KQED's The California Report

Democratic leaders of the state Senate and Assembly say they're in agreement on a state budget proposal. But a final deal still needs to be reached with Governor Gavin Newsom. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQEDFor years, Cal/OSHA, the California agency in charge of protecting workers from health and safety hazards, has been understaffed. But the problem got worse during the pandemic, crippling the agency's ability to protect millions of people on the job, who faced new risks from COVID-19. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQEDThe state Supreme Court will hold a hearing Wednesday on an issue which could change the way the death penalty is applied in California. A ruling, which is expected in 90 days, could impact the sentences for inmates who are on death row.Reporter: Alice Woelfle, KQEDA state task force studying reparations for Black Californians held its inaugural meeting on Tuesday. The group is working to identify and recommend eliminating laws that discriminate against Black people.Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQEDThe Department of Homeland Security has announced the end of a Trump administration program known as “Remain in Mexico.” The policy sent back over 68,000 asylum-seekers to Mexican border cities, where they waited while their cases went through immigration court proceedings in the U.S. Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent years, Californians have debated whether or not to change the names of places because of their historically racist associations. That debate has now hit the rural Sierra County town of Downieville.Guest: Brittny Mejia, Metro Reporter, LA TimesThis week marks the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre. Considered one of the worst acts of racial violence in American history, it's spurred growing calls for reparations. Reporter: Holly J. McDede, KQED Even as coronavirus cases steadily decline and more people get vaccinated in Los Angeles County, Black residents are getting sick and dying from COVID-19 at a higher rate than any other race or ethnicity. Latinos had held that spot throughout the pandemic.Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC California’s eviction moratorium is slated to end on June 30. Meanwhile, the state’s rental aid program has gotten off to a slow start. Tenant advocates say that could put renters across the state at risk of eviction.Reporter: Molly Solomon, KQEDA bipartisan group of state lawmakers is asking California’s Attorney General to review expenditures of a Fire Victim Trust, after a KQED investigation into its overhead expenses. The Trust is charged with distributing billions of dollars to Pacific Gas & Electric fire victims.  Reporter: Lily Jamali, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new book is highlighting the history of the Boyle Heights neighborhood and its importance in shaping L.A. County.Guest: George J. Sanchez, author of the book, "Boyle Heights: How a Los Angeles Community Became the Future of American Democracy" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Details continue to surface about the gunman who killed nine people at a Valley Transportation Authority light rail yard in San Jose on Wednesday. According to his ex-girlfriend, he was prone to both physical and sexual violence. Domestic abuse is often linked to mass shootings.Guest: April Zeoli, Professor with Michigan State University's School of Criminal JusticeCalifornia has introduced a more than $100 million incentive plan to get more people vaccinated. An example -- the next two million people who get vaccinated in the state will get a $50 gift card.Reporter: April Dembosky, KQEDIn California, police misconduct records used to be kept hidden but that changed in 2019, when the state implemented a new police transparency law. Lots of agencies are still pushing back against this transparency mandate, but a new investigative podcast from KQED and NPR is shedding light on some of these recently unsealed records.Guest: Sukey Lewis, Criminal Justice Reporter, KQED and host of On Our Watch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ten people are now dead including the gunman who opened fire Wednesday at a Valley Transportation Authority light rail yard in San Jose. Investigators have not identified a motive.Guest: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQEDCalifornia has some of the strictest gun laws in the United States. That's left many wondering how mass shootings like the one in San Jose on Wednesday continue to occur in the state.Guest: John Donahue, Stanford University Professor who studies gun lawsThe massacre at the VTA light rail yard on Wednesday touched the lives of not only employees and their friends and families, but the entire San Jose community. And many people will struggle with the stress and trauma of the deadly shooting for weeks and months to come.Guest: Melissa Brymer, Director of Terrorism and Disaster Programs at the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As soon as next year, the Biden administration plans to sell leases for floating wind farms off the coast of San Luis Obispo and Humboldt counties. But the plan still faces some logistical challenges.Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED New polling shows support for the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom is stagnating. The Public Policy Institute of California poll finds 40% of likely voters think Newsom should be removed from office, a number that hasn't changed since March. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQEDIn California, doctors, lawyers and even barbers can lose their license to practice if they do something wrong. There’s no similar recourse for some of the most powerful civil servants around -- police. But advocates are hopeful that new legislation will be passed in Sacramento to change that. Reporter: MJ Johnson, KQEDWith more seniors vaccinated in L.A. County, young adults now make up the greatest share of people in the hospital with COVID-19. Over the past six weeks, there have been more 30- to 49-year-olds hospitalized with the virus than any other age group, a stark contrast to earlier in the pandemic. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KQEDGovernor Gavin Newsom is facing increasing pressure to expand health coverage through the state’s Medi-Cal program to all low-income adults, regardless of their immigration status. But the price tag will be high, even with this year’s budget surplus.Reporter: April Dembosky, KQEDOn Wednesday afternoon, the University of California’s center in Washington is hosting Iranian musician Sepehr Haddad for a conversation about his new book “A Hundred Sweet Promises.” The book shares the story of the author’s grandfather - who leaves his homeland in Persia for St Petersberg, where he falls in love with a princess from the Russian royal family.Guest: Sepehr Haddad, Author of the book "A Hundred Sweet Promises" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this day one year ago, George Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds while Floyd begged for his life. This sparked protests across California and calls for police reform.Guest: Tanya Faison, the founder of Black Lives Matter Sacramento speaking with The California Report's Mary Franklin HarvinMany of the protests following the death of George Floyd were led by young people here in California. While they see some progress being made in the state, they know the fight is far from over.Guest: Jadyn Polk, Member of Black Youth for the People's Liberation in Oakland speaking with The California Report's Keith Mizuguchi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Los Angeles is mulling whether a whole new entity devoted to focusing on homelessness might be the way to address the problem. A group of civic leaders called the Committee for Greater LA think it’s worth a shot. Reporter: Anna Scott, KCRWCalifornia remains on track to reopen on June 15. It's a day many businesses have been waiting for, but some are finding it hard to hire back staff to a pre-pandemic level.Guest: Margherita Sagan, Co-Owner of Piccino Restaurant in San Francisco speaking with The California Report's Keith MizuguchiIn the town of Paradise, a hundred or so survivors of the deadly 2018 Camp Fire gathered this weekend for a march along the Skyway - the main road through town. They organized this rally after KQED’s recent investigation into the finances of Pacific Gas & Electric's Fire Victim Trust.Reporter: Lily Jamali, The California ReportIt’s not your imagination -- the Cost of Being Californian is going up.That’s the key finding of a recent study by that name -- released by the Oakland based non profit the Insight Center.Guest: Anne Price, president of the Insight Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Independent Venue Association of California, which has more than 600 members, is pushing for state legislators and the governor to support a $250 million stimulus grant program. This comes as they prepare for the state to reopen on June 15.Guest: Joe Rinaldi, Managing Partner at Music Box in San DiegoThe owners of Starline Social Club, a popular venue in Oakland, announced late last month that they would re-open later this year, as a worker-owned co-op. The news took former employees by surprise as they found out through media reports.Guest: Nastia Voynovskaya, Associate Editor, KQED Arts & CultureA recent survey from CapRadio in Sacramento and the nonprofit “Valley Vision” has found that Black millennials suffered great financial losses during the pandemic. But they're now looking at investing to build that wealth back.Reporter: Sarah Mizes-Tan, CapRadio If you shopped for health insurance last year and decided you just couldn’t afford it, state officials are now saying: it’s time to check again. Money from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan is bringing the monthly cost of health plans to new lows -– as long as you buy through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, Covered California.Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

State lawmakers and county health officials are upset that the governor’s proposed budget does not include enough money to rebuild the state’s ailing public health system. The coalition says $200 million is needed to be ready for the next crisis.Reporter: April Dembosky, KQEDThe latest state budget proposal has highlighted the fact that California is flush with cash. But exactly how much? That depends on who you ask.Guest: Scott Shafer, KQED Politics EditorDespite many successes when it comes to vaccinating the public, in L.A. County, there are some concerns about outreach. Less than half of eligible people there are fully vaccinated.Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCCAs so many school districts around the state have at least begun the process of reopening, one in the southeast L.A. County suburb of Pico Rivera is not. The population in the El Rancho Unified School District is 97% Latino and families there have been hit especially hard by the pandemic. Guest: Melissa Gomez, Education Reporter, LA Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices