KQED's The California Report

In San Francisco, advocates for transgender people are trying to beef up protections for their community, in the face of anti-trans policies from the Trump administration. This work isn’t just about legal threats, but also fears of physical violence. Reporter: Bianca Taylor, KQED A new analysis warns the Colorado River could fall to dangerously low levels next year. The river supplies water to cities and farms across San Diego and Imperial counties. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS A UC Davis study found 85% of elementary schools in California experienced some loss of trees between 2018 and 2022. Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you drive or walk past a public park, one of the sounds you’ll likely hear is the thwack of a bat before seeing a ball flying through the air. But at some parks in Fresno, these aren’t due to that all-American sport you may be thinking of. Reporter: Israel Cardona Hernandez, KVPR Some mental health clinicians are worried AI is coming for their jobs. In the Fall, more than 200 of them gathered for an online forum to learn more. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some Mixtec farmworkers in Watsonville have trained as doulas to support other Indigenous women during pregnancy and childbirth. Reporter: Ngozi Cole, KAZU A tribal group in central California is celebrating the return of thousands of acres of land back from the state. Reporter: Cresencio Rodriguez Delgado, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christmas is two days away which means Santa Claus is pulling overtime. He’s at the mall taking photos and he’s project managing toy production. This story is all about the work of being Santa. So, if you’re listening with a child who’s expecting a visit from jolly old Saint Nick this year, you may want to turn down the volume. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW California is preparing for another storm system that could bring dangerous conditions to large portions of the state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Humboldt County, a rural volunteer fire station is struggling to meet its community’s needs. They’re hoping a state budget allocation to expand Calfire staffing might offer some support, but nothing has materialized yet. Reporter: Katherine Monahan, KQED The Trump administration continues to drastically shrink the immigration courts in Northern California – leaving just a few judges to handle a massive backlog of cases. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED California transportation officials say they’ve paused a plan to resume issuing thousands of commercial driver’s licenses, under federal pressure. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holiday season brings many traditions for families across California. One that is tried and true - decorating your home with a Christmas tree. While most families buy artificial trees these days, there are still some places in the state where you can not only get a living tree, but even cut it down yourself. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Roughly 2,000 people meander through Old Monterey every December to tour California’s oldest government building and other Alta California adobes. Monterey State Historic Park interpreter Aaron Gilmartin helped coordinate the immersive event. A panel of federal judges could rule soon on whether California’s new congressional maps can stay in place. That’s after a three day court hearing in Los Angeles ended Wednesday. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresno Yosemite International Airport may be considered small, but more than 2 million travelers passed through it last year. And the city of Fresno is moving to expand the airport and accommodate a growing customer base for a growing region. In 2023, the airport broke ground on a new terminal. And that terminal is set to open just in time for Christmas and New Year travel. Reporter: Samantha Rangel, KVPR Officials in the Bay Area city of Dublin voted unanimously this week to oppose using a closed federal women’s prison as an immigration detention facility, or for any type of incarceration. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Regulators are set to consider cutting the profits California's major utilities can make. Reporter: Erin Stone, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Newsom administration confirmed it’s backtracking on a plan to indefinitely revoke thousands of commercial drivers licenses held by immigrants. That’s welcome news to the drivers and their families. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED As Jewish communities around the globe struggle to comprehend the deadly mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach, in Kern County, the losses are hitting especially close to home. Reporter: Jonathan Linden, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last six weeks, children who crossed the US-Mexico border alone have been inexplicably stuck in federal custody at shelters across the country. The Trump administration has stopped releasing these kids to their families and loved ones. It’s not saying why. But sources in the government agency that’s in charge of unaccompanied kids — and lawyers who help them — say they’ve never seen anything like this. Guest: Mark Betancourt, The California Newsroom Federal authorities say they’ve thwarted a plot to bomb five locations around Southern California on New Year’s Eve. The FBI has arrested four people who they say belong to an extremist anti-government group. Reporter: Madison Aument, KVCR After a Supreme Court decision that allowed authorities to penalize people for sleeping outdoors, the City of Fresno was one of the first to enact its own anti-camping law. Now, a class action lawsuit is challenging its legality. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVCR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Santa Cruz and Monterey counties largest food banks report a third of residents can’t consistently afford healthy food. And in this rich fishing region, some of the freshest catch is helping fill those empty bellies. Reporter: Katie Brown, KAZU Doctors are petitioning California to prohibit the use of a popular countertop material linked to the death of dozens of stoneworkers. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ICE has released an immigrant from Ukraine who was arrested after her green card interview last week. She says she was held for days inside a federal building in downtown San Diego. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS We're getting into the cold, wet part of the year, and for many people that means it's time to nestle indoors and stay cozy. But for some, the rain spells a special opportunity - to embark into the woods and forage for wild mushrooms. Over 1500 of these enthusiasts got together recently at a fungus fair in Humboldt County. Reporter: Katherine Monahan, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Catholic bishops from across California held mass at the Adelanto ICE Detention Center near the Mojave Desert on Wednesday. This is part on of an outreach effort to immigrants who have been caught up in the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown here in California. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR Farmworkers across the country are suing the Trump administration. They want to axe a recent change to the guest worker visa program, known as H-2A, that cuts farmworker pay by 25%. Reporter: Joshua Yeager Housing advocates filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Governor Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass over their orders banning duplexes in burn zones. Reporter: David Wagner, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The condominium used to be a relatively affordable home ownership option in California. But it has almost disappeared from our cities. Why? A new generation of housing activists says California laws have killed the condo, and they want that to change. Reporter: Frances Anderton, KCRW Hundreds of millions of dollars to address homelessness in California is in limbo after the Trump administration reversed course on a major funding program — at least, for now. Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Californians hoping to take advantage of free entry days at national parks will see big changes next year. The Trump administration is removing civil rights holidays and adding President Trump's birthday instead. The move is already prompting backlash from civil rights groups and conservation advocates. International visitors will also face new rules for park access. Guest: Sarah Wright, KQED The Ukrainian wife of a U.S. citizen remains in ICE custody after she was detained late last week in San Diego. Her lawyers say the arrest marks another new escalation in the Trump administration’s emerging practice of targeting immigrants at their green card interviews. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dozens of cities and law enforcement agencies from around the state are using automated license plate readers. And in some cases, those communities are fighting back, suing to stop their use. In San Diego County, law enforcement agencies are also searching license plate cameras owned by private businesses -- with little oversight. Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS A new law banning cat declawing in California is set to take effect next year. Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A man and his best friend are being reunited in Mexico on Friday, three months after being separated by immigration agents outside a day labor center about an hour east of Los Angeles. Reporter: Anthony Victoria, KVCR The Inspector General for California’s massive prison system says a backlog of investigations into staff misconduct has ballooned to 10,000 cases. Reporter: Julie Small, KQED The governing body for high school sports in California is changing its bylaws in an effort to protect immigrant student athletes. Reporter: Keith Mizuguchi, The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After decades of planning and setbacks, officials are laying the groundwork for something that would be the first of its kind in California — a hybrid campus that houses degree programs from multiple universities across San Diego County. Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS California cities cannot choose to disobey the state's immigration sanctuary law. Reporter: Jill Replogle, LAist There are currently at least 10 candidates vying to be California’s next governor, and the race appears to be anyone’s to win. Reporter: Jeanne Kuang, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly a year after a lithium-ion battery fire in Moss Landing, we're learning the extent of the damage to nearby Elkhorn Slough, a protected marine estuary. Reporter: Elena Neale-Sacks, KAZU California Attorney General Rob Bonta is joining six other state attorneys in calling out buy-now-pay-later lenders, amid concerns that they're putting consumers at financial risk. Reporter: Francesca Fenzi, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robots have come a long way in the last ten years. They can move parts around a warehouse, clean hotel floors, and deliver food. But they’re still rare in everyday life. This could change as businesses look to cut rising costs by hiring fewer people. Reporter: Megan Jamerson, KCRW The search continues for the suspect or suspects who opened fire at a toddler’s birthday party over the weekend in Stockton, killing four guests and wounding eleven more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fear, isolation, uneasiness. Ever since the Trump administration ramped up immigration enforcement efforts, immigrant communities in California have a growing sense of anxiety. One community worried about enforcement is farm workers, where many people's lives have been upended. Guest: Nigel Duara, CalMatters A shooting at a banquet hall in the Central Valley town of Stockton has left four young people dead and 11 injured. The shooting Saturday took place at a children's birthday party. California immigration lawyers are seeing a startling trend: people who are in the process of becoming legal U.S. residents attend their green card interview and are arrested on the spot. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices