KQED's The California Report

Governor Newsom said the reopening will happen, as long as enough people are vaccinated and hospitalization rates remain low. 20 million vaccines have been administered in California so far.Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED As California continues pushing forward with reopening, thousands of people in the state continue to struggle with COVID-19 symptoms, months after their initial diagnosis. San Francisco resident San Francisco resident Charlie McCone is one of the long haulers who has struggled with symptoms for more than a year.Guest: Charlie McCone, San Francisco Resident and COVID-19 long haulerPacific Gas and Electric is facing mutiple felony and misdemeanors in connection with the its role in starting the 2019 Kincade Fire. The fire in Wine Country destroyed hundreds of buildings and burned nearly 78,000 acres. Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQEDWedgewood drew national scrutiny last year after a group of Black homeless mothers occupied a vacant home the company owned in West Oakland. A KQED investigation has found that despite a new law aimed at keeping corporations from snapping up homes, Wedgewood has purchased at least 276 properties across the state during the pandemic.Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The plan would turn the Long Beach Convention Center into a temporary shelter for unaccompanied migrant children. If approved, the city would be able to house up to a thousand children at a time.For the first time since becoming vice president, Kamala Harris returned to her hometown of Oakland Monday. The visit focused on jobs and infrastructure.Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQEDThe Major League Baseball season is underway and minor league teams are preparing for their season. But there will be big changes, including for teams here in California, in large part due to the pandemic.Guest: Benjamin Hill, Writer who covers the business of minor league baseballMerced County has been hit especially hard during the pandemic. While efforts continue to try to get vaccine doses to the hardest hit communities, there is still some vaccine hesitancy, and a shortage of doses.Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

L.A. County is the latest to move into the state's less restrictive orange tier for reopening. Meanwhile, concerts, theater performances and other indoor gatherings will be allowed with restrictions beginning April 15.Reporter: Michelle Wiley, KQEDAcross the country, members of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities continue to speak out against a spike in violence targeting them. Guests: Myrla Baldonado, organizer at L.A.'s Filipino Workers Center, Hypein Im, President and CEO of Faith and Community EmpowermentCalifornia is home to an estimated 900,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. Many are now waiting for the Senate to pass legislation that would offer them a path to citizenship.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED At the start of the pandemic, Congress passed an emergency expansion of food stamps, but it was blocked by the Trump administration. Participants in California sued and now, the Biden administration said it will settle the suit, and send out extra benefits. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Police have identified the suspect as Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez and said he had a business or personal relationship with the four victims. Officers recovered a backpack at the scene containing pepper spray, handcuffs and ammunition that they believe belong to the suspect.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California ReportCalifornia's Employment Development Department has been besieged with numerous problems as it tries to deal with a huge backlog of unemployment claims during the pandemic. But there are new concerns about the debt that's piling up and who will be on the hook to pay for these claims.Guest: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report with Lauren Hepler, Reporter, CalMattersThe federal government was going to stop operating the Oakland Coliseum vaccination site later this month. But the state is working with Alameda County officials to keep it going past April 11.Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQEDHospitals up and down the state have been overwhelmed at times during the pandemic. KQED Health Reporters April Dembosky and Lesley McClurg got a firsthand look inside a Sacramento hospital.Guests: April Dembosky and Lesley McClurg, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The shooting took place in the city of Orange on Wednesday afternoon. Another victim has been hospitalized and the suspect was also wounded, though it's unclear if it was self-inflicted or if he was shot by police.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California ReportFirst Lady Dr. Jill Biden used the occasion of Cesar Chavez Day to show support for farmworkers. She visited the original headquarters of the United Farm Workers union, known as The 40 Acres.Reporter: Alex Hall, The California ReportSix years ago, author Brad Balukjian spoke with The California Report from Kansas City. At the time he was on a road trip sparked by an idea to track down all the players in a single pack of 1986 Topps baseball cards. The result is a book called "The Wax Pack."Guest: Brad Balukjian, Author, "The Wax Pack"Californians who are 50 and older can now get a COVID-19 vaccine But news of manufacturing problems with one of the vaccines could prove to be problematic, as more people try to sign up for appointments.Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCCArguments were heard Wednesday in the U.S. Supreme Court over student-athlete compensation involving the NCAA. It's still unclear which way the justices will lean once they come to a decision, but it will have widespread ramifications for amateur athletics.Guest: Alicia Jessop, Associate Professor at Pepperdine University, Sport Law Expert Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The campaign to recall Governor Gavin Newsom is facing early opposition from a majority of California voters, according to a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California. About four out of five Republicans polled said they support the effort. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQEDMore than 700 migrant children are now being housed temporarily at the San Diego Convention Center, including 70 who have tested positive for COVID-19. Those children are being quarantined in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.Reporter: Joe Hong, KPBSMunipal fees in the city and county of Sacramento have been found to more heavily impact low income communities and people of color. It's also had an impact on residents who are just getting out of jail and often face huge bills when they return home.Reporter: Sarah Mizes-Tan, CapRadioMore businesses are being allowed to open Wednesday in Alameda and Santa Cruz counties. The transmission of COVID-19 is low enough to propel both regions into the orange tier of the state’s reopening blueprint. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED The pandemic has made it hard for some Californians to pay their utility bills. There's debate over how to cover the shortfall by customers who’ve racked up utility debt.Guest: Melissa Kasnitz, Legal Director, The Center for Accessible Technology Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The massive failure of California’s Employment Development Department when it comes to unemployment claims during the pandemic are in large part due to outdated technology. Officials are looking to make it easier to update those systems.Reporter: Katie Orr, KQEDDemocrats in California’s Congressional delegation are calling on the Biden Administration to expand federal firefighting capacity. They argue that in large part due to climate change, fires in the state are a year-round problem.Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQEDUnder new guidelines, people can bring adult family members to get vaccinated if one person has an appointment. But L.A. County officials worry the process could create logjams at vaccination sites.Reporter: Jackie Fortiér, KPCC The Placer County Sheriff’s Office is under scrutiny for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. This comes after statements made by the sheriff following the death of a man back in January, shortly after he was vaccinated.Guest: Ryan Sabalow, Reporter, Sacramento Bee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Public school students won't be returning to the classroom at L.A. Unified schools until later next month. But the district has been helping those who have fallen behind academically, through mobile science labs in city parks.Reporter: Deepa Fernandes, Reporting Fellow Pacific Oaks College, funded in part by First 5 LA A street medicine team in Kern County is taking mobile vaccine clinics to remote homeless encampments. The hope is to get as many people experiencing homelessness doses of the vaccine.Reporter: Madi Bolanos, Valley Public RadioMonday marked the first day of in-person instruction for kids in preschool through second grade in Berkeley Unified School District. Students will be attending classes five days a week, but families also have the option of continuing remote learning.Guest: Brent Stephens, Berkeley Unified School District SuperintendentAn outbreak of the stomach bacteria H. pylori at an immigrant detention center in San Bernardino County has sparked concerns about the health and safety of detainees held there. It's prompted advocacy groups to call for the Adelanto Detention Center to be shut down.Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting next week, California will vastly expand eligibility for the coronavirus vaccine. Everyone over 50 will be eligible starting April 1, and Californians over 16 will be able to get a shot starting on April 15. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCCThe University of California San Francisco and the San Francisco Opera have teamed up to develop a new type of mask to keep performers safe as they return to the stage.Reporter: Chloe Veltman, KQEDDefendants in California can no longer be held in jail simply because they can’t afford to post bail. This comes following a ruling by the State Supreme Court on Thursday. Reporter: Alex Emslie, KQEDAt a House hearing Thursday, the chief executives of Facebook, Twitter and Google defended their mixed efforts to protect users from toxic content. The focus was on misinformation -- during the pandemic, 2020 election and insurrection at the Capitol.Reporter: Rachel Myrow, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom has tapped Rob Bonta to serve as California's next attorney general. He's expected to be confirmed by the state legislature and would replace Xavier Becerra, who will be serving in the Biden administration.Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. If passed by the Senate, the bill could give legal status to roughly half a million farmworkers in California. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED For decades, single-family home neighborhoods have been synonymous with the American Dream. Now, a handful of California cities are taking on the sanctity of the suburban-style single family home neighborhood and encouraging smaller, multi-family residences.Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices