KQED's The California Report

Newsom: Some Retailers Can Re-Open Nearly two months after many California businesses shut their doors to slow the spread of the coronavirus, some retailers and manufacturers are re-opening… just a little bit... starting today. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Mom-and-Pop Shops Prepare to Re-Open at LA's Flower Mart Small shops prepare for a partial reopening and hope they can make enough sales to stay open. Guest: Marta Hernandez, flower shop owner Why Some People Can't Get Unemployment Benefits Millions of newly jobless people have filed for unemployment benefits since March. In California, many who’ve applied aren't getting their payments, for several reasons. One of them is something known as "false claim penalty cases." These are people who either tried to defraud the state when they filed for unemployment in the past, or just made honest mistakes when filling out complicated paperwork. Guest: Kaila Hoppe, unemployed television costumer Working Actors Find Residuals Reduce Their Unemployment Turns out, there are a lot of ways to lose your unemployment check, or at least part of it. Consider the plight of working actors. Work they did years ago, can count against their current unemployment benefits, just when they need them most. Reporter: David Wagner, KPCC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Revenues Down, California's Budget Outlook is Bleak Less than an hour ago, the state of California released a snapshot of what the coronavirus pandemic has done to the state’s finances. And the numbers are bad. Surging unemployment and business closures mean the state is projecting a drop of more than 25 percent in both personal income tax and sales tax revenues, and a more than 20 percent decline in corporate taxes. Mix this all together we’re looking at a $41 billion dollar drop in state revenue compared to projections in January. This comes as the state spends more on health care to deal with the pandemic. Guest: H.D. Palmer, California Department of Finance First ICE Detainee Dies of COVID-19 at Otay Mesa A sixth prisoner at the Terminal Island federal detention center in San Pedro has died from COVID-19. And more than half of the facility’s thousand inmates have tested positive for coronavirus, as well as fourteen staffers. This makes Terminal Island, which is in between the Ports of L.A and Long Beach, one of the most significant concentrations of coronavirus cases in the state. Meanwhile, a detainee in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody has died of COVID-19. He was being held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego County. This marks the first coronavirus death in ICE custody nationwide. Reporter: Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS Beef Shortage in California? Not Likely There’s been much talk recently about whether America’s supply of beef and poultry is threatened, as workers in meat processing plants test positive for the coronavirus, forcing those facilities to temporarily close. Meat suppliers in California say there will be changes, but no shortages. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Librarians Make Good Contact Tracers UC-San Francisco is launching a statewide effort to train 20,000 new contact tracers. These are the disease detectives who connect the dots between people who have COVID-19 and the people they’ve come into contact with... and may have infected. Individuals who might have a particular knack for the job are librarians. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED Details Emerge on California's Contract to Buy Masks from Chinese Company State officials are releasing details of a huge and secretive contract for California to purchase protective gear from China. This follows reporting from the L.A. Times. The document trail reveals the Newsom administration scrambling to acquire hospital masks in the absence of federal leadership. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Politics Editor New Website Features Map of Coronavirus Testing Sites Many people want to get tested to see if they’re infected with coronavirus. But where? Governor Newson has announced a new interactive map Californians can use to find COVID-19 testing locations nearby. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Politics Silicon Valley Is Still Hiring, For Now... A lot of California industries are laying off employees. But companies in Silicon Valley are actually hiring people—a lot of people. It’s a good time to be in the market for a mid-level white collar job in web development and tech support. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, Silicon Valley Desk Editor, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California, City Attorneys Sue Uber and Lyft Over Worker Misclassification The state of California and some cities are suing Uber and Lyft for misclassifying their drivers as contractors and denying them access to employee benefits like unemployment insurance, which is especially needed during the pandemic. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED Advocates Call For Prisoner Release As Inmate Cases Grow More than 200 prisoners at California Institution for Men in San Bernardino County have tested positive for COVID-19 along with 44 staff members. One inmate has died, while four have been released. Prison officials say another 287 inmates have tests pending. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Children With Undocumented Parents Are Being Denied Federal Aid A federal law providing coronavirus emergency aid discriminates against millions of U.S. citizen kids by denying them payments because their parents are undocumented. That’s according to a class-action lawsuit on behalf of these children -- including roughly 1 million in California. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Rural Counties Defy Governor's Stay-At-Home Orders Governor Gavin Newsom announced today that he’s given permission for more beaches in Orange County to reopen after reaching agreement with local officials. But the governor is unhappy with other counties that are defying state health orders. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Debt Collectors To Cash In On Coronavirus A new study from the Pew Research Center predicts that debt collections will grow dramatically in the pandemic’s aftermath, and debt collectors are likely to sue to get other assets. Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Newsom Says Business Can Reopen, A Little Bit Governor Gavin Newsom announcing that the Golden State can start to reopen, at least a little bit, beginning as soon as Friday. State Finances Take Hit from Coronavirus This crisis has taken a huge bite out of state tax revenue... just as the demand for California’s social safety programs is skyrocketing. All those people in need put extra pressure on state finances. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Politics Immigrant Activists Want Stimulus Checks for Undocumented An L.A.-based immigrant advocacy group is pushing for all immigrants to be included in economic and health recovery efforts from the pandemic. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Working Hollywood Copes with Coronavirus Shutdown Like with other industries, the coronavirus pandemic has shut down Hollywood. And that's been disastrous for all the companies that supply goods and services to film and television productions. Guest: Mikel Elliot, CEO of Quixote Studios Mariposa County's Successful Contract Tracing Effort Mariposa County, which includes Yosemite National Park, confirmed its first coronavirus case last week. Within a few days that jumped to thirteen cases. County officials say they’re containing the spread. Reporter: Laura Tsutsui, Valley Public Radio In-Home Healthcare Workers Lack PPE In-home supportive services workers help older, disabled people in their homes—so they don’t have to seek care elsewhere. Many of these minimum wage workers say the state hasn’t provided them with enough personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, shipments of N-95 masks and gloves have finally arrived, but there’s a catch. Only those who have been exposed to COVID-19 have access. Reporter: Julie Chang, KQED Consumer Privacy Advocates Want Stricter Rules The California Consumer Privacy Act created new rights around how businesses collect and share our personal information. Now the group Californians for Consumer Privacy has announced it’s submitting voter signatures to qualify a new measure for the November ballot. It would create even stricter rules to protect users’ privacy. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

State Assembly Heads Back to Work After Emergency Recess State legislators are returning to Sacramento today after leaving for an emergency recess in March because of the coronavirus crisis. Guest: Anthony Rendon, California Assembly Speaker State's First Election During Pandemic Heats Up North of LA The first election during California's COVID-19 crisis is next Tuesday. Voters north of Los Angeles in the Simi, Santa Clarita, and Antelope Valleys are casting ballots in a special election. They’ll decide who fills a Congressional seat left vacant by the resignation of freshmen Democrat Katie Hill last October. The pandemic has re-framed the candidates' messages—and reshaped how the election will take place. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Politics Drive-By Protests and Outreach to Help Day Laborers Even under stay at home orders, most counties have allowed construction projects to continue, including home remodeling and landscaping. So day laborers have kept looking for the little work that remains. In Los Angeles, activists are reaching out to workers to tell them about programs that can help. Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW FaceBook Page Provides for Needs of Prisoners During Pandemic Jails and prisons are hot spots when it comes to the spread of COVID-19. They’re also places where personal hygiene products to keep clean are in short supply. There’s a new online effort to help, one prisoner at a time. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Economy Stalls, California Renters Organize for Relief It’s the first of the month. Which means rent is due. But with the COVID-19 pandemic gutting parts of the economy, a lot of California renters can’t pay it. KQED’s Molly Solomon reports advocates have organized a “rent strike” in hopes of winning support for rent relief on a massive scale. Reporter: Molly Solomon, KQED Surf's Up, But Some SoCal Beaches are Closed With clear skies and some pretty good surf forecasted this weekend, health officials are once again warning people *not* to gather at local beaches. The coast along Orange County will be CLOSED altogether—per Governor Gavin Newsom’s orders—and the beaches in LA County remain shut down as well. Neighboring regions are taking a softer approach. Reporter: Kathryn Barnes, KCRW Sacramento Adjusts to New Reality of Pandemic Before this pandemic, the politicians we send to Sacramento were expected to tackle issues like homelessness, housing and PG&E’s bankruptcy. But the coronavirus has forced new priorities in the state capitol. Lobbyists are adjusting to the new reality. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Politics Remote Modoc County Reopens for Business Today, one of the state’s least populated counties, in the far northeast corner of the state, starts a “staged reopening” of its non-essential businesses. Isolated Together: CapRadio Documents Sheltering-in-Place Sheltering-in-place has been... real. Our partners at CapRadio are documenting it with help from listeners, in a new project they’ve launched called Isolated Together. Guest: Scott Rodd, Reporter, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PG&E 'Cheated on Maintenance,' Judge Writes — Then Orders New Probation Conditions We’ll start a San Francisco federal judge’s order to require Pacific Gas and Electric to take a series of steps to improve its safety practices and head off future disasters. Reporter: Raquel Maria Dillon, KQED Fire Victims Vote on PG&E Settlement, But What’s The Plan? As tens of thousands of PG&E fire victims vote on their settlement with the utility, recent court filings make it clear that key details of that plan are still being negotiated, including the timing and amount of compensation. Meanwhile, some fire survivors who are navigating this complex process without legal help say they have yet to receive ballots. Voting ends May 15. One-on-One with Erin Brockovich Activist Erin Brockovich gained fame fighting PG&E. These days, she’s a consultant for attorneys who helped negotiate PG&E’s compensation settlement with fire survivors. She fielded questions that survivors shared with The California Report about her current role. Guest: Erin Brockovich, Activist Retiring CalFire Spokesman Worried about Firefighters and Their Families Hot weather last weekend was a reminder that fire season isn’t just around the corner—it’s already here. Captain Scott McLean, whose voice you might recognize as the department's spokesman, is retiring this week and discussed the challenges CalFire faces in the near future. Guest: Capt. Scott McLean, CalFire Why It's Hard to File for Unemployment Right Now Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, it’s been clear from your emails and tweets to us that for so many of you, the process of filing for unemployment benefits has been confusing and sometimes infuriating. We went looking for answers and an explanation of the technical issues that people are coming up against when they try to file their claims. Guest: Jenna Gerry, senior attorney with Legal Aid At Work How Hospitals Prepared for the COVID-19 Surge Governor Gavin Newsom says it’s not safe to loosen shelter-at-home orders unless hospitals can handle a potential surge in COVID19 cases. Even though California seems to have flattened the curve so far, a future spike is possible, especially when current restrictions soften. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED Science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's Finances Will Take A major Hit From Coronavirus It’s too early to tell just how hard the COVID-19 pandemic will hit California’s finances. The state official in charge of signing the checks issued by California is keeping a close eye on the revenues coming into the state’s coffers. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Governor Newsom May Open Schools This Summer Concerned about California students’ falling behind academically, Governor Gavin Newsom says some schools could open in late July or early August. But they will need to adopt social distancing protocol. Reporter: Julia McEvoy Fresno City Officials Call For And End To Shelter-In-Place Even as the San Francisco Bay Area hunkers down for another month of sheltering in place, some Central Valley elected officials are saying it’s time non essential businesses there are allowed to reopen. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED New Study Finds Harmful Indoor Pollution From Gas Appliances UCLA is out with a new study about the emissions gas appliances release in our homes. This is at a time when many of us are spending more time at home than maybe ever. The study finds that gas appliances cause harmful indoor air pollution. Guest: Rachel Golden, Sierra Club Fewer Traffic Collisions Mean Longer Waits For Organ Donations As we shelter in place, an unintended consequence of the coronavirus pandemic has come to light. The number of traffic collisions and fatalities has gone down. Aas a result, people waiting for kidney, liver, and heart transplants are having to wait longer. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED Students Teach Online Music Lessons And Support Coronavirus Relief It’s tough being cooped up at home right now, especially if you’re a teenager. But some California high school student and undergraduates are using their weeks in quarantine to teach music to kids, and donating the proceeds to support coronavirus relief efforts. Reporter: Chloe Veltman, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emergency Room Doctors Have Coronavirus Homework Turns out it’s not just the risk of infection and the long hours that makes being an hospital Emergency Room staffer draining right now. Treating COVID-19 comes with homework. Once doctors finish their shifts, they still have to try and catch up on the latest coronavirus research. Following the latest medical literature about coronavirus is exhausting and, sometimes, discouraging. Guest: Clay Josephy, emergency medicine doctor in South Lake Tahoe NASA Scientists Build a Better Ventilator Months into this pandemic, there remains a national shortage of ventilators. Well, a team of engineers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena is figuring out how to build more -- and fast. Reporter: Jerome Campbell, KCRW Student Volunteers Help at Monterey's Public Health Lab Monterey County’s Public Health Laboratory has increased its COVID-19 testing capacity seven-fold over the last 5 weeks thanks to one graduate student who offered to help, after hearing a story on local public radio. Reporter: Michelle Loxton, KAZU The Battle of the Beaches in the War on Coronavirus Governor Gavin Newsom says those weekend crowds at some Southern California beaches don’t help contain the coronavirus. It's shaping up to be the Battle of the Beaches, one of many in the War on Coronavirus. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Politics The Case for Expanding Medi-Cal to Protect Undocumented Seniors from Coronavirus At the start of this year, before most of us had ever heard of COVID-19, Gov. Newsom proposed expanding the state’s health insurance, Medi-Cal, to low-income undocumented seniors. This pandemic may derail those plans, just when they need it most. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Feds' Help for Small Businesses: Did California Get a Fair Share? We’ve been hearing growing calls from elected officials for a phased, responsible re-opening of California, just parts of it, for now. They’re coming from the conservative northern parts of the state, and in San Luis Obispo County along the Central Coast. These politicians are asking Governor Gavin Newsom to sign off on a gradual reopening. Guest: Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham, San Luis Obispo Yurok Tribe Avoids Outbreak So Far In some places across the country, Native Americans have been hit incredibly hard by the coronavirus. But California tribes seem to have averted that catastrophe so far. We checked in on how the Yurok in Northern California are working to keep their community safe. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED The Feds' Help for Small Businesses: Did California Get a Fair Share? California got the more PPP dollars than any other state in Round 1 of the program. But when ranked by the proportion of small businesses who got help, California ranks dead last. Guest: Aaron Glantz, Reporter at Reveal Ice Cream Isn't Recession-Proof To understand what this new round of funding mean for small business owners, we talk to an ice cream maker in Truckee near Lake Tahoe who is still waiting for a loan. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices