KQED's The California Report

California child care providers are still waiting on hundreds of thousands of dollars in pandemic financial relief from Governor Newsom and the Department of Social Services. Providers were supposed to receive the one-time stipend payments around the holidays, or early 2023 at the latest. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, The California Report  Fast fashion trends have many Americans buying more clothes than...

The number of K-12 students experiencing homelessness in California has surged by the thousands. That’s according to new enrollment data from the state’s Department of Education. Reporter: Joe Hong, CalMatters   A new investigation finds that after police killings, many California law enforcement agencies are trained to keep news of people's deaths from family members. That way, according to the r...

A parade of atmospheric rivers has delivered record-busting levels of rain and snowfall to the Sierra Nevada this year. But with all that snow poised to melt in the coming months, communities in the Central Valley floor, which are already grappling with flooding, are bracing for the worst.  Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR  The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted to expand a guaranteed...

The latest reading of California’s snowpack is in, and the amount of snow is huge - 220% of average. The last time California had this much snow in the Sierra Nevada was in 1952. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR  How many of you have had this very California problem? You really want to buy your first home, but the down payment is just too high. And the monthly mortgage payments would kill you financi...

When the food scraps we throw out from our kitchens get hauled to dumps, they release methane, a super-accelerant of climate change. So last year, a state law went into effect requiring California cities to slash the amount of food waste they send to landfills. But how is implementation of that law going? Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Starting Monday, California Public Health offi...

The state says it's offering aid to communities that have been deeply impacted by this year's storms. But for many residents in the San Bernardino mountains, the challenges are mounting. Reporter: Jill Replogle, LAist A group of hunger strikers at two California immigration detention centers say they're pausing their protest, after what they call violent tactics by ICE officials. The 35-day hunger...

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors will replace voting equipment targeted by former President Trump and others, promoting the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. The county is now going to be hand counting ballots. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Housing advocates say landlords have been taking advantage of a loophole in California’s Tenant Protection Act to kick renters out. Lawmakers passed...

The experience of climate-fueled storms since the turn of the year is lodged into the minds of Californians — levee failures displaced thousands, blizzard conditions trapped people in their homes, hundreds of thousands lost power and a vast inland California lake appeared. Climate scientists say the storms and flooding are just a fraction of what’s expected in a warmer world. Reporter: Ezra David...

State lawmakers have approved Governor Gavin Newsom's bill, which is attempting to increase transparency of the oil industry in the state. It would allow the California Energy Commission to impose penalties, through a regulatory process, if the agency believes oil companies are making excessive profits from gas prices. California's crisis support centers want to better serve Native Americans in ne...

Water is back on, but it's still not drinkable in the Monterey County community of Pajaro, which was hit by massive flooding a few weeks ago. Residents are being allowed back in their homes to assess the damage, and start the process of cleaning up their property. Reporter: Jonathan Linden, KAZU Over 5 million people around California use CalFresh, the state's version of the federal Supplemental N...

Oakland teachers at 14 middle and high schools are planning a walkout on Friday. But, the teachers union has not sanctioned a strike. Meanwhile, LA educators are back in the classroom today after reaching an agreement late Thursday. Communities in the San Bernardino Mountains, east of Los Angeles, are once again struggling to dig out of more snow following this week's latest atmospheric river. But...

It was a rare sight in the LA County city of Montebello on Wednesday after a tornado ripped through the city, damaging 11 buildings. One person was injured. As the latest atmospheric river ravaged the state this week, some communities are left with more mess to clean up. Farming communities have been especially impacted by this year's wet weather -- from Planada in Merced County to Pajaro in Monte...

Downed trees, widespread power outages, flooded roadways -- it was all part of the latest atmospheric river to hit California. At least two people died due to falling trees in the Bay Area on Tuesday. In Tulare County, where signs reading “pray for rain” line the highway, many communities are still underwater. And so are agricultural fields. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR We’re still waiting to hear...

Los Angeles Unified School District workers have begun a three day strike on Tuesday, a labor action that will affect hundreds of thousands of students and families across the city.  Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report The 12th atmospheric river this winter is set to once again pummel California. During past storms, washed out roads and fallen trees have isolated many residents in rural...

Is this a possible solution to climate change? Capture the greenhouse gasses heating our planet and bury them deep underground? Well such a carbon storage facility has been proposed for part of Kern County. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report The historic Black community of Allensworth in Tulare County is the latest to be placed under evacuation orders. This comes after a breach in some...

Governor Newsom is taking a public policy road trip over the next few days. Instead of giving the usual State of the State address from inside the State Capitol building, he’s visiting several California cities to highlight policy proposals and to crow about successes. Newsom started yesterday in Sacramento and highlighted the state’s latest effort to combat homelessness. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño...

Governor Newsom visits the flooded farm community of Pajaro in Monterey County and talks about how all the weather has been wearing people down. On the positive side, mandatory water restrictions were lifted for nearly 7 million people in Southern California. Snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada sent water gushing into Valley communities last week. With a break in the storms, communities in the eastern...

As the breached levee is nearly repaired in the Monterey County community of Pajaro, residents are being told it might take weeks before they can return to their homes. Reporter: Anna Marie Yanny, KQED The sudden failure of California’s Silicon Valley Bank, the second largest bank collapse in American history, has lawmakers in Sacramento calling for hearings into what happened. Reporter: Scott Sha...

As another enormous storm front sweeps across the Golden State, authorities are warning Californians about the threat of flooding in already water-saturated regions. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED In the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse, how did this one financial institution become so dominant in California's tech industry? Old-fashioned word of mouth, particularly by the venture capitalist cla...

The town of Pajaro in Monterey County is underwater after a levee broke on the Pajaro River during this weekend’s storms. Officials say they have evacuated more than 2000 people and rescues are ongoing. Reporter: Katherine Monahan, KQED After three years of living in a drought, many Californians are celebrating rain and snowfall. But you might be feeling overwhelmed with the drastic change in weat...

Throughout California, hospitals are being forced to reduce services and even shut down. For many, the pandemic created financial stressors that led hospitals to bankruptcy. But in Paradise, the company that runs the city's only hospital received millions in compensation from insurance after the 2018 Camp Fire destroyed much of the city. But Adventist Health doesn't plan to reopen its doors. Guest...

Desperation has turned into anger for many people in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. As residents continue to dig out from a rare blizzard, many are blasting the county for not helping them more quickly. Amid the criticism, a group of volunteers has hastily come together to deliver supplies. Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR Bay Area Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren and other House Democra...

At least 11 people have died since winter storms battered the San Bernardino Mountains. Meanwhile, in Nevada County in Northern California, the lights have been off for thousands of customers due to storms in the area. Public health officials in California are calling on the governor to reconsider a plan to slash funding to a training program for public health workers. Last year, California commit...

Desperation is growing as many people are still trapped in their homes in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. It’s been more than a week since a rare blizzard buried the region in snow. And authorities say it might take a few more days before they can reach everyone.  Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR 18 days into a hunger strike over living and working conditions in two Kern County imm...

Although progress is being made, many people who have been stuck in communities in the San Bernardino Mountains due to the massive amount of snowfall might not receive assistance for several more days. Crews have been able to clear off many main roads, but the excess snow is piling up, trapping many people in their homes.    The closure of Madera Community Hospital in late December has left thousa...