KQED's The California Report

As of this summer, most incarcerated people across the country can apply for a Pell Grant to pay for a higher education. Criminal justice advocates say this is a key step in keeping people from returning to prison. But in California, the demand is already exceeding the supply.Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California ReportSouthern California communities are paying the cost of a rise in online shopping. More online stores, means more warehouses to store their products. And that's adding to the pollution and economic inequality in these areas. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tijuana has long been a refuge for priced-out Californians looking for affordable housing. But now, rents in Tijuana are rising twice as fast as in San Diego.Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS A federal judge in San Francisco is ordering two former Trump administration officials to testify in a lawsuit, brought by migrant parents and children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018.Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fentanyl-related deaths are up in California. By a lot. And it's no different in Sacramento County, which jumped from 17 fentanyl related deaths in 2018, to 227 last year. One neighborhood nonprofit is trying to save lives, by getting drug users to recognize what might be causing their use in the first place.Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio  The iconic Bob's Big Boy diner in Burbank has become the unofficial clubhouse for striking writers. And they're appreciative of the generosity of a Hollywood star, who's helping take care of the bill.Reporter: Yusra Farzan, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After nearly 150 days on strike, a tentative deal has been reached between Hollywood writers and studios. The proposed three year deal would boost pay rates and residuals from streaming shows, and also introduce new rules on the use of artificial intelligence.Shasta County is dealing with major staffing shortages across county departments. Those shortages have forced an entire floor of the county jail to remain closed for over a year.Reporter: Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's Governor is taking emergency action to stabilize the troubled homeowners insurance market. Over 300,000 Californians have lost health insurance since eligibility checks resumed. A prestigious national laboratory is partnering with CSU Bakersfield for green energy research. Non-verbal autistic teenager, Jacob Rock, found his voice through typing on an iPad. USC Orchestra premieres symphony 'Unforgettable Sunrise' in Los Angeles.

Nursing homes typically help people recover after surgeries or provide round-the-clock care for people with physical disabilities. But a new LAist investigation finds that thousands of people with serious mental illness are living in California’s nursing homes. Experts call it “warehousing” and say the practice may violate federal law. Reporter: Elly Yu, LAistFarmworker advocates pushing for safer working conditions during wildfires are blasting a decision by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors that could allow crops to be harvested in evacuation zones.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQEDIndigenous tribes are pushing back against a new plan to create a federal marine sanctuary off the Central Coast. Several years ago, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council proposed a sanctuary that would include Morro Bay. But the new federal proposal leaves it out.Reporter: Amanda Wernick, KCBX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sacramento County’s district attorney says he’s taking the city of Sacramento to court, for failing to enforce its own homelessness laws. County DA Tien Ho says Sacramento city officials “allowed, created and enabled” a public safety crisis, by not enforcing their own laws, including the city’s ban on blocking sidewalks and camping on public property. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio More water to replenish a natural spring in a California forest - less water for the company that bottles and sells it as Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water. That's the result of a decision by California's Water Resources Control Board. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR California is suing oil and gas companies for deceiving the public for their role in climate change. The lawsuit could be a landmark for holding oil companies accountable.  Reporter: Dana Cronin, KQED A federal judge this week temporarily blocked a California law meant to protect children when they use the internet. Known as the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, the law would require social media companies to take steps to protect minors’ privacy and would limit the use of their information.Reporter: Izzy Bloom, The California Report  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been six months since the levee protecting the small Central Coast farming community of Pajaro burst, flooding the town and forcing thousands out of their homes. And while repairs are underway, a permanent fix is still years in the making.Reporter: Scott Cohn, KAZUA group of Democratic state lawmakers is asking California Attorney General Rob Bonta to take the lead on an effort to remove Donald Trump from the March primary ballot.Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED   At its board meeting in Sacramento Tuesday morning, California’s Water Resources Control Board will consider issuing a ‘cease and desist’ order to end the pumping of millions of gallons of water out of the San Bernardino National Forest.  Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week marks six months since powerful storms flooded the small farming community of Pajaro in Santa Cruz County, after its aging levee system failed. The community is still facing major challenges with rebuilding.Reporter: Jerimiah Oetting, KAZUAt the Climate Week NYC event, Governor Gavin Newsom announced his intention to sign a first-in-the nation climate bill awaiting his approval back in California. The measure would force U.S. corporations doing business in California that make more than $1 billion a year to publicly disclose their annual greenhouse gas emissions.Reporter: Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 60,000 Kaiser Permanente workers have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike if there’s no agreement in contract negotiations by September 30. The healthcare workers -- most of them in California -- are pushing for a 7% wage increase in the first two years of this next contract, and 6.25% the following two years.A California appeals court has agreed to hear a challenge to the state’s recently adopted solar rules.  The groups argued the rules do not recognize all the benefits of solar, encourage solar adoption or expand solar in disadvantaged communities.Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS  It’s the end of an era along the Klamath River. Labor Day weekend was the last time the whitewater rapids on the Upper Klamath could be rafted during the summer. A group of antiquated dams are coming down on the Klamath, meaning major changes for the river rafting community.Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices