KQED's The California Report

The Grateful Dead’s offshoot band, Dead and Company, says this summer was their last tour. And their final stop on that tour was in San Francisco, where fans celebrated the end of an era. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, The California ReportDoctors in California say a growing number of workers are getting really sick and dying from inhaling silica dust, while they sand and cut artificial stone to make kitchen countertops. State regulators are considering a petition Thursday for emergency rules. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After months of fighting, the Temecula school board once again failed to approve a new elementary social studies textbook on Tuesday night. That sets up a showdown with the governor’s office.Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR California is dumping at least $100 million a year into its flagship rehabilitation program for former prisoners. Specialized Treatment for Optimized Programming, also known as STOP, provides housing and other support for parolees.  But a new investigation from CalMatters has found the state has no idea if the program works. Reporter: Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters The California State University system is failing to adequately protect its community from sexual harassment.  That's according to a new report from the state auditor released this week.Reporter: Amy Mayer, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting this fall, judges in 8 counties will be put in charge of ordering treatment for people with serious psychotic illness. Some politicians say these new CARE Courts will clean up the streets, while health advocates argue a courtroom is no place for vulnerable patients. In Orange County, officials are balancing this tension as they start to implement the controversial new plan.Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Central and Southern California are still not in the clear, with heat warnings in place for much of those regions. And for the state’s 115,000 unsheltered homeless residents, trying to keep cool is easier said than done.Reporter: Vanessa Rancano, KQEDConstruction crews are ahead of schedule on the demolition of the first of four dams on the Klamath River along the Oregon-California border.Reporter: Erik Neumann, Jefferson Public Radio Most small business owners in California support expanding benefits that help employees take care of their health and their family, like paid sick days. That’s according to the results of a new opinion poll.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED California’s latest effort to get college athletes paid is stalled in the legislature after pushback from universities. The bill would have allowed college athletes to get a share of the revenue that they create for their school. Reporter: Ryan Loyola, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents film and TV actors, announced that its 160,000 members are striking, with actors expected to form picket lines outside of studios on Friday. SAG -AFTRA members will join already striking Hollywood writers. Such a labor stoppage by both unions at the same time hasn't happened since 1960 and it basically shuts down Hollywood production.The heat wave that’s expected to blanket large swaths of the state is forecast to push temperatures in Palm Springs to more than 120 degrees this weekend. The city is struggling to keep its growing homeless population safe in the heat. Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCRWhat about the state’s power grid, which is always a concern during extended heat waves? California’s electric grid operator says it has more tools to make sure the power stays on.Reporter: Izzy Bloom, The California Report  With temperatures reaching triple digits in much of California, state regulators are once again fanning out to inspect high-risk worksites.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Temperatures are expected to climb well above 100, especially in the state’s valleys and away from the coast the rest of this week. Officials from half a dozen state and federal agencies are warning Californians to prepare for the heat wave.Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQEDWhat’s it like to work and try to protect others in a place that’s sometimes the hottest spot on the planet, with temperatures upwards of 130 degrees? We're talking about California’s Death Valley National Park.Guest: Nichole Andler, Death Valley Park Ranger Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LGBTQ Pride events have been taking place across the country amid growing threats of violence towards the community. Along with being frightening, these threats are also impacting Pride organizations' financial bottom lines. One example? Skyrocketing insurance costs.Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS  With a strike threat imminent, SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors, has agreed to last minute federal mediation to try to reach a deal with film and television producers. If a deal isn’t struck, the impact will be widespread, including for big pop culture events like Comic Con, which is set to kick off on July 20th in San Diego. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In April, California passed a first of its kind policy to accelerate the transition to electric big rig trucks. But how does it actually feel to be behind the wheel of one?Reporter: Erin Stone, LAistAfter raising tuition only once in the last decade, California State University Trustees will meet on Tuesday to consider a possible tuition hike for students in the 23 campus system. The proposal is for CSU to raise annual tuition by 6% through at least spring of 2029. Reporter: Sara Hossaini, KQEDFinanced by Bay Area tech investors, a new professional cricket league debuts later this week. It’s part of the sport’s increased visibility in the Golden State and the rest of the country.Reporter: Holly J. McDede, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After not being seen for decades, a rare native plant was recently rediscovered on the Central Coast. Botanists say the tiny Santa Ynez groundstar grows in the city of Lompoc and nowhere else. Reporter: Beth Thornton Tent encampments on sidewalks are often the public face of the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles. But a new census of the homeless shows a big increase of the unhoused who live in parked vehicles.  Reporter: David Wagner, LAist  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After months of alarm, forecasters predict that Tulare Lake has peaked in size. That means the risk of flooding has likely subsided for the city of Corcoran. But questions still surround what could have happened if floodwaters had overtaken two state prisons on the outskirts of the city.Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPRFord, General Motors and several other truck manufacturers have agreed to abide by California’s ban on the sale of new diesel big rigs by 2036. The deal puts an industry stamp of approval on rules California solidified this year, to fight air pollution and climate change. Reporter: Kevin Stark , KQED From time to time this summer, we're talking to Californians about how they're spending their summer months. Today, we head to the Venice Beach Boardwalk. It's a place that's long been popular with street performers, and it's where we met musician Eric Gray, who's a fixture on the boardwalk.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices