KQED's The California Report

On Thursday, the City of Los Angeles ends renter protections that were implemented during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. That means tenants need to start paying back the back rent they owe to their landlords. Also, the city will start allowing rent increases in units covered through its rent stabilization program. That means some tenants who live in rent-stabilized apartments will have their rents raised for the first time in four years.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California ReportA new report says state corrections officials have used inappropriate tactics to reduce a backlog of staff misconduct cases. When a person held in a state prison files a complaint alleging staff misconduct, it’s supposed to go to the Department of corrections’ s Office of Internal Affairs or trained investigators. But a report by the state inspector general says prison officials dealt with a backlog by reclassifying hundreds of complaints as routine grievances.Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED A bill that would let state legislators shield their property holdings from disclosure forms is advancing in the Legislature this week.  Reporter: Alexei Koseff, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the past two years, undocumented students at the University of California have campaigned to be allowed to work on campus. They argued that they were missing out on opportunities to work with professors and in labs, which could further their academic careers. But last week, UC Regents voted to halt a plan that would have allowed the university to hire them.Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California ReportThe federal government is awarding California $600 million to fight homelessness. The funding represents a 14% increase over last year’s allocation to the state.Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED A 2023 law made it legal for DACA recipients to become police officers in California. But a new investigation from CalMatters shows, uptake has been slow across the state. Reporter: Justo Robles, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The San Francisco 49ers are NFC Champions and heading to the franchise’s 8th Super Bowl. They defeated the Detroit Lions 34-31, after trailing by double digits at halftime.Reporter: Christopher Alam, KQEDJournalism in Los Angeles and the entire state of California was hit with a major blow this past week. The L.A. Times laid off more than 100 journalists in its newsroom. The cuts come at a time when journalism will play a vital role in informing the public about the upcoming 2024 election.Guest: Margaret Sullivan, executive director of the Newmark Center for Journalism, Ethics and Society at Columbia UniversityMental health counselors gained some wins in the tentative agreement between the California Faculty Association and Cal State University management. CSU said they'll make an effort to boost the ratio of counselors to students.Reporter: Yusra Farzan, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We continue our series on social isolation and the search for community in California.  One place where it can be very difficult to find community is L.A.'s Skid Row neighborhood, where many people live on the streets in squalor, as they also battle mental health and addiction problems. But the Skid Row Running Club has been a place where people can find friendship while also getting healthier. Guest: Jeremy Price, Skid Row Running ClubUniversity of California Regents voted to suspend work on a proposal that would have allowed the university to hire students who don't qualify for federal work authorizations like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report According to the latest numbers, more than 350, 000 Californians now get their fire insurance through California’s FAIR Plan. The number of FAIR policyholders has nearly tripled over the last five years. So why the increase?Reporter: Levi Sumagaysay, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three years ago, the Creek Fire was finally contained.  It remains California’s fifth largest blaze, after destroying nearly 400,000 acres and hundreds of homes in the Sierra Nevada east of Fresno. The three years since have been a time of healing and recovery – especially for those involved in a high-stakes rescue the first weekend of the blaze.Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR California has been closing prisons to save money. But the state’s spending 90% more per year on each prisoner kept locked up than it was a decade ago. That’s according to a new analysis from CalMatters. Reporter: Nigel Duara, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A corner store in Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood, that’s a crossroads of community life, is being sold. But instead of letting it get snatched up by the highest bidder, the Korean American family that runs the market has worked out a deal with a Black-led nonprofit. The move serves as a small step toward healing historic racial tensions in LA.Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW A big blow to journalism in Los Angeles, as the LA Times has cut about 20% of its newsroom. The paper's Washington bureau and sports and photography departments saw big cuts. And several journalists of color were also impacted.Reporter: Yusra Farzan, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cal State faculty have called off a strike, after a tentative labor agreement was reached Monday night. Faculty had been scheduled to be off the job this entire week.The three Democrats vying to represent California in the U.S. Senate went after the only Republican on stage at Monday’s debate -- and clashed over the war between Israel and Hamas. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Many in Half Moon Bay are gathering Tuesday to commemorate the first anniversary of the mass shooting that killed seven farmworkers in the community south of San Francisco.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala RomeroA controversial school board president in the Riverside County community of Temecula will face a recall election this spring. A group opposed to his conservative agenda collected enough signatures to force a vote.Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The podcast discusses the easier process of obtaining concealed carry permits in California, including the required training. It also covers the faculty strike at California State University and the reasons behind the increasing interest in concealed carry permits. The ongoing court battle over carrying concealed weapons in California is explored, along with the societal impact and conflicting research. The podcast briefly mentions the commemoration of mass shootings in two communities.

As we age, our social networks tend to shrink, leaving us feeling disconnected from the world around us. And that can take a toll on someone’s mental health. But recent studies have shown this feeling of loneliness is also linked to an increased risk for heart disease, dementia and early death in older adults. That’s why a coalition here in California is working to change the way we address aging, by bridging the gap between health and social care.Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California ReportCalifornia lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban investor-owned utilities from passing lobbying costs on to customers. The bill follows a Sacramento Bee investigation that found SoCalGas spent millions lobbying against the state’s clean energy policies, and had ratepayers pick up the tab.Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office has pulled down a public service announcement from its website warning residents about the painkiller fentanyl. This comes after the California Newsroom inquired about the accuracy of the events depicted.Reporter: Brian Krans, The California NewsroomA new poll finds most California voters do not feel that U.S. borders are effective at keeping people from entering the country illegally. Registered Republicans overwhelmingly say the border’s not secure, unauthorized immigrants are a major burden and asylum laws are too lenient. But California Democrats are deeply divided on those questions.Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices