KQED's The California Report

At a community meeting on Monday night, fire officials remained hopeful that they could protect trees in the Mariposa Grove like the Giant Grizzly.Reporter Soreath Hok, The California ReportNew heat maps show how hot weather is harming out health. On the hottest days in California, there are around 8,000 more daily ER visits than on typical days.  In LA County alone, there are more than 1,500.Reporter Caleigh Wells, KCRWCity Officials in San Diego start the firing process for about 10 employees who refuse COVID vaccinations and tests. San Diego requires all employees to be vaccinated for COVID, they but let about 1,000 employees skip the vaccine for religious reasons. Those employees then have to get tested weekly, but a small group refused that, too.Investigative Reporter Claire Trageser, KPBSNew report on new cyber-social threat for regions with large Hindu communities, like the San Francisco Bay Area, reveal real world security concerns. Rutgers University report finds white nationalists and other extremists on social media are bubbling with genocidal hate memes against Hindus.Reporter Rachael Myrow, KQED's Silicon Valley DeskThe Tulare County Fairgrounds served as one of the country’s ten assembly centers for many Japanese Americans who were sent to concentration camps during World War II.  Fresno and other fairgrounds that served as assembly centers have memorials, but Tulare does not. Mission Oak HS students are looking to change that.Reporter Joshua Yeager, KVPRIf just one drone enters an area where firefighters are using aircraft to battle a blaze, the whole aerial operation has to grind to a halt.  A new partnership between LA County Fire and the FBI looks to deter drone flights that could hamper fire suppression efforts.Reporter Matt Guilhem, KCRWLast weekend the Bill Pickett Rodeo made a stop in the Bay Area. Next it heads to Los Angeles. Black cowboy culture runs deep in California. Meet a Bay Area Black cowboy who's joining the rodeo for the first time.Reporter Annelise Finney, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Los Angeles County's approach to Monkeypox vaccines is different from other parts of the country. L.A. County is taking a more targeted approach by giving out doses only to people who have the disease and their close contacts.Reporter Jackie Fortier, The California ReportA judge in Alameda County has ordered the state to temporarily stop issuing denials to rental relief applicants... and to hold off on finalizing many others.Reporter Erin Baldassari, KQEDMore than 2,000 acres have burned and residents and campers near the Washburn fire have been evacuated.  The wildfire, which started on July 7th, threatens at least 500 giant sequoias in the Mariposa Grove.Last week's order from a Federal Judge came after an environmental organization, The Earth Island Institute, sued the National Park Service. The organization says the Park Service failed to provide proper public notice or assess environmental risks. Reporter Felicia Alvarez, LA Times Over the weekend, the new Sixth Street Viaduct opened in Los Angeles, and California's newest bridge is the largest and most expensive bridge project in the history of L.A.Reporter Saul Gonzalez, The California ReportResearchers looked at moving patterns over the last several years, including during the pandemic. They found the outflow of Californians remained consistent....and many are moving out. Reporter Matt Guilhem, KCRW Drought restrictions that began last month in Southern California target water districts that rely heavily on water imported from Northern California. Santa Monica used to be among them. But now, less than half of their water is imported.Reporter Caleigh Wells, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The number of COVID-19 positive hospital patients continues to climb in L.A. County. So, the county could be headed for another public mask mandate.  Reporter Jackie Fortier, KPCCMore than a third of Monkeypox cases are in San Francisco, where vaccine supply isn’t. But, health officials have just received over 2,000 new vaccine doses this week.Reporter Vanessa Rancano, KQEDNew tax breaks from the State could help stabilize California's struggling Cannabis industry. Plenty of people in the industry are still not convinced the shifts will make enough of a dent for small businesses in the cannabis market. We talk to David Downs, Senior Editor at Leafly… who covers cannabis policy and legalization.Reporter Madi Bolanos, KQEDFriendship Park on the US-Mexico border is a place where families separated by the border can see and talk to each other through the fence.  But, a new plan by the Biden Administration may change all that and activists are angered by the new developments.Border Reporter Gustavo Solis, KPBSCheck out our sister show, The California Report's Weekly Magazine, as Lisa Morehouse's series, “California Foodways,” takes her to every one of California’s 58 counties to bring us a story about food.Reporter Lisa Morehouse, California Foodways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A military rocket test launch on California’s Central Coast ends in failure Wednesday night, with the rocket blowing up seconds after launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base.Reporter Lance Orozco, KCLUEvacuation orders have been lifted in parts of Amador County as fire crews begin to get a handle on the Electra Fire, which is now 40-percent contained.Wildfire smoke is likely one reason Lake Tahoe was a little murkier last year. The head of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center says the lake has not fully recovered from a spike of fine particles that flowed into its waters after the extremely wet year of 2017.Reporter Steve Milne, CapRadioThe Las Virgenes Municipal Water District serves many communities like Calabasas and Hidden Hills , home to celebrities. And, it’s also home to some of the state’s top water wasters.Reporter Keith Mizuguchi, KQEDDamages that led to a power outage and the release of 5- thousand gallons of oil at an unmanned substation northwest of Bakersfield on Saturday has the California Public Utilities Commission investigating.Reporter Ted Goldberg, KQEDA new report from the California Institute for Rural Studies says agriculture employees were four times more likely than any other industry, not to follow COVID-19 protocols, like enforcing face masks and physical distancing.On Wednesday opponents submitted more than enough signatures to qualify for a recall election against District Attorney George Gascon, who some say is soft on crime.  A spokesperson with the recall campaign said they spent about $8 million-dollars to gather over 700-thousand signatures.  If certified, the election would be the latest in a string of recalls in California.Two men tell KQED they have been held for about a week at a for-profit, private facility in Central California in retaliation for supporting a peaceful labor strike.Reporter Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Electra Fire which broke out on Monday is now 10-percent contained, according to Cal Fire officials. Nearly 1000 residents in Amador and Calaveras Counties are under mandatory evacuation as 4,000 acres have burned and another 1200 structures are threatened. Dr. Bob Wachter, UCSF Chair of Medicine says people should continue to vaccinate and get boosters because it’s easy to get the newest variant. Wachter also recommends people continue to wear masks in an effort to avoid getting the B-A 5 Omicron subvariant.   University of California researchers found thousands of prisoners and prison workers were infected with COVID-19, despite the high number of those vaccinated at prison facilities across the state.Mary Franklin Harvin, KQEDAdvance Notice of Termination letters have gone out to at least three dozen employees, half of them in the San Diego Police Department, for failing to take COVID tests and/or get vaccinated, for religious reasons.Claire Trageser, KPBS Investigative ReporterIn just a couple weeks, people with mental health emergencies should be able to call 9-8-8 for help. KQED checks in to see how preparations are going ahead of the new number’s launch. Robert Garrova, KQEDIn South Los Angeles every Sunday hundreds of people show up for a free yoga class. But this class isn’t just for fitness. It started as a protest against Black lives lost to violence. Megan Jamerson, KCRWThe Coachella Valley Firebirds make history by hiring the first full-time female assistant coach in the American Hockey League. Jessica Campbell says she's looking forward to working with the players and helping them get to a level where they can play for the National Hockey League. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California has entered the hottest and driest months of the year, and the Bay Area faces a treacherous fire season. According to the latest wildfire forecast, the potential for wildfire is above normal across Northern and Central California.Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED As of July 1, millions of renters in Los Angeles received stronger protections against eviction. The new rules will provide a stronger defense for many L.A. renters who’ve been vulnerable to eviction since April, when a last-minute change in state law temporarily revoked the county’s protections.Reporter: David Wagner, KPCC With the Supreme Court decision last month overturning Roe v. Wade, California has pegged itself as a sanctuary for abortion services. But in many parts of the state, including the Central Valley, those services are hard to come by.Guest: Lauren Jennings, Reporter, Visalia Times-DeltaThe state budget approved by Governor Gavin Newsom last week includes $100 million to help children whose parents died from COVID-19. The HOPE for Children Act, will create savings accounts, with $4,000 deposited for kids younger than 9 and $8,000 for those ages 10 to 17. Reporter: Maria Fernanda Bernal, KQEDIt's July, which means the hottest and smoggiest days are ahead of us. And that dangerous mix of higher temperatures and air pollution in California also means a higher spike in deaths.Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW Climate change is leading to more extreme weather conditions across California. And during the summer months, extreme heat can be more than just an annoyance, it’s downright dangerous. That's why the city of Los Angeles has launched a campaign to warn people about the dangers of extreme heat.Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Masten Space Systems is helping develop a line of rockets that could be used for spaceflights without a crew and eventually, the next mission to the moon.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Supreme Court ruling out this week sharply limits the Biden administration’s ability to limit carbon pollution from power plants. But it will not affect California’s aggressive climate laws. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQEDCalifornia is adding four new states to the list of places to which state-funded travel is banned due to anti-LGBTQ laws. Attorney General Rob Bonta has added Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana and Utah to California’s do-not-travel list.Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQEDGovernor Newsom and the state legislature have agreed to eliminate more than $500 million in late payment fees on traffic violations for Californians. The penalties are known as civil assessments. They get tacked on as fines when someone doesn’t pay off things like speeding tickets on time. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report More people are getting infected with COVID-19 at work in Los Angeles County. With more than 300 workplaces reporting clusters of COVID-19 cases in the past week, L.A. County health officials are urging people to wear masks indoors.Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCCCalifornia immigration advocates have applauded a Supreme Court ruling that gives the Biden administration a greenlight to end a Trump-era immigration policy known as “Remain in Mexico.” Under the policy, the Trump administration expelled about 70,000 asylum seekers to often dangerous conditions in Mexico, to wait for U.S. immigration courts to resolve their claims. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQEDMental health workers say Kaiser Permanente is not ready to comply with a new law that went into effect Friday. It requires insurers to shorten wait times between therapy appointments.Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This fall, California voters will decide on two different proposals to legalize and tax betting on sports. Four years after the U.S. Supreme Court made it possible, voters will decide whether to legalize the multi-billion dollar industry here.Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED A controversial state bill that would make it easier to build housing in office spaces or strip malls has passed out of a Senate Committee. The bill has split the state’s construction trade unions.  Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQEDSacramento County’s homeless population hit a new record high this winter at nearly 9300 people.  That’s according to the Homeless Point-In-Time-Count, which was released earlier this week.Reporter: Chris Nichols, CapRadioCalifornia officials urged the federal EPA to let the state enforce its own ambitious clean truck standards at a hearing on Wednesday. The EPA is considering a waiver allowing California to impose strict regulations, forcing manufacturers to limit diesel pollution and increase production of electric trucks. Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED California nonprofits that help women access abortion care are reeling from changes to the state budget that lawmakers passed on Wednesday night. Some expenses that they thought would be covered for women traveling from out of state, won’t be.Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED The University of California has committed to hosting a voting center or ballot drop box at each of its campuses. The plan was announced as part of a partnership with the Secretary of State’s Office to encourage students to vote. Reporter: Juan Carlos Lara, KQED   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last of California’s eviction protections expires on Friday. Lawmakers extended the deadline back in March, to give the state more time to pay out emergency rental assistance. But thousands of people who applied are still waiting, and could soon face eviction.Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED Reported hate crimes in California rose significantly last year, according to a report issued Tuesday by Attorney General Rob Bonta. Overall reports of hate crimes rose nearly 33% last year – to the highest level since right after the 9/11 attacks.Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED As California's craft liquor scene grows, some of the state's smaller distillers say their growth is limited by laws preventing them from shipping direct to consumers. Now, a new bill, headed back to a state assembly committee, could change that.Reporter: Benjamin Purper, KCBX  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices