay Area often get the lion’s share of attention. But the Central Valley is also grappling with growing virus caseloads and deaths. Yesterday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state will direct tens of millions of dollars to the Central Valley to slow the spread of COVID-19. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Healthcare Workers Call for Reduction of State Prison Population In an open letter published this week, hundreds of healthcare workers are calling on Governor Gavin Newsom to reduce the state prison population to lessen the spread of COVID-19. Reporter:Shannon Lin, KQED L.A. Hopes to Improve Contact Tracing With Financial Incentive In the battle against the pandemic, contact tracing of infected people is supposed to be a powerful weapon, but so far it’s had mixed results. Now Los Angeles County has a new approach involving dollar incentives. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC California Child Care Providers Vote Overwhelmingly to Unionize Some 45,000 child care providers across the state can now bargain with the state for better pay and benefits after voting overwhelmingly to unionize Monday. Reporter: Julia McEvoy, KQED Doctors Stock Up on PPE at Drive-Thru Giveaway Although shortages aren’t as bad as they were when the coronavirus pandemic broke out, many medical professionals still struggle to find personal protective equipment, or PPE .Yesterday crates of it were distributed free of charge to doctors and nurses in the parking lot of Pasadena’s Rose Bowl. Guest: Gustavo Friedrichsen, CEO of the Los Angeles County Medical Association New Podcast Explores the Strange Dark History of California City In the California desert there’s an unusual town called California City. It has a ‘Twilight Zone” vibe with miles of neatly laid out streets with nothing on them and that go nowhere. It's also a place where people have had their dreams and finances destroyed by questionable real estate investment schemes over the decades. Most recently those schemes have targeted immigrants. Guest: Emily Guerin, Host, California City Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Legislators Return to Session California legislators return to Sacramento today after taking an extended summer recess because of COVID 19, and lawmakers have a lot of catching up to do. There are more than 500 bills pending in the Senate and close to 200 in the Assembly. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED New Study Shows Impact of Pandemic on Asian-Americans A new study reports that Asian Americans are suffering financially in this economic crisis. It also shows that racism tied to COVID-19 plays a role. Reporter: Caroline Champlin, KPCC U.S Citizenship Backlog Shuts Many Immigrants Out of Voting When the coronavirus pandemic hit, more than 150,000 immigrants in California were applying to become U.S. citizens. Now many of them may not become citizens in time to vote this November because of the massive backlog and furloughs facing the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero , KQED L.A County's Manhattan Beach Turns to Mask Fines More California cities are increasingly using the threat of fines as a way to get people to wear face coverings to slow the spread of the coronavirus. One of the first cities to implement a fine for not wearing a face covering was Manhattan Beach in L.A. County. Guest: Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

State Lawmaker Calls for Second Round of Lockdowns The coronavirus crisis is reaching new, bleak heights in California, where the state reported the highest daily death count on Thursday. State Senator Steve Glazer is calling for a second round of stay-at-home orders in regions where more than 2% of of COVID-19 tests come back positive. Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio UCLA Outlines Policy Priorities for California's Latino Communities The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative has put together a policy document outlining economic and health focuses for Latinos in California. The initiative offers up a national vision on education, housing, voting rights, and political representation. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW The Great American Outdoors Act Could Revive California Parks California favorites like Joshua Tree and Yosemite need up to hundreds of millions of improvements ranging from fixed roads to new wastewater treatment plants. The Great American Outdoors Act passed by Congress this week would help, but President Trump would need to sign it into law. Reporter: Jacob Margolis, KPCC How Financial Shock Takes a Toll on the U.S Census Californians are not completing the census at the same rates they did in 2010. New research from U.C Merced suggests the pandemic is playing a role because people experiencing financial blows are less likely to complete the census. Reporter: Haley Gray, KQED Without Comic-Con, San Diego Loses A Major Tourism Boom If not for the pandemic, Comic-Con would be in full swing right now, bringing 100,000 people to San Diego. The event brings an estimated $150 million dollars to the city annually, but it's been pushed online this year and downtown businesses are losing out on the revenue. Reporter: Matt Hoffman, KPBS "Soundtrack of Silence" Heads to Hollywood When Matt Hay learned he was going to lose his hearing, he decided to listen to as much music as possible in an effort to create a soundtrack to last the rest of his life. This story, first reported by KQED health correspondent April Dembosky in 2017, is now headed to Hollywood. Guest: April Dembosky, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Has More Cases of COVID-19 Than Any Other State California is now reporting more confirmed cases of COVID-19 than any other state in the nation. The state is reaching the grim milestone as it struggles to stem the spread of the virus. Reporter: Guy Marzaroti, KQED Hospital Capacity Dwindles As Cases Surge Across the State The surge is cases is wreaking havoc on healthcare facilities throughout the state, forcing them to prepare for the worst. Many are still struggling with shortages of supplies and staffing. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED COVID-19 is Becoming the Leading Cause of Death in L.A. COVID-19 is on track to become the leading cause of death in L.A. County. Health officials warn that unless people wear face masks and physically distance, more people will die. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC Administrative Error Prevents Nurses From Providing Mental Health Care As coronavirus cases are surging, so are reports of depression, anxiety and other mental health concerns. But even as mental health professionals are needed more than ever, those who graduated from a Fresno State nursing program are being told to return to school and repeat their classes. Reporter: Kerry Klein, Valley Public Radio How Systemic Inequality Is Fueling The Spread of COVID-19 Systemic racial inequality has left members of low-income and minority communities most vulnerable to transmission and death from COVID-19. In San Francisco, Latinos make up 15% of the population but account for nearly half of all positive COVID-19 cases. Guest: Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics NJ Shooting Linked To Killing of Lawyer in San Bernardino Mountains The FBI has confirmed they have linked the shooting of a men’s rights lawyer in the San Bernardino Mountains to the suspect in the ambush shooting of a federal judge's family in New Jersey. Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KVCR Sierra Club Confronts John Muir's Racism One of the country’s largest and most influential environmental organizations is acknowledging its racist past. The Sierra Club is publicly calling out its co-founder John Muir -- who made derogatory comments about Black and Indigenous people and supported racist policies. Reporter: Kathryn Barnes, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID-19 Has Pushed Childcare Industry to the Brink A new report out today paints a grim picture of the future of child care in our state. The industry was struggling even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it’s been driven to the brink. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Cal State Moves Closer To Requiring Ethnic Studies Classes In higher education it’s looking more and more like undergrads at the 23 Cal State University campuses will be required to take an ethnic studies class. Reporter: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, KPCC Conservative Group Sues to Reopen Schools This Fall A conservative nonprofit is suing Governor Gavin Newsom and state officials on behalf of nine parents. They claim the statewide order which prevents districts from holding in-person classes is unconstitutional. Reporter: Hannah Hagemann, KQED For Many, Working From Home Will Outlast the Pandemic Sacramento area workers say they want to keep working from home when the coronavirus threat is over. A new poll finds that employers are listening to their workers and making plans for the future. Reporter: Pauline Bartolone, CapRadio Lassen Wolf Pack Has Eight New Pups California's only wolf pack is growing. for the fourth straight year, Scientists have announced northeastern California is home to eight new wolf pups. But advocates worry efforts by the Trump administration could threaten the future of wolf recovery. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay Area Workers Join Nationwide Action for Black Lives Matter Workers across the country protested economic and racial injustice Monday by walking off the job for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time that a Minneapolis police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED Los Angeles Service Workers Stand In Solidarity With Black Colleagues Protests also took place in Los Angeles, where workers from the fast-food, gig work, and health care industries led several different demonstrations. Service workers supporting Black colleagues drew comparisons between the labor and racial justice movements. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW Trump Says Oakland Could see Federal Law Enforcement Next All eyes are on Portland, Oregon, where the Trump administration has deployed federal law enforcement officers at police protests. Monday, President Trump indicated that Oakland was on his list of major U.S. cities that could see federal agents come in next. Reporter: Alex Emslie, KQED California Hair Salons May Now Operate Outside Governor Gavin Newsom released new guidelines that could provide some relief for hair care businesses that have had to close because of health orders designed to stop the spread of coronavirus. Newsom acknowledged there was a lot to take into consideration before making the move. New Hotline Offers Support for Harassment in Online Gaming The video game industry has seen huge jumps in revenue during the pandemic, thanks to everyone sheltering in place. But gaming can also be a hotbed of harassment and abuse. A new hotline launching in August seeks to address this. Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED Mail In Ballots Could Have a Big Impact on the Student Vote Colleges and universities around California are limiting the number of students they’ll allow on campus this fall -- and shifting classes online -- in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes could have a big impact on the college student vote this November. Reporter: Guy Marzaroti, KQED Renowned Writer Unleashes Epic Drunk Tweet Storm This weekend, writer and author Susan Orlean almost broke the Internet with a stream of posts on Twitter. She was at home with her family after having a few glasses of wine at a neighbor's house. Her musings were exactly what the world needs right now. Guest: Susan Orlean, Writer at The New Yorker and Author of "The Library Book" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Bay Area Teachers Relieved Classes to Stay Remote Most of the state’s largest school districts are now focusing on reopening schools this fall with distance learning. No county on the state’s monitoring watch list for increases in COVID-19 cases will be able to reopen without special approval. Reporter: Julia McEvoy, KQED Public Health Officials Warn Against Testing Mandates from Employers Public health officials say employers should not be directing their employees to free, government-run COVID-19 testing sites. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services Faces Massive Furloughs California lawmakers say they’re trying to reach a bailout deal for U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency in charge of issuing green cards, work permits and U.S citizenship. More than two-thirds of the agency’s staff, including 23,000 employees in California, could soon be furloughed. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Kaiser Records Highest Number of Employee Complaints Over Coronavirus Concerns The health system Kaiser Permanente has received more complaints from employees feeling threatened by the coronavirus than any other workplace in California by far. Dozens of complaints claim staff were not given adequate protective equipment. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio Traces of COVID-19 Found in Yosemite Wastewater Mariposa County health officials sent samples of raw sewage from Yosemite National Park to a Massachusetts lab, and the results show that as many as 170 people in Yosemite Valley were likely infected with COVID-19 but didn’t know it. Reporter: Raquel Maria Dillon, KQED California Highway Patrol Officer Harassed Over 20 Women A statewide KQED reporting project has uncovered serious abuse by a California Highway Patrol officer in Los Angeles. The investigation found that Officer Morgan McGrew sexually propositioned or harassed at least 21 women during appointments at a CHP field office. Guest: Sukey Lewis, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Without the Opera House, Long Beach Performers Get Creative The coronavirus has shuttered live performance venues and created enormous headaches for California's theaters, symphonies, and opera companies. That includes Long Beach Opera. Guest: Jennifer Rivera, Long Beach Opera executive director Kincade Fire Caused By PG&E Power Lines, Says CalFire State fire investigators have ruled that last fall's Kincade Fire in Sonoma County was caused by power lines belonging to Pacific Gas and Electric. Lily Jamali, KQED Judge Set to Uphold California's Ban on Private Prisons A federal judge in San Diego is set to allow parts of California’s ban on private prisons to move forward. The ban includes immigration detention centers. Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS With Visits Off-limits, Nursing Home Staff Step Up COVID-19 cases are surging again in California, calling into question the health and safety of some of our most vulnerable: the elderly. Benjamin Gottlief, KCRW Most Nursing Home Staff Know Co-worker Infected by Covid-19, New Poll Shows A new poll by the California Healthcare Foundation finds more than three quarters of the state’s nursing home employees say they know a coworker who’s had COVID-19, or are part of a staff with suspected cases. Former San Quentin Inmate Fights for Friends Still Behind Bars Adnan Khan got life in prison but was freed after 16 years thanks to a new law that challenged his sentence. He says the state is not doing enough to protect prisoners who are getting sick, and he’s calling on Governor Newsom and prison officials to step up. Sasha Khokha, The California Report Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Schools Will Remain Closed This Fall There are about 1,000 public school districts in California. And Tony Thurmond, the state’s top education official is acknowledging pandemic conditions have deteriorated to a point where many of them won’t have students physically present in classrooms this fall. Trump Reverses Visa Decision, Allowing International Students to Stay After intense blowback, the Trump Administration told a federal judge on Tuesday that it’s withdrawing a plan to strip international students of their visas if they’re enrolled only in online college classes this fall because of the pandemic. Reporter: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, KPCC California Sues Trump Administration Over Student Loan Relief The state of California filed a lawsuit yesterday against the Trump Administration eliminating the Obama-era “borrower defense” rule, which provides loan relief for students defrauded by for-profit universities. Reporter: Julie Chang, KQED Environmentalists Fight to List the Joshua Tree as Endangered The Joshua Tree is now at the center of a growing political dispute. Environmentalists want the state to add it to California’s endangered species list, but many property owners and desert communities are against that, saying it could hobble new development. Guest: Brenden Cummings: Conservation Director, Center for Biological Diversity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Testing Guidelines Priorotize Vulnerable Populations Californians are now facing long lines, limited appointments, and delayed results when they get tested for coronavirus. State health officials have announced new testing guidelines that will prioritize vulnerable populations as the state faces testing backlogs. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED 61 injured in Fire Aboard Navy Ship The Navy says that 61 sailors and civilians have been treated for minor injuries as a fire continues to burn on board the amphibious assault ship the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego. The fire started Sunday morning and it’s still unclear if the ship can be saved. Reporter: Matt Hoffman, KPBS Attorney General Closes LAPD's Inaccurate Gang Database The State of California maintains a massive database of gang members called CalGang. Law enforcement agencies use it to investigate gang-related crimes and they contribute names to it. Now California Attorney General Xavier Beccera is shutting down LAPD's entries to Cal Gang after investigations found many of the department's entries were false and inaccurate. Reporter: Jerome Campbell, KCRW Kern County Launches First-Ever Community Advisory Council The Kern County Sheriff’s Department is facing scrutiny. Following a month of discussions with community leaders the department has agreed to collaborate with a community-led advisory council. It will be the first of its kind for Kern county. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, Valley Public Radio Gym Owners Frustrated Over New Closures As coronavirus cases surge week Governor Gavin Newsom announced new shutdown orders for indoor businesses across the state. So what it’s like to own a business that has to close again? Reporter: Shannon Lin, KQED AB 5 Enforcement Begins With Mobile Wash Lawsuit Mobile Wash is a Southern California-based gig economy company that offers car washing services. Now the state’s Labor Commissioner’s office is suing Mobile Wash for misclassifying about 100 of its employees as independent contractors. Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED 100,000 Mail-In Ballots Were Rejected in CA Primary More than 100,000 mail-in ballots sent in by Californian voters in the March presidential primary were rejected, meaning those votes weren't counted. This news comes as California moves forward with plans to send mail in ballots to every voter in the state to use in the November election because of the coronavirus pandemic. Guest: Kim Alexander, President, California Voter Foundation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Newsom Orders Statewide Shutdown As COVID Cases Rise If the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is a return to some sort of normal life, that light got fainter in the last 24 hours. With COVID-19 cases rising in the state, Governor Gavin Newsom has once again ordered all California counties to shut-down indoor activities at restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Central Valley Officials Expect Public Backlash to Shutdown Seven of the California counties that will have to once again shutter businesses are in the Central Valley. Elected officials expect there will be public backlash to the closures of businesses and churches. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED L.A. and San Diego Schools Will Be Online This Fall California’s two largest school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego Unified, announced yesterday that students would not be returning to campuses next month because of the pandemic, instead instruction will be done online. Reporter: Kyle Stokes, KPCC Judge Denies Request To Extend Hospital Settlement Northern California hospital system Sutter Health says the pandemic is making it hard for them to pay off half a billion dollars in settlement money to the state, but a judge won’t extend the deadline. Reporter: Sammy Caiola, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LA County Residents Wait in Long Lines, Eager for Covid-19 Tests People in places like Los Angeles County are struggling to make appointments at often swamped coronavirus testing facilities. Many people at a testing city in the city of Long Beach lined up well before sunrise to make sure they could be tested. Guests: Maria Solis, Marta Miranda LA Unified Teacher's Union Urges Against Reopening Classrooms Right now, classes in the country’s second largest school district, the Los Angeles Unified School District, are supposed to start again in August. But the union representing L.A. Unified school teachers says campuses should remain closed because of the coronavirus. Carla Javier, KPCC With Inmate Workforce in Quarantine, State Races To Hire Firefighters California is hiring more than 850 seasonal firefighters to make up for fire fighting work done by prisoners, who are now in coronavirus quarantine. Julie Chang, KQED Support Groups Step Up as California Inmates Prepare for Release As many as 8,000 people are expected to be released from prisons across California to slow the spread of COVID-19. Support groups are filling in the gaps for the inmates who are going to need help to make this transition successful. Kate Wolffe, KQED Young Smokers Risk Severe Cases of COVID-19, Study Shows More young people are ending up in the hospital with Covid-19. And a new study says smoking is the biggest risk factor for young people who get really sick. April Dembosky, KQED Aslyum-Seeking Mother and Newborn Born in U.S Driven Back to Border An asylum-seeking mother was given the choice of leaving her new U.S. born child in this country alone or both of them returning to Mexico. Max Rivlin, KPBS The Potential and Perils of Antibody Tests There is some evidence the coronavirus was present in California before March when the state shutdown. But assuming you’re now immune to COVID just because you were sick early in the year with flu like systems is risky. Claire Trageser, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Santa Cruz Braces for Coronavirus Surge Health officials in Santa Cruz are preparing for a spike in coronavirus cases. The county's chief doctor says summer weather and beach season have contributed to the spread of Covid-19. Reporter: Hannah Hagemann, KQED Fire Officials Prepare for Wildfires Amidst Budget Woes Governor Gavin Newsom warned Thursday that the state faces a riskier-than-average fire year, following a dry winter and a hot early summer. Wildfire preparation this year has been complicated by the pandemic and resulting state budget shortfalls. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED San Francisco Assemblyman Slams State Agency with #EDDFailofTheDay California's Employment Development Department has been flooded with applications for unemployment benefits. But millions are still waiting for help. Assemblyman David Chiu and other state lawmakers have been documenting the agency's failure to respond on social media. Guest: Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco) California Sues Feds Over On-Site International Student Requirements California is suing to stop a new Trump administration policy that bars hundreds of thousands of international students from staying in the U.S. if their schools go fully online in the fall. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED How We Got Here: New Series Looks At History of Gig Work COVID-19 has made clear how precarious so many peoples' life situations are across California and the country, and a lot of that uncertainty is linked to lacking support in the workplace. KQED's podcast The Bay is out with a new 5-part series looking into this. Guest: Sam Harnett, KQED The Black Panther Party's Unofficial House Band This week, the California Report's weekly magazine documents the rise and fall of an unlikely musical group born out of a period of social upheaval fifty years ago. Reporter: Sasha Khokha, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

L.A. Faces Testing Shortages as Cases of COVID Grow Los Angeles County remains the center of the state’s coronavirus pandemic four months in. The county has more than 123,000 confirmed cases so far. But even as the toll from the virus grows, it's gotten harder for many in the L.A. area to schedule appointments to get tested. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, KQED Stanford Eliminates a Third of Its Varsity Sports Here in the Bay Area, Stanford says its cutting nearly a third of its varsity sports programs due to financial strain from the pandemic. The school says the cuts will directly impact more than two hundred and forty students, and over forty staffing and coaching positions. Reporter: Marco Siler-Gonzalez, KQED Many Workers Welcome the Option to Work From Home Permanently For some workers, the pandemic is bringing about permanent changes. Case in point: Silicon Valley-based tech company Quora, the Q&A website, is giving all of its 200 employees the option to work from home even after this is all over. Guest: Adam D'Angelo, CEO Quora Sacramento Grapples With Police Reform Cities and counties all around our state are grappling with how to approach police reform. In Sacramento, that conversation has been taking place for two years, ever since the deadly police shooting of an unarmed Black 22 year-old named Stephon Clark. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio Vallejo Police Release Video of Deadly Shooting of Sean Monterrosa Police in the Bay Area city of Vallejo have released body camera footage from an officer’s deadly shooting of a man last month. The video doesn’t show what many were waiting for: Images of what Sean Monterrosa was doing before he was killed. Reporter: Ericka Cruz Guevarra , KQED Autopsy Reveals Details From Police Shooting In L.A. County In L.A. county another family is searching for answers after a loved one's death at the hands of Police. 18-year-old Andres Guardado was shot and killed by an L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy last month. Large public protests followed. Weeks later, an independent autopsy is giving Guardado’s familo some details about what happened. Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Regents Appoint First Black President to Lead UC System The University of California Board of Regents has elected its first Black president in its 152-year history. Former UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake will lead the 10 campus system that serves some 280,000 students. International Students Scramble Amidst In-Person Requirements Colleges and universities all across California are grappling with how to meet new federal guidelines for the fall semester. Those guidelines require international students to take at least a portion of their classes in-person. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW Covid-19 Response Could Make TB Harder To Contain Los Angeles County’s top doctor is worried that the fight against the coronavirus could jeopardize decades of hard won gains in the battle against tuberculosis. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC How Geography Shapes Access to Covid-19 Testing Depending on where in California you live, it may be harder to get a COVID-19 test than it was a few weeks ago. Some counties still don’t have enough lab space, or test kits, or funding to keep up. Reporter: Sammy Caiola, CapRadio Most Californians are Anxious About Reopening More than three quarters of Californians are worried that they or a family member will get COVID-19, according to a new poll by the California Health Care Foundation. Imperial County Hit Hard by Pandemic Imperial County has the highest rate of cases and a shortage of ICU beds. Some patients have had to wait for a bed for as long as three days. Officials have transferred hundreds of patients to facilities outside the county to get treated. Guest: Ana Ibarra, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID Outbreak Shuts Down California Assembly A coronavirus outbreak in the state Legislature has indefinitely delayed the Assembly’s return to work from a scheduled summer recess. Speaker Anthony Rendon’s office says five people who work there have tested positive for COVID-19. Reporter: Angela Corral, KQED Governor Says San Quentin Outbreak is a 'Top Concern' After weeks of criticism over the state’s handling of a massive COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin State Prison, Governor Newsom said it’s one of his top concerns. The governor said the population at the over-crowded facility has been reduced since March, adding that his office is looking at other ways to move vulnerable people out. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED Lawmakers Call for Halt to ICE Transfers During Outbreak Dozens of state lawmakers are calling on the Governor to stop California prisons from transferring people to federal immigration detention during the pandemic. The coronavirus has sickened thousands in state prisons and immigration detention centers. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Davis Peak Name Change Mired In Bureaucracy Monuments to controversial historical figures are being removed essentially overnight across the nation, including here in California --following impassioned demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice, but that’s not the case with every landmark. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PG&E is out of bankruptcy. The utility entered into Chapter 11 in January 2019, weeks after the Camp Fire, which killed 86 people and wiped out much of the town of Paradise. A California State University, Chico, study has been mapping out where survivors of the wildfire ended up. A cluster of around 20 people had moved in and around Crossville, Tennessee, a town of just 12,000 people. Reporter: Lily Jamali, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wine Industry Limps Along With Tasting Rooms Closed A report out this week from Sonoma State University estimates California wine businesses lost more than $4 billion dollars since the start of the coronavirus shutdown. More than 40,000 people, directly or indirectly involved in making, distributing and serving wine, could lose their jobs. We’re talking everyone from laborers harvesting grapes to sommeliers at upscale restaurants in L.A. and San Francisco. Saul Gonzalez visited wineries in Paso Robles to learn how they're coping. Guests: Jason Haas, Tablas Creek Vineyard, and Dorothy Schuler, Bodegas Paso Robles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Newsom Reinstates Closures in 19 Counties As COVID Cases Surge Not so long ago California was seen as a model when it came to fighting the coronavirus pandemic. But in the last couple of weeks, COVID cases and hospitalizations have surged in many places in California. Yesterday day Governor Newsom announced a step back from reopening. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Southern California Hit Hard By High Unemployment A new report shows big differences between north and south when it comes to job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. They’re terrible in the L.A. area, but not as bad around the Bay Area. Reporter: Matt Guilhem, KCRW Lawmakers Question Prison Officials Over San Quentin Outbreak At a state Senate oversight hearing yesterday, lawmakers asked prison officials to take responsibility for the role they may have played in increased COVID-19 cases in the state’s prisons. State Senator Nancy Skinner, chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee, called for the oversight hearing in response to an outbreak at San Quentin State Prison. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin COVID Positive Refugee Not Turned Over to ICE A Cambodian refugee, who feared being turned over to immigration authorities after completing his prison sentence, is a free man after his release yesterday from San Quentin prison. He’s also infected with COVID-19. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Happened to Sacramento's Focus on Housing Before the coronavirus hit, housing and housing affordability seemed to be the state's biggest problems and there were lots of proposals in Sacramento to fix them. But is getting roofs over people's heads still a priority for Governor Gavin Newsom and the state legislature? Guest: Erin Baldassari, KQED LA Wants to Divert Non-Violent 911 Calls from LAPD The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to explore replacing armed LAPD officers with unarmed first responders in some cases. They’re going to look for ways to divert non-violent 9-1-1 calls away from the police. Reporter: Anna Scott, KCRW A Third of San Diego Essential Workers Are Immigrants As the coronavirus crisis continues, there’s an even greater reliance on essential workers. In San Diego, a new report by the city and UCSD shows that more than a third of the most critical essential workers are immigrants. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED State Senate Wants to Know Why Coronavirus Is Spreading in State Prisons COVID-19 is sweeping through San Quentin State Prison, where over a thousand inmates have tested positive for the virus and one has died. The coronavirus is also spreading at several other prisons across California. At a hearing in Sacramento this morning, state senators are expected look for answers and solutions. Reporter: Julie Small, KQED Did San Diego Biotech Lab Inflate Progress on Coronavirus Vaccine? A coronavirus vaccine being developed by a southern California biotech lab is showing promising results in human trials. At least that’s what Inovio Pharmaceuticals announced yesterday. But a series of lawsuits says the CEO has intentionally misled investors for profit. Reporter: Tarryn Mento, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coronavirus Cases Spike Across The State When it comes to progress in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the news out of Los Angeles County, where about one in four Californians live, is bad. There were more than 2,900 new COVID cases in the county reported on Monday. Fresno County Jail Hit By Coronavirus Outbreak The Fresno County Sheriff’s Department reported 507 positive COVID-19 cases at the county jail on Monday. That’s almost a quarter of the lock up’s population. But testing has been limited to just one part of the facility. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, Valley Public Radio Golden State Killer Pleads Guilty In Public Hearing Joseph DeAngelo, the defendent in the Golden State Killer case, has pleaded guilty to dozens of rape and murder charges, stemming from crimes in the 1970s and 80s. The guilty pleas were part of a deal to avoid the death penalty. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio Workers Strike Over Outbreak At Pistachio Plant Workers at a Central Valley pistachio plant say they were exposed to COVID-19 because their employer did not take preventive measures. After closing for cleaning and on-site testing Monday, the plant is set to reopen today. But union representatives are still worried about worker safety. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Enforcement of Consumer Privacy Act Begins July 1st Starting tomorrow enforcement will begin for the California Consumer Privacy Act. The landmark law went into effect in January and is intended to give consumers greater control over what companies do with their personal information online. Guest: Rachael Myrow, KQED New Americans Take Part in 'Drive-Thru' Naturalization The coronavirus pandemic put a hold on large-scale naturalization ceremonies across California, But thousands of immigrants have safely become citizens thanks to naturalization “drive-thrus.” Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reopening Halted as Coronavirus Spreads Across the State If you thought you could ease up a bit on worrying about the coronavirus pandemic, news the last few days has been like a big bucket of cold water to the face. Coronavirus Cases on the Rise at San Quentin 971 people incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison have tested positive for COVID-19. One state lawmaker is calling it a major catastrophe. Reporter: Angela Corral, The California Report Cal State University System Prepares to Reopen in the Fall How do you plan for safely educating more than 480,000 students on 23 different campuses during a pandemic? As the fall school year approaches, that's the challenge facing the California State University system, the largest four year university system in the country. Guest: Timothy White, Cal State Chancellor King City to Outfit Police Guns with Cameras Monterey County’s King City—at the southern end of the Salinas Valley—is the first California city to outfit all of its police officers with cameras on their guns. This is even though the city of just over 14,000 residents has had no officer-involved shootings in recent memory. Guest: Greta Mart, KCBX Mayors Take Their Push for Universal Income National A coalition of U.S. mayors is kicking off a campaign in support of the idea of universal basic income. It’s led by Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, who started a guaranteed income pilot project in his city in February 2019. Guest: Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stuck and Scared Amid San Quentin Outbreak As of this morning, 539 inmates have contracted the coronavirus at San Quentin State Prison -- more than at any other state prison in California. Inmates are stuck and scared. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report Construction Firms Offer COVID-19 Tests To Workers If you’ve tried to get a covid19 test lately, it may have felt like a scramble. But what if your job offered you one? Some Sacramento construction crews now have that option. Other employers are exploring if they should do the same. Reporter: Pauline Bartolone, CapRadio Injunction Would Make Gig Workers Into Employees California’s Attorney General is seeking a court injunction that would force ride-hailing companies Lyft and Uber to make their drivers employees immediately. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED Samaritan Podcast Explores Homelessness in LA A new podcast from our partners at KCRW in Los Angeles looks at homelessness through the eyes of one native Angeleno who's trying to get a roof over her head in the midst of the pandemic. It’s called "Samaritans." Guest: Anna Scott, KCRW and "Samaritans" podcast producer Rounding Up a Big Week in Immigration News It has been quite a week for immigration news. The Supreme Court yesterday agreed with the Trump administration that if asylum seekers are turned down in an initial interview, they can be rapidly deported without the right to go before a judge. We have a roundup of all things immigration and what it means for California. Guest: Tyche Hendricks, Immigration Editor, KQED Injunction Would Make Gig Workers Into Employees California’s Attorney General is seeking a court injunction that would force ride-hailing companies Lyft and Uber to make their drivers employees immediately. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED 'He Played With People’s Minds': Fresno Priest Left a Trail of Sexual Abuse Allegations This week on our sister show, The California Report Magazine, Reporter Alex Hall takes us inside a Latino church in Fresno where parishioners are forced to confront whether their priest is a miracle worker or a predator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Californians Will Vote on Affirmative Action In November California voters will decide in November whether the state should restore affirmative action. This after the state Senate voted yesterday to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Dr Fauci Says Coming Weeks Are Critical for California Perhaps no one has been as vocal during the COVID 19 pandemic than infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci. He’s often the bearer of bad, but indispensable news. Here are some highlights from a virtual Sacramento Press Club event yesterday. Reporter: Sammy Caiola, CapRadio Berkeley Lab Testing New Saliva-Based COVID Test California is experiencing a surge in reported cases of COVID-19. Three months into the pandemic tests remain scarce. Early on, at UC Berkeley, Dr. Jennifer Doudna who co-discovered CRISPR gene editing technology, transformed her lab into one focused on COVID testing. Her team has come up with a saliva-based test, they’ve been trying out on campus this week. Guest: Jennifer Doudna, Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, UC Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LA City Councilman Arrested in Bribery Scandal The FBI says longtime Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar shook down real estate developers looking to get projects approved for $1.5 million in bribes and campaign donations. Reporter: Anna Scott, KCRW New Coronavirus Cases on the Rise in California There is a spike in reported cases of COVID-19 around the state. And it’s not entirely clear why. Health experts say there’s no real evidence that recent protests led to it. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Science State Budget Deal Includes Help for Undocumented Immigrants The new state budget brokered by the governor and Democratic legislative leaders this week.. includes two important victories for Undocumented immigrants in California. But advocates say the accommodations leave much to be desired. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Politics COVID-19 Spreads at San Quentin, Other State Prisons The coronavirus is spreading inside 19 correctional facilities in California. San Quentin has 407 inmates with active infections. The State Senate Committee on Public Safety has announced it’s holding an oversight hearing to shed light on decisions made by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that many believe made prison outbreaks much worse. Guest: Don Specter, Prison Law Office Lawmakers Pressure Employment Dept. To Speed Up Processing Checks With the economy in a slump because of the pandemic, many out-of-work Californians now rely on unemployment checks to make ends meet. But getting that check hasn’t been easy. And lawmakers are noticing. In a Tweet thread, Bay Area State Assemblyman David Chiu introduced the hashtag, "EDD Fail of the Day," and slammed the state’s Employment Development Department saying the agency is failing Californians. Black Scientists on Racism in Academia Like many corners of society right now, academia is in the middle of a reckoning. Systemic racism, tolerated for so long, is now front-and-center. Our colleagues at the KQED Science desk have been speaking with black scientists and academics about their lives and work, and how things need to change. Reporters: Kevin Stark, Danielle Venton, Jon Brooks, KQED Science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CA Sees Dramatic Rise In COVID-19 Cases California has seen 47 thousand new cases of COVID-19 in the past two weeks. That's a dramatic uptick, making up about a quarter of all known cases in California. This is just one troubling fact revealed in Governor Gavin Newsom’s press briefing Monday. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED New State Budget Proposal Relies On Federal Aid At the state capitol, the pandemic has forced lawmakers to rethink a budget that’s being pared back because of the pandemic. The governor and Legislative leaders have struck a deal to close a 54 billion dollar budget deficit caused by the pandemic. Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio Guards Use Pepper Spray During Protest Inside ICE Detention Center Immigrants held at Adelanto Detention Center near Riverside report that they were pepper sprayed by guards for protesting a lockdown at the facility. ICE Says the crackdown was necessary. Reporter: Elly Yu, KPCC Health Officials Resign Under Increasing Stress and Public Scrutiny The public health director of LA County announced yesterday that she’s received hate mail and death threats over restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. She’s not the only one. So far, seven high-level health officials in california have resigned due to increasing stress and public scrutiny. Guest: Anna Maria Barry-Jester, Kaiser Health News Data Dividend Project Pushes Tech Companies To Pay Users For Data Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang is launching an initiative called the Data Dividend Project. It aims to get tech consumers to pay consumers for their data. The program begins as officials get ready to begin enforcing the California Consumer Privacy Act next week. Guest: Andrew Yang, Data Dividend Project Black Doctors Carry the Weight of Pandemic And Police Brutality While the COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful for health care workers across the board - It’s been especially hard on Black doctors. They're working long hours away from their families -- while trying to process disturbing images of police brutality in the news. Reporter: Michelle Wiley, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Calls for Police Reform Echo Across California This weekend, demonstrations against police brutality continued all around the state. In Los Angeles yesterday afternoon, protests had particular urgency after the recent killing of 18-year old Andres Guardado. Last week, in the city of Gardena, an LA County Sheriff’s deputy shot Guardado in the back seven times. Protesters are calling for an independent investigation. His death has added fuel to weeks of protests demanding police reform. We get an update on reform efforts from reporters from our partner stations in Sacramento and San Diego. Guests: Claire Trageser, KPBS and Sarah Mizes-Tan, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Requires Face Masks in Public Statewide In a directive issued yesterday by Governor Gavin Newsom, most Californians everywhere in the state must wear masks when in public places. It’s a response to a worrying spikes in coronavirus cases in many parts of California. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Labor Unions Shut Down West Coast Ports for Juneteenth Cargo ports up and down the West Coast are going to be pretty quiet today. That’s because workers of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have voted to spend the day protesting police violence and racism instead of loading and unloading ships. Reporter: Nina Sparling, KQED Young Black Actvists Claim Juneteenth as 'Our Independence Day' In West Oakland some teenagers are claiming Juneteenth for themselves. A group calling themselves Black Youth for the People’s Liberation will hold a rally today in Oakland. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED DACA Recipients Mobilize for Path to Citizenship Across California recipients of DACA are celebrating yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling that preserves protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation. But despite the high court’s decision, that protection is temporary. The so-called Dreamers are mobilizing for a permanent path to American citizenship. Congressman Says Tech Companies Not Fully Prepared To Prevent Election Meddling There are worries that as Election Day looms, social media is again becoming a place where misinformation and half-baked conspiracy theories spread, like what happened when Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Yesterday, the House Intelligence Committee held a hearing on what big tech companies are doing to fight off disinformation campaigns. Guest: Congressman Adam Schiff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Win for Dreamers in the Supreme Court Earlier this morning, the Trump Administration was dealt defeat by the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 5 to 4 decision, the justices rejected the administration’s attempt to get rid of DACA. That’s the program protecting so-called Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. The decision affects about 200,000 people here in California. Guest: Kevin Johnson, Dean, UC Davis School Of Law Poway Synagogue Sues Shooter and Gun Manufacturer Victims of last year’s shooting at a synagogue in the San Diego County community of Poway are now suing the alleged shooter and the gun manufacturer that made the semi-automatic weapons used in the attack. Investigators say the attack was motivated by anti-Semitism. Reporter: Matt Hoffman, KPBS Judge Rules in Favor of Emergency Relief for Undocumented Students A federal judge in San Francisco has ruled that the Trump Administration cannot withhold pandemic-related emergency grants from undocumented college students in California. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Election Officials in Conservative Counties Weigh in On Mail-In Ballots This November election every voter in the state will have the option of voting by mail. It’s generally a pretty popular idea in Blue State California, but some Republicans aren’t happy with it. They argue voting by mail could create opportunities for election fraud. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PG&E CEO Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter in Camp Fire It’s pretty extraordinary to hear the CEO of a big company plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter, but it happened in a Butte County courtroom Tuesday. Pacific Gas and Electric CEO Bill Johnson entered guilty pleas again and again for the deaths of 84 people, all of them victims of the 2018 Camp Fire which was sparked by PG&E equipment near the town of Paradise. As Coronavirus Spreads in Prisons, Non-Violent Inmates Can Get Early Release The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says it will allow for the early release of inmates who have 6 months or less left on their sentences. The non-violent offenders will have to prove they have a place to live once they’re free. Cases of COVID-19 inside California prisons continue to balloon. Reporter: Alice Woelfle, KQED Developments in Case of Black Man Found Hanging in Palmdale The family of Robert Fuller, the 24-year-old Black man found hanging from a tree in Palmdale, says they will seek an independent autopsy to determine Fuller’s cause of death. City officials initially called his death a suicide, until that conclusion was challenged by protests. Reporter: Darrell Salzman, KCRW Statues Coming Down in Sacramento You might’ve heard about statues being pulled down around the country, and around the world. The artworks commemorate historical figures, once hailed as heroes, but who now are seen by many as oppressors and exploiters. In Sacramento, a statue of John Sutter was removed from a hospital and the state legislature promised to remove statues of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella of Spain. Fort Bragg Considers a Name Change There’s a push to rename U.S. military bases that are named for Civil War-era generals who fought for the Confederacy. The small Northern California coastal town of Fort Bragg now confronts the issue. Like the Army Base in North Carolina, the town is named for Braxton Bragg, a slave-owning Confederate general. Guest: Mayor Will Lee, Fort Bragg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

UC Endorses Return to Affirmative Action in Admissions, Hiring UC Regents have voted to endorse reversing their past position and repealing Prop 209. That would once again allow the UC system to use affirmative action again in admissions and hiring. Legislature Passes a Budget, But Much Is Still Up-in-the-Air The State Legislature passed a budget yesterday, but that does not mean the spending discussion is over... especially in a year when California is grappling with a pandemic and the economic toll it’s taken on state finances. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Politics Newsom: California Is Ready for Spike in Coronavirus Cases As California continues to reopen, the number of COVID-19 cases in California is steadily increasing. But Governor Gavin Newsom says the state is well-prepared for a possible future spike. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Politics LA's City Council Discusses De-Funding the LAPD In the wake of police abuse cases, cities and counties across California are facing mounting public pressure to rethink police practices and funding. In Los Angeles, a push to de-fund the LAPD got its first official hearing at LA City Hall Monday. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW California's AG Wants to Make Sure Bad Cops Don't Get Rehired Americans are engaging in a debate about how to reform police departments so officers don’t engage in discriminatory practices, and don’t kill people like George Floyd. Some analysts say one problem isn’t just a few rotten apples, it’s that when officers get fired for misconduct, they easily get hired elsewhere. California’s Attorney General wants to pass new laws that ensure that bad cops don’t get to stay on the job anywhere. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Politics Study: Prosecutors Strike Black and Latino People from Juries A new study from UC Berkeley finds that California prosecutors disproportionately strike people of color, especially African-Americans, from serving on juries. We asked the person who spearheaded the study to break down the report’s findings and their implications for the justice system. Guest: Law Professor Elisabeth Semel, UC Berkeley Death Penalty Clinic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supreme Court Won't Take Up California's Sanctuary Law Case This morning the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the Trump Administration’s challenge to California’s so called “sanctuary state” law. That leaves in place state rules that prohibit local California law enforcement from helping federal immigration authorities apprehend and deport people in the country illegally. Guest: Prof. Jessica Levinson, Loyola Law School Protests Erupt in Palmdale and Victorville Over Two Black Men Found Hanging Amid the ongoing protests for racial justice, two Black men have been found dead, hanging from trees in desert cities outside of Los Angeles. Reporter: Cerise Castle, KCRW Should I Get Tested? And When? Mass protests and the loosening of shelter-at-home orders are bringing more people together. Public health officials recommend getting tested for COVID-19 if you think you’ve been exposed. But doctors say it’s important to know when to get a test and to understand what the results mean. Reporter: Peter Arcuni, KQED Science Imperial Co. Has Highest COVID-19 Infection Rate in Calif. So far, more than 4-thousand people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Imperial County and 43 people have died from the virus there. Reporter: Julie Small, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Los Angeles County Reopens Gyms, Museums, Pools, And More Today is a big day for LA county. It's set to start letting a lot of places reopen for the first time since coronavirus closure orders were issued in March. Museums, Gyms, zoos and and public pools are now allowed to do business again, and the county is allowing film and television production to restart. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, KQED Sacramento School Officials Seek Out Hard-To-Reach Students This summer, educators are taking stock of just how dramatically COVID-19 has changed how kids learn. More than 1600 students in Sacramento lost touch with their public schools when the city district closed classrooms in March. Officials have had to find ways to reconnect with kids who are the hardest to reach. Reporter: Pauline Bartolone, CapRadio What Will Schools Look Like When They Reopen This Fall? Superintendents around the state are grappling with how to reopen schools safely. They’re figuring out how to keep kids learning, while getting a crash course in logistics. Guest: Robert Nelson, Superintendent, Fresno Unified School District Reflecting on UC President Napolitano's Tenure: 'I Want to be Remembered as Being Lively' Janet Napolitano is nearing the end of the tenure as the President of the University of California. She sat down with us this week and spoke about the decision to suspend standardized tests in admissions, the ongoing pay dispute with UC grad students, and the future of Dreamers whose immigration status is now in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court. Guest: UC President Janet Napolitano UCLA Grad Reflects On Graduation And Uncertainty seniors at UCLA are graduating today. The university’s 100th graduating class will don their caps and gowns virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon-to-be-graduate Noor Bouzidi recorded some reflections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New State Bill Would Bring Back Affirmative Action California’s Assembly has advanced a possible constitutional amendment that would once again allow affirmative action in the state. The measure, ACA 5, would repeal a current section of the California Constitution written in the 1990’s. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Janet Napolitano Fights To Protect DACA The Supreme Court will soon make a decision on whether so-called "Dreamers" can stay in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Janet Napolitano created DACA as Homeland Security Secretary under President Obama. And in her current role as President of the University of California, has taken the lead in the fight over whether DACA is legal. Guest: Janet Napolitano, University Of California President 28,000 Californians Face Deportation If Temporary Protected Status Ends. An estimated 28,000 essential workers in California could be at risk of deportation if the courts allow President Donald Trump to end humanitarian protections called Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. We bring you the story of one Bay Area man who’s afraid his future in the U.S. could come to an abrupt end at any moment. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Visiting Black-Owned Restaurants Doesn't Address Police Brutality You might have seen lists of Black-owned restaurants on social media or your favorite food blog, along with the suggestion that patronizing these establishments is a way to support the Black community and protest police brutality. We spoke to someone who picked that apart. Guest: Ruth Gebreyesus, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coronavirus Cases Spike in Some Parts of State As California moves to reopen bars, gyms and other businesses on Friday, some areas are seeing their coronavirus numbers spike. Hospitalizations in Sacramento have quadrupled in the past two weeks. Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio Orange County's Public Health Direct Resigns Scientists say masks protect those around you and help stop the spread of the coronavirus. But in Orange County, the debate has grown so intense that the county’s public health director has resigned. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report co-Host Former Cop Turned State Politician Wants to Ban Certain Police Chokeholds Democratic state lawmakers have introduced legislation that would outlaw police from using certain holds to restrain people. Assembly Bill 1196 bans chokeholds that halt blood from flowing to someone’s brain, including the carotid restraint that killed George Floyd in Minneapolis. Assemblyman Mike Gipson, a former police officer from Carson, authored the bill. Guest: Assemblyman Mike Gipson, Carson Calls for Feds to End High-Tech Drone Surveillance More than half a dozen California members of Congress are calling on the Trump administration to stop using high-tech surveillance gear to monitor peaceful protests. They sent a letter to four federal agencies yesterday. Reporter: Raquel Maria Dillon, KQED Legislature Considers Expanding Medi-Cal to Undocumented Senior Citizens The Legislature is seeking to help undocumented immigrants on the healthcare front as well. Lawmakers are supporting a plan to expand Medi-Cal to undocumented adults 65 and older. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Politics Earned Income Tax Credit Not Helping Many Immigrants Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, income and wealth inequality were rampant throughout the state, especially in communities of color. One program aimed at addressing that was supposed to put cash into the pockets of the working poor. But it’s not available to many immigrant families, at least not yet. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Politics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices