KQED's The California Report

Governor Gavin Newsom says he expects to collaborate with lawmakers this year on reforms to the state’s environmental review law, which has been used repeatedly by opponents of development to block construction. The California Environmental Quality Act, which was signed into law in 1970, aimed to ensure that the environmental impact of a project is taken into account. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Guru Jagat, a Santa Monica-based yoga instructor, was known for being confident and relatable. She modernized the esoteric practice of Kundalini yoga. But in 2020, her followers started noticing a shift in her beliefs.Reporter: Emily Guerin, Producer, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of two mass shootings that left 18 people dead, California leaders say they’ll pass new legislation to regulate concealed weapon permits.Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED The funeral for 29-year-old Tyre Nichols was held Wednesday in Memphis, three weeks after he died following a beating by police. There are increased calls for police accountability across the nation, an issue that’s being taken on here in California by the Bay Area-based Anti Police-Terror Project.Guest: Cat Brooks, Executive Director, Anti Police-Terror Project  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Californians continue to process the series of mass shootings up and down the state, the small community of Goshen in the Central Valley remains shaken by the brutal murders of six family members two weeks ago.Reporter: Alex Hall, KQEDCalifornia’s snowpack is at 208% of normal for this time of year. That's the highest level in decades.Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQEDThieves have stolen more than $35 million from some of the state’s most vulnerable residents – because the debit cards California uses to send financial assistance are too easy to exploit. Now, the state is trying to make it easier for these theft victims to get their money back.Reporter: Jeanne Kuang, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friends and family of Tyre Nichols, the former Sacramento resident who was beaten and killed by Memphis police officers, held a candlelight vigil in his honor Monday night.  Reporter: Sarah Mizes-Tan, CapRadio A new study out of Stanford University finds climate warming will likely reach a critical threshold in the early 2030s. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQEDCold temperatures are forecast through Wednesday, prompting The National Weather Service to issue frost advisories and freeze warnings for parts of the Bay Area and the Central Valley. The low temperatures could be dangerous for the unsheltered, and add to high utility bills for housed Californians. Natural gas and electricity prices are both up sharply compared to last year. Reporter: Erik Anderson, KPBS  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Sur is cut off again thanks to landslides on Highway 1 caused by the rain storms earlier this month. Now supplies are being flown in, and residents along portions of the scenic highway may be stuck for at least another three weeks. Reporter: Jonathan Linden, KAZU The COVID-19 pandemic continues to heavily affect the lives of California’s 9 million children. Those impacts are particularly devastating for kids of color or kids living in poverty, according to new data tracking children’s well-being in each of the state’s 58 counties. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQEDThis month, California issued first-in-the-nation safety guidelines for employers of domestic workers: people like cleaners, nannies and caregivers who have historically been excluded from occupational health and safety laws. But advocates say California is taking the first steps to right that wrong. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Authorities confirm they’re investigating possible wage theft and health and safety violations at the two farms in Half Moon Bay where seven farm workers were killed this week in a mass shooting. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQEDEven as the community mourns in Half Moon Bay, people are looking for ways to heal and grasp for normalcy. Reporter: Madi BolañosThis week, we've covered Monterey Park in the wake of the mass shooting there. But communities shouldn't just be defined by their worst days. So we're looking at one aspect of Monterey Park life not related to this week’s news -- its amazing Asian food scene that’s been created by immigrant communities there.Guest: Denny Mu, The Mandarin Noodle House Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The man accused of gunning down eight people in Half Moon Bay, killing seven, was charged with seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder on Wednesday.  Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Authorities investigating the mass shooting in Half Moon say the evidence points to it as an incident of “workplace violence.” Acts of violence are a leading cause of occupational death in the U.S. But mass shootings are still relatively rare on the job.  Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQEDIn Monterey Park, vigils have been taking place nightly, to honor the victims of the dance studio shooting Saturday night. The Star Dance Studio was a hub for professional ballroom dancers, new immigrants and longtime community members of the Asian diaspora. Reporter: Mariana Dale, KPCC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The man accused of fatally shooting seven farmworkers Monday in the city of Half Moon Bay is being arraigned on Wednesday. Chunli Zhao is being held on seven first degree murder charges and one charge of attempted murder for the shootings at two farms in Half Moon Bay.Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQEDVice President Kamala Harris will travel to Monterey Park on Wednesday to honor the 11 people killed in that mass shooting incident over the weekend. We’re also learning more about some of the people who lost their lives. Reporter: Josie Huang, KPCC In the wake of the recent mass shootings in California, there’s more focus on gun violence restraining orders or Red Flag laws. These allow authorities to temporarily seize firearms and ammunition from people who’ve been reported as a danger by family members or co-workers. Guest: Mara Elliott, City Attorney in San Diego Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There has been another deadly mass shooting in the state, this time in the coastal Bay Area community of Half Moon Bay. Seven people were killed and one injured Monday in a pair of shootings at agricultural centers in the city.Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQEDOn Monday night, over 200 people gathered in Monterey Park for a candlelight vigil to honor the victims of the mass shooting at the Star Dance Studio.Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRWWe're learning more about the victims of Saturday's massacre in Monterey Park.Reporter: Josie Huang, KPCCIn Sacramento on Monday, Asian American legislators gathered at the state capitol to call for stricter gun laws and to honor the victims of the mass shootings in Monterey Park.Reporter: Sarah Mizes-Tan, CapRadio  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 people, five men and five women, are dead and seven people remain in the hospital after a 72-year-old man opened fire in a Monterey Park dance studio late Saturday night. The suspected gunman took his own life on Sunday.The Monterey Park shooting reminds us about just how seemingly random incidents of mass violence can be. That leaves many feeling scared and vulnerable. Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCCSan Francisco kicked off Lunar New Year celebrations on Sunday, but the mass shooting in Southern California weighed heavily on those who were there.Reporter: Juan Carlos Lara, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices