KQED's The California Report

Who Will be the Next California Attorney General? Other than Governor, being California’s Attorney General is arguably the most coveted political job in California. It makes you the Golden State’s top prosecutor, you get tons of attention, and the job can serve as a launching pad to higher office, like it did for Vice President Kamala Harris. The Attorney General’s position will soon be vacant and...

People Who Knew Kamala Harris Best Reflect on Watching Her Ascend to the White HouseKamala Harris represents a lot of firsts, from the first female vice president to the first Black vice-president to the first vice president of South Asian descent. But what do the people who knew Harris as a San Francisco D.A., California Attorney General, and U.S Senator think about her ascent? Reporter: Marisa L...

Biden Inauguration Marks End of Political and Legal Warfare Between California and the Trump Administration The presidency of Donald Trump ends Wednesday morning, and when it does, it will mark the end of four years of feuding with the Trump Administration over issues like health care, the environment, and immigration. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED The New Year’s surge is not as bad as health offic...

Health care workers are treating more COVID19 patients than ever in this pandemic, and hospitalizations from the virus are mounting more pressure on an already strained health care system. Reporter: Marco Siler Gonzales, KQED State health officials are recommending a pause in using one batch of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine because of unexpected adverse reactions. Reporter: Molly Peterson, KQED...

Alex Padilla Calls for Legalization of Undocumented Immigrants in Essential Services Kamala Harris will officially resign her California U.S. Senate seat as she prepares to be sworn in as vice president on Wednesday. Harris's appointed successor, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, says undocumented immigrants working in essential services deserve not just labor protections, but the securi...

Los Angeles County Approaches Nearly a Million COVID-19 Cases With around 10 million residents, L.A. is the most populous county in the U.S. As the county approaches a million cases, that also means roughly 1 in 10 Angelenos has had a confirmed case of the virus at some point throughout the pandemic. Matt Guilhem, KCRW Los Angeles County Latino Residents Now Dying from COVID-19 at Eight Times the...

State Officials Announce New Approach to Getting Vaccines to People 65 or Older The idea is to ramp up vaccine distribution to those at greatest risk of becoming hospitalized. This comes after deaths in the state continue to climb, with nearly 600 deaths on Tuesday, according to state data. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Members of California's GOP Congressional Delegation Speak Out Against Impeach...

California Lawmakers Consider Domestic Terrorism Units State Senator Tom Umberg is proposing a unit to investigate and thwart acts of domestic terrorism and criminal activities by white nationalists, anti-government militia and groups like the Proud Boys. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED The FBI warned this week of the potential for armed protests at all 50 state Capitols. In California, local law enforc...

L.A. Moves from Pushing COVID-19 Testing to VaccinationCOVID-19 testing at Dodger Stadium ended Monday as L.A. transitions to more of an emphasis on the distribution of coronavirus vaccines. A vaccination center will soon be set up at the stadium parking lot, where officials hope 12,000 people a day will be able to get a shot when the facility is fully operational. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The Cal...

Most Commonly Used COVID-19 Test in Los Angeles Prone to Inaccuracy, FDA Says The test is made by the company Curative, which was hired to provide tens of thousands of tests at city and county sites throughout Los Angeles. The Food and Drug Administration says the test poses a “risk of false results, particularly false negative results." Jackie Fortier, KPCC People who test positive for COVID-19 t...

California Educators Help Students Make Sense of U.S Capitol Insurrection Teachers Help Students Process Violence at U.S Capitol The storming of the U.S Capital by pro-Trump mob was an awful episode in American history. It also provides a teaching moment for California educators, who are leading difficult discussions about what happened, and why. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED Some Supporters Def...

After Donald Trump’s words rallied them to action, rioters bent on overturning results of the lawful election stormed the U.S. Capitol building as congress tallied the electoral college vote. Lawmakers were forced to flee the chambers, and hunker down in offices. Some were evacuated to undisclosed safe locations.  In response to yesterdays attack on the U.S. Capitol, elected officials were removed...

The state’s pandemic numbers continue to worsen, with mushrooming infection rates and more than 27,000 COVID fatalities. California is averaging more than 35,000 cases per day, according to the state. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED Frontline health care workers are supposed to be some of the first people to get the coronavirus vaccines. But many of those workers are hesitant to get the shots. In resp...

Californians who are unhappy with the way Governor Gavin Newsom has handled the coronavirus pandemic are gathering signatures in an attempt to qualify a recall measure in a special election. 1.5 million verified signatures need to be collected by March 17th. Guest: Randy Economy, Gavin Newsom Recall Campaign California's former top elections watchdog is calling for the state to investigate the lar...

1,200 Medical Workers Deployed to Respond to Pandemic The extra staff includes more than 800 contract workers, but those workers are from the same pool that a lot of hospitals around the state already pull from to get extra help. Reporter: Marco Siler-Gonzales, KQED Last week, stay at home orders were extended for another 3 weeks for the Greater Sacramento region, due to low ICU capacity and risin...

Bark Beetles Pose New Threat to Giant Sequoias Giant Sequoias are found along a 260 mile range on the slopes of the Sierras. Many of the trees are ancient, and face threats like climate change, droughts and wildfires. Bark beetles are now posing yet another challenge. Reporter:Ezra David Romero, CapRadio Test Can Now Detect Deadly Mushroom Poison in Minutes A team at the U.S. Department of Agricul...

This year California saw some of the most destructive wildfires in state history, blazes that when combined scorched more than three million acres, an area larger than the state of Delaware. Fires also destroyed or damaged thousands of structures and killed dozens of people. Guest: Yana Valachovic, UCANR Forest Advisor A new study on the comprehensive cost of wildfires, estimates that the 2018 Cal...

This week we’re looking back on 2020 and how some of the year’s biggest news stories changed our lives. The coronavirus has had a huge impact on transportation and how Californians get from point A to point B. Public transportation systems have been hit hard. When many people began working from home, buses, trains, and subways saw dramatic decreases in ridership Guest: Ethan Elkind, UC Berkeley Ce...

As we look back on this difficult and confusing year we reflect on the events, movements, and people who helped shape it. Racial justice issues and civil unrest took center stage, and Black Lives Matter was at the forefront of the ongoing fight to end injustice against people of color. Guest: Melina Abdullah, Professor, Cal State Los Angeles Long before the Black Lives Matter movement, at the begi...

A Look Back at Lessons Learned from the Pandemic There was no bigger or more tragic story than the pandemic this year. KQED's Saul Gonzalez spoke with epidemiologist and public health expert Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo to talk about the coronavirus and how California officials responded to it. Guest: Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo with UC San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

Richmond Museum Saves Lost Historic Mural A mural called "Richmond: Industrial City" hung in a post office from 1941 to 1976. After it was taken off the wall while the building was renovated, it was put in a crate and put in a basement. It took four years to raise $45,000 dollars to restore the canvas. Reporter: Raquel Maria Dillon, KQED  In 1933, Congress passed a series of reforms aimed at pulli...

On November 8th, 2018 The Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise. It killed at least 85 people, and displaced tens of thousands. Two California-based journalists were on the ground as the fire burned and have turned their experience, as well as hundreds of interviews with locals and experts, into a book about the tragedy. Guest: Dani Anguiano, Author, Fire in Paradise The relationship between Sa...

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla is heading to Washington to finish Senate term of vice-president-elect Kamala Harris. Governor Gavin Newsom made the historic announcement yesterday. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED If the surge continues, the state could run out of intensive care beds by the end of the month. The state broke another record on Monday with more than 60,000 newly identified ca...

The stay-at-home orders affecting most Californians are likely to be renewed and extended into the new year. Statewide two and a half percent of ICU beds are still available, but Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley are at zero percent capacity. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Police use of non-lethal projectiles at demonstrations in California have injured some protestors. Now state lea...

Federal Court Filing Looks into PG&E's Role in Deadly Zogg Fire Crews hired to remove potentially hazardous trees in Shasta County were chased away two years ago by a woman brandishing a firearm, according to information PG&E shared with a federal judge. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED Court filings reviewed by KQED show just one of the law firms representing PG&E charged more than $143 million in fees...