The California Report

Over 300 California Healthcare Workers Have Died from COVID 19 Health care workers are treating more COVID19 patients than ever in this pandemic, and hospitalizations from the virus are mounting more pressure on an already strained health care system. Reporter: Marco Siler Gonzales, KQED Ten Percent of State's Vaccine Supply is Called Into Question State health officials are recommending a pause in using one batch of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine because of unexpected adverse reactions. Reporter: Molly Peterson, KQED Albertson's Replaces Drivers, Critics Blame Prop 22 Weeks after Proposition 22 became law, we are already seeing the effects ripple out into industries beyond the “gig economy.” The country’s second-largest grocery store chain, Albertsons, is now laying off its grocery delivery employees and replacing them with contractors at DoorDash. Critics of the measure say they warned this would happen. Reporter: Sam Harnett, KQED New Federal Amendments Could Endanger Much of California's Desert As the sun sets on the Trump Administration, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has proposed removing the protected status of millions of acres of desert lands across California. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, CapRadio

How a San Francisco woman became an unexpected source of comfort at a time when another pandemic rocked the state.

California, Other States Join FTC in Alleging Facebook Illegally Quashed Competition After an 18 month investigation, state and federal regulators called for Facebook's acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp to be unwound. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED Latinos Still Account for a Disproportionate Number of COVID-19 Deaths Latinos are almost 40% of California’s population but they make up nearly 60% of the state’s cases of COVID-19, and half of the deaths. A new survey shows Latinos are more concerned than any other group about how the pandemic is affecting them. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED Latino Activists Fear COVID Testing Resources Aren’t Enough Nine months into the pandemic, COVID testing remains top of mind for Latino activists in the Bay Area. In July, we took you to a pop-up testing site set up by the Latino Task Force in San Francisco’s Mission District. Since then, they've been able to expand testing, but outcomes are still frustrating. Guest: Jon Jacobo, Health Chair, Latino Task Force Low Census Response in Central L.A. Has Local Leaders Worried The 34th congressional district in Central L.A. had the state’s lowest response rate to this year’s census. Local leaders say that basically ensures an undercount, which could pose a problem for institutions that serve residents. Reporter: Caroline Champlin, KPCC Parents Rejoice as Playgrounds Reopen The closure of playgrounds has been frustrating for frazzled parents during the pandemic. Following outcry from moms, dads, and some lawmakers, the state announced yesterday it will reopen playgrounds at reduced capacity. Guest: Mariah Lajara, Mother Medical Resources Stretched Thin in Rural Mariposa County As COVID cases surge, many hospitals in the Central Valley are approaching capacity. That’s not the case in Mariposa County yet. But the county’s health officer is warning that resources are becoming scarce for those who need critical care. Reporter: Kerry Klein, Valley Public Radio  

How Some Families are Coping with Unhealthy Air Quality in Southern California Air quality may finally be improving in the Bay Area, but things are still smoky down in Southern California. That’s especially true in in the foothill communities of the San Gabriel Valley, where the Air Quality Index has hit 500 this week.  Reporter: KCRW’s Benjamin Gottlieb, KCRW New Poll Shows Tough Fight for Proposition to Reinstate Affirmative Action The poll from the Public Policy Institute of California shows just 31 percent support a proposition to reinstate affirmative action. The poll also shows a slim majority of likely voters support Proposition 15, which would change how property taxes are assessed on commercial and industrial properties in the state. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED  Neighbors Step Up to Help One Restaurant Worker Out of Work Since Pandemic Began The restaurant industry has been hard hit during the pandemic, losing nearly 400,000 jobs in the state since March. As some businesses reopen, those workers are competing for fewer positions. Victor Moreno is one restaurant worker finding unexpected support from people in his neighborhood. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED 250 Marines and Sailors Sent to Battle Creek Fire 250 marines and sailors are being sent to Central California to help fight the Creek Fire, which has grown to over 220,000 acres and is now 18% contained. Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Firefighters Fight to Save Historic Mount Wilson Observatory The Bobcat Fire has gotten dangerously close to the observatory. It’s surrounded by firefighters and helicopters there to defend the structures, which contain scientifically important telescopes. Sharon McNary, KPCC

Kamala Harris Visits Fresno to Meet with Emergency Personnel Battling Wildfires Democratic Vice Presidential hopeful Kamala Harris met Tuesday with emergency service personnel who have been battling the Creek Fire in the mountains near Fresno.  Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED Women's Groups Vow to Defend Kamala Harris from Racist, Sexist Attacks As the first woman of color on a major party’s presidential ticket, Kamala Harris is already facing subtle and not so subtle personal attacks that observers say most white men would not encounter. Women's groups are geared up to defend her. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED  New Alliance of Progressive Prosecutors Founded to Lobby for Criminal Justice Reform A group of California prosecutors say they are fed up with their peers’ opposition to criminal justice reform and are starting a new group dedicated to pushing political change. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Home Daycares Are Shutting Down When Essential Workers Need Them the Most The pandemic has opened up leeway for some parents working remotely. But many can’t do their jobs from home. Those parents need childcare facilities more than ever, but the daycares say they may have to close if they don’t get more support from the state. Today will be the  first ever bargaining meeting of the Childcare Providers Union with the state. Reporter: Deepa Fernandes, KQED  Farmworker Advocates Say Workers Aren't Receiving N-95 Masks from Employers The Fresno Bee reports the California Department of Food and Agriculture have shipped more than 3 million N-95 masks to 35 counties. But these masks don't appear to be making it to workers. Guest: Estella Cisneros, California Rural Legal Assistance 

California City: a would-be city of the future, where empty desert land is sold as a ticket to the American Dream.

Scorching Heat Sets off Power Outages Across California Hundreds of thousands of people across California lost power beginning Friday evening and again on Saturday as hot temperatures became unbearable. The California Independent Systems Operator, instructed utilities to power down parts of the system. 'Firenado' Spotted as Crews Battle Blazes Throughout State Observers of the Loyalton Fire in the Tahoe National Forest reported a fire-induced tornado on on Saturday. That blaze is one of several burning throughout the state, and firefighters have yet to gain any ground on it. Meanwhile, four fire fighters have been injured battling the River Fire in Monterey County.  Federal Court Strikes Down California's Ban on High-Capacity Magazines State Attorney General Xavier Becerra says his office is reviewing a decision by the 9th Circuit of the Court of Appeals that struck down California's ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. A three-judge panel ruled  on Friday that the blanket ban is an unconstitutional violation of the 2nd amendment. Golden State Killer to be Sentenced this Week Joseph DeAngelo will be sentenced by a Sacramento County Superior Court judge this week. The former police officer was arrested in 2018 after DNA evidence linked him to a series of brutal rapes and murders that took place in the '70s and '80s across the state. Reporter:Julie Chang, KQED  Democratic Party National Convention Kicks Off Tonight — from a Distance The Democratic Party begins its national convention tonight, and what was supposed to be a massive gathering in Milwaukee is now a dramatically pared down event. Reporter: Katie Orr, KQED  Fresno School District Superintendent Outlines Priorities for Distant Learning Today is the first day of school for a lot of students around California. It's all remote for now, and Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson says he's taking it one day at a time. Guest: Bob Nelson, Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson 

California Parents Anxious as Distant Learning Begins in Some Districts This morning the Oakland Unified School District and others across the state start their school year.It won’t be typical, and all instruction is being done remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic. Guest: Parent Stephanie Campos Southern California Women's Prison COVID-19 Cases Climb to 160 The number of infections at the California Institution for Women in Chino has soared to 160 women, and 13 employees at the prison have active COVID-19 cases. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED California's Top Public Health Official Abruptly Resigns Director of California's Public Health Department Sonia Angell stepped down from her position last night. Angell’s resignation comes just days after it was announced that the state had a backlog of as many as 300,000 coronavirus test results. Ventura County's Godspeak Calvary Chapel Remains Defiant Against Shutdown Order County authorities say the religious gatherings could turn into coronavirus super-spreader events that pose a threat to public health. Godspeak Pastor Rob McCoy is encouraging church goers to continue to show up for indoor Sunday service. Bay Area Lebanese Woman Plans Shaken After Deadly Beirut Explosion Beirut, Lebanon is still reeling from the massive explosion that destroyed vast swaths of the city last week. The blast killed at least 150 people, injured thousands more, and destroyed countless homes and businesses in the heart of Beirut. It's also scrambled future plans for so many Lebanese, including one woman living in the Bay Area. Reporter: Lily Jamali OC Registrar of Voters Confident County Can Handle Mail-in-Ballot Surge Election Day is 85 days away, and it will be like no other in American history because of the coronavirus pandemic. Neal Kelley is Orange County's Registrar of Voters. He oversees voting in the fifth largest election jurisdiction in the country with more than one and half million voters. Guest: Neal Kelley, Orange County's Registrar of Voters Calls to Defund Police Draws Mixed Reaction from Black Clergy In this moment of reckoning over racial justice and equity, many people are looking to churches for guidance. Black pastors in particular are speaking out against police violence. Some of California's Black clergy do not support the push to defund the police. Reporter: Ashlea Brown, CapRadio

COVID-19 Cases Top 200,000 in Los Angeles County Los Angeles County has the highest number of reported COVID-19 cases of any county in the U.S. Since January, the coronavirus has killed 4,869 people in L.A. County. That makes it the second leading cause of death after coronary heart disease and far deadlier than the flu. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC  Coronavirus Outbreak Hits Santa Cruz Farmworkers For the first time since the pandemic started, COVID-19 outbreaks have been documented at agricultural workplaces in Santa Cruz. Reporter: Hannah Hagemann, KQED Judge Orders Weekly COVID-19 Testing for Detainees at Mesa Verde A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to test for COVID all detainees at a facility in Bakersfield. That’s after at least nine people held there were diagnosed with the coronavirus. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Disability-Rights Group Sues to Move People out of San Bernadino Psychiatric Hospital About 115 patients and 150 staff have tested positive for COVID-19 at Patton Hospital in San Bernadino. An Oakland-based disability rights group is suing the state to move people out of the psychiatric hospital. Reporter: Kate Wolffe, KQED California Counties Allowed Fewer Polling Places this Election Senate Bill 423 from Democratic State Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) allows counties to consolidate voting locations if they allow at least three days of early, in-person voting. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED State Lawmakers Push to Remove Racist Language from Property Records Some Democratic state lawmakers are proposing a system that removes racist language from property records whenever a property is sold or transferred. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio 'Everyday was on Repeat' Healthcare Workers Confront Isolation of the Pandemic For the last five months doctors have seemed unflappable as they confront daily horrors that most of us can’t imagine. They've become our heroes, but now they’re exhausted. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, The California Report 

One Man's Desperate Pursuit of Unemployment Benefits At least seven million Californians have lost their jobs since the pandemic began earlier this year. It took Antonio Rael an estimated 5,600 calls before he could get an Employment Development Department worker on the phone to  re-certify his claim. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED Basic Questions Are Clogging the Phone Lines, Says EDD Spokesperson Loree Levy, a spokesperson for EDD, says the agency is in the process of hiring more than 5,000 new workers. She is also encouraging applicants to review the agency's FAQs closely before calling in, and says people have been tying up the phone lines with questions already answered online.