KQED's The California Report

Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris was sworn in as California's first Surgeon General back in 2019. She's been helping lead the response to the coronavirus pandemic and has been especially concerned about the toll it's taking on communities of color and children.Guest: Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris, California Surgeon GeneralThe vaccine code system that was designed to help people in hard-hit communities across California get access to vaccinations may need a makeover. The codes are being shared and people who don't qualify are taking up spaces reserved for those communities.A national environmental group is suing the Newsom Administration. The Center for Biological Diversity claims thousands of oil and gas drilling permits have been illegally approved.Reporter: Ted Goldberg, KQEDA new report has found that regulators overstated reductions in the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. A key problem is that emissions from the transportation sector have increased in recent years.Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQEDA report by the Energy Institute at Berkeley's Haas School of Business and the nonprofit Next 10 found rates are much higher for Californians. In fact, Pacific Gas & Electric customers pay 80% more than the national average.Reporter: Lily Jamali, The California ReportWith the death Monday of Lawrence Ferlinghetti at the age of 101, San Francisco has lost a figure synonymous with more than a half century of the city’s cultural history. His lasting legacy will go far beyond just the City Lights Book Store.Guest: Chloe Veltman, KQED Arts and Culture Reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Attorney General Xavier Becerrra begins the Congressional confirmation process to become the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services on Tuesday. He's expected to face lots of questions from Senate Republicans, who have pushed to block his confirmation.Guest: Ryan Levi, Journalist and Producer of the Tradeoffs podcastState lawmakers have passed a $7.6 billion COVID relief plan. Among the items in the package, direct payments to the state's lowest earners.Reporter: Katie Orr, KQEDThe "tougher" test was seen by some as an unnecessary barrier to becoming an American citizen. Now, the Biden administration is going back to the 2008 version that they argue was carefully developed.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Governor Newsom said the San Joaquin Valley will get a big boost to its COVID-19 vaccine allocation. It's in part due to the region’s farm workers, who are now eligible for the vaccine.Reporter: Kerry Klein, Valley Public RadioThe facility in Santa Barbara County was the site of the worst COVID outbreak in a federal prison last year. And while conditions have improved, officials and some former inmates are questioning the response to the pandemic.Reporter: Dena Montague Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Out of the more than seven million vaccine doses that have been administered thus far, more than 32 percent have gone to white Californians. Governor Newsom said the state is not doing enough to help the hardest-hit communities, when it comes to vaccinations.State legislators will begin a busy session in Sacramento on Monday. Among the agenda items -- a possible plan to reopen schools, that has already received pushback Governor Newsom.Reporter: Katie Orr, KQEDImproving coronavirus reached the threshold on Friday to allow for schools to reopen. In addition to public elementary schools, private ones like those within the San Bernardino Catholic Diocese can now reopen as well.Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KVCROne of the Trump administration’s most controversial changes to U.S. immigration policies was its so called “Remain in Mexico” program, but it's being rolled back by the Biden administration. A group of asylum-seekers was processed at the San Ysidro Port of Entry late last week.Reporter: Max Rivlin Nadler, KPBS  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The proposal would get California school kids back in classrooms by mid-April. But Governor Newsom said it doesn't go far enough or fast enough.Reporter: Vanessa Rancano, KQED The biography of the Marvel Comics icon sheds light not only on Stan Lee's immense success, but also his failures. While Lee had a lasting impact on the world of comics, his influence also extends to the global entertainment industry.Guest: Abraham Reisman, Author of "True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee"California Republicans will gather for a virtual convention this weekend. It comes following a strong election year and renewed enthusiasm surrounding the recall effort.Reporter: Katie Orr, KQEDU.S Senator Alex Padilla and other California members of Congress introduced the bill on Thursday. It's backed by President Biden and would offer a path to citizenship for more than 2 million immigrants in California. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQEDJournalist Brandon Rittiman with ABC10 in Sacramento reviewed an internal report from Pacific Gas and Electric's material lab. He said it shows the utility knew old parts like the one that caused the fire needed replacing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The $9.6 billion relief package includes nearly $3.7 billion for the state's lowest earners and another $2 billion for small business grants. Lawmakers are expected to vote on it next week.Reporter: Katie Orrr, KQEDThe Sacramento City Unified School District said almost a thousand of its students are connecting with school just two days a week or less. There's growing concern it will affect their ability to graduate.Reporter: Pauline Bartolone, CapRadio Earlier this month, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and his counterparts in dozens of other states announced a major opioid settlement against the influential consulting firm McKinsey. But lawyers for Native American tribes say they're not part of the agreement, even though the community has been among the hardest hit by opioids. Guest: Lloyd Miller, Attorney representing tribes in the litigationA new bill in the California legislature would give victims of online sex trafficking a new tool to fight back against their exploitation. They would be given the option of suing to force the explicit content to be removed.Reporter: Katie Orr, KQEDA new poll by U.C. Berkeley’s Institute on Governmental Studies shows that Californians' view of the pandemic will likely be swayed by their political party. There is still a wide spread from Democrats and Republicans when it comes to even contracting the virus.Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQEDWest Hollywood is the latest city in California that plans to shut down a busy thoroughfare during the pandemic. The hope is to increase foot traffic at local businesses.Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRWFacebook announced this week it will block people in Australia from reading or sharing news content on its platform.  It comes as the Australian parliament debates whether news outlets should be paid for work that's featured on websites.Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California voters will get a ballot in the mail for any election this year under a bill heading to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk.  Voters were mailed ballots last year over safety concerns due to the pandemic.Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Some contributors to Governor Gavin Newsom also happen to be corporations that have secured valuable no-bid contracts with the state. It's raising questions about possible favoritism for big donors.Guest: Scott Rodd, CapRadioAssemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez's legislation would protect workers in warehouses from unsafe quotas and productivity standards. Right now, workers for companies like Amazon can be fired for failing to collect, box, and ship enough orders fast enough.Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQEDTwo new mass vaccination sites opened Tuesday in California, with help from the federal government. The Biden administration's goal is to open 100 vaccinations sites in 100 days nationwide.Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQEDMillions of Texans remain without power as rolling blackouts continue amid a massive winter storm. California faced a similar situation last summer, during an extended heat wave.Guests: Former CPUC President Loretta Lynch, Reliability Expert Rick Humphries  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The tech industry is infamous for making prospective and departing employees sign agreements designed to prevent them from speaking out on just about everything. But social movements have exposed the way non-disclosure agreements have served as a cover for illegal behavior. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQEDFor the first time since the pandemic, the average cost of gas in the state is going up.  Demand is rising faster than production, as more people return to commuting and traveling long distances by car.Reporter: Emily Hung, KQEDIt's one of two sites that opened on Tuesday, with the other in Los Angeles. The goal is to eventually vaccinate 6,000 people a day at each location.Reporter: Julie Chang, KQEDCommunities of color have been hit especially hard during the pandemic. For queer Latinos, there's an extra cost - the loss of places to gather, like LGBTQ bars.Guest, Andrea Castillo, L.A. Times ReporterThe state is investing more than $200 million in the Salton Sea project that will create flooded ponds and other habitat on the exposed lakebed at the Southern edge of the lake.  The hope is to complete the project by 2023.  Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of 2020, the state’s unemployment agency froze almost a million and a half accounts in an attempt to prevent fraud. Now, many of those account holders could have their claims disqualified, even if there applications are legitimate.Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California ReportThe campaign to recall Governor Gavin Newsom has another month to collect the million and a half valid signatures needed to trigger an election. While big business has had gripes with the governor's handling of the pandemic, for the most part, they've steered clear of the recall effort.Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED Governor Newsom has yet to unveil the location of a new vaccination site in the Central Valley. But leaders in the region say there should also be added focus on rural areas, where access to vaccines is extremely limited.Reporter: Alex Hall, The California Report  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The City of Los Angeles has temporarily closed five of its COVID-19 vaccination super-centers, including the one at Dodger Stadium, because of a shortage of vaccine supplies. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti is urging state and federal officials to fix the problem.A professional vocalist is doing her part to help people during the pandemic. Nova Jimenez is serenading the elderly at a retirement home, just in time for Valentine's Day.Reporter: Chloe Veltman, KQEDGovernor Gavin Newsom is currently negotiating with legislators over a deal that could be reached as early as Friday. The $6.6 billion deal could send students back this year, starting with the youngest, perhaps up through elementary school.Reporter: Katie Orr, KQEDDozens of community and business leaders have sent a letter to Governor Newsom and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, demanding that school staff get COVID vaccines before they can reopen. But there could be a delay in getting the doses to teachers.Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRWAlthough he lost the election and is in the midst of a post-presidential impeachment trial, Donald Trump maintains his grip on the GOP. But a group of Republicans and former party officials are discussing the possibility of forming a new center-right party. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of the last businesses that are expected to open during the pandemic are performing arts venues. But many argue they're a lifeline of the community and driver of local economies, and can reopen safely with help.Guest: Rachel S. Moore, President and CEO, L.A. Music CenterA new poll shows that Senator Dianne Feinstein's approval rating has sunk to the lowest level of her career. Her approval rating among California voters has always been a net positive, but that's not the case anymore, according to the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies.Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQEDA state lawmaker is trying to reconcile the competing values of public and secular university hospitals and Catholic hospitals when the institutions collaborate on patient care. It could open the door to abortions at Catholic hospitals.Reporter: April Dembosky, KQEDJulie Su, who leads the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, has been nominated to serve as Deputy Secretary of Labor. But she may face tough questions about the struggles of the Employment Development Department.Reporter: Katie Orr, KQEDThere's some relief on the way for renters, as state officials figure out how to distribute billions of dollars in federal aid. But some tenant advocates say the most vulnerable could be left out altogether.Reporter, Molly Solomon, KQEDOn Thursday morning, the California Public Utilities Commission will take up an issue that’s critical for people living in wildfire-prone parts of the state. The agency could require backup for landline phones.Reporter: Lily Jamali, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices