KQED's The California Report

Environmentalists say the Trump Administration is being short sighted in its decision to offer to buy out the leases of some offshore wind energy projects along California’s Central Coast. Reporter: Lance Orozco, KCLU Peach growers in the Yuba-Sutter region and Central Valley are being thrown a lifeline from Washington, D.C. The move follows the closure of a major cannery that’s left farmers witho...

California lawmakers are considering new rules for electric bikes as safety concerns grow on roads and trails. But experts say much of the data behind those concerns is misleading. Reporter: Gerardo Zavala, CapRadio New research from UC Santa Cruz shows climate change is a bigger threat to California’s native trees than previously thought. Reporter: Erin Malsbury, KAZU To the north of the Imperial...

We’re less than a week away from the start of voting in California’s June primary and the race for governor remains up for grabs. On Tuesday night, the leading candidates made their pitch to voters in a CBS debate at Pomona College - east of Los Angeles, and things got messy. Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED In a move immigration and privacy advocates call a “betrayal,” California is preparing to share...

A health care labor union in California submitted more than 1.5 million signatures this week to place a billionaire tax on the November ballot. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, KQED It’s been two months since the war in Iran began, and the resulting energy crisis has made the cost of driving a major concern here for millions of Californians. In a state where people rely heavily on cars, the rising costs are...

Today in Oakland, two of the most powerful men in tech are set to face off in a federal courtroom. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is suing Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED State courts will start tracking and reporting on immigration arrests at their facilities, starting in June. That’s after the policymaking body for California courts approved a new rule Friday. R...

Courthouse arrests by ICE have been ramping up across California, particularly in the Inland Empire where court raids have become almost a daily occurrence. In response, two state senators have introduced bills in the California Legislature that aim to curb raids at courthouses.  Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many Californians, mobile home parks are one of the last real affordable paths to homeownership. Residents typically own their homes, but rent the land beneath them. In recent years corporate investors have sought to buy this land and in some cases seek to maximize profit. But this arrangement can leave homeowners vulnerable. The California Report’s Madi Bolaños has spent the last two years lo...

The policy-making body that oversees California's court system plans to vote on a proposal this Friday that would require courts to collect data on civil arrests inside the state's courthouses. It comes amid a rise in arrests by federal immigration agents of undocumented people inside and near courthouse across the state and throughout the U.S. California counties will be able to continue dedicati...

Normally, county clerk races don’t get that much attention. But in Shasta County, two candidates are fighting for the future of elections in a place that’s garnered national attention for years now. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio Former State Controller Betty Yee is ending her campaign for California governor, citing flagging poll numbers and a shrinking donor base. Reporter: Iz...

Along the banks of the San Joaquin River in Fresno County, an unusual soil has sparked heated, public conversations. That’s because, it’s not your typical soil. And the process that creates it is only legal in a handful of states. Reporter: Samantha Rangel, KVPR A man, who is part of a class action lawsuit challenging immigration raids in Los Angeles, has been detained again by Immigration and Cus...

California is the first state in the country to require folic acid in corn masa flour—the key ingredient in foods like tortillas. The move could help prevent serious birth defects, which occur at higher rates among Latino families. Alabama is set to follow this summer, and other states are considering similar laws. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED A new, proposed train service could connect San Luis...

One byproduct of the Trump Administration’s mass deportation campaign, is a big increase in the number of deportation flights. More and more of those flights are coming from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS California State Senator Scott Weiner and fire survivors are pushing for a bill that would allow the state attorney general to seek damages from oil...

KQED has obtained surveillance video of a mass use of force incident at the Central California Women’s Facility. It's the first detailed look at the August 2024 incident that resulted in the largest disciplinary action from a single use of force event. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report Another woman has come forward to accuse former California Congressman Eric Swalwell of sexual assaul...

Across California, tax preparers in immigrant communities are seeing an unprecedented drop in filings, in some places, more than 60 percent. KRCB News Reporter Shandra Back explores why undocumented and mixed status families are stepping back from the tax system this year. We visit a legacy tax prep business in Santa Rosa where longtime clients are walking away, discouraged by shrinking credits an...

Congressman Eric Swalwell has suspended his campaign for governor. This comes just days after a San Francisco Chronicle report where a former staffer said Swalwell sexually assaulted her. And CNN later reported on other instances of alleged sexual misconduct from three other women. Guest: Marisa Lagos, KQED Delegates at the California Republican Party's spring convention in San Diego failed to end...

Pacific Grove or PG is no longer a dry town, although it upheld the Prohibition-era ban on booze into the 1960s—longer than any other city in California. Despite the sleepy reputation it earned, PG is now home to a growing nightlife scene. Reporter: Katie Brown, KAZU A California court has unsealed the warrants that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco used to seize hundreds of thousands of ballot...

1 in 3 Planned Parenthood patients in the United States receive care at clinics in California. But as the abortion-rights organization tries to manage after Congress cut its federal funding last year, one Planned Parenthood affiliate in California is diving into a new kind of service - cosmetics. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio California's Supreme Court has ordered Riverside County Sheriff C...

A new report is shedding light on the lives of California farmworkers. It argues low wages are not just an economic issue, but a public health crisis. The report is called Beyond the Cycle of Survival, and it looks at how pay impacts workers' health, families, and communities. Guest: Elana Muldavin, Health in Partnership An investigation is underway after federal authorities shot and wounded a per...

For countertop fabricators trying to follow California’s safety rules, “doing the right thing” can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED A $10 billion bet on the future of Artificial Intelligence is facing a wall of local resistance in the Imperial Valley. County supervisors will decide the fate of a massive data center complex that has already sparked shout...

Want a better life? Move out of California. Well, sorta. According to a new study from the California Policy Lab, the Golden State's high cost of living is still squeezing residents and pushing them out of the state. Guest: Evan White, Executive Director of California Policy Lab California is suing the Trump administration again, this time over the president's executive order to give the US Postal...

This week indie musician Mitski is playing a series of sold out shows at an unexpected L.A. venue: Hollywood High School’s auditorium. The school's connection to the arts goes back decades. Reporter: Mariana Dale, LAist A federal judge in California says Border Patrol violated a federal court order barring them from making illegal stops and arrests. Reporter: Sergio Olmos, CalMatters The Nuclear R...

Hundreds of people became US citizens at a large ceremony in Orange County last month. Despite some concerns about democracy in the US, some new citizens still think it’s a good place to live. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR California officials are warning of an early fire season and strained water supply after warm weather in March melted most of the Sierra snowpack. Reporter: Alonso Daboub, KQ...

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about the struggles of California wineries. But the state’s craft brewers are also dealing with significant challenges. While it may seem like there’s a taproom on every corner, the Brewers Association reports that for the last two years, more California breweries have closed than opened. As craft brewers grapple with everything from rising costs to tariffs, brewers...

The sexual abuse accusations against the late Cesar Chavez have sparked condemnation and soul-searching on the West Coast, and also fears the scandal could undermine ongoing efforts to improve the lives of farmworkers. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Fallout continues from the last-minute cancellation of a gubernatorial debate that was scheduled Tuesday on the USC campus, after four candida...

Tuesday is Farm Workers' Day, formerly known as Cesar Chavez Day, which has been celebrated for almost 30 years. But last week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill to make the name change official after Cesar Chavez was accused of sexually abusing women and girls. The state is just one of many entities making these name changes, but for some cities that might not happen as quickly. Guest: Nadia La...