KQED's The California Report

A lot of people have had to call out sick from work this winter. Either they had COVID-19, or their kid had it. Now, under a new deal brokered with Governor Gavin Newsom, California workers may get retroactive sick leave for the time they had to take off. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED 20 states started this year off with a new increase in their minimum wage, including California. A new study finds those wage hikes can help low-income renters avoid eviction. Reporter: David Wagner, KPCCIn downtown Sacramento the restored Sutter Fort is a hot spot for elementary school field trips. People in pioneer costumes. Exhibits of colonial era tools. The fort helped shape California as we know it - but at great cost to Indigenous people. Reporter: Pauline Bartolone, CapRadio Along the rugged coast of Mendocino County, groves of towering old growth redwoods were once the hunting and fishing grounds of indigenous tribes. Until European settlers and loggers arrived. Now, one of those forests is being returned to its Native inhabitants.Reporter: Annelise Finney, KQED Renters in Los Angeles County are getting extra protections to stay in their homes. The county is extending its moratorium on evictions for tenants who can’t pay their rent because of the pandemic. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California ReportHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she’s running for reelection. The announcement ends speculation Pelosi might retire.Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the next week, legislation that would help create a single-payer health plan in California will face a key test. The bill must pass out of the Assembly by January 31 or it’s dead. The effort is being led by the state’s nurses union, but opposed by the largest association of doctors.Guest: Dr. Micah Johnson, co-author of the book Medicare for All: A Citizen’s GuideLegislation introduced by State Senator Richard Pan would eliminate a personal belief exemption in school-based COVID-19 vaccination requirements. The proposal is expected to face strong pushback from those who have fought vaccine mandates.The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will renew their rivalry Sunday at SoFi Stadium, with a berth in the Super Bowl on the line. The Rams are hoping their fans show up more than they did in the regular season finale between the two teams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California regulators are taking more time to consider changing the state’s solar marketplace. This comes after a proposal released in mid-December roiled the solar industry. Reporter Erik Anderson, KPBS Both the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams have advanced to the NFC Championship this weekend at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The winner will head to the Super Bowl, which is also being held at SoFi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kamala Harris Visits San Bernardino To Announce Wildfire Prevention FundsHarris will announce 1.3 Billion Dollars in disaster relief funding for the U.S. Forest Service. Nearly half of that will go to California. Reporter: Jonathan Linden, KVCR U.S Senator Alex Padilla on Voting Rights SetbackCalifornia’s junior U.S. Senator, Democrat Alex Padilla, has just marked his first year in office. A progressive who’s an ardent supporter of much of the Biden Administration’ policy goals, Padilla has participated in some victories, like the passage of the big infrastructure bill. But he’s also seen a lot of what he went to Washington to do, like immigration reform and more social spending, blocked by both Republicans and his fellow Democrats.  Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report New Study Shows How Generations of Race Based Prescribing Guidelines Were WrongFor generations, doctors have been taught to prescribe certain medications to Black patients with high blood pressure. A new study out this week from UCSF finds those guidelines showed no benefits. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s been a lot of debate lately in California over whether efforts to roll back tough on crime laws have gone too far. Often, those conversations pit law enforcement officials against those who support the reforms. But a a California program to lower prison sentences is being embraced by prosecutors in both red and blue counties.Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED The mad scramble for at-home COVID tests has been frustrating for Californians since omicron hit. And for people who have friends and loved ones in skilled nursing facilities, the search is becoming even more of an urgent issue.Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California ReportA new bill introduced in Sacramento would increase fines health insurers have to pay when they break the law. The goal is to make sure patients get the care they’re entitled to.Reporter: April Dembosky, KQEDThe federal judge who has overseen Pacific Gas & Electric's probation for the last five years says the company continues to be a wildfire menace to Californians.Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED California's forests will need to look a lot different if they’re going to survive the challenges of a warming world. New research out of the University of California and the US Forest Service, provides a roadmap. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s new proposal to loosen surveillance camera rules, as part of her plan to crack down on crime, is facing competition from another measure on the June ballot.Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new federal program that allows people to order free at-home COVID-19 tests through the mail launched Tuesday, one day early. The order form looks pretty simple, but wasn’t easy for everyone who tried to submit orders.Guest: Carly Severn, KQED Senior Engagement EditorThe omicron surge has jammed hospital emergency rooms with patients. Many of them arrive by ambulance, creating long waits. But officials in Los Angeles County say ambulance response times are improving. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC With the omicron wave of COVID-19 spreading fast, immigration courts in San Francisco are postponing many hearings. But that pause could be a ray of hope for people in an expedited asylum process.Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The surge in the omicron variant has left hospitals across California struggling with staffing and in many cases, a rapid increase in COVID-positive patients. But can the state, and U.S. in general learn from some of the successes other countries are having in managing COVID right now?Guest: Eric Topol, Professor of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research For the first time starting this year, agricultural employers in California –- like farmers and farm labor contractors with 26 or more employees -- have to pay their workers overtime after an eight-hour day or 40-hour week. While farmworker advocates are celebrating this change, it’s also created some unintended consequences. Reporter: Madi Bolaños, Valley Public RadioThe San Gabriel Valley, east of Los Angeles has one of the highest concentrations of Asian residents in the country. But a new survey indicates a pandemic’s worth of racist incidents has many there feeling shaken.Reporter: Josie Huang, KPCC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many in-person celebrations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have been canceled Monday due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant in California. Despite that, his legacy lives on, particularly in the work being done by California's Legislative Black Caucus, led by State Senator Steven Bradford.Guest: Steven Bradford, State Senator, 35th DistrictFirst it was new cases and hospitalizations. Now, COVID-19 deaths have jumped significantly in Los Angeles County. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday, nurses across the state held rallies to demand safe staffing levels and stronger workplace protections. It comes as more and more hospital staff across the state are testing positive for COVID-19.Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCCStarting this week, some people with weakened immune systems are eligible for a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine. There are an estimated seven million people in the U.S. who are immunocompromised, many of whom don’t produce the necessary antibodies to respond to an infection. That leaves them more susceptible to a virus like COVID-19.Guest: Dr. Lindsay Ryan, an internist at UC San Francisco who is herself immunocompromisedGovernor Gavin Newsom will not allow Robert Kennedy’s killer to be freed from prison, announcing Thursday that he has reversed a decision made by the state’s parole board last summerReporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED   As the Omicron variant continues to surge throughout the country, here’s one bit of welcome news. New data based on Southern California patients shows they’re not getting as sick as those infected by the Delta strain.  Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRW Worker advocates are calling on Governor Gavin Newsom and the Legislature to again require that employers provide two weeks of COVID-19 paid sick leave. The last round expired in September.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting this weekend, the costs of at-home COVID-19 tests will be covered for people with private insurance or a group health plan. That means, if you have this kind of coverage and you go online or into a drugstore to purchase a test, the cost should be covered up front or via reimbursement.Guest: Krutika Amin, a Kaiser Family Foundation expert on the Affordable Care ActState prison officials are grappling with a surge in COVID-19 cases in their facilities as the omicron variant spreads. It's impacting both those who are incarcerated and prison staff.Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED  A state bill that would limit so-called Ellis Act evictions will move forward in the legislature after it passed out of an assembly committee on Wednesday. It would require people who purchase a building to wait at least 5 years before invoking the Ellis Act.Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices