Donald Trump has been elected the 47th President of the United States. Although a handful of states have not been called, the former president clinched the victory with his win in Wisconsin. 

Guest: Marisa Lagos, KQED

Democratic representative Adam Schiff won the US Senate seat long held by the late Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday night.

A number of statewide ballot measures were decided on Election Night, although the outcome of some are still up in the air.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Millions of Californians are expected to head to the polls Tuesday in the 2024 general election. They'll be voting on local measures, state propositions and our next president. If you're one of those people and you've got some last minute questions you're too afraid to ask, we've got you covered.

Guest: Kim Alexander, President of the California Voter Foundation 

PG&E says as many as 15,000 in 17 counties across its sprawling area could lose power starting Tuesday night, because of the onset of dangerous fire weather.

Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent years, you’ve likely heard news stories about fiery school board meetings. But most often, they’re pretty routine. In the November election, there are several school board races on the ballot. But many are not, because the races have not attracted more than one candidate.

Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU 

Shasta County in far Northern California has been the epicenter of election denialism in the state, and the tension is taking a toll on election workers. Officials have confirmed that 10 out of 21 workers with the Shasta County Registrar of Voters have quit as of last week.

Reporter: Sergio Olmos, CalMatters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tens of thousands of University of California workers have authorized their unions to call a strike in coming weeks. They say many departments are understaffed and accuse UC administrators of bargaining in bad faith.

Although California's more than 180,000 unhoused residents could be impacted by the results of next week's election, many may not vote due to various challenges. Data from Sacramento County shows less than 10 percent of unhoused voters there are registered.

Reporter: Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters

Statewide Proposition 34 is, on its face, about requiring health care providers to spend nearly all of their revenue on patients. But the measure is backed by a landlord lobbying group and only applies to a single provider who is pushing for more rent control in California.

Reporter: Aaron Schrank, KCRW

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Young voter turnout across the U.S. has historically been low. But this year, youth voter registration has surged. And that could make a difference in the Congressional District 13 race in northern San Joaquin Valley. Two years ago, Republican John Duarte beat Democrat Adam Gray by less than 600 votes. 

Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR

Another demographic that could sway the vote in California’s 13th District is Latinas. They make up 1 in every 4 voters in the District, according to Lucete Latina, a Federal Political Action Committee.

Guest: Roxana Pantoja, 19-year-old Merced resident 

The Los Angeles Dodgers won in dramatic fashion Wednesday night, coming from behind to beat the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 of the World Series. It's the franchise's eighth World Series championship.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California election officials are bracing for Election Day amidst concerns about distrust. Officials have been investing in outreach and education. One county that's dealt with a lot of distrust is Shasta County in far northern California. The county's longtime registrar of voters, Cathy Darling Allen, retired in May this summer. The board appointed a new registrar to replace her.

Guest: Alex Hall, KQED

Proposition 35 is one of ten statewide ballot measures that Californians will be voting on this election. It would put new guidelines around Medi-Cal spending to help secure better pay for doctors who serve low-income Californians.

Reporter: Kristen Hwang, CalMatters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the last few months, voting rights advocates have been hitting the ground across the Imperial Valley as part of a new effort to get more people ready to cast their ballots in November. They’re fighting an ongoing battle: decades of low voter turnout.

Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS

More than 37,000 University of California service and patient care workers are voting this week on whether to authorize a statewide strike.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a win away from a World Series Championship. L.A. defeated the New York Yankees in Game 3 Monday night, 4-2, to take a 3-0 lead in the series.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should a California town change its name because of its association with a murderous settler? That’s the question at the heart of a ballot measure this election season, in Lake County. It’s a rural area about two hours drive north of Sacramento. Voters are being asked if the small town of Kelseyville should be renamed Konocti. 

Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio

Southern California’s largest Asian American advocacy group is training its poll monitors to keep an eye out for racist rhetoric and bullying.

Reporter: Josie Huang, LAist

Californians will vote on ten statewide ballot propositions this fall. Among them is Proposition 2, which would let California borrow $10 billion through a state bond to pay for updates to school facilities.

Reporter: Carolyn Jones, CalMatters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Forest Service this week directed its employees in California to stop prescribed burning "for the foreseeable future," a directive that officials said is meant to preserve staff and equipment to fight wildfires if needed.

Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED 

Californians will vote on ten statewide ballot propositions this fall. Among them is Proposition 3, which would enshrine the right to same-sex marriage in the California constitution.

Reporter: Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters

Voter support appears to be waning for a ballot measure that would increase the state’s minimum wage. 

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED 

The head of the federal agency in charge of securing our nation’s election infrastructure is on a speaking tour, trying to instill confidence in the integrity of the coming vote. 

Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final weeks of the presidential campaign, migration at the U.S.-Mexico border remains a heated topic. Former President Donald Trump calls it an “invasion.” And Vice President Kamala Harris is vowing tougher enforcement. So what is actually happening at the border?

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

The editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times has resigned after the newspaper’s owner, billionaire biotech entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Shiong, blocked the editorials team’s plan to endorse Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Orange County is once again poised to help decide control of Congress this November. The 47th district is one of the swing seats up for grabs. And college education levels are dividing voters in the district’s two largest cities. 

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

America, Mexico and Los Angeles have all lost an athletic and cultural icon with the death of former L.A. Dodgers player Fernando Valenzuela at the age of 63.

Embattled Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do has resigned from his position and agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy to steal millions of taxpayer dollars, funds that were intended to feed seniors. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this year, state energy officials approved a strategic master plan to start developing enormous offshore wind farms in the waters off the coast, with hundreds of wind turbines each the size of the Eiffel Tower sitting atop floating platforms. But what's on tap for the growing industry?

Guest: Adam Stern, Executive Director of Offshore Wind California

It's day 2 of a strike by thousands of Kaiser Permanente mental health care workers in Southern California. More than 100 picketed outside the healthcare provider’s medical center on Sunset Blvd. Monday.

Reporter: Robert Garrova, LAist

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Weeks Ago, We Heard From an Opponent of Prop 36, Now, We Speak With a Supporter

We hear from the owner of a 7-Eleven franchise in Los Angeles, whose store has been targeted by thieves at least twice. He tells us how his experience shaped how he feels about Prop 36.

The bill would undo criminal justice reforms that voters approved more than a decade ago; that means tougher sentencing on non-violent crimes, reclassifying some misdemeanors as felonies, and placing harsher penalties on repeat offenders.

Kaiser Permanente Workers in Southern California Go on Strike

More than 2,400 mental health workers with Kaiser Permanente in Southern California went on strike this morning, setting up picket lines at facilities from Los Angeles to San Diego.

Represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, the mental health professionals mobilized to strike over the weekend, after rejecting Kaiser's terms on Friday.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Proposition 33 once again puts rent control on the ballot. The previous initiatives failed, but the idea is gaining momentum in California, and nationally. Even President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have embraced it. Still, rent regulations remain controversial.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this high stakes election year, many politically-engaged Californians are volunteering in their communities. But some feel they can make more of a difference traveling out of state, like to neighboring Nevada.  

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million dollars to victims of clergy sex abuse.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most healthcare employers in California are required to increase their minimum wage starting Wednesday. This is the first raise of its kind in the U.S. specific to healthcare.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

This fall, school districts throughout the state are asking voters to approve billions of dollars in bonds to repair and renovate aging campuses. But what is a bond?

Reporter: Mariana Dale, LAist

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Californians gear up for the upcoming election, we've got some big races on the ballot, you know, President of the United States and U.S. Senate. But there's also a pivotal decision looming whether to back a $10 billion state climate bond.

Guest: Caleigh Wells, KCRW

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a controversial special session measure aimed at lowering gas prices. But it has plenty of critics.

Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Proposition 6 on the November ballot aims to get rid of “involuntary servitude” for people in prison. You might know that some of these folks fight wildfires, but people who are in prison also do jobs as varied as cooking and making furniture, and usually they’re paid pennies an hour.

Reporter: Audy McAfee 

The nonprofit California Fire Foundation has expanded its memorial wall, which honors fallen firefighters at the State Capitol.

Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month, a Fresno County ordinance went into effect that prohibits people from sleeping or camping on public property. So where will the city’s thousands of unhoused people go next? An untraditional program is attempting to reduce some barriers to housing.  

Reporter: Esther Quintanilla, KVPR

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, gives protection from deportation to more than half a million undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as kids, including tens of thousands in California. The latest in a series of legal battles over the program came Thursday in a federal appeals court.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the campaign trail, Vice President Kamala Harris often talks about standing up for voters. One of her biggest tests of this promise came more than a decade ago, during the peak of the subprime mortgage crisis. 

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

Riverside’s city council struck down a proposal by the city attorney and police department to prohibit items that could be used as weapons during protests.

Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the race for control of Congress, all eyes are on California. Election analysts see more competitive contests for the House of Representatives here than in any other state. One of those is the 47th District in Orange County, where Democrat Dave Min is taking on Republican Scott Baugh.

Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED

State workplace regulators have fined a farm labor contractor near Sacramento more than $17,000 for serious heat safety violations.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent hot weather has brought attention to schools, and how many of them lack air conditioning and other infrastructure to keep kids safe. The issue is even more crucial at child care centers because young kids have a harder time adapting. 

Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED

Smoggy air has plagued California cities during this recent heat wave. And new research shows that pollution may affect children’s brains.

Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED

Spending more time on screens increases the likelihood that 9-and 10-year-olds will develop symptoms of mental illness. That's according to a new study out this week from UC San Francisco.

Reporter: Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been one year since Hamas-led militant groups launched attacks on Israel, killing more than 1200 Israelis and taking more than 200 people hostage. Many of those hostages have still not been released. And more than 41,500 people in Gaza have been killed by the Israeli bombardment according to Palestinian health officials, with a ceasefire still nowhere in sight. The war in the Middle East has also led to growing tensions here in the US. An LA-based organization is working to ease the tensions between the two communities.

Guests: Ben Ginsburg and Tasneem Noor, NewGround 

The state Department of Public Health is investigating a possible third human case of bird flu in the Central Valley. The first two confirmed human cases were in Tulare County.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of foster children in the state are at risk of being moved from their homes. That’s after a major insurer for foster family agencies says it will no longer cover these organizations, starting this month. These agencies recruit and oversee foster parents, and without insurance, they can’t operate.

Reporter: Elly Yu, LAist  

California needs to do more to contain bird flu on dairy cattle ranches. That's what one infectious disease expert says, as state health officials investigate the first two confirmed human cases of bird flu in the state.

Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Draft One is software that uses basically the same AI as Chat GPT. In seconds it generates the narrative for a police officer's report by analyzing the transcript of their bodycam audio. East Palo Alto is among a handful of cities across the state including Fresno, San Mateo, Campbell and Bishop that have started testing or using the program. But some experts are questioning its accuracy.

Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQED

Flood officials are strengthening a levee system in Monterey County that burst during a storm last year, flooding nearly 300 homes in Pajaro.

Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED

The largest dam removal project in U.S. history was completed Wednesday on the Klamath River near the California-Oregon border.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CARE Court turns one this week. When it rolled out last year in eight California counties, the program took aim at one of the state’s most pressing challenges -- how to treat people whose illness often makes them believe they are not sick, particularly those who, left untreated, move between jail, hospitals and homelessness. So how's it going?

Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED 

The Line Fire in the San Bernardino Mountains flared up over the weekend, forcing more evacuations in areas south of Big Bear Lake. On Tuesday, prosecutors gave details about how they believe the fire was started. 

Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR

Tuesday is the second day of a strike by thousands of dockworkers on the East and Gulf coasts. And so far, there hasn't been a huge impact at two major ports on the West Coast, the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Oakland.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Borel Fire was the largest wildfire in Kern County’s history. It tore through 60,000 acres in the southern Sierra Nevada and consumed the historic town of Havilah earlier this summer. State crews have only just begun cleanup efforts as those displaced reckon with the devastation. 

Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing a Eureka hospital for denying a patient a needed abortion.

Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the highest profile measures on California's November ballot is Proposition 36. If passed, it would roll back criminal justice reforms approved by voters ten years ago to reduce incarceration rates and increase punishments for certain drug and theft crimes like carjacking, burglary and shoplifting. Supporters say Prop 36 needs to pass because of increases in some property crimes and growing public anxiety over retail theft. But what does a person who once committed those kinds of offenses think about the measure?

Guest: Robyn Williams, LA Resident

New CDC data show how important COVID vaccines are during pregnancy.

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KFF Health News

A new poll finds a majority of California voters support two bond measures on the November ballot. 

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Haitian community group filed a criminal complaint this week in Ohio over former president Donald Trump’s false claims that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs. The same group helps Haitian immigrants along California’s border, and says Trump’s accusations are reverberating there too. 

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

A bill designed to help Black families reclaim land taken by the government, or get compensation for it, has been vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom. 

Reporter: Annelise Finney, KQED 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, September 26, 2024…

The FBI is investigating an explosion that took place the lobby of the superior court complex Wednesday morning in Santa Maria, California. Five people were sent to the hospital with minor injuries, and people living or working several blocks around the court complex were evacuated. A suspect has been taken into custody. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez / The California Report

As outer space becomes more accessible and more commercial, more people are choosing to launch their cremated ashes into the cosmos. Reporter: Kerry Klein / KCRW

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, September 25, 2024…

Mexican drug cartels are recruiting San Diegans to smuggle fentanyl into the United States. Prosecutors are worried about teenagers getting caught up in the cross-border drug trade. Gustavo Solis / KPBS

Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will remove debt owed to a medical office or hospital from Californian's credit reports. Ana Ibarra / CalMatters

Invitation Homes, a massive corporate landlord, has agreed to pay $48 million to settle a lawsuit with the Federal Trades commission. The FTC alleges Invitation Homes charged tenants junk fees, and withheld security deposits. Adhiti Bandlamudi / KQED

Hotel workers in Hawaii's largest resort are joining thousands of others striking hotels in California.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, September 23, 2024…

In January of 2025 the Los Angeles Unified School District will ban cellphones on campus. More California school districts will follow suit, as Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law Monday that will require districts to restrict phones on campus. It’s part of a growing movement to help students improve academically, socially and emotionally. But one school has a cell phone ban already in place... and the students seem to be thriving.

At least 18 cities and counties across California have put in place new bans on homeless encampments since the Supreme Court in June gave them more power to do so. One of those cities is Fresno.

California is suing ExxonMobil for an alleged "campaign of deception" around the true impact of plastic recycling.

What One CA School Learned When They Banned Cell Phones

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill this week that will direct schools to create policies to restrict student cell phone use. But at Marina Del Rey Middle School in Los Angeles, cell phones have already been banned. There, Principal Sidra Dudley requires students to power off their phones each morning, then enclose them in neoprene pouches secured by a magnetic lock, created for that purpose by a company called Yondr. The pouches stay locked throughout the day.. Six months after the school implemented the ban, the Los Angeles Unified School District followed suit. With a 5-2 majority, the school board passed a resolution forbidding cellphones in all public schools. Students at Marina Del Rey Middle School say this ban has made them less distracted in class. And teachers say test scores are improving.

Fresno Rolls out Plans for Homeless Ban

Fresno city leaders on Monday laid out plans for enforcing one of the state’s harshest crackdowns on homeless encampments, which bans public camping anywhere, anytime. Since the Supreme Court in June empowered cities to crack down on homeless encampments, and Gov. Gavin Newsom seized on the opening to push for ramped-up sweeps, at least 18 jurisdictions around the state have put in place new camping bans — the most of any state, according to a tally maintained by the National Homelessness Law Center.

CA Sues ExxonMobil

California is suing ExxonMobil for an alleged "campaign of deception" around the true impact of plastic recycling. The lawsuit was filed by The California Department of Justice on Monday. The lawsuit alleges that Exxon knowingly misled Californians by promoting all plastic as recyclable. The company is the world’s largest producer of fossil fuel materials that are used to make single-use plastics. The lawsuit is seeking billions of dollars. This comes at a time when California Environmental groups, including Sierra Club and Baykeeper, have also announced a separate lawsuit against ExxonMobil over the same issues.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is home to most of the country’s fruits and nuts, like avocados and almonds. But climate change means hotter temperatures and increased drought for the state, making it harder to grow those crops. That’s pushing farmers to seek alternative crops that don’t need as much water, like agave. 

Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio 

It was a busy weekend for Governor Newsom, who signed and vetoed dozens of bills on his desk. He approved several bills aimed at helping aging Californians, and also vetoed legislation that would have required public universities to hire undocumented students for campus jobs.

Reporter: Juan Carlos Lara, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of Californians serving jail time are legally eligible to vote, but many don’t know it, according to advocates and inmates themselves.

Reporter: Sameea Kamal, CalMatters

Protesters disrupted a University of California Board of Regents meeting Thursday, where university leaders approved requests from campus police departments to purchase military equipment and weapons. 

Reporter: Juan Carlos Lara, KQED 

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani blasted three home runs and stole two bases during the team's 20-4 win on Thursday. He became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More students in the San Joaquin Valley are graduating high school not just with a diploma, but also with an associate’s degree. Taking college classes while still in high school can help them finish college and accelerate their careers.

Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR

Women and people of color are still among the lowest-paid workers in California. That’s according to a new report released on International Equal Pay Day.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED 

Five UC campuses are hoping to bolster their police forces with the purchase of more military and surveillance equipment. That includes drones, pepper powder and less-lethal firearms, also known as “anti-riot guns.”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few years ago, two companies, one nonprofit, one for profit, received more than $100 million in taxpayer dollars to quickly house homeless people in California. It was part of Governor Gavin Newsom's Project Homekey, which turned hotels into shelters for unhoused people. But little has come from the partnership.

Guest: Anna Scott, Reporter, The California Newsroom 

The man accused of starting the Line Fire in San Bernardino County pleaded not guilty to arson charges on Tuesday.

Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR

California's Surgeon General introduced a new initiative Tuesday that aims to cut the state's maternal mortality rate by 50% in two years.

Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Babies and toddlers are removed from their homes and placed in the child welfare system far more than older kids. It’s a traumatic experience that takes place during a pivotal period of development. A judge in Compton is transforming the way she handles cases involving kids under three, by supporting their parents so they can better care for their babies.

Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED

State energy officials warn Californians will soon see higher gas prices during another annual cost spike. It comes as the legislature prepares to hold hearings on gas prices this week.

Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Animation Guild, which represents thousands of animation artists, writers and technicians, is restarting negotiations with Hollywood studios on Monday. Hollywood’s been churning out animated hits since the 1930’s. And since this heyday certain jobs have been dominated by women. There's now growing evidence that a historical gender bias could be the reason for an existing pay gap.

Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW

Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than two dozen bills into law over the weekend, and vetoed six others.

Reporter: Nik Altenberg, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats and Republicans are using immigration as a political flashpoint, as we approach election day in November. Meanwhile, California has been on the front lines of the issue for decades, and it has taken some unique approaches to help those that have made the journey to make the Golden State their new home.

Police have arrested a man they suspect started the Line Fire that's currently burning in the mountains of San Bernardino.

Officials say that 34-year-old Justin Wayne Halstenberg of Norco ignited the fire on September 5th in Highland near Baseline Road. Prosecutors say he tried to set to other fires that same day.

Meanwhile, crews in Southern California are continuing to battle the Airport Fire, which is now burning in both Orange and Riverside Counties.

Since igniting on Monday, the wildfire has scorched more than 23,000 acres. It's only 8% contained as of this morning.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California Department of Corrections is investigating after more than 100 women incarcerated in a Central Valley prison were allegedly pepper sprayed and tear gassed by staff for more than an hour. Inmates who’ve been in the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla for years say it was the most severe use of force they’ve seen.

Guest: Madi Bolaños, The California Report

Wildfires continue to burn out of control across Southern California. The largest is the Bridge Fire burning in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. That fire has burned more than 51,000 acres as of Thursday morning with no containment. Evacuation orders are still in place for the Bridge, Airport and Line fires.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bridge Fire burning in the Angeles National Forest outside of L.A. has exploded in size growing to more than 47,000 acres with no containment. Evacuation orders are in place for small mountain communities and flames have consumed homes in Wrightwood and swept through the Mountain High Ski resort.

The Airport Fire continues to burn across dry chaparral covered hills in Orange County. The wind-driven blaze had charred more than 22,000 acres, and jumped into Riverside County on Tuesday.

The Line Fire has burned more than 34,000 acres in and around the San Bernardino National Forest. Smoke from the blaze– and others around the state— is making air quality unhealthy for more than 10 million people in Southern California, especially in inland areas. Some people are getting creative to protect themselves. 

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR

California’s unhoused population has grown by 8% to 186,000 people. That’s according to a new analysis of state homelessness data from our California Newsroom partner, CalMatters.

Reporter: Marisa Kendall, CalMatters

With the presidential race entering its final weeks, a new survey finds that economic issues are top of mind for California’s 9 million Latino voters.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the San Bernardino mountains, the Line Fire has burned more than 26,000 acres. The fire is only 5% contained and is expected to get bigger in the next few days. More than 65,000 homes and other structures are threatened. 

Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR

In Orange County, a fire that broke out on Monday and rapidly grew has burned about 9,000 acres as of Tuesday morning. The Airport Fire broke out between rugged scrublands and suburban neighborhoods in the county’s Trabuco Canyon area.

Authorities continue to assess damage to the city of Clearlake from a wildfire that ignited Sunday in Lake County. The Boyles Fire burned at least 30 homes and as many as 60 cars.

Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED

A new report that assessed K-12 schools nationwide gives California a “D” on school data transparency. 

Reporter: Carolyn Jones, CalMatters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should people who aren’t U.S. citizens be allowed to vote in some elections? Well, that very question is going to be on the November ballot in the Orange County City of Santa Ana in the form of local measure DD. If passed, DD would amend Santa Ana’s municipal charter and allow non-citizen residents of the city, both documented and undocumented, to vote in all local elections.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report 

The hot weather across California this past weekend once again provided a huge challenge for fire crews. In the San Bernardino Mountains, 60 miles east of Los Angeles, the Line Fire exploded in size. It’s burned more than 20,000 acres.

Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California schools must now adjust sports practices and games when it’s too hot outside. The state law went into effect this summer.

Reporter: Mariana Dale, LAist

A bill on Governor Newsom’s desk would ban employers from forcing workers to attend anti-union meetings.

Reporter: Jeanne Kuang, CalMatters

Criminal justice advocates are hopeful the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into two California state prisons will bring much needed change. The investigation into facilities in Chowchilla and Chino comes after what officials say are "hundreds" of lawsuits and some criminal allegations of sexual assault.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hot weather will continue across much of the state on Thursday. Triple digit temperatures are expected, and heat advisories have been issued for many inland regions. The extreme heat can be life-threatening for many Californians, especially those without air conditioning in their homes.

Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR

Cities that aren't following state housing laws are on notice: California Governor Gavin Newsom says he’ll sign a bill that will impose hefty penalties for those that don’t follow the rules.

Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fentanyl is a dangerous narcotic that kills more than 100,000 Americans each year. Donald Trump and many other politicians say this deadly drug is regularly smuggled into the U.S. by undocumented immigrants. But experts said those claims are largely false. 

Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS

Two major California health plans have been hit with a combined $850,000 in fines for illegally denying coverage for gender-affirming care.

Reporter: Shaanth Nanguneri, CalMatters  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new round of COVID shots is shipping to doctor's offices across California. And for the second year in a row, the federal government is not picking up the tab. Physicians have to order the vaccine weeks in advance and pay up front for the shots. And because of that, many are taking a more cautious approach when it comes to ordering the shots.   

Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KFF Health News

Thousands of migratory birds have died so far in an avian botulism outbreak in the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge.

Reporter: Juliet Grable, Jefferson Public Radio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Highway 99 has its share of iconic landmarks: there’s Buck Owens Crystal Palace, the Delano Box of Mandarins, the McFarland Runners, and the Merced Mammoths. But in Madera County, you might not recognize the Palm and the Pine. The two trees are said to represent the middle of California and have been there for nearly a hundred years. But they might not have much time left.

Reporter: Esther Quintanilla, KVPR 

California lawmakers passed a controversial warehouse bill on the final day of the legislative session, despite opposition from environmental justice groups, industry and cities and counties statewide.

Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal labor enforcement authorities recover millions of dollars for workers each year from employers who break minimum wage, overtime pay and other laws. But a significant chunk of that money never makes it to wage-theft victims, many of whom are in California.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

State lawmakers are jockeying to push remaining bills through to Governor Newsom before the Legislature adjourns on Saturday. 

Reporter: Sameea Kamal, CalMatters

A bill that would compensate people for property taken by racially-motivated uses of eminent domain is headed to the governor’s desk after being approved by the state legislature on Thursday.

Reporter: Annelise Finney, KQED 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the state is dealing with a big budget deficit, it's harder to get bills with big price tags approved. But now, a handful of lawmakers say they think the Newsom administration purposely overestimated how much their bills would cost to help ensure they wouldn't advance in the legislature.

Guest: Ryan Sabalow, CalMatters

A milestone in the largest dam removal in U.S. history happened early Wednesday. Two temporary dams were breached, directing the Klamath River back into its historic channel for the first time in more than a century.

Reporter: Juliet Grable, Jefferson Public Radio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bill making its way through the state legislature in Sacramento would commemorate a little-known chapter of US history: a large-scale deportation of Mexicans – and Mexican-Americans – nearly a century ago that hit California hard. It comes in an election year when mass deportation is again a political topic. 

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

Undocumented immigrants may soon qualify for a California program that gives loans to first time, first generation home-buyers. A bill expanding the program - known as The California Dream For All - advanced in the state senate on Tuesday. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve had a close loved one pass away, what comes next includes a lot of logistical hurdles: planning a funeral, reading a will, and deciding what to do with their body. There’s traditional burial, there’s cremation, and recently a new method has taken off. It’s called terramation. Basically, human composting.

Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW

Public school teachers in California are required to call the police if a student assaults or threatens them. This week, state lawmakers will vote on a bill that could change that.

Reporter: Jenna Peterson, CalMatters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the last week for state lawmakers to decide on a set of reparation bills meant to address hundreds of years of racial discrimination. Meanwhile in Santa Monica, one woman is still seeking justice decades after the city took her father's land. Silas White was a black entrepreneur who planned to turn the land into a beach club for black beach goers. In March, the Santa Monica City Council voted to explore compensating White's descendants for his plot of land. But in late July, the city missed its self-imposed deadline for a report that would have provided recommendations on reparations to the council.

Guests: Connie White, daughter of Silas White and Kavon Ward, CEO of Where Is My Land 

State occupational health and safety regulators are trying to speed up their investigations of fatal accidents.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the biggest stage of her political career, Kamala Harris introduced herself as the party’s official presidential nominee. In a packed arena at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Harris addressed delegates, elected officials and voters.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As record-breaking temperatures melt California this summer, medical professionals are sounding the alarm about the added risks extreme heat poses to people with diabetes. But one bakery in Imperial County has some solutions.

Reporter: Philip Salata, inewsource

The Newsom administration has cut a deal with Google and OpenAI to kill two state bills that would have made tech platforms share ad revenues with news organizations. 

Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED

San Bernardino County is California’s largest county in terms of size, with a population of just over 2 million people. The county has studied the idea of seceding from the rest of California, arguing that San Bernardino County doesn’t get its fair share of state money. But a new independent study that’s out says that argument is just wrong.

Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last ten years, something strange has been happening in Monterey Bay. Juvenile white sharks, whose range historically didn’t reach Northern California, have been spotted in droves in places like Aptos and Marina. And these new predators are changing the ecosystem.

Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU

Governor Newsom touted new job figures showing the state added thousands of fast-food jobs this year. Those gains occurred after California raised the minimum wage for most fast food workers to $20 an hour in April.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

University of California President Michael Drake sent out a letter this week calling on campuses to enforce a zero tolerance policy when it comes to protest encampments on college campuses. But some UC students say the crackdown is untenable.

Reporter: Billy Cruz, The California Report

Long Beach is the latest city in California to tackle the issue of homeless encampments. Because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on encampments, giving cities more leeway to enforce anti-camping regulations, more local governments will likely take the same route as Long Beach, and start to clear the unhoused population off the streets. Governor Gavin Newsom has also threatened to withhold state funds if cities don’t start working to clear encampments.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, Hollywood Boulevard has been marketed to the world as a glamorous and sophisticated place. But the reality of contemporary Hollywood Boulevard is very different. Some blocks, like around Grauman’s Theater, are packed with throngs of tourists, merchants and street performers. But they’re on overcrowded sidewalks with few amenities, like shade and seating. But planners are working to make it more friendly for walkers and cyclists alike.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

Thousands of Democratic Party delegates, party leaders and politicians are in Chicago to kick off this week’s Democratic National Convention and officially name Vice President Kamala Harris as their party's presidential candidate.

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another’s treasure. And that’s true at a landfill in Riverside County. Workers at the Lamb Canyon Landfill have started rescuing items to resell at a new store. 

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR

A new poll shows California voters are supportive of a plan to increase penalties for theft and drug offenses, and to raising the state's minimum wage.

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

Last month, Governor Newsom signed a bill into law that bans school districts from requiring staff to disclose a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation to anyone without the student’s permission. But this week, the school board of the Cajon Valley Union School District in San Diego County voted unanimously to do just that.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three years ago today, as the U.S military completed its pull out, Taliban forces captured Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. In the wake of that change, many Afghan refugees fled to the U.S. and California. They settled in the Bay Area, L.A. and San Diego, but some also found a new home in California’s Mojave Desert. 

Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR 

The Boise Fire, burning in Humboldt and Siskiyou counties, has charred more than 9600 acres, according to fire officials. The fire has led to mandatory evacuations.

Reporter: Justin Higginbottom, Jefferson Public Radio

Some California Democrats have announced a campaign to back a state proposition that would increase penalties for theft and drug crimes. 

Reporter: Kristin Lam, CapRadio 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Syringe exchange programs have been around in the U.S. since the 1980s, and offer people who use drugs clean needles to reduce the spread of HIV and other infectious diseases. But in some California cities or counties, residents or political leaders are fighting to keep them out. Harm reduction advocates are hoping for the state's support.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans are hammering Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on immigration. They're calling her a 'failed border czar' responsible for the surge of migrants coming to the U.S., but she's pushing back with a tough on the border message. So where does she stand on immigration and the border?

Guest: Tyche Hendricks, KQED 

A 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck 2.5 miles southeast of Highland Park, in LA County on Monday afternoon. In terms of intensity, the shaking was strong enough to knock items off shelves, but didn't cause any widespread damage.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A group of incarcerated people, led by a former prison doctor, are trying to influence policy in California. They’re doing this by looking inward, and reflecting on their beginnings.

Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio

On Sunday, the 2024 Summer Olympic Games concluded in Paris. Now attention shifts to Los Angeles, host of the Games four years from now. How’s planning for the L.A. Olympics going and what's left to do?

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five actors take the stage for a performance in Humboldt County. One of them is Black, the others are white. In this region, fewer than 25% of residents identify as people of color and they often find themselves victims of lifelong habits of the white majority. This production of The White Card aims to shake up those entrenched dynamics.

Reporter: Kelby McIntosh

California Governor Gavin Newsom helped clear a homeless encampment in the Los Angeles region on Thursday. Newsom vowed to take money away from local governments if they don't clean up homeless encampments.

Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Multiple cities throughout California have seen temperatures way above 90 degrees this week. Workers, both indoors and outdoors, are feeling the heat, but for the first time ever, indoor workers finally have protections against excessive heat in the workplace. At the end of last month, state officials unveiled new rules of what’s required in indoor workplaces when temperatures surpass 82 degrees.

Guest: Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí, KQED

California put hundreds of millions worth of federal homelessness dollars at risk. A federal audit out this week blames “chaotic” and “disorganized” anti-fraud policies at the state’s housing agency. Auditors gave the California agency it's lowest possible ranking.

Reporter: Marisa Kendall, CalMatters

A new report says abortions are up nationwide compared to before Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago. California is leading the way, providing more than 16,000 abortions a month on average.

Reporter: Spencer Whitney, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been just a few weeks since President Joe Biden decided to end his presidential campaign. And now with Vice President Kamala Harris atop the ticket, young Democratic voters in California are energized in the lead-up to the November election.

Guests: Aashi Jhawer and Dzian Tran, Voters of Tomorrow

For many young GOP voters in California, the selection of JD Vance speaks volumes to them. He's a younger running mate who shares many of the same values as them. And it's not just the presidential race that's on their mind.

Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stories about homelessness in Los Angeles tend to focus on problems in big, urban cities. But homelessness has actually been growing faster in a remote desert region 90 minutes north of Downtown L.A.’s Skid Row.

Reporter: David Wagner, LAist

Sacramento State has released the findings of a highly anticipated forensic examination of Capital Public Radio’s finances. It found more than $700,000 in “unsupported” payments, or payments that could not be backed up by expense reports or receipts. Nearly $400,000 was paid out to one individual, whose name was redacted.

Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite some unsettled weather this weekend, crews continue to make progress on the massive Park Fire burning northeast of Chico. The fire, the fourth largest in state history, has burned more than 401,000 acres. Many evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted, meaning residents can return to their homes.

Reporter: Alec Stutson, North State Public Radio

A UC Davis report confirms a years-long trend at Lake Tahoe, where water clarity improves in the winter but becomes far worse in the summer.

Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're watching the Olympics, you may recognize world famous athletes like Lebron James or Coco Gauff. But residents of a California beach town might recognize the voice of an announcer from their local radio station. Brad Jay typically works for a Santa Barbara classic rock station, but right now he's with the Olympic Broadcasting Service doing TV commentary. Lately he's been calling kayak and canoe slalom, and will also do three-on-three basketball and BMX freestyle. This is his eighth time covering the games since Salt Lake City in 2002. He hopes to continue calling at the 2028 Los Angeles Games in his resident Southern California. 

Reporter: Lance Orozco, KCLU

In addition to five firefighting crews from Texas and Utah, the California National Guard is also joining in the fight against the Park Fire with aircraft assistance. Crews from the National Guard are expected to join also. The Park fire is on the verge of becoming the fourth largest in California history. Cal Fire announced that wildfires have scorched more than 750,000 acres in California this year. That’s 29 times the area that burned last year.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's strategy to fight climate change includes hydrogen. The universe's most abundant element that, under the right circumstances, can power everything from trucks to turbines without greenhouse gas emissions. Now there's a national effort to promote hydrogen energy. But there are concerns about health and safety.

Guest: Molly Peterson, Public Health Watch

In addition to destroying homes and property, the explosive Park Fire is also putting one of California’s most iconic species at risk.

Reporter: Rachel Becker, CalMatters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is a contentious election issue this year. Polls show a large number of Americans want to restrict immigration, but they also support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who’ve long lived in this country. California immigrant advocates hope to capitalize on that support this week as they lobby in Washington DC for a bill that could make legalization possible for millions. 

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

Among all of former President Donald Trump’s border policies, forced separations of migrant families was the most controversial. President Joe Biden vowed to end the separations when he took office. But they’re still happening. 

Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS

Wildfires continue to grow across the state. The Park Fire in Northern California is the fifth largest in state history. And in southwest Riverside County, firefighters are working to contain the rapid spread of the Nixon Fire. The blaze has burned nearly 5,000 acres.

Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A persistent misconception about Los Angeles is that the city doesn't have a real mass transit system, especially when it comes to buses. But L.A. has one of the largest transit riderships in the country. Unfortunately, many of the bus shelters are shoddy, with no canopies, shelters or nighttime lighting. But the city is working to make improvements.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

The Park Fire continues to grow in Northern California. The fire has now grown to more than 380,000 acres.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fire crews were able to take advantage of calmer and cooler weather conditions on Saturday, to make some progress on the Park Fire burning in Northern California. But the fire has grown to be the sixth largest on record in California, burning more than 368,000 acres.

In Kern County, the Borel Fire has also erupted in size, burning more than 50,000 acres. That includes tearing through the town of Havilah. The community is considered a California Historical Landmark, becoming the county seat in Kern County back in 1866.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Park Fire north of Chico is chewing huge amounts of land and has exploded to more than 164,000 acres in just over a day. The fast-moving grass and brush fire forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate the foothills of Lassen National Forest to find shelter on flatland. Evacuation warnings now include Paradise, which the Camp Fire all but destroyed in 2018.

Guest: Ezra David Romero, KQED

Homeless rights advocates blasted a decision by Governor Gavin Newsom to crack down on homeless encampments across the state. Meanwhile, some city officials are celebrating the decision.

Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California has strong, clean air and clean energy goals that are currently aligned with federal policy. Arguably, the state has never had so much climate momentum. And now, with Kamala Harris poised as the Democratic standard bearer, the Golden State could see one of its own in the White House. Harris has spent much of her career working on environmental and climate issues. A Harris administration could help the state meet its goals and perhaps give it additional momentum. But what might happen to the state goals under a second Trump presidency?

Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED

Cal Fire is rushing crews to the latest rapidly growing wildfire in Northern California – this time forcing thousands of people from their homes in Butte and Tehama counties. The Park Fire has burned more than 45,000 acres.

Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kamala Harris is the first Black and Asian American woman to ever serve as vice president. And now, Harris will likely be the first person of South Asian descent to lead a major party's presidential ticket. This comes as there's a growing grassroots movement to empower these communities to take part in the democratic process.

Guest: Taher Hasanali, Political Director with India America Impact

A 15 year old boy from Gaza, who lost both legs in a bombing earlier this year, is now in California to receive prosthetics and medical treatment.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The phrase "representation matters" might sound trite, but it's true and meaningful. Bay Area resident Joti Singh says the possibility of a Kamala Harris presidency means something to her young daughters, who like Harris, are also of Black and South Asian descent.

Reporters: Sasha Khokha & Marisa Lagos, KQED

Kamala Harris' rise to the possible Democratic Party nominee is once again putting a spotlight on the Black community. Many feel a deep sense of pride in her likely nomination. But they also wonder whether the U.S. is ready for a Black woman to be President.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a historic announcement, President Joe Biden announced Sunday he's ending his reelection campaign. The president endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to run in his place as the Democratic presidential nominee.

Guest: Marisa Lagos, KQED

Most California delegates were quick to voice their support for Kamala Harris as the next Democratic Party nominee.

Guest: Alexei Koseff, CalMatters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Republican National Convention came to an end Thursday night with a speech from GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. The Trump campaign is gaining momentum as we head to November. But will the national GOP agenda resonate in deeply blue California, particularly in a region that had long been a GOP stronghold, Orange County?

Guest: Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Politics Editor, Orange County Register

Departments of the University of California must now post opinions on a separate page instead of their website homepage. The new rules would require academic departments to only post research, course information and other administrative announcements on their homepage.

Reporter: Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMatters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Republican National Convention wraps up Thursday night in Milwaukee with a speech from presidential nominee Donald Trump. The talk around the convention this week is the importance of congressional races in California, and how the state can be involved in the GOP's national agenda.

Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED

A state ballot measure set to go before voters this November could trigger a wage hike for California prisoners.

Reporter: Shaanth Nanguneri, CalMatters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For most migrants and asylum seekers, San Diego is not a final destination. It's a layover. But more migrants are choosing to stay in San Diego. And many are becoming homeless.

Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS

California will have to build public charging stations at an unprecedented — and some experts say unrealistic — pace to meet the needs of the millions more electric cars expected on its roads in the next decade.

Reporter: Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, the city of Fontana hired a private contractor to help enforce its strict new street vending law. Officials say it’s working. But some vendors say the crackdown is affecting their livelihoods.

Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR

California delegates to the Republican National Convention are cheering former president Donald Trump's pick of Ohio Senator JD Vance as his vice presidential nominee.

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed landmark legislation prohibiting forced outing policies in schools, making it the first state to do so. The bill bans schools from requiring educators to disclose information regarding a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity to parents.

Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a fast-moving fire broke out over the hills near the town of Mariposa earlier this month, residents rushed out of their homes. The French Fire started on the Fourth of July, and was the latest fire to hit so close to the town. And for residents, fire is becoming a part of life.

Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPR

California Republicans are in Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention, just days after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. 

Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peso Pluma’s new album Éxodo just dropped and it hit the Billboard 200. The artist sings corridos, a type of Mexican traditional music that was once relegated to Spanish language radio. But today, a younger generation of artists like Peso Pluma and Xavi are bringing the music into the mainstream. And California's demographic change is helping to fuel this movement.

Reporter: Aisha Natalia Wallace-Palomares, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

The U.S. Postal Service has until Friday to put forward a plan to reopen two rural California post offices. For over two years, the town of Niland in Northern Imperial County has been cut off from daily access to the mail, after the local post office burned down in 2022.

Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California State Fair kicks off this week in Sacramento. This year's State Fair will have something new that no state fair in the U.S. has ever had. For the first time, marijuana sales and on-site consumption will be allowed.

Guest: James Leitz, Executive Producer of the State Fair’s cannabis competition and exhibit

As calls continue from some elected officials for President Biden to drop out of the presidential race after his poor debate performance, Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he remains steadfast in his support of the president as the Democratic Party’s nominee. Former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer is also dismissing calls for Biden to step aside.

Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED

A new law will mandate California high schools teach students about the dangers of fentanyl.

Reporter: Heidi de Marco, KPBS

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Uprooting Almond Trees in California Could Impact Bees’ Ability to Pollinate Fruit Trees Further North

Yesterday we told you how over-production in California's almond industry was hurting local growers, with some resorting to uprooting almond trees to maintain their livelihoods.

That’s been a buzzkill for some beekeepers in the Pacific Northwest.

In Washington and Oregon, bee populations rely on the nectar they get from California almonds trees, which ultimately help keep fruit trees productive at home, and hive populations thriving.

After Ripping Through Thousands of North California Acres, Thompson Fire 100 Percent Contained

The toll of a wildfire that broke out last week near Oroville in Butte County has been released. State fire officials say the Thompson Fire destroyed 13 single family homes and destroyed or damaged several other buildings. The fire, which scorched nearly 4,000 acres was declared 100 percent contained on Monday of this week. 

California Bills Aimed to Regulate Artificial Intelligence on Track for the Governor’s Desk

In Sacramento, a number of bills involving the regulation of artificial intelligence have a good chance of making it to Governor Newsom’s desk, Including one that would limit what can be done with AI replicas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the last decade, almonds have turned up everywhere. Even at the Super Bowl, where a commercial showed actor Jeremy Renner supercharged by almond milk. Even so, California almond producers have been struggling. Growers have in some ways been the victims of their own success - although the outlook might be improving. 

Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR

A sweltering heat wave continues in much of our state this week. Now, a new report from the state’s insurance commissioner takes a long view on the dangers of high temperatures, reporting that nearly 140,000 Californians visited the hospital because of extreme heat in the last decade 

Reporter: Olivia Zhao, CalMatters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The state uses the billions raised from the gas tax every year to pay for the constant work of freeway and highway maintenance and new road construction. But the gas tax faces a reckoning. Newer vehicles are ever-more fuel efficient, meaning less revenue is raised from taxing the fuel that’s pumped into them. So the state could eventually move to a model where drivers pay a fee for every mile they travel.

Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report

A $10 billion bond for California’s schools will go before voters this November. If it passes, the multi-billion dollar bond would pay for repairs and upgrades at thousands of K-12 school and community college buildings across California. 

Reporter: Carolyn Jones, CalMatters 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Breakdancing has been part of American culture for decades. Introduced in the Bronx in the 1970’s, it's synonymous with the birth of hip hop in this country. And it's about to be in the spotlight again this summer. For the first time, breaking will be a sport in the Summer Olympics in Paris. While New York has long been the home of breakdancing and the B-Boy and B-Girl culture here in the U.S., the West Coast played a significant role in the movement as well.

Guests: Zulu Gremlin, DJ Hazze, Asia One

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that we're in the heart of summer, and given that this is California, probably a lot of us are going to go to the beach and plunge ourselves into the Pacific, or maybe will splash into a backyard or public swimming pool. But in California's wilderness areas, there are lots of other places to find bliss in the water, like lakes, waterfalls, ponds, and hot springs.

Guest: Dillon Seitchik-Reardon, Author "Places We Swim California"

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California now has an official state mushroom. The designation went into effect this year thanks to a new law signed by Governor Newsom. The Californian Golden Chanterelle was chosen in a poll by the California Institute for Biodiversity which pitted five other mushrooms against the winning chanterelle.

Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 6400 Latinos died in police confrontations or in police custody between 2000 and 2022. That's according to La Raza Database project, which seeks to uncover the true number of Latinos who have died in violent confrontations with police. Still, the project's researchers say that number is likely much higher.

Guests: Roberto Camacho, Reporter and Ivette Xochiyoti Boyzo, Project Manager, La Raza Database Project 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting Monday, a new law goes into effect in California that will require businesses to disclose all costs up front. Basically a ban on so-called junk fees. This would impact the next time you stay at a hotel, buy concert tickets, or book a short term rental, as you should in theory, know the entire price beforehand. Restaurants were supposed to be included in this new law, but a fast track bill was passed last week and signed by Governor Newsom that exempts them. So they're allowed to continue using service charges as long as the nature of that fee is clearly stated on its menu.

Guest: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The program allowing Californians to borrow a state parks pass from their local library has received funding for another year. The program started in 2021 as a way to make access to state parks easier for Californians who might not be willing or able to pay 195 dollars for an annual pass.

Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio

A woman from Michigan will become the first hijab-wearing athlete to attempt the oldest 100-mile ultramarathon in the country, right here in California. While the race is considered one of the most prestigious in the running world, it’s also one of the most exclusive.

Reporter: Mark Nieto, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of thousands of health care workers in California who’ve been expecting a minimum wage increase will have to wait until at least October to get it. The delay comes as a result of the state's new budget deal.

Reporter: Ana B. Ibarra, CalMatters

In Oakland, nearly 20 percent of young children enrolled in Head Start are going through homelessness. That makes it hard for their families to get to the preschool program consistently and on time. So the city found a way to reach these children where they’re at.

Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve found yourself at a makeup store recently, especially in a mall after school, you might’ve noticed more young people around you. Like really young. Like elementary and middle school young. This is a trend and it has a name: Sephora Kids. And their purchases are doing damage to more than just their parents’ bank accounts.

Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW

Fresno's Police Chief has resigned. This follows an investigation that cleared Paco Balderrama of wrongdoing, after an internal complaint stemming from an affair with an officer’s wife.

Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden's recent executive actions point asylum seekers toward existing legal pathways. But those pathways, like the CBP One app, aren’t working for the most vulnerable migrants.

Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS

State fire officials say so far this year, the number of acres consumed by fires in California is four times the five-year-average. Meteorologists are predicting a hot, dry summer that could lead to a very active, dangerous fire season.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recycling centers have been shutting down across California for years. That means fewer opportunities for people to recycle their bottles and cans — and get back their deposits. And the state is sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars in unclaimed bottle deposits.

Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS

State leaders say they’ve reached an agreement on the state budget. In a press release, Governor Newsom said the deal involves $300 billion in expenditures, while filling a nearly $47 billion budget deficit. The deal proposes to use more than $12 billion from the state’s rainy day fund over the next two years to help shore up the deficit.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Information is still scarce regarding the FBI's raid of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's home on Thursday. It was one of a number of raids conducted by the agency in the city.

School districts in California are under pressure to reduce chronic absenteeism. But getting kids back to the classroom can be a challenge for districts with limited resources.

Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED    

Baseball fans are saying bye to the "Say Hey Kid" Willie Mays. Thursday night’s San Francisco Giants game was held at the historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham Alabama, where Mays made his professional debut in 1948. But at Oracle Park in San Francisco, fans old and young came together to watch the game on the scoreboard, root for their team - and grapple with the loss.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About a quarter of all new vehicles sold in California last year were zero emission. But there are big regional differences in where electric vehicles are bought and driven in the state. You see a lot of them on the road in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Orange County, but it’s harder to spot them in the Central Valley or Imperial County. But there are programs aimed at addressing the EV gap.

Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED

California workplace regulators are expected to vote Thursday on new protections from dangerous heat for millions of indoor workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is considering new rules that would require most employers to keep indoor work areas below 87 degrees when feasible, or if it's not, change workers’ shifts or use protective equipment to reduce the risks.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices