KQED's The California Report

Tijuana has long been a refuge for priced-out Californians looking for affordable housing. But now, rents in Tijuana are rising twice as fast as in San Diego. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS A federal judge in San Francisco is ordering two former Trump administration officials to testify in a lawsuit, brought by migrant parents and children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

Fentanyl-related deaths are up in California. By a lot. And it's no different in Sacramento County, which jumped from 17 fentanyl related deaths in 2018, to 227 last year. One neighborhood nonprofit is trying to save lives, by getting drug users to recognize what might be causing their use in the first place. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio The iconic Bob's Big Boy diner in Burbank has become the unofficial clubhouse for striking writers. And they're appreciative of the generosity of a Hollywood star, who's helping take care of the bill. Reporter: Yusra Farzan, LAist

After nearly 150 days on strike, a tentative deal has been reached between Hollywood writers and studios. The proposed three year deal would boost pay rates and residuals from streaming shows, and also introduce new rules on the use of artificial intelligence. Shasta County is dealing with major staffing shortages across county departments. Those shortages have forced an entire floor of the county jail to remain closed for over a year. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio

Governor Gavin Newsom has asked the state insurance commission to take emergency action to fix the troubled homeowner's insurance market. This comes after State Farm, Allstate and more than half of the top 12 insurance groups have paused or restricted new business in the state. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED More than 300,000 Californians have lost health insurance since the state resumed Medi-Cal eligibility checks it had suspended during the pandemic. The majority of Californians who lost Medi-Cal got kicked off because of paperwork. Some didn’t send in their renewal packets, while others had errors on their forms. Reporter: Shreya Agrawal, CalMatters A prestigious national laboratory is partnering with CSU Bakersfield to advance green energy research in the San Joaquin Valley. The partnership is seen by some as historic in nature. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Jacob Rock is a non-verbal, autistic teenager from Los Angeles who wasn’t able to speak until 2020. That’s when he began to vividly type out his thoughts and feelings on an iPad. His parents were flabbergasted to realize that he could read and write and convey his emotions and creativity through text. Reporter: Sasha Khokha, The California Report Magazine

Nursing homes typically help people recover after surgeries or provide round-the-clock care for people with physical disabilities. But a new LAist investigation finds that thousands of people with serious mental illness are living in California’s nursing homes. Experts call it “warehousing” and say the practice may violate federal law. Reporter: Elly Yu, LAist Farmworker advocates pushing for safer working conditions during wildfires are blasting a decision by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors that could allow crops to be harvested in evacuation zones. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Indigenous tribes are pushing back against a new plan to create a federal marine sanctuary off the Central Coast. Several years ago, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council proposed a sanctuary that would include Morro Bay. But the new federal proposal leaves it out. Reporter: Amanda Wernick, KCBX

Sacramento County’s district attorney says he’s taking the city of Sacramento to court, for failing to enforce its own homelessness laws. County DA Tien Ho says Sacramento city officials “allowed, created and enabled” a public safety crisis, by not enforcing their own laws, including the city’s ban on blocking sidewalks and camping on public property. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio More water to replenish a natural spring in a California forest - less water for the company that bottles and sells it as Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water. That's the result of a decision by California's Water Resources Control Board. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR California is suing oil and gas companies for deceiving the public for their role in climate change. The lawsuit could be a landmark for holding oil companies accountable. Reporter: Dana Cronin, KQED A federal judge this week temporarily blocked a California law meant to protect children when they use the internet. Known as the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, the law would require social media companies to take steps to protect minors’ privacy and would limit the use of their information. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, The California Report

It’s been six months since the levee protecting the small Central Coast farming community of Pajaro burst, flooding the town and forcing thousands out of their homes. And while repairs are underway, a permanent fix is still years in the making. Reporter: Scott Cohn, KAZU A group of Democratic state lawmakers is asking California Attorney General Rob Bonta to take the lead on an effort to remove Donald Trump from the March primary ballot. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED At its board meeting in Sacramento Tuesday morning, California’s Water Resources Control Board will consider issuing a ‘cease and desist’ order to end the pumping of millions of gallons of water out of the San Bernardino National Forest. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR

This week marks six months since powerful storms flooded the small farming community of Pajaro in Santa Cruz County, after its aging levee system failed. The community is still facing major challenges with rebuilding. Reporter: Jerimiah Oetting, KAZU At the Climate Week NYC event, Governor Gavin Newsom announced his intention to sign a first-in-the nation climate bill awaiting his approval back in California. The measure would force U.S. corporations doing business in California that make more than $1 billion a year to publicly disclose their annual greenhouse gas emissions. Reporter: Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters

Nearly 60,000 Kaiser Permanente workers have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike if there’s no agreement in contract negotiations by September 30. The healthcare workers -- most of them in California -- are pushing for a 7% wage increase in the first two years of this next contract, and 6.25% the following two years. A California appeals court has agreed to hear a challenge to the state’s recently adopted solar rules. The groups argued the rules do not recognize all the benefits of solar, encourage solar adoption or expand solar in disadvantaged communities. Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS It’s the end of an era along the Klamath River. Labor Day weekend was the last time the whitewater rapids on the Upper Klamath could be rafted during the summer. A group of antiquated dams are coming down on the Klamath, meaning major changes for the river rafting community. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED

On this final day of the legislative session, a lot of eyes in Sacramento are on one particular measure moving through the State Senate. It would allow workers who are on strike for more than two weeks, like the Hollywood writers and actors, to apply for unemployment insurance. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED In Sacramento, it’s the final day of the legislative session -- and that means the fate of dozens of bills must be decided as the hours and minutes tick down. The Assembly and Senate have until midnight to send bills to the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED A $25 minimum wage is in sight for tens of thousands of California’s lowest-paid health workers. The wage hike would be for people like nursing assistants, medical techs and janitorial workers. Reporter: Ana Ibarra, CalMatters

When you think of a meadow, what comes to mind? Probably a peaceful expanse of grass and flowers straight out of a postcard. A perfect place to have a picnic or read a book. But meadows are also key to the health of forests And in the Sierra Nevada most meadows have been degraded or lost. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR Meeting in Long Beach Wednesday morning, California State University’s Board of Trustees is expected to vote on whether to increase tuition at all 23 CSU campuses. The proposal would include a 6% tuition hike over the next five years. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED California currently bans state-funded travel to 26 states because of their anti-LGBTQ laws. But state lawmakers have voted to repeal the travel bans after acknowledging that they haven’t been successful. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, The California Report

After months of bitter conflict, fast food companies and labor unions have reached a deal that could raise the minimum wage for 500,000 fast food workers in California. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED If you’re a parent or caregiver in the state, chances are you’ve seen billboards urging you to talk, read and sing to your baby. Now the agency behind those ads, First Five California, is pushing a new statewide campaign to raise awareness about toxic stress. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED As cities across California struggle with a lack of affordable housing, developers are thinking micro, as in micro apartments, some smaller than 300 square feet. That includes a new five-story building in downtown Sacramento, the city's third micro apartment community. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio

The popular social media app Instagram and its parent company, Meta, use artificial intelligence to moderate content. But there are growing concerns that the “training data” for AI is biased against women and people of color. A Los Angeles photographer thinks this “algorithmic bias” is part of the reason Instagram disabled his account. Reporter: Beth Tribolet, KQED The California legislature has passed a bill that would ban the hand-counting of ballots in most elections. The legislation was targeted specifically at Northern California’s Shasta County, where supervisors did away with Dominion voting machines earlier this year. Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio Much of the world’s highest quality cotton is grown in the San Joaquin Valley. But the return of Tulare Lake could have a devastating impact on the Central Valley's cotton industry. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. And according to some neighbors, it’s also one of the loudest. Homeowners in the San Diego region, and across the state, are increasingly taking legal action to resolve pickleball noise disputes. Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS California is set to scale back its electric car rebate program to focus more on low-income car buyers. Reporter: Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters

A judge has ruled that a San Bernardino County school district must hold off on enforcing a policy that requires school staff to notify parents if a student identifies as transgender. Chino Valley Unified is being sued by the state attorney general. Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR In San Diego, the Black Panther Party is recruiting new members. Decades ago, the U.S. government spread misinformation that caused the party to become mostly inactive. Now, the San Diego chapter is one of many reviving across the country. Reporter: Katie Hyson, KPBS

Central Coast Congressman Salud Carbajal is unveiling new legislation on Wednesday to help communities near regional airports that have long been facing toxic chemical contamination in their groundwater. The “Clean Airport Agenda” will make sure federal agencies phase out the use of these toxic chemicals in such communities. Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KCBX State lawmakers are voting on a resolution declaring August trans history month across California. Reporter: Lesley McClurg , KQED California is on its way to becoming the first state to explicitly ban discrimination based on caste. State lawmakers approved a bill to make it a protected class and sent it to the governor on Tuesday. Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio

People who live behind a vast number of aging levees in the United States are more likely to be people of color and have less education compared to those who don’t. And that leaves them more vulnerable to flooding and the impacts of climate change. Reporter: Emily Zentner, California Newsroom A state bill that would require many employers in all kinds of industries to take steps to protect workers from violence at their jobs, has cleared a key hurdle and is headed for a full vote of the State Assembly. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

When Joe Sanchez was 8 years old, his grandmother asked him to make a promise to never forget his California Indian heritage. She was determined to see the culture live on, after watching her brothers deny their Coast Miwok ancestry, a matter of economic survival in early 20th century California. Today, at 75, Sanchez is making good on that promise in a more ambitious way than he ever imagined: He’s bought back a piece of his ancestral homeland. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño

By all accounts, this year's West Nile virus season has been particularly bad. The state has reported five fatalities so far this summer. In Sacramento and Yolo Counties, the Mosquito & Vector Control District has been spraying a diluted insecticide throughout the region to kill the mosquitoes that carry the disease. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio Kern County’s maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in the state. Family members of people who died there during childbirth have now gotten the attention of the state medical board. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR

The governor’s office is awarding nearly $760 million in grants for affordable housing projects statewide. The money is expected to help create 2,500 new affordable homes, but will pay for more than just new apartments. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio Workers rights advocates are calling on Los Angeles to combat wage theft as one way to tackle the homelessness crisis in the city. New analysis by the Los Angeles Worker Center Network finds wage theft is so prevalent among the lowest-earning Angelenos, it’s contributing to the crisis. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED California is seeing a surge in COVID-19 infections. And although hospitalizations have also seen a big jump, it's a far cry from previous COVID waves. So what's behind the jump in cases? Guest: Monica Gandhi, Infectious Diseases Doctor, Professor, UC San Francisco