KQED's The California Report

Historic Rainfall Is Especially Tough On The UnhousedCalifornia is assessing damage and cleaning up after a week of historic rains. The National Weather Service says San Francisco experienced its wettest ten day period in 150 years.  All that rainfall has been especially tough on the unhoused population.California Still In A Drought Despite Torrential RainsThe past few big storms have eased drought conditions across the state, but not as much as you might think given the deluge. 98% of California is still in some state of drought.  KQED climate reporter Ezra David Romero has the story.CA Governor Gets Sworn In TodayGovernor Gavin Newsom holds his inaugural celebration in Sacramento later this morning. As KQED Politics Editor Scott Shafer reports, it’s no accident that Newsom chose January 6th to do it.McCarthy Still Unable To Secure Speaker VoteCentral Valley congressman Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the speaker’s gavel for a third day as the House of Representatives held an 11th round of voting in Washington on Thursday. McCarthy needs 218 votes to assume the speaker position but remains way short. Back home in Bakersfield, McCarthy constituents are watching closely – some in horror, others with glee.Bakersfield Prison Cited For Violating Workers RightsCalifornia’s workplace health and safety regulators have cited a for-profit prison company for violations affecting detained workers locked up at an immigration facility near Bakersfield. It's likely a first.  KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero reports.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Storm Packs A Punch OvernightCalifornia continues to be lashed by what’s called a “bomb cyclone” storm this morning, with forecasters warning about rain rates of up to one inch…per hour…in some places and winds of 70 and 80 miles per hour.Infant Killed In Storm When Tree Falls On House In OccidentalOne of two deaths reported in Wednesdays historic storm includes an infant from Sonoma County. Fire officials say the child died when a large tree fell on his family's home in Occidental. Police in Fairfield say a second death involved a woman who's car careened out of control and struck a light post.  San Francisco Mayor Pleads With Residents To Dial 3-1-1 Instead Of 9-1-1 For Storm Related "Non-Life Threatening" IncidentsAt a press conference on Wednesday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed warned her city’s residents about the dangerous conditions and she’s asking people to avoid tying up emergency lines with non-emergency calls.Heavy Rains Disturb Ancient Burial Sites Around Wilton Rancheria In South SacramentoTribal leaders at the Rancheria are concerned that continued flooding from the Consumnes River could be disturbing sacred burial grounds nearby.  CapRadio’s Sarah Mizes-Tan has the story.Storms Are Creating Additional Misery For The HomelessBefore heavy rains started failing in San Francisco, The California Report co-host Madi Bolanos spoke to some unhoused individuals to see how they were preparing to cope with the rain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get ready. Another powerful rain and wind storm is set to pummel parts of California on Wednesday and Thursday. The National Weather Service said parts of Northern California and the Bay Area should expect widespread flooding.Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED   In San Francisco, small business owners are still dealing with damages from the last big storm. Now, they have to prepare for more rain and wind.  Reporter: Madi Bolaños, The California ReportA state report out Tuesday reveals major racial disparities in policing in California in 2021. According to the data, black drivers and pedestrians were searched and subjected to use of force at more than twice the rate of white drivers and pedestrians, despite police stopping more white individuals. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Much of California is still trying to clean up from stormy weather that has hit much of the state over the past week. But forecasters said the worst could be on the way, as an atmospheric river forms off the coast.A new year is bringing a bumper crop of new state laws, which are now officially on the books. They cover everything from abortion to housing and gun rights.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After having a baby, mothers are often barraged with pressure to return to their pre-pregnancy lives and bodies. And that can take a toll on both mental and physical health during one of the most vulnerable periods of their lives.Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC For many people, the New Year means setting resolutions and goals for 2023. But for one immigrant, who’s now living in the Bay Area, it means rehabbing his life, following a long stint in prison.Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With New Year's Eve around the corner, that means millions of Californians will be out celebrating the end of 2022 and start of a new year. And that could entail a night of drinking. But is there a way to stop from having a nasty hangover the next day?Guest: Danielle Venton, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the tops of the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California lies plants that exist nowhere else in the world. The Pebble Plains ecosystem is more than a million years old. It’s an old expert at adapting to a changing climate, and yet, it’s dying out faster than ever before.Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRWDuring the holidays, many people spend time with their loved one, but also enjoy food that is celebrated in their cultures. Think tamales for Latin American families, or the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Japanese American families often celebrate the New Year in their own way – with mochi.Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most Californians are feeling the effects of the drought. But in big areas of the state, where people rely on groundwater, the pain of this drought is especially severe. Wells are going dry and there’s intense competition to find more water that’s underground.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California ReportCalifornia’s bighorn sheep population will soon be getting some help in dealing with the state’s drought.   A project is underway to build nearly a hundred artificial watering holes for bighorn sheep in San Bernardino, Riverside and Inyo counties.Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This has been a big year for space exploration. There was the deployment of a powerful new space space telescope. It's peering billions of years back through time and bringing us stunning images of our universe when it was in its infancy. And a rocket was launched to the moon in preparation for humankind's return to the lunar surface. Guests: Danielle Venton, KQED and Benjamin Burress, Astronomer at the Chabot Space and Science Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of construction delays, and tens of billions of dollars in cost overruns, California’s high-speed rail project has become one of the most controversial infrastructure projects in the country. We go to the Central Valley, to check in on the first phase of high speed rail’s construction and get local reactions to the project’s problems.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices