KQED's The California Report – Details, episodes & analysis

Federal labor enforcement authorities recover millions of dollars for workers each year from employers who break minimum wage, overtime pay and other laws. But a significant chunk of that money never makes it to wage-theft victims, many of whom are in California. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED State lawmakers are jockeying to push remaining bills through to Governor Newsom before the Legislature adjourns on Saturday.  Reporter: Sameea Kamal, CalMatters A bill that would compensate people for property taken by racially-motivated uses of eminent domain is headed to the governor’s desk after being approved by the state legislature on Thursday. Reporter: Annelise Finney, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the state is dealing with a big budget deficit, it's harder to get bills with big price tags approved. But now, a handful of lawmakers say they think the Newsom administration purposely overestimated how much their bills would cost to help ensure they wouldn't advance in the legislature. Guest: Ryan Sabalow, CalMatters A milestone in the largest dam removal in U.S. history happened early Wednesday. Two temporary dams were breached, directing the Klamath River back into its historic channel for the first time in more than a century. Reporter: Juliet Grable, Jefferson Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another’s treasure. And that’s true at a landfill in Riverside County. Workers at the Lamb Canyon Landfill have started rescuing items to resell at a new store.  Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR A new poll shows California voters are supportive of a plan to increase penalties for theft and drug offenses, and to raising the state's minimum wage. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Last month, Governor Newsom signed a bill into law that bans school districts from requiring staff to disclose a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation to anyone without the student’s permission. But this week, the school board of the Cajon Valley Union School District in San Diego County voted unanimously to do just that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're nearing the deadline to file taxes. While the task may seem daunting, especially for people who can’t afford an accountant, a group of high school students in Central California want to help fix that problem. Reporter: Billy Cruz, The California Report Fewer than one in five people in California could afford to buy the median priced home last year. That’s according to a new report from the California Association of Realtors.  Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED  The city of Stockton has settled a wrongful death suit with the family of a man who died after being held face down by police in 2020. Reporter: Emily Zentner, The California Newsroom  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Western States Join California's COVID Vaccine Advisory Group Governor Gavin Newsom says Oregon, Washington, and Nevada are joining California's vaccine advisory working group, which will evaluate the safety of COVID-19 vaccines once they become available. L.A. Studying Reliability of At-Home COVID-19 Antigen Tests The city and county of Los Angeles are conducting a pilot study to test the reliability of rapid antigen tests, designed to tell in a few minutes if someone is infectious with the coronavirus. Besides being faster, the small at-home nasal swab tests are much cheaper than the tests L.A. has been using. Reporter: Jackie Fortier KPCC UCSF Doctors Call Treatment of Migrant Children "Torture" A group of UC San Francisco doctors is calling the Trump administration’s treatment of migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border, "torture" under international law. Pediatricians say the children suffer from anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress.  Reporter: Michelle Wiley, KQED Polling is Close on Prop 22 Days Before Election Day Election Day is less than a week away, and polling is close on Proposition 22, which would allow ride hailing and delivery companies to keep classifying their workers as contractors. Each side is trying to sway undecided voters in the final stretch. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED State Cleanup of Toxic Battery Plant Behind Schedule and Short of Funds For decades, a now shuttered battery recycling plant polluted working class neighborhoods in East and South Los Angeles. Now California’s State Auditor reports that state clean-up work is behind schedule, short more than 390 million dollars to finish the job, and leaves quote “Californians at continued risk of lead poisoning.” Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW Breaking Down Asian American Perspectives on Prop 16 From our collaboration with CalMatters’ College Journalism Network we look into the conflicting feelings Prop 16 brings out across the Asian American community. It underscores that the common narrative we hear about Asian Americans and affirmative action is often oversimplified. Reporter: Janelle Salanga, UC Davis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two Firefighters Critically Injured in Silverado Fire In Southern California, The Silverado and Blue Ridge Fires have forced the evacuation of tens of thousands, and left two firefighters in critical condition with second and third degree burns. Like other recent blazes, the Silverado fire might be connected to a utility company. Reporter: Lily Jamali, KQED Governor Newsom Strikes Another Blow Against the Death Penalty Three months after he was sworn into office, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on executions in California. Now he’s trying to strike another blow against the death penalty, this time in the courtroom.  Reporter: Nicole Nixon, CapRadio L.A. to Test Unarmed Mental Health Crisis Response Program In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others by police, Sacramento, Oakland, and San Francisco are all exploring alternatives to cops responding to some emergencies. The City of Los Angeles has also announced a partnership with L.A. County that will test a model of unarmed mental health crisis response.  Reporter: Robert Garrova, KPCC GOP House Candidates Hope to Hold Onto Northern L.A. County In northern L.A. county, the Antelope and Santa Clarita Valleys have become one of California’s fiercest electoral battlegrounds. Two Republicans running in the area have taken different paths to hold off challengers this fall. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Faculty Diversity Gaps Persist at California's Community Colleges This week, in collaboration with CalMatters’ College Journalism Network, we’re providing a student-centered perspective on Proposition 16. Today we hear from Marisa Martinez, a senior at Cal State L.A. about the representation gaps between faculty and students across California Community College campuses.  Reporter: Marisa Martinez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Prop 16 Could Reshape Higher Ed Campuses Across California Student journalists are taking over The California Report to kick off a special collaboration with CalMatters' College Journalism Network. They're looking into Prop 16, is a statewide ballot measure that would restore affirmative action in public institutions and government contracts. Reporters: Kayleen Carter, Marisa Martinez, Janelle Salanga Early Voters Cast Ballots in Voting Centers Across L.A County Over the weekend, Los Angles County voters could start casting their ballots in-person as the county opened up over 100 vote centers. Hundreds more centers will open on October 30th. Ballot Measure to Raise Commercial Property Taxes Falling Short, IGS Poll Shows A ballot measure to raise commercial property taxes and generate billions of dollars for schools and local services is falling short of 50 percent, according to a new Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED California State University System Students Graduating at Highest Rates Ever The good news is that students are graduating from the California State University system at the highest rates ever. The bad news? Just 31 percent of first time students get a diploma in four years. Reproter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Uber Drivers Sue Over Pop Up Messages Soliciting Support for Prop 22 The lawsuit identifies three messages in the Uber app that began popping up in August. One asked drivers to vote for Prop 22, which would legalize contractor status for gig workers. Reporter: Sam Harnet, KQED  Creative Economy Slammed by Coronavirus Pandemic, New Study Shows A study out this week from Otis College of Art and Design found the creative economy has been slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. The downturn is particularly affecting Southern California. Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW  How California Latinos Are Mobilizing to Get Out the Vote Nearly a million California Latinos have already voted. Sounds like a lot, but the raw numbers are not the whole story, because Latinos are nearly a third of the state’s eligible voters. And a lot of folks are working to ensure they can flex that political muscle.  Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED U.S Government Told to Do More to Reunite Children Seperated from Parents In court in San Diego on Thursday, federal Judge Dana Sabraw said he wants to see more coordination from the government in finding the parents of 545 families that were separated at the border. This comes as part of a status conference meant to enforce the settlement that was supposed to stop the government’s “family separation” policy along the border. Reporter: Max Rivlin Nadler, KQED Federal Court Blocks Federal Effort to Exclude Unauthorized Immigrants from Census A federal court in San Jose has blocked the Trump administration’s effort to exclude unauthorized immigrants from the census population count used to distribute Congressional seats among the states. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED West Hollywood Could Name Official “Drag Laureate” The West Hollywood City Council is eyeing the creation of an official “drag laureate” who would serve as an ambassador to local businesses. Reporter: Danielle Chiriguayo, KCRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 4.8 Million Californians Have Voted So Far Californians are exceptionally motivated to vote in this election, with more than 4.8 million vote-by-mail ballots already returned. A new statewide poll also finds deep-seated skepticism about a potential coronavirus vaccine.  Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Competitive Central Valley House Race is a Toss-Up Following Debate The two candidates in one of the most competitive House races in California, the 21st district, which includes parts of Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern Counties, squared off this week in Bakersfield. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED How Do Fire Victims Vote-By-Mail? Registrars Are Helping There are only 12 days until election day, and because of the pandemic, all registered voters in the state have been sent mail-in ballots. But what about people who have lost their homes to wildfires, how do they vote? Reporter: Isabella Bloom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

State Coronavirus Numbers Up Slightly, But Positivity Rate Remains Low California counties find themselves on very different paths when it comes to reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yesterday San Francisco learned it is moving into the yellow tier of the state’s framework on restrictions as Shasta and Riverside counties are being downgraded to purple after a spike in cases. $100 Million Scholarship Fund Supports Community College Students Students often quit California's community colleges before graduating. It's long been a pain point for the state. This week, college leaders are celebrating a $100 million dollar donation meant to help students finish their degrees. Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED Universities Sue Over Skilled-Worker Visa Restrictions Caltech and the University of Southern California are among the plaintiffs suing the federal government for placing new restrictions on hiring highly skilled foreign workers. Reporter: Caroline Champlin KPCC Investigation Finds Human Error Caused Tragic Boat Fire A federal investigation into a deadly boat fire off the Santa Barbara coast a year ago has found human error mostly to blame. The fire aboard the Conception killed 34 people. It's the deadliest maritime disaster in modern state history. Reporter: Matt Guilhem, KCRW San Francisco Bans Racist Non-Emergency 911 Calls San Francisco supervisors have unanimously approved new legislation which makes it a hate crime to make racist, non-emergency calls to the police. It’s called the CAREN legislation, a nod to the privileged white woman meme. Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty in Opioid Investigation The Department of Justice says it’s reached an $8 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma, the maker of the prescription painkiller OxyContin. Officials say the company will plead guilty to three counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States. It does not release members of the Sackler family from criminal liability. Guest: Anand Giridharadas, Author, Winners Take All Advocates Work to Mobilize California's Unlikely Voters We are less than two weeks away from Election Day, but nearly four million Californians have already cast their ballots by mail. Those robust early returns are causing excitement among groups dedicated to increasing voter turnout, but there's a catch.  Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Satirist and Math Professor Puts Work in Public Domain Legendary Satirist Tom Lehrer is also a distinguished emeritus professor of mathematics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. the 92-year-old has just put much of his intellectual property in the public domain so that others can use it freely.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices