KQED's The California Report

Next month, voters will decide whether or not to increase arts funding to public schools across the state. We look at what it could mean for one school in the Bay Area. Reporter: Julia McEvoy, KQED The racist conversation between three members of the Los Angeles City Council and a labor executive have struck a familiar chord with Black and Afro Latinos struggling to gain political representation.Reporter: Emily Elena Dugdale, KPCC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's regularly scheduled Los Angeles city council meeting has been canceled because two council members who are at the center of a scandal over a leaked racist conversation have not yet resigned. Both Gil Cedillo and Kevin De León have issued apologies, but nothing more. They haven’t been seen in the City Council chambers since Monday, when they were shouted at by an outraged crowd who demanded their resignations.Reporter: Jackie Fortier Every day, children across the country – some as young as two and three years old – are forced out of their preschools and daycares. And more often than not, it’s children of color who are expelled. A law signed late last month by Governor Gavin Newsom aims to reduce the number of expulsions in state-funded preschool settings.Reporter: Amanda Stupi, KQEDIn a preview of The California Report Magazine, we hear from the first episode of “Imperfect Paradise: The Sheriff,” a new podcast from LAIST studios. In it, KPCC’s Frank Stolze takes a deep dive into the tenure of controversial LA Sheriff Alex Villanueva.Reporter: Frank Stolze, KPCC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The former president of the Los Angeles City Council, Nury Martinez, has resigned. This comes days after a recording surfaced of her making racist remarks in a closed-door meeting. State Attorney General Rob Bonta is now investigating the redistricting process in LA, following the release of the conversation.One of the most competitive House races in California is taking place in the northern part of Los Angeles County, where Republican Congressman Mike Garcia is facing off for the third time against Democrat Christy Smith. The issues of abortion and Latino identity have been central to the campaign.Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During a contentious city council meeting, LA residents voiced their displeasure with three councilmembers, who were caught on a recording using racist language. The calls continue to grow for Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon to resign, although none have done so.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California ReportDozens of workers at Amazon’s largest air hub on the West Coast announced they’ll go on a one-day strike later this week . The workers at the facility in San Bernardino are upset over low wages and unsafe working conditions.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three members of the Los Angeles City Council are facing a barrage of calls to resign, after an audio recording of them making racist comments was made public.  This comes as the council is meeting for the first time on Tuesday, since the recording was released.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California ReportLocal governments should consider wildfire risk, when evaluating proposals for new housing. That's according to new recommendations from California Attorney General Rob Bonta.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Janitors who work at the facilities of Facebook and its parent company Meta have been on strike since last Wednesday. Late last week, the strikers received support from two major groups advocating for workers, Silicon Valley Rising and the South Bay Labor Council. The National Labor Relations Board has approved a union recognition election for dancers at a topless bar in North Hollywood. If the performers at Star Garden organize, they would become the only unionized strippers in the nation.Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRWA teacher shortage has forced dozens of preschools in California to close classrooms since the start of the school year. Low wages were driving away early childhood educators -- most of them women of color -- long before the pandemic. But the emotional and financial stress, plus the health risks of working during the crisis drove them to quit faster.Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQEDWe’re celebrating Indigenous People’s Day with a focus on Nikole Aanapou Mann, who became the first native woman to reach space last week as commander for the NASA Space X Crew 5 mission to the International Space Station. Mann is enrolled with the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in Northern California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve been struggling with inflation-fueled high prices, from groceries to gasoline, some help is on the way. Starting Friday, the state will start sending out about nine and a half billion dollars worth of tax rebates to Californians to help people with their bills. The one time payments will range from $400 to $1,050 dollars for joint tax filers and between $200 and $700 dollars for those who filed individually.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, KQED In Sacramento, Black residents are three times as likely to say they can't afford their rent or mortgage compared with the area’s overall population. A poll published this week by Valley Vision, a civic leadership organization in the Sacramento area, found nearly nine of every 10 Black residents are concerned about the cost of housing in the Sacramento region. That's higher than any other racial or ethnic group.Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadioIn a preview of our sister show, the California Report’s weekly Magazine, we hop on a bus many in the Vietnamese American community informally call the “Bánh Mì Bus” because of the importance of food to many of the passengers on the trip. Reporter Christine Nguyen takes us on a mouthwatering journey from San Jose to little Saigon in Orange County, a route that connects the two largest Vietnamese communities outside Vietnam.Host: Sasha Khokha, The California Report Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the first months of World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. It authorized the U.S. government to relocate and incarcerate more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry. Now more than seven decades later, a group led by a USC professor has taken on the challenge of creating a list of every single person forced into camps and jails.Reporter: Josie Huang, KPCC A family of four, that was kidnapped from their business in Merced this week, has been found dead. The bodies were discovered near where the kidnapping took place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years ago, then Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law that unsealed internal official investigations into serious use of force, dishonesty and sexual misconduct by peace officers. But California prison officials are not complying. That’s according to a lawsuit filed by KQED.Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQEDGas prices remain sky-high in California. $6.42 on average for a regular gallon of gasoline as of Wednesday, that according to AAA. Production issues at refineries are being blamed for the skyrocketing price. But some relief could be on the way.Reporter: Andrea Bautista, KCRWTijuana gas stations are capitalizing on California’s soaring gas prices. Several stations in Mexico are advertising cheaper gas to commuters heading to San Diego.Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The mid-term elections are a little more than a month away, and officials here in California and across the country are working to make sure the election process is safe and secure. But there are also concerns about threats levied against election workers and voters at the polls.Guest: Neal Kelley, Chairman, Committee for Safe and Secure ElectionsAs the weather cools, the U.S. could be headed into a severe flu season. Experts say small children who haven’t been exposed due to pandemic restrictions and masking may be most at risk. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices