KQED's The California Report

San Francisco teachers are in their third day of a high stakes labor fight with the district, leaving nearly 50,000 students out of school. And they're not alone. Across California, more local teachers unions are in active disputes right now, from bargaining breakdowns to strike authorizations and walkouts. Guest: Danielle Mahones, UC Berkeley Labor Center A new report commissioned by LA County lays out how ICE raids there have hurt some local businesses. Reporter: Libby Rainey, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As federal immigration enforcement efforts continue across California, families of detainees are struggling with a new problem. Many can't find loved ones who've been hospitalized after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Guest: Claudia Boyd-Barrett, KFF Health News A federal judge blocked a California state law barring federal officers from wearing masks on Monday. But the ruling also handed the state a partial victory. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was another historic halftime show at this year’s Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara as global superstar Bad Bunny took the stage.  Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report 2025 was a pivotal year for health insurance reform: more than two dozen states, including California, passed laws limiting insurers’ ability to delay or deny medical services after a doctor has ordered them. The practice is known as prior authorization. Criticism of it reached a fever pitch last year and California is leading the way with reform. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Super Bowl Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, Bad Bunny will make history, headlining the halftime show, and singing entirely in Spanish. It will also be the first time the show includes Puerto Rican sign language. Reporter: Nastia Voynovskaya, KQED People who say their rights are being trampled at a remote immigration detention facility in the Mojave Desert get their first day in court on Friday. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Kern County's District Attorney is suing an oil and gas producer for alleged environmental violations. This comes as the county’s oil production is ramping up under a new state law. Reporter: Cresencio Rodriguez Delgado, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Super Bowl 60 will air on NBC on Sunday. And if you can’t watch the game in person at Levi’s Stadium, you’ll likely be one of millions glued to a TV screen. The game is being played in Santa Clara, but you might not know it from some of the images the broadcast is likely to show. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report California’s new congressional map will stay in place after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the new districts Wednesday. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Over a year ago, California voters passed a measure, Proposition 36, to crack down on theft and drug crimes. But counties have been left to figure out how to fund it. Reporter: Riley Palmer, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discussion of Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl at a politically charged moment and why a solo Latino headliner matters for representation. Conversations about his outspoken stance on ICE, ties to Puerto Rico, and how immigrant communities in California are reacting. Report on a canceled Fresno naturalization ceremony causing confusion for applicants. Coverage of a new California Supreme Court ruling on loose marijuana in cars.

Every winter, skiers trek up to the Southern California mountain town of Big Bear to hit the slopes. But this winter, snow has been hard to come by. Rain and unusually warm temperatures have dominated and put a chill on ski resorts and businesses in the region. Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR Every time there’s a major disaster in California, the state is supposed to write a report on lessons learned. But they're years behind. Reporter: Jacob Margolis, LAist A bill to regulate unaccredited groups that help veterans access benefits is pending on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brandon Reynolds, KCRW reporter who covered rebuilding after the LA fires, explores architects reviving a 1940s Case Study approach. He highlights efforts to marry mid-century aesthetics with fire-resistant, predesigned homes. Listeners hear about faster permitting, lower costs, and what repeatable designs could mean for neighborhood recovery.

Buffy Wicks, California assemblymember and chair of the Select Committee on Housing and Construction Innovation, discusses ways to make building more affordable. She covers prefab and modular construction, limits of innovation like high interest and material costs, and a three-pronged strategy: streamline rules, cut costs, and fund shovel-ready low-income projects.

Magnus Lofstrom, policy director and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California who studies criminal justice and crime trends, breaks down California’s overall drop in crimes, especially homicides. He discusses data limits and possible drivers like pandemic-era effects, policing shifts, and technology. He also contrasts statewide declines with local variations that shape perceptions of safety.