KQED's The California Report

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

Residents are assessing the damage after Tuesday's 6.4 magnitude earthquake on California's North Coast. Fire departments in Humboldt County have already been out surveying homes and businesses to find out the extent of the damage. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio Thursday is the fifth night of Hanukkah. All over the world, for many centuries, Jewish people have marked the holiday...

Two people are dead as a result of Tuesday's 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Humboldt County. At least a dozen were injured.  Reporter: Erik Neumann, Jefferson Public Radio Most of the damage from Tuesday’s quake happened in the small Humboldt County town of Rio Dell. Much of the town is still without power or water. Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQED This month's first-of-its-kind offshore wind lease...

Across California and the nation, governments are looking at new ways to address the crisis of growing unhoused communities. In Sacramento, the city and county have agreed to take a new approach -- bringing shelter and health care services directly to homeless encampments.  Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio  The Biden Administration has announced a big goal of reducing homelessness 25% nationwide...

Survivors of September's Mill Fire, which devastated parts of Siskiyou County, are continuing to put the pieces of their lives back together. Now, residents’ access to state and federal assistance will determine whether the historically Black neighborhood of Lincoln Heights in Weed will be able to stay together. Reporter: Erik Neumann, Jefferson Public Radio The Trump-era immigration policy known...

State utility regulators have approved a controversial proposal that will change how future owners of rooftop solar systems will be compensated for the excess power they produce that’s fed into the grid.  Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED After years of promising to do so, CalFire has released new, updated hazard maps to help Californians determine if they live in places that face increased wildfire risk...

Bakersfield is now home to the Central Valley’s first Holocaust Memorial. The tranquil garden is a monument against hate and rising anti-Semitism.  Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR  Study after study shows an alarming increase in hate crimes and racist incidents in California targeting a variety of groups, including Jews. Worries about rising anti-Semitism have gotten more attention recently after th...

California’s desert lands have long been used for everything from mining to military training to rest and relaxation. Think Palm Springs. Now, the state’s deserts have a growing role in helping to create a green energy revolution. And that's sparked a backlash among some who argue that desert wilderness is being sacrificed for renewable power goals. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report T...

The recent sale of five leases off the coast of California for offshore wind turbine projects is seen as a victory for renewable energy advocates. But it’s also raising safety concerns about one of California’s treasures -- the whales that migrate off the coast every year. Reporter: Amanda Wernik, KCBX Most of the estimated 270, 000 janitors in California work in the private sector. A new study fi...

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management just sold five leases for wind turbine projects off the coast of California. Three are located in Morro Bay off the Central Coast. Now, local indigenous tribes are speaking up about the projects.  Reporter: Gabriela Fernandez, KCBX Every year in the three weeks around Thanksgiving, the official count of monarch butterflies takes place. Over the last few decade...

A Bay Area member of Congress says federal immigration authorities plan to end their contract with a Northern California county jail, the last public facility in the state to hold immigrants fighting deportation. It comes after years of outcry over substandard conditions. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED A tiny local election in the Central Valley could have big ripple effects for farming, and wate...

A new bill introduced this week would make it illegal for unhoused residents in California to sit or sleep in certain public spaces. The proposal is already drawing ire from advocates, who say it does little to solve homelessness.  Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED   California is home to the largest population of Cambodians in the U.S.. Most Cambodians who first arrived in the country came as refug...

If you've ever thought twice about jaywalking because of fear getting a ticket that will soon change. Starting on January 1, California's "Freedom to Walk Act" becomes law. It will prohibit police from writing jaywalking tickets, unless people are caught trying to cross the street in clearly dangerous traffic conditions. Guest: John Yi, Executive Director of Los Angeles Walks State Senator Scott W...

Sky-high gas prices this year prompted Governor Gavin Newsom to propose a new law limiting how much oil companies can charge at the pump. Newsom’s proposal would put a cap on how much companies can charge for a gallon of gas and penalize those that charge more. But it doesn’t include specific profit ceilings yet.  Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio  Popular countertops made from synthetic stone are...

Oil companies spent big in California’s election this year and for good reason: Governor Gavin Newsom is calling on lawmakers to take action to drive down gas prices in a state where drivers pay far more than anywhere else.  Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED  California is seeing a surge in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. But there is some good news. California’s top health official says more...

A new report out this week says a data breach at the California Department of Justice last summer was the result of poor training and a lack of professional rigor at the agency. The leak included the personal information of hundreds of thousands of concealed carry firearm license applicants. Reporter: Ben Christopher, CalMatters Award-winning poet Deborah Miranda, an enrolled member of the Ohlone-...

The University of California has reached a tentative agreement with postdoctoral scholars and academic researchers to increase their pay and other benefits. Those UC workers are staying on the picket lines in solidarity with their United Auto Worker union members who still have not reached a deal. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, KQED Tani Cantil-Sakauye, the chief justice of the California Supreme Cou...

Postdoctoral scholars and academic researchers in the University of California system have reached a tentative five-year deal. But the strike continues, as two groups — graduate student researchers and academic student employees — still have not come to an agreement. New reporting from CalMatters finds that Cal Poly San Luis Obispo enrolls the smallest percentage of Black undergraduates at any CSU...

In late September, passenger rail service from San Diego to places north of San Clemente halted. An unstable slope above the track in San Clemente posed the threat of a landslide. Bluff stabilization is ongoing, but rail service is expected to resume next month. Reporter: Thomas Fudge, KPBS After wildfire season ends in the Western U.S., those who lost their homes begin sifting through what’s left...

During labor disputes, employers sometimes freeze health insurance benefits for workers. But a law to take effect next summer will provide striking private-sector workers with fully subsidized coverage. Reporter: Stephanie O’Neill, Kaiser Health News New reporting shows that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation moves prisoners with serious mental illnesses three times more o...

Just like animals, the world’s trees, flowers, grasses and succulents are under threat, especially as our world heats up because of climate change. About a third of California’s native plant species and populations are now endangered or threatened by development, drought, competition from invasive species and of course wildfires. In California, botanists are trying to protect the state’s native fl...

For more than 20 years, the African American Theater Arts Troupe at UC Santa Cruz has provides a sense of community for Black students on campus while also celebrating Black playwrights. Often, it’s the first time Black students see plays that explore life experiences they can relate to. Reporter: Doug McKnight, KAZU If you look out west from San Francisco, when the fog clears and the light is jus...

As Thanksgiving approaches, food pantries across the state are seeing an increase in need. Some students face a difficult choice: eating or education. A recent state law requires college campuses to direct students to CalFresh and other benefits. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR For the second time this year, state officials are delaying the start of commercial Dungeness crab fishing, after several h...

Scientists at Stanford are starting a new medical trial to test if the drug Paxlovid can ease the symptoms of long COVID, like brain fog, shortness of breath and body aches. It's the first medical trial in the U.S. involving an antiviral to treat long COVID. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, KQED Governor Gavin Newsom is releasing a billion dollars in funding to fight homelessness. That comes just two weeks...

Last night, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club hosted a vigil to honor the victims of the shooting in a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs. The vigil took place at Harvey Milk Plaza, one week before the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. A recent investigation from CapRadio and the California Newsroom revealed the U.S. Forest Service predict...