KQED's The California Report

In an effort to stave off rolling blackouts in California, the Newsom administration is moving forward with five new energy projects set to be fueled by both natural gas and diesel.  If you’re among the millions of Californians who have tried to move during the pandemic, chances are, it’s been rough. And there’s more than one reason for that -- low supply and high demand among them. Guest: Mary Da...

Despite growing concerns about the delta variant and what it means for the pandemic, there are some positive signs when it comes to the U.S. economy. And one Bay Area economic leader is optimistic about the recovery, and hopes changes in the job market remain in place. Guest: Mary Daly, President of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank Major wildfires across Northern California are threatening s...

The Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado County almost quadrupled in size in just a day. The fire has ravaged the town of Grizzly Peak, and forced several communities to evacuate. Guest: Scott Rodd, CapRadio The state attorney general’s office is going to independently review the actions of a former BART police officer who was involved, but never criminally charged in the 2009 shooting of Oscar Grant....

The burn area of the Dixie Fire continues to be under a red flag warning as winds gusts are expected to pick up later on Tuesday. The fire is advancing on the Lassen County communities of Janesville and Susanville. A new book on the 2018 Camp Fire pieces together what happened in the fire and follows its devastating aftermath through the eyes of fire survivors. The book focuses on the town of Para...

Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest in the state, reopens Monday for in-person instruction. Students and staff will be required to wear masks indoors and undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, regardless of their vaccination status. There's concern that the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in San Joaquin County could spread to some neighboring areas. The brunt of this latest wave is hitting y...

San Francisco will become the first city in the U.S. to require workers and patrons inside bars, restaurants, gyms and theaters to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The ordinance takes effect next week for customers. The Dixie Fire has burned over 500,000 acres in Northern California, making it the second largest wildfire in state history. The fire has leveled some towns, but crews were able t...

California voters will soon be getting vote-by-mail ballots for the gubernatorial recall election. And Election Day itself, September 14, is only about a month away. So what should voters know about the election? Guest: Dr. Shirley Weber, California Secretary of State California is the first state in the country to require that all teachers and school staff be vaccinated against the coronavirus or...

Governor Gavin Newsom is expected to announce rules that would require teachers and staff at schools in California to either be vaccinated or submit to regular testing for COVID-19. California would be the first state in the country to implement such rules. California could get billions of dollars to fight wildfires and drought from the $1 trillion infrastructure bill approved by the U.S. Senate o...

Nearly 6,000 people are hospitalized in California due to the coronavirus as the delta variant continue to surge. The vast majority of those hospitalized continue to be people who are unvaccinated. As the Dixie Fire continues to burn across Northern California, small communities in Plumas County are trying to pick up the pieces after the fire badly damaged their towns. Guest: Scott Rodd, Reporter...

Crews tried to take advantage of cooler conditions over the weekend as they continue to battle the massive Dixie Fire burning in Northern California. The fire has burned more than 489,000 acres. Brian Burrows, who grew up in Northern San Diego County, took home a bronze medal in the mixed team trapshooting event at the Tokyo Olympics. He spoke to The California Report about his time in Japan durin...

Following two days of extreme fire weatehr conditions, crews battling the Dixie Fire in Plumas and Butte counties are expected to get a bit of a respite Friday. The fire is now the third largest in state history, burning more than 432,000 acres. Last August, California saw rolling blackouts as the state's electricity grid was stressed during a major heat wave. With more hot weather expected this m...

Extreme fire conditions on Wednesday led to spot fires from the massive Dixie Fire, as it tore through the town of Greenville in Plumas County. Meanwhile, the River Fire ignited in Placer County before crossing over into Nevada County, destroying dozens of structures. Guest: Scott Rodd, CapRadio A Southern California family took a much-needed trip to Disneyland in June, and took precautions to pro...

In Plumas County, thousands of residents have been ordered from their homes as the Dixie Fire continues to spread. Officials sent out notice Tuesday afternoon as high winds have made it tougher for firefighters trying to contain the fire’s spread. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED We’ve heard a lot about controlled burning recently –- carefully lit intentional fires that have benefits for wildfire risk a...

In a preliminary report filed with state regulators, Pacific Gas & Electric says the Fly Fire may have started when a tree fell on one of its power lines. The fire started in Plumas County near Highway 70 -- and combined with the Dixie Fire late last month to form the largest wildfire currently burning in the state. With the rapid spread of the delta variant, and cases going up across the region,...

San Francisco is the latest county that's considering a mask mandate to help ease the spread of the delta variant. Public health officials say a decision could come as early as this week. Subsidies for electric vehicles have been hailed by environmentalists as a key clean energy policy. But do EVs actually reduce emissions? Guest: David Rapson, UC Davis Economics Professor  With wildfire smoke now...

California’s fire season is off to a fast start, outpacing 2020, which was the worst year on record. Wildfires have burned over 480,000 acres in California so far this year. That’s about four times the total during the same time last year. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio  One of Los Angeles' most extraordinary works of public art is in a storm water channel in the San Fernando Valley. Started in th...

Following in the footsteps of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California public health officials are recommending that everyone wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status. Google will require employees who return to the company’s offices be vaccinated. The Mountain View-based tech giant is among the companies that is shifting gears when it comes to employees returni...

Los Angeles is the latest California city that will require municipal employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. If they don’t, those employees will have to provide regular test results to show that they haven't contracted the virus. Squaw Valley, the famous ski resort near Lake Tahoe that once hosted the Winter Olympics, is preparing for a name change this fall in response to community concern...

In an order from Governor Gavin Newsom, state and health care workers will no longer be able to self attest that they've been vaccinated. Those who do not show proof of vaccination will be tested regularly for COVID-19 and have to wear a mask in the workplace. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Five people are dead following a long standoff at a home in Wasco. Three people inside the home, believed to...

The Dixie Fire burning in Plumas and Butte counties has burned nearly 193,000 and forced even more evacuations in Plumas County. Several homes and structures have been destroyed although the full extent of the damage hasn't been determined. Los Angeles County has seen five straight days of daily COVID-19 cases topping 2,000, mainly due to the highly contagious delta variant. That's led officials t...

The tuition increases approved by the U.C. Regents will be capped at 5%. Starting in 2022, it’s estimated new in-state undergrads will pay roughly $530 more in tuition and fees. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED The major surge of new coronavirus cases is growing in Los Angeles County. And more fully-vaccinated people are testing positive with the virus. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC Several new sp...

Pacific Gas & Electric plans to bury 10,000 miles of its power lines in an effort to prevent its electrical grid from sparking wildfires in California. The announcement comes days after the utility said its equipment may have ignited the Dixie Fire burning in Plumas and Butte counties. Guest: Will Abrams, 2017 Tubbs Fire Survivor  While huge fires are burning across the state, in rural areas, even...

As coronavirus cases continue to soar across Los Angeles County, and the rest of the state, more employers are poised to require workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Pasadena is about to become the first city in Southern California to demand that all of its municipal employees do so. Guest: Steven Mermell, Pasadena City Manager Last month, California unveiled an online portal that would allo...

Crews continue to face challenging conditions in battling large wildfires across Northern California. Thunderstorms and wind are being replaced by dry, hot weather this week as crews continue to battle the Dixie and Tamarack fires. Critics of Governor Gavin Newsom say his COVID-19 restrictions were unfair and damaging to small businesses -- thousands of which permanently closed during the pandemic...

A significant rise in coronavirus cases over the past few weeks has led to health officials in Los Angeles County to reinstate a mask mandate in indoor settings. The requirement went into effect over the weekend. Guest: Dr. Bob Wachter, Chair of U.C. San Francisco’s Department of Medicine  As the Tokyo Olympics get underway this week, at least three athletes have already tested positive for the co...