KQED's The California Report

The brutal heat wave taking over the state is expected to last longer and reach higher temperatures than forecasters had anticipated. And that's putting a lot of stress on California's power grid, with state officials asking Californians to conserve as much as possible.Guest: Jan Null, Meteorologist, Golden Gate Weather Services and Adjunct Professor at San Jose State University Two people have died and hundreds of residents around Weed remain under evacuation orders because of the Mill Fire burning in Siskiyou County. Reporter: Erik Neumann, Jefferson Public RadioLast week, state lawmakers approved a plan to extend the life of the state’s last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon. Many are applauding the legislature’s decision to keep its carbon-free energy on the grid — but it’s had mixed reactions in San Luis Obispo County, where the plant sits.Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KCBX On Friday, Frank Drake, the radio astronomer who dreamed of finding life on other planets, passed away at his home near Santa Cruz. He was 92.Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As California’s housing crisis becomes more dire and cities feel mounting pressure to build more housing, many are eyeing church-owned real estate as a potential solution.Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's State of Emergency Continues Amid Massive Heat WaveFor the third day in a row officials, have issued a so-called Flex Alert, which is a call to reduce energy consumption between the hours of 4-9pm when the power grid is most stressed and solar declines.Voters to Weigh in on a Constitutional Amendment That Could End Barrier to Building Public HousingSince 1950, Article 34 of the state constitution has required local officials to get voters’ approval to build public housing. The rule was rooted in racist fears about integrating neighborhoods and it’s hindered low-income home construction for decades. Now, California voters will get a chance to repeal it. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED Blistering Heat Has the Central Valley's Only Children's Hospital BusyYoung kids have more trouble regulating their body temperature than adults do, and they’re more susceptible to dehydration because a larger percentage of their weight is water. Reporter: Daisy Nguyen, KQED Californians Could Receive First Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Next WeekThe unique booster is different from any COVID shot you’ve gotten before. One half is the original shot and the other half is designed specifically for omicron sub-variants that are still infecting thousands of people every day. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC Bill That Aimed to End Prison-to-ICE Transfers in California FailsThe last days of California’s two-year legislative session ended with a flurry of votes this week. One of the bills that did NOT make it would have ended the practice of transferring non-citizens to immigration custody when they’re released from jail or prison. Tyche Hendricks, KQED Immigration Editor  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Awaits Excessive Heat and Potential BlackoutsGovernor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for California as a heat wave takes hold of the state. Elliot Mainzer, president of the state’s power grid operator, says Californians need to reduce electricity use throughout the holiday weekend, especially during late afternoon and early evening.New Test Project in a Central Valley Town Could Bring Partially Solution to ShortagesThe idea behind solar canals is to build canopies over miles of aqueducts and place solar panels on top of those canopies. The shade from the canopies limits water evaporation and the solar panels produce renewable energy. Research out of U.C. Merced found that canopies lower evaporation in aqueducts by as much as 82%. Amanda Stupi, The California Report Kaiser Nurses Join Mental Health Workers Nearing 3rd Week of Strike22,000 Kaiser nurses are protesting, calling for improved safety conditions and increased staffing.Lesley McClurg, KQED health correspondentOn Overdose Awareness Day, Advocates for People Who Use Drugs Remain DefiantMore than a week after Governor Newsom vetoed a bill that would provide safe consumption sites for people who use drugs, advocates used Overdose Awareness Day on Wednesday to reaffirm their commitment to continue the fight. Reporter: Holly J. McDede, KQEDHow Nonprofits Use a Legal Loophole to Flip California Homes — for a ProfitThe state legislature approved dozens of bills this week. If history is any guide, some of those laws will have unintended consequences. That’s the story of a law passed in 2020, which was meant to keep foreclosed homes out of the hands of corporate investors, and increase the chance they would be used for affordable housing.Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A controversial bill to overhaul California’s mental healthcare system cleared a major hurdle Tuesday night. The governor’s CARE Court proposal would allow judges to oversee treatment for people diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders who are not receiving care. Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQEDCommunities of color are disproportionately impacted by crime and gun violence -- but historically say they’ve been left out of many conversations and programs meant to help victims of crime in California. But that's starting to change. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Millions of residents in Los Angeles County will need to suspend outdoor watering in September. That’s the message from the Metropolitan Water District, which is set to repair a leak in a critical pipeline.Reporter: Robin Estrin, KCRWGovernor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill designed to protect more homes from wildfire by bolstering the State’s defensible space inspections. Reporter: Danielle Venton, KQEDA bill that would restrict solitary confinement for all incarcerated people in California, including at federal immigration detention centers, is headed to the Governor’s desk after clearing the state Senate Tuesday. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQEDA bill establishing tough new privacy rules for children under 18 is headed to the governor's desk, after it passed the state Assembly unanimously on Tuesday.Reporter: Rachael Myrow , KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California legislature has passed what supporters call a first-of-its kind bill that could benefit half a million fast food workers. AB 257 would bring fast food worker and employer representatives together on a council that could boost wages to up to $22 an hour next year at large chains.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED The Biden administration will pause its program to send Americans free at-home COVID-19 tests this week, blaming Congress for failing to fund another round of shipments. People who have yet to request all of their free rapid tests through the Department of Health and Human Services federal portal have until Friday to place their orders.Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCCSmall theaters with less than 100 seats were hit particularly hard during the pandemic. In Los Angeles, the highest concentration of these venues was in North Hollywood, but half of its 22 theaters have now closed permanently.Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW The state senate passed a bill Monday that will make it easier for farmworkers to vote in union elections, but getting the governor’s signature is far from a done deal. During a march to Sacramento in support of the bill, farmworkers picked up some allies on the way.Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California ReportThe Biden administration is looking for new ways to shield DACA recipients, in case the courts overturn the program that protects these undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQEDMore and more dead fish are piling up on beaches around the Bay Area, spanning from Vallejo to San Jose. Scientists fear a giant toxic algae bloom could lead to permanent impacts.Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past two decades California has completely reimagined its approach to dealing with young people who commit crimes. That remaking of juvenile justice will culminate next summer in the closure of California’s troubled state youth prisons, known as the Department of Juvenile Justice or DJJ.Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two years after Governor Gavin Newsom mandated it, the California Air Resources Board has approved a plan requiring 100% of new vehicle sales in California beginning in 2035 be zero emission. Automakers say they support California, but have encouraged the state to build out car charging infrastructure and incentives.Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQEDAccording to the United Nations, solitary confinement beyond 15 days can amount to torture and should be banned. But it's still happening right here in California.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED\In what’s believed to be a first in this country, Anaheim has formally recognized part of the city as an Arab American district. In a nearly unanimous vote this week, the Anaheim City Council has designated an area of Brookhurst Street as Little Arabia – a name that many locals have already used for years.Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California ReportThink college athletics and likely football, basketball and volleyball come to mind. But Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, on the Central Coast, is home to one of the most successful collegiate rodeo programs in the country. It holds 45 national titles.Reporter: Gabriela Fernandez, KCBX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California Air Resources Board is set to approve a plan on Thursday to phase out the sale of new gasoline cars by the year 2035.Reporter: Daphne Young, KQED  Last week, we brought you an investigation into the U.S. Forest Service that found a stalled project could have helped protect the town of Grizzly Flats in Northern California from the Caldor Fire. Now, we head to Big Bear, a Southern California mountain vacation destination, where officials are hoping to avoid that same fate. But are they moving fast enough?Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a new poll out that shows Californians overwhelmingly support abortion access and that the issue will impact how they vote in the elections this fall.  Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED  A little over a week ago, normal life in the border city of Tijuana came to a halt as a drug cartel launched a campaign of terror in the city. Vehicles were set ablaze and gunmen blocked major thoroughfares. That’s raised new questions about the power of Mexico’s criminal underworld.Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS In recent years, the Sacramento region has debated plans for creating thousands of new affordable housing units and shelter spaces for the homeless. But opposition from neighborhood groups has made carrying out those plans a difficult challenge.Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadioWith a week left in this year’s legislative session in Sacramento, California immigrant advocates are pushing hard for a bill to end the transfer of non-citizens to immigration custody after they’re released from jail or prison. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices