KQED's The California Report

Thousands of unvaccinated Los Angeles City workers may have until December to get the mandated shots. But if they remain unvaccinated, they could feel the bite in their paychecks. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCCLos Angeles County is studying the effectiveness of a peer vaccination program. The homeless are being used as ambassadors to try to help convince other unhoused people get their shots.Guest: Chelsea Shover, Professor at UCLA who is helping lead the programA record number of cargo ships are idling off the Southern California coast. That means delays at the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. But one Bay Area port is trying to help alleviate these delays.Reporter: Angela Corral, The California Report The descendents of some of Southern California’s early pioneers are trying to save their ancestors’ crumbling home. This is taking place in the Inland Empire, where a farming town was founded when California was still part of Mexico.Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Business leaders testified during a Congressional hearing on Monday about the impacts the recent Orange County oil spill has had on the region. At least one owner says he's unsure if and when things will get back to normal for his fishing company.October is National Pedestrian Safety Month and while many cities across California have ambitious goals to better protect those walking on the street, they are falling well short of those goals. Can anything be done to better protect pedestrians from drivers?Guest: Leah Shahum, Executive Director, Vision Zero NetworkRevenue from parking tickets is used by cities to pay for things like public parks and trash removal. But in Los Angeles, a new report has found that parking citations just aren’t the money maker they used to be.  Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRW A new law in California will soon mandate use-of-force training for security guards. A CapRadio investigation into the private security industry sparked the legislation. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadioSouth Bay Congressman Ro Khanna will preside over an historic hearing later this month, where Big Oil executives and trade groups will face questions about their role in spreading climate disinformation. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom sent nearly $850 million to cities and counties to buy empty motels and other properties to convert them into homeless housing. Now he wants to spend over $2.5 billion more on the same effort. The Homekey program has proven to be a success, but most of the sites being used aren't permanent places to stay for participants.Reporters: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report, Anna Scott, KCRWThe Coast Guard said that back in January, a cargo vessel named the MSC Danit might have caught its anchor on the underwater pipeline involved in the Orange County oil spill, dragging it more than a 100 feet across the ocean floor.Los Angeles Unified School District’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate takes full effect Monday. Staff and teachers in L.A. need at least one COVID shot to get on campus, and must be fully vaccinated by November 15.Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC The California condor is under threat once again. The massive birds went extinct in the wild in the 1980s but through breeding and conservation programs started making a comeback. But deaths attributed to lead poisoning have been rising once again, threatening the survival of this endangered species.Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KCBX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The bitter rivalry between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers came to a head in their National League Division Series playoff battle. It's the first time the teams have met in the postseason. And the Dodgers came out on top in Game Five in a nail-biter.The Coast Guard says it’s confident the number of gallons leaked from the oil spill in Orange County is around 25,000, far less than the original estimate. Meanwhile, the oil spill was a major talking point during a Congressional hearing on Thursday.Recent COVID-19 trends in California are very positive, with infections, hospitalizations and deaths all down because of vaccinations and mask use.  And in Los Angeles the number of new infections among school children is also subsiding.Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About 60,000 members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees are threatening to strike next Monday if they can’t reach an agreement with studios over such issues as working conditions and more reasonable hours. IATSE represents a wide range of Hollywood’s workforce from cinematographers and editors to make up artists and script coordinators.Guest: A.J. Catoline, Editor on Apple TV’s “Ted Lasso"The executive director of the labor union SEIU California has resigned, after being charged with tax fraud and other felonies. Alma Hernández and her husband were charged earlier this month.Reporter: Angela Corral, The California Report One of the bills Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed mandates mental health education classes for many middle and high school students in California. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED One team will advance to the National League Championship Series. The other will have its season come to an end. The Dodgers and Giants take the field tonight in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Alisal Fire has burned more than 13,000 acres in Santa Barbara County. That’s prompted evacuation orders in rural areas and forced the shut down of parts of Highway 101.Reporter: Rachel Showalter, KCBXLos Angeles continues its push to dismantle large homeless encampments in the city and move people into temporary shelters. It's already happened in the city's Echo Park and Venice neighborhoods. Now, the unhoused who are living in a section of MacArthur Park west of downtown, will be required to move by the end of this week.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California ReportIn the Coachella Valley, desert cities are passing laws restricting or banning short-term rentals. And that’s squeezing supply in the city of Palm Springs.Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRWCalifornia’s committee on reparations met again Tuesday to discuss housing and environmental inequities that have specifically disadvantaged African Americans. The committee looked at how reparations could be given in the form of direct payments and other methods to correct decades of racist policies and actions. Reporter: Sarah Mizes-Tan, CapRadioAmong the more than 700 bills Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed into law are several that aim to fix problems at the state’s unemployment department. The changes come in the wake of a parade of problems that jeopardized much needed help for jobless Californians.Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla visited the site of the Orange County oil spill on Monday. Bonta has pledged to work with federal and local law enforcement to investigate the disaster.Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQEDSo far, more than two dozen birds have been rescued by the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, which is leading recovery and rehabilitation efforts for wildlife impacted by the Orange County oil spill. Pacific Gas & Electric has been blamed for numerous fires in recent years and the utility is mired in debt. Fire survivors have struggled to get any type of compensation from the company. But there's one group that has benefited from all of the pain -- Wall Street hedge funds.Guest: Lily Jamali, Former Co-Host, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

City and state beaches are reopening in Huntington Beach after more than a thousand volunteers and workers continued with clean-up efforts over the weekend, following the recent oil spill. Investigators are looking into whether the pipeline in question may have been damaged far earlier than first thought.Homekey is the centerpiece of California’s multi-billion dollar plans to fight homelessness. Started last year, it focuses on turning old or underused businesses, especially motels, into permanent supportive housing for the homeless. But the program is also showing other benefits in some cities.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California ReportOn Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill requiring California high school students to take an ethnic studies class in order to graduate. The courses must be offered by the 2025-26 school year.Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED A new law will afford tribes the same ambulance certification exemptions given to city and county fire departments. Previously, tribes had to jump through hoops.Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly a week after oil was first reported off the coast of Orange County, investigators still have not been able to determine exactly how much crude has spilled into the Pacific. Tar balls have been spotted further south in San Diego County, but it's unclear if they're from the oil spill.During the pandemic, people have taken up lots of new hobbies and activities. That includes yoga. And some yoga instructors have found ways to create culturally sensitive spaces for students of color, in an industry where many feel white westerners have co-opted the practice. Reporter: Gabriella Frenes, The California Report As COVID-19 cases decline in California, Los Angeles County health officials are encouraged by another metric -- more teenagers are getting vaccinated. In the past month, there was a 5% increase in Latino 12-15 year olds receiving the free shots. The percentage was similar for Native American children in the same age group, followed by Black children. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC Bay Area public health officers say the Delta COVID-19 surge is subsiding. So now, it’s time to talk about an exit strategy for indoor mask mandates.Reporter: Raquel Maria Dillon, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The investigation continues into this past weekend’s oil spill off the coast of Orange County, with attention now focused on a cargo container vessel named “The Rotterdam Express.” The German-owned ship was anchored near the site of the oil spill for more than a week, before the pipeline owned by Amplify Energy ruptured.The Los Angeles City Council has passed an ordinance requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter many indoor businesses, city-owned buildings and large events.Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRWAs California’s drought persists, there’s once again attention on saving water and a renewed push to make our homes and gardens more water efficient.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices