News

California State Of Mind | Episode 41

Participation, Baby! How Some Cities Are Experimenting With A Community Budget Process

September 24, 2021

If your city leaders asked you how to spend millions of tax dollars, what would you suggest? Some cities in California have been experimenting with a participatory budget process. Hear how it works and why it seems to be gaining momentum.

California Coronavirus Updates: California Is Making Plans For Booster Shots And Vaccinations For Younger Children

September 24, 2021

Yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed booster shots for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans, opening up a major new phase in the U.S. COVID-19 vaccine drive, according to the Associated Press.

Health Care

CDC Director Backs COVID Booster Plan And Makes An Additional Recommendation

September 24, 2021

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on a series of recommendations from a panel of advisers late Thursday. In addition she also recommended boosters for high-risk workers.

State Government

A New Law In California Aims To Protect Workers At Retail Warehouses Like Amazon's

September 24, 2021

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 701 on Wednesday. It aims to address the impact of speed quotas on warehouse worker injuries and health.

Health Care

A CDC Panel Backs Booster Shots For Older Adults, A Step Toward Making Them Available

September 23, 2021

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended a third dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for people 65 and older as well as others at a high risk of severe illness.

Sacramento Zoo Explores Relocation To Larger Site In Elk Grove

September 23, 2021 | Ed Fletcher | Nick Miller

A beloved landmark is considering up-and-leaving its longtime city digs for a bigger home in the suburbs.

PolitiFact California

Can You Handle The Truth: Fact-Checking Claims About Breakthrough COVID-19 Cases

September 23, 2021 | Chris Nichols

Breakthrough cases are rare but are fueling misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines, which are safe and effective at preventing the disease.

Health Care

The FDA OKs Pfizer-BioNTech Booster For People 65+ And At High Risk For Severe COVID

September 22, 2021

A third shot of the vaccine can be given at least six months after the two-dose regimen of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to the authorization. A booster rollout could begin this week.

Students With Disabilities Across California Stuck In Limbo

September 22, 2021

Some parents are being forced to decide between risking sending their kids with disabilities to school and getting all their needs met or keeping them at home and forfeiting their special education services.

As Sacramento Opens New Navigation Center For Unhoused People, A New Lawsuit Threatens To Block Other Shelters From Moving Forward

September 22, 2021 | Janelle Salanga

A navigation center on X Street opened Tuesday to welcome homeless people, their pets and partners. It’s one of the shelters the city is hoping can address a growing homelessness crisis. But there’s still some criticism and concern.

Environment

How Indigenous Knowledge Is Changing The Way California Tracks The Effects of Climate Change

September 22, 2021 | Manola Secaira

For a long time, Indigenous knowledge has been ignored in Western science and academia. A recent report challenges this trend, by including tribal perspectives in research on the indicators of climate change.

Health Care

Home Births Gain Popularity In ‘Baby Bust’ Decade

September 21, 2021

Over the past decade, California has seen a sustained rise in the proportion of people who opt to give birth at home or in midwife-run birthing centers rather than in a hospital.

Environment

As California’s Drought Deepens, Water Use Drops Only 1.8%

September 21, 2021

Officials warn that next year’s cuts in water supply could go even deeper as severe drought grips nearly 90% of California. Residents of the North Coast and Bay Area conserved more than Southern Californians did.

‘Winter Was The Deadliest Season’: Report Shows 137 Homeless Residents Died In Sacramento County In 2020

September 21, 2021 | Chris Nichols

Advocates say Sacramento should open warming centers before winter this year and locate them close to homeless camps.

EGUSD Rescinds Expulsion Recommendation Of Black Student Following Community Involvement

September 21, 2021 | A.V. Benford

A small band of activists gathered outside the offices of the Elk Grove Unified School District on Sept. 13 to demand the immediate reinstatement of a Black female student-athlete facing expulsion.

State Government

California's Firefighters Keep Getting Injured While Training. And Some Have Died

September 21, 2021

Over the last year and a half, almost four dozen Cal Fire firefighters have suffered from heat illness during training, and since 2003, five have died.

Environment

Here's Why Firefighters Are Wrapping Sequoia Trees In Aluminum Blankets

September 20, 2021

The sequoias are "wrapped with house-wrapping material, kind of an aluminum-foil fabric that goes around the base of the trees," says Jon Wallace, who is helping to lead the firefighting effort.

Environment

Highway 50 Reopened Tuesday, A Month After The Caldor Fire Closed It

September 20, 2021 | Chris Hagan | Ed Fletcher

Officials say drivers should be alert to crews working along the highway and cautioned that the area will look very different than it did before the fire.

State Government

A Partisan Recall Puts California Republican Party In Disarray

September 19, 2021

Gov. Gavin Newsom made the California recall a partisan contest, and Republican elected officials had an embarrassing showing. Larry Elder, on the other hand, is the new power in the GOP.

CHP Sidesteps Feds To Continue 30-Day Tows

September 18, 2021

The California Highway Patrol still impounds thousands of unlicensed drivers’ cars for 30 days, despite a 2017 federal court ruling calling the holds unconstitutional.