Advertise on podcast: KQED's The California Report

The election is less than two weeks away. And Senator Bernie Sanders has been endorsing progressive candidates in races big and small across the country. In California’s Inland Empire, he endorsed Joz Sida, who’s running for the mayor of Fontana. But the endorsement hasn't given Sida much traction. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR California is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit from the Trump administration, that seeks to set aside 20,000 mail-in ballots. It’s alleging those were sent to noncitizens. A highly contagious strain of bird flu has reappeared in California. Two cases have been reported this month. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tens of thousands of state government workers are expected to walk off the job Wednesday for a one-day strike. The issues: wages and benefits. Union-represented employees at libraries, hospitals and agencies such as Caltrans, CalFire and the Department of Motor Vehicles have never walked out of their jobs before, but leaders with the SEIU Local 1000 say they're fighting bad-faith bargaining practices from the Newsom administration. Reporter: Lynn La, Calmatters Californians will vote on Proposition 45 in November. That measure would make significant changes to the state’s landmark environmental review process. Reporter: Jake Gotta, KPBS Bakersfield is not usually a destination for big political names – except when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was still in Congress. But this year’s midterm election has changed that. California's 22nd congressional district, which covers parts of five San Joaquin Valley counties, has become one of the most hotly contested congressional seats in the country. Reporter: Amaray Alvarez, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many Californians, a mobile home is the only home they can afford. But owning comes with a catch: They still rent the land underneath and the state’s rent cap doesn’t cover them. That leaves mobile homeowners vulnerable to big rent spikes. Cities and counties can set their own limits. But across the state, only about 1 in 5 do. In the East Bay city of San Pablo, Linda Jackson is hoping her neighbors will come out to support a measure her city has on the ballot. Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report California leaders are pushing back against the Trump administration’s actions. The Trump administration is ramping up its fight against California elections. The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that 28 state residents, who it says are green-card holders not citizens, illegally registered to vote in U.S. elections. The charges are part of an escalating campaign to highlight illegal voting by immigrants, which the president says is "rampant." Attorney General Rob Bonta says true voter fraud should be punished, but as these arrests show that it’s exceedingly rare. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED In Northern California, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were spotted outside of a polling center in Yuba City on Monday morning , according to the immigrant rights group NorCal Resist. Reporter: Gerardo Zavala, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gas prices in California continue to be the highest in the nation. So it's no surprise that prices at the pump are a hot topic in the state’s closest elections for Congress. But the war in Iran has given California Democrats a rare opportunity to turn the tables on the issue. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED A surge in immigration arrests is underway in the Central Valley. Advocates say detained immigrants are being denied access to legal counsel, and dozens are disappearing into the detention system. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year, Silicon Valley has poured money into California’s legislative races at levels far above past elections. One district where that money looms large is Assembly District 12 in Marin and Sonoma counties, where two Democrats are facing off. Reporter: Izzy Bloom, KQED The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against California on Thursday, aiming to block the state from counting the ballots of around 20, 000 voters. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, KQED California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed his 100th lawsuit against the Trump administration. It's challenging the Immigration and Customs Enforcement practice of making immigration arrests inside state courthouses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration this week is threatening to take legal action against California unless election officials verify the citizenship of some people on the state’s voter rolls. Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, KQED Report after report says a Super El Niño could slam the west coast with rain and snow. So what can skiers expect on the slopes? To help answer that question, we're joined by KQED outdoor reporter Sarah Wright, who's been talking with experts and joins us now. Reporters: Madi Bolanos, Sarah Wright Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California voters will soon decide who should be the next insurance commissioner. Two Democrats are in the race, former San Francisco supervisor, Jane Kim, and state Senator Ben Allen. Kim is offering the boldest out-of-the-box policy idea, a publicly run nonprofit guaranteed disaster insurance for all program. Guest, Danielle Venton, KQED California lawmakers say a surge in immigration raids in the Golden State could suppress the vote come November. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVPR An ICE officer was charged this week with felony assault in Fresno, after he attacked two residents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a small town on the fringes of the Bay Area, a former software engineer wants to create a new kind of neighborhood — one that’s built around an event center where Silicon Valley thinkers could gather and share ideas. There’d be a hotel and an amphitheater and maybe even a K-6 school. But as the project nears final approval, it’s facing a new wave of backlash from some residents who have concerns about its impact on the environment. Reporter: Adhiti Bandlamudi A state lawmaker is calling for oversight hearings into lockdowns that were imposed at a San Diego County correctional facility during last month's intense heat wave. Assembly Public Safety Committee Chair Nick Schultz says he was "gravely concerned" about the well-being of incarcerated people at the Donovan Correctional Facility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the height of the summer heat wave last month, Donovan State Prison in San Diego County went into lockdown. Several incarcerated people say officials at the prison confined them to their cells even as temperatures soared indoors. It highlights a statewide crisis and advocates and lawmakers have been sounding the alarm for years. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS More than a dozen homes in Long Beach have been red-tagged after Tropical Storm Rachel battered the Southern California Coast over the weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California now has a statewide guide for teaching about Native American history and culture. In the community of Bonsall in San Diego County, a high school teacher is weaving the curriculum into his history class. Reporter: Katie Anastas, KPBS Central Valley leaders are trying to assuage the anxieties of their constituents, who are worried about a reported ICE crackdown in the area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The USS Abraham Lincoln returns to San Diego today after an intense, months-long deployment to the Middle East. The aircraft carrier spent more than 260 days at sea without a port call, and there have been multiple reports of low morale for the crew. Guest: Andrew Dyer, KPBS reporter Chico State students rallied yesterday against sexual assault on college campuses. It's part of a nationwide outcry following rape allegations at Cornell University in New York. In the San Joaquin Valley, leaders of a faith-based nonprofit in the San Joaquin Valley announced a new initiative yesterday that trains residents to become “poll chaplains.” Rachel Livinal with The Merced FOCUS reports the “poll chaplains” aim to de-escalate tensions at polling places. Reporter: Rachel Livinal, The Merced FOCUS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Los Angeles, a new crop of cafes is taking the artisanal coffee experience to the next level. People are turning their homes into coffee speakeasies, serving specialty brews out of their kitchens and backyards. Despite - and perhaps because of their low-profile, these DIY businesses are all the buzz. Reporter: Betsy Shepherd, KCRW Researchers are calling on OpenAI to keep kids under 18 off of ChatGPT — at least for now. Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED A state agency has found that Los Angeles Unified School District risks running out of money by the end of next school year. Reporter: Mariana Dale, LAist Californians will vote on Proposition 43 this November. That measure would make it harder to impose or increase local taxes. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A fallen servicemember recently received a funeral with full military honors in the Tulare County community of Exeter. It was a bittersweet homecoming that many, including his family, never believed would happen. Reporter: Amaray Alvarez, KVPR The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security is continuing to buy up ICE detention facilities in California and, as of this week, now has full ownership over the Adelanto ICE Processing Center near Victorville. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Huntington Beach is famous far beyond Southern California - as Surf City. And for its MAGA policies. All seven city council members are strong supporters of President Trump. But this year, with his poll numbers down, Democrats sense an opportunity. Reporter: Kerstin Zilm Xavier Becerra, the Democratic candidate for governor, made a rare public appearance in Riverside on Friday. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom signed three laws this week aimed at addressing some of the most pressing safety concerns surrounding electric bicycles, as the devices’ popularity continues to rise in California. It was not long ago that the headlines about e-bikes seemed full of promise, as a replacement for gas-guzzling cars, and an affordable, flexible new mode of transportation. Now, a lot of the news is about crashes and serious injuries, often involving kids. Reporter: Jill Replogle, LAist Lyft has agreed to pay more than $272 million to settle a state lawsuit alleging it misclassified California drivers as independent contractors, rather than employees, from 2016 to 2020. A new study has found that when applying for building permits, mosques face more pushback over parking requirements than churches. Reporter: Kendra Hanna, KCBX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices