Health Officials Expand Access for Monkeypox Vaccine In Los Angeles, some high-risk people can now sign up for shots to combat Monkeypox online. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC California Trees Dying at An Alarming Rate The loss of California trees is posing a direct threat to one of the state’s climate solutions. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW The Aftermath of the Creek Fire As we warily prepare for what might be another devastating wildfire season in California, many communities are dealing with the aftermath of past blazes. It’s been almost two years since the state’s massive Creek Fire destroyed nearly half of the homes in one tight-knit mountain community in Fresno County. Alice Daniel, KVPR New Report Documents Harassment and Discrimination in Asian American and Pacific Island Communities More than 11,000 incidents of harassment, discrimination, and hate crimes against members of the nation’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities were reported in the last two years. That’s according to a new report out by a California- based research and advocacy group. Nina Thorsen, KQED House Speaker Nanci Pelosi Urges Feds to Step Up Response to Monkeypox In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Beccera, Pelosi said the slow federal response to monkeypox is leaving health care providers with massive waitlists and telephone hotlines overrun by desperate callers. Scott Shafer, KQED Apple Is Abusing Its Market Power with Apple Pay, Lawsuit Says This lawsuit accuses Apple of ensuring its devices exclusively use its mobile wallet to make contactless payments. That’s a monopoly, the complaint says, allowing Apple to charge card issuers for a service they get free on Android devices. Rachael Myrow, KQED Community College Students Continue to Wait for Promised Free Textbooks State lawmakers announced last year that they were carving out money to provide relief, community college students are still waiting to receive promised free textbooks. But a bureaucratic logjam is holding up the state funding. Danielle Chiriguayo, KCRW
With summer in full swing, vacationers are heading to places like Lake Tahoe. But seasonal workers at vacation spots around the lake are feeling the effects of the rising cost of living. Reporter: Sarah Mizes-Tan, CapRadio Inflation has been hitting Californians at the gas pump and the grocery store. Now many are facing another new expense - double digit rent increases. Reporter: David Wagner, KPCC
With highly infectious subvariants of Omicron, like BA.5, increasing the spread of COVID-19, mask mandates continue to be re-introduced in the state. Starting Monday,the San Diego Unified School District will require indoor masking for thousands of students and staff involved with summer school activities. A ballot initiative that would’ve taxed the wealthy to fund public health programs won’t make it to the ballot this year. But that doesn’t mean the idea is dead. Reporter: Caleigh Wells, KCRW A group of foster youth gave a presentaton to the state public health director last week about why it's important to include young people in COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Reporter: Holly J. McDede, KQED New sales numbers are out showing Americans are buying EVs at record levels, and they'd actually be buying a lot more if it weren’t for supply chain problems affecting the availability of vehicles. California, perhaps not surprisingly, is leading the electric vehicle buying spree. Guest: Loren McDonald, Electric Vehicle Industry Analyst In an effort to boost sagging recycling rates, the state has looked to local pilot programs to make it easier for consumers to get that nickel or dime deposit back on bottles and cans they return. But rather than helping people keep items out oflandfills, an investigation by the LA nonprofit Consumer Watchdog found the pilot programs aren't taking off. Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRW As more states pass restrictions on abortions, California wants to be a sanctuary state for people seeking to end their pregnancies, But thousands arriving annually from out of state for reproductive services could put a strain on California abortion providers.Some have brought up the possibility of opening clinics on land owned by Native American tribes, but that’s not an easy solution. Guest: Lauren van Schilfgaarde, Legal Clinic Director at the UCLA School of Law
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise across the state.And now, federal health officials say L.A. County’s COVID community risk is high. Reporter: Jackie Fortier, KPCC Housing is an issue across the state and it's been aggravated by the pandemic. A new podcast, Undocumented and Unhoused, released in partnership with El Timpano and Latino USA, looks at how COVID-19 and rising rent prices has led to an increase of undocumented and unhoused people in the Bay Area. Guests: Madeleine Bair, Founder of El Timpano, and Marta Martinez, Senior Editor, Latino USA Lawyers for five women suing Uber over its response to sexual assaults by drivers, say they plan to file similar claims on behalf of more than 500 people. The complaint alleges women were stalked, harassed, kidnapped, and raped during their rides. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED
One in seven California tenants are behind on their rent.So,Attorney General Rob Bonta is issuing instructions to sheriff and police departments across the state on how to respond when someone reports an illegal eviction. Reporter Erin Baldassari, KQED Overall, 91 percent of jobs at daycare centers in California have come back.That might sound good, but the state lags behind the rest of the U.S. economy. Reporter Daisy Nguyen, KQED Starting January 1, the University of California and Cal State school systems will offer *all* students medication abortions through their student health centers.Thanks to a law that passed in 2019, the new policy will connect more than 62-hundred students statewide with those services. And for some, including those in the UC system, student insurance plans will cover all associated costs. Reporter Danielle Chiriguayo, KCRW Big money donors supporting Proposition 30 include San Francisco venture capitalist Ron Conway and former Presidential Candidate Tom ...
BA.5 is now the most dominant variant showing up in wastewater in the South Bay, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Sacramento and elsewhere.The latest data from researchers who study sewage shows clues into how COVID-19 is spreading across the Bay Area. Science Editor Kevin Stark, KQED There's a 25% increase in COVID hospitalizations in Los Angeles County. Health officials say on Thursday LA County could move into the CDC’s high risk category for COVID community spread due to high hospitalizations. Reporter Jackie Fortier, The California Report The FDA has revised its Emergency Use Authorization to let licensed pharmacists prescribe Paxlovid, the treatment given to those at risk of serious illness from COVID. Reporter Carly Severn, The California Report City attorney David Chiu announced that Allergan and Teva Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay $34 million-dollars in cash, and another $20 million dollars worth of Narcan, a treatment for opioid overdose.Walgreens is the only remaining defen...
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 Report New 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, KCRW City 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, KPBS New 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 Desk The 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, KVPR If 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, KCRW Last 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
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 Report A 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, KQED More 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 Viaduc...
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, KPCC More than a third ofMonkeypox 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, KQED New 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, KQED Friendship 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 Repor...
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, KCLU Evacuation 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.Thehead 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, CapRadio The 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, KQED Damages that led to a power outage and the release of 5- thousand gallons of oil at an unmanned substation northwest o...