KQED's The California Report

A new state-backed report gives the first-ever birds-eye view of California’s spending on homelessness programs. The state has shelled out more than $10 billion in the last few years to get people housed. But despite that spending, California still has a long way to go to get people into permanent housing.Reporter: Ben Christopher, CalMattersDespite protests from many community members, construction has resumed to replace fences with two 30-foot walls at Friendship Park, which sits on the US-Mexico border in San Diego County. The historic park on the western-most end of the border has long been a place where families from both sides of the border can meet up.75 years ago a plane crashed near the Central Valley town of Coalinga, killing everyone on board. The plane carried Mexican migrants on their way to be deported. After the crash, the government sent the bodies of the white pilot, flight attendants and immigration officer home to their families, but interred the Mexican passengers in a mass grave. Officials didn’t even release the migrants’ names, calling them only “Deportees.”Reporter: Sasha Khokha, The California Report Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who's had this problem? Your laptop or smartphone isn’t working, but the idea of repairing it yourself seems impossible because you can't get replacement parts and repair instructions from manufacturers, like, say, Apple. Well, after past attempts to pass it have failed, a Right to Repair bill has been re-introduced in Sacramento. If passed, it’s supposed to make it easier, and cheaper to get electronics you own fixed.Guest: Sander Kushen, Public Health Advocate, CALPIRGSlavery and involuntary servitude are illegal in California. But our state constitution has an exception to that rule involving the state’s prison system. Some state lawmakers are now looking to change that.Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dianne Feinstein has been a U.S. Senator from California for three decades. And before that she was already a powerful figure in San Francisco politics, including serving as mayor. So the announcement that Feinstein is retiring from office at the end of her current Senate term really does mark the end of an era in California politics and governance. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQEDA new study out of Stanford University finds that enrollment in California public schools fell by about 270,000 during the first three years of the COVID-19 pandemic.Reporter: Amanda Stupi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anti-semitism and hate crimes are on the rise in the United States. In California, some far-right groups are becoming even more extreme. A far-right extremist group connected to San Diego, called the Goyim Defense League, is fueling acts of vandalism, harassment and assault. Reporter: Jill Castellano, inewsourceA group of California lawmakers wants to prohibit police from pulling motorists over for minor traffic infractions. The legislators say those stops too often lead to violence against people of color. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In response to stories about worker abuse in the fast food industry, last year the state legislature passed, and Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law, the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act. The FAST Act created a first of its kind 10 person independent council to improve labor conditions in the fast food industry. But it's already facing pushback from the industry, which has spent millions on a referendum for the 2024 ballot.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California ReportIt’s been a week since devastating earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria. As the reported death toll mounts well past 30,000, Californians are looking for ways to help survivors.Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s Attorney General has petitioned federal regulators to issue an emergency rule to protect workers from extreme heat. Heat is the leading cause of death among all weather-related workplace hazards, and the dangers for workers in jobs like agriculture are rising with climate change.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Frontline environmental advocates are gearing up for a new fight, now that a California law that would ban new oil drilling near homes, schools, and community sites is on hold. Industry groups have gathered enough signatures to qualify the issue for the 2024 ballot. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQEDA new housing project called Paul’s Place opened in Davis this week. Organizers say the unique 4-story design, which combines temporary shelter with permanent apartments, will help unhoused people achieve stability. Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Half of California hospitals are losing money everyday. Madera Community Hospital is just the latest to close due to financial issues. And experts predict many more will follow across the state.Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQEDIn Fresno County, an emergency hospital declaration has just been lifted, despite area hospitals still dealing with an overcrowding crisis. That's in large part due to the recent closure of a hospital in neighboring Madera County.Reporter: Soreath Hok, KVPRFor the second year in a row, there’s an effort underway to reform and significantly reduce the use of solitary confinement in California. The Mandela Act would prohibit jails, prisons, and immigration detention facilities from holding people in solitary confinement for more than two weeks in a row.Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here in California, we've grown pretty accustomed to power outages. Sometimes it gets knocked out by storms. Other times, it gets turned off on purpose by the utility companies to avoid wildfires. But what if you could live in a community where your lights always stayed on, no matter what happened to the grid?Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report California utility regulators are digging into reasons for this winter’s high natural gas prices. During a hearing on Tuesday, the California Public Utilities Commission pressed industry officials to explain the record setting price hikes for natural gas.Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Half Moon Bay farmworkers – and other vulnerable immigrants who speak up about workplace abuses – could get some protection under a new Biden administration policy. It would shield undocumented immigrants from deportation if they cooperate with labor investigations.Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQEDCalifornia’s governor is calling for a federal probe into the record high natural gas prices that have doubled and even tripled some customer bills. Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBSBesides its canals, the city of Amsterdam is known for its pot cafes, where you can eat and hang out with friends while using marijuana. California law prevents that kind of establishment, but there’s a move to change that.Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When storms battered California last month, the streets of Planada became rivers. Hundreds of homes were flooded and the whole town was evacuated. Now people in this rural Central Valley community are trying to put their lives back together. But many undocumented residents are struggling to access assistance.Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices