KQED's The California Report

State Officials Announce New Approach to Getting Vaccines to People 65 or OlderThe idea is to ramp up vaccine distribution to those at greatest risk of becoming hospitalized.This comes after deaths in the state continue to climb, with nearly 600 deaths on Tuesday, according to state data. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Members of California's GOP Congressional Delegation Speak Out Against ImpeachmentOut of California’s 10 Republican members of congress, only the Central Valley’s David Valadao voted for impeachment.Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Trump Ally Kevin McCarthy Stays Loyal to TrumpWhen House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) spoke on the House floor yesterday, he said President Trump was partly to blame for inciting the insurrection. But, he added that impeaching the president would only divide the country further. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED With Accounts Frozen, 1.4 Million Californians Wait for Unemployment BenefitsThe Employment Development Department locked the accounts in another attempt to fight potential fraud. Applicants got notices saying their claims had been frozen for suspected fraud, and that staff would send instructions on how to unfreeze accounts starting January 6th. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California ReportLos Angeles Leaders Look to Toughen COVID-19 Mask MandateThe Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to have an ordinance drawn up that would add penalties for people who don’t cover their faces as infections reach new highs across Southern California. Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRW Legislators Consider Whether to Continue Mailing Every Voter BallotsIn an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus at the polls, every registered voter in California was mailed a ballot last year. State Senator Tom Umberg of Orange County is introducing a bill to continue universal vote-by-mail for any election this year. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Coalition of Public Defenders Urges Biden Administration to Reform Immigration SystemPublic defenders are demanding a halt in deportations for a year while repairing the damage they say was done by Trump anti-immigrant policies. The nearly 40 public defense offices also want President-Elect Joe Biden to slash the immigration detention budget and reinvest that money instead in offering lawyers to those who can’t afford one while fighting deportation. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Lawmakers Consider Domestic Terrorism UnitsState Senator Tom Umberg is proposing a unit to investigate and thwart acts of domestic terrorism and criminal activities by white nationalists, anti-government militia and groups like the Proud Boys. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED The FBI warned this week of the potential for armed protests at all 50 state Capitols. In California, local law enforcement say they are on alert to protect city and county buildings as well. Marisa Lagos, KQED Legal aid groups in California sued to block the fee hikes, and a federal court is hearing the case Thursday. Plaintiffs say low-income immigrants facing deportation will be priced out of a fair day in court. Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

L.A. Moves from Pushing COVID-19 Testing to VaccinationCOVID-19 testing at Dodger Stadium ended Monday as L.A. transitions to more of an emphasis on the distribution of coronavirus vaccines. A vaccination center will soon be set up at the stadium parking lot, where officials hope 12,000 people a day will be able to get a shot when the facility is fully operational. Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California ReportSan Luis Obispo Prison Suffers Largest COVID-19 Outbreak YetState data show about a third of the population incarcerated at the California Men’s Colony has tested positive for COVID-19 over the past two weeks.. Reporter: Alex Hall, The California ReportNew Biography "Kamala's Way" Looks at Kamala Harris's Path to PowerKamala Harris will soon make history as the first woman to become vice president. Journalist Dan Morain has a biography out called" Kamala's Way". Guest: Dan Morain, Sacramento Press Club president and author of "Kamala's Way" California Lawmaker Moves to Repeal Law Requiring Public School Teachers on Extended Sick Leave to Pay for Substitutes The policy was put into the California Education Code by the Legislature and the governor back in the 1970s. The Protect School Employees and Medical Leave Act would make sure school employees could continue receiving their full pay while on extended sick leave. Reporter: Julia McEvoy, KQED Facebook Attempts to Manage Fallout from Suspending TrumpMenlo Park-based Facebook is warning employees not to wear company swag after its crackdown on content falsely claiming that Trump actually won the election. Now the company has a warning for employees. Alex Heath, The Information  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most Commonly Used COVID-19 Test in Los Angeles Prone to Inaccuracy, FDA SaysThe test is made by the company Curative, which was hired to provide tens of thousands of tests at city and county sites throughout Los Angeles. The Food and Drug Administration says the test poses a “risk of false results, particularly false negative results." Jackie Fortier, KPCCPeople who test positive for COVID-19 typically have symptoms like coughing or headaches that can last for a few days or a few weeks. But for a small number of people, the symptoms linger for months, and can cause debilitating illness even after they test negative.Sammy Caiola, CapRadioIt’s notoriously difficult to get housing built in California, and that’s why lawmakers have passed a number of bills in recent years to override local opposition and clear the way for new projects.Now Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing to direct millions of dollars to ensure those laws are actually working so the state can chip away at its chronic housing shortage.Erin Baldassari, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Educators Help Students Make Sense of U.S Capitol InsurrectionTeachers Help Students Process Violence at U.S CapitolThe storming of the U.S Capital by pro-Trump mob was an awful episode in American history. It also provides a teaching moment for California educators, who are leading difficult discussions about what happened, and why. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED Some Supporters Defend Trump after Capitol Hill InsurrectionCalifornia is a progressive-leaning Blue state, but it also has big patches of red. Some Republicans in the Central Valley say the insurrection on Capitol Hill does not represent Trump supporters. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQEDDoctors and Nurses Exhausted and Angry as Some Patients Ignore COVID-19 WarningsIn California, the virus is claiming about 360 lives a day and infecting thousands more. In overburdened hospitals, doctors and nurses are frustrated by people who are blasé about COVID's dangers or pandemic deniers.Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQEDCalifornia Orders Hospitals in Certain Regions to Postpone Non-Essential SurgeriesThe state issued a new health order to try to ease the strain on over burdened hospitals. Hospitals that have room also must accept patients from other facilities that have maxed out their intensive care beds. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC How College Students Are Processing the Insurrection and Violence in D.CCal State Los Angeles senior, Marisa Martinez got reactions from two of her fellow students after the insurrection at the Capitol. Reporter: Marisa Martinez  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Donald Trump’s words rallied them to action, rioters bent on overturning results of the lawful election stormed the U.S. Capitol building as congress tallied the electoral college vote. Lawmakers were forced to flee the chambers, and hunker down in offices. Some were evacuated to undisclosed safe locations. In response to yesterdays attack on the U.S. Capitol, elected officials were removed to secure locations and told to shelter in place. One California lawmaker said the experience of hiding in her office as rioters roamed the halls, reminded her of school shootings. Guest: Los Angeles Congresswoman, Nanette Diaz BarraganGovernor Gavin Newsom condemned the rioters in Washington D.C. and San Francisco Mayor London Breed tweeted that it was quote “an attempted coup encouraged by the president of the United States.” As chaos enveloped the U.S. Capitol. there were also protests in California.Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadioYesterday’s insurrection has many Americans asking themselves how the country reached this point. One of them is a political scholar and author of the book “Black Nationalism in the United States: From Malcolm X to Barack Obama.” Guest: James Taylor, Professor, African American Studies, University of San FranciscoMembers of California law enforcement and civil rights leaders expressed dismay and outrage at the tepid response to the insurrectionists who stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to overturn the election. They say the response would have been very different if the crowd was made up of people of color. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The state’s pandemic numbers continue to worsen, with mushrooming infection rates and more than 27,000 COVID fatalities. California is averaging more than 35,000 cases per day, according to the state.Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQEDFrontline health care workers are supposed to be some of the first people to get the coronavirus vaccines. But many of those workers are hesitant to get the shots. In response, the Los Angeles Fire Department has turned to prizes to encourage its personnel to get vaccinated.Reporter: Angel Carreras, KCRW many California grocery workers could soon get a temporary pay raise under proposals cities and counties are considering. That includes parts of Los Angeles, where COVID cases are higher than ever.Reporter: David Wagner, KPCCCash bail has long been controversial because of equity and class. If you have access to funds, you can get out of jail. If you don’t, you stay behind bars. Yesterday, California Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a landmark cash bail case that tackles that issue. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQEDMore than 200 workers at Alphabet, the parent company of Google, have announced they are forming a union with the Communications Workers of America. In the past, service workers at companies like Apple and Facebook have joined traditional unions. But the Alphabet union is the first of its kind in Silicon Valley.Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Californians who are unhappy with the way Governor Gavin Newsom has handled the coronavirus pandemic are gathering signatures in an attempt to qualify a recall measure in a special election. 1.5 million verified signatures need to be collected by March 17th.Guest: Randy Economy, Gavin Newsom Recall CampaignCalifornia's former top elections watchdog is calling for the state to investigate the largest donor to the campaign to recall Governor Newsom. An Orange County Company is suspected of failing to follow rules regarding campaign contributions.Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQEDThe California corrections department has reported 19 COVID-related deaths of incarcerated people this week, more than any other week since the pandemic began. 45 people have died over the course of the month. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQEDIn many parts of California that were ravaged by wildfire last year, the rainy season brings a new risk: debris flows. Officials on the Monterey Peninsula are urging the public to follow debris flow evacuation orders, just as they would for a wildfire.Reporter: Michelle Loxton, KAZUCalifornia regulators have failed to meet a deadline to create new safety and health rules for oil drilling in the state. At Issue are setback rules for drilling near homes, schools, and playgrounds.  Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1,200 Medical Workers Deployed to Respond to PandemicThe extra staff includes more than 800 contract workers, but those workers are from the same pool that a lot of hospitals around the state already pull from to get extra help. Reporter: Marco Siler-Gonzales, KQED Last week, stay at home orders were extended for another 3 weeks for the Greater Sacramento region, due to low ICU capacity and rising coronavirus numbers. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED Companies are now requirement to notify employees within 24 hours if there's been a COVID-19 exposure in the workplace. In labor news, the minimum wage is now $14 dollars an hour for larger companies. Guy Marzorati, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bark Beetles Pose New Threat to Giant SequoiasGiant Sequoias are found along a 260 mile range on the slopes of the Sierras. Many of the trees are ancient, and face threats like climate change, droughts and wildfires. Bark beetles are now posing yet another challenge.Reporter:Ezra David Romero, CapRadioTest Can Now Detect Deadly Mushroom Poison in MinutesA team at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Northern California has developed a simple, portable test that can rapidly detect a deadly mushroom poison. The test is now available for sale online just in time for mushroom season.Chloe Veltman, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices