The California Report Magazine

KQED’s Alex Hall has spent years reporting on the criminal case of Jesús Antonio Castañeda Serna, formerly known as Father Antonio to his Central Valley parish. For a decade, Castañeda drew in hundreds of followers from Fresno’s Latino Community to his Spanish-language congregation, earning him the nickname, “el padrecito que hace milagros (the priest who performs miracles). But parishioners started coming forward, mostly adult men, accusing the priest of sexually assaulting them during healing rituals. When he was arrested in 2019, Castañeda was looking at the possibility of serving 23 1/2 years in prison. Since this story first aired in 2020, Castañeda pleaded no contest to nine counts of sexual battery and one count of attempt to dissuade a witness. The rest of the charges were dropped. In June, he was sentenced to 365 days in the Fresno County Jail and five years of probation. With credit for time served, he is expected to be released in late December after serving a total of six months. We’ll hear Hall’s audio documentary that first aired in 2020, an update on Castañeda’s case and how the survivors feel about his recent sentencing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maybe you’re still munching on your Thanksgiving leftovers. Or maybe you’re too stuffed to even think about eating. But before you push away from the table, we’re bringing you two of our favorite stories from over the years about…food! We start in East San José, at a scrappy strip mall anchored by a Vietnamese sandwich, or “bánh mì” shop doesn’t look like much. But the corner of Burdette Dr. and S. King Rd is actually a California transportation hub. Every morning by 8 AM, there’s a steady stream of riders lining up by a spotless white tour coach with no visible markings. They’re here for the daily run of the Xe Đò Hoàng, which means “Royal Coach” in Vietnamese. But those in the know call it the “Bánh Mì Bus.” Hop on, enjoy your delicious sandwich, and listen to this story from Reporter Christine Nguyen that we first brought you in October 2022 about food, community…and murder for hire! Then, we jet up north to the town of Susanville in Lassen County–mostly known for its two state prisons. But the town is also home to a chef cooking up gourmet meals, inspired by his childhood in the Pacific Island nation of Palau. Rice and short-ribs, poke, and toasted angel food cake are just some of the culinary treats Brennan Temol whips up in the community college cafeteria. In August 2022, for her series California Foodways, reporter Lisa Morehouse took us on a food tour with Temol. She learned how the Palauan chef used his skills to elevate cafeteria food and found a way to bring a taste of home to a high desert community that in some ways, isn’t so different from his homeland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This winter marks six years since Jennifer Porter and her family survived the deadly Camp Fire, a disaster that claimed 85 lives and burned over 150,000 acres. While Porter was lucky enough to drive through the flames that day, the fire set her on a new, harrowing path: building a new life for herself while healing from trauma. KQED’s Pauline Bartolone checked in with Porter along various stages of her recovery –a journey that continues every day. Then, we head south to the Still Life Cafe, a French kitchen with North African roots in the Eastern Sierra. The cafe’s many five-star reviews warn customers in a rush: come for a leisurely lunch, or hit the gas station across the street. As part of her series California Foodways, reporter Lisa Morehouse traveled to the town of Independence, to break bread with Malika Adjaouad Patron, the cafe’s owner and chef. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While homelessness in the Golden State may feel like an intractable crisis, some unhoused people are able to get back on their feet–and find solutions that last. KQED’s health correspondent Lesley McClurg profiled two women in the Bay Area who spent years on the streets, and turned their lives around when it felt like there was no way out. Chantel Hernandez-Coleman overcame decades of addiction, and is now saving lives. Vera Salido has finally found safety and peace after a catastrophic event forever altered her world. Then, KQED’s MindShift brings us the story of the Monarch School, in San Diego County, which has transformed unhoused families’ lives, and offers hope to vulnerable students. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a momentous election this week, Californians are trying to make sense of what a second Trump presidency could mean for the Golden State. Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democratic Party leaders are fighting to protect the state’s progressive values on immigration, climate change and reproductive rights ahead of Trump’s inauguration. Host Sasha Khokha spoke with KQED’s political correspondent Marisa Lagos to discuss California’s future in a second Trump term. Plus, in times of monumental political change, artists can sometimes help us make sense of the world, express big feelings and connect to one another. Oakland’s Kev Choice’s boundary-breaking work is doing just that. Choice is a classically trained pianist and accomplished hip-hop artist who has worked for decades to bridge the gap between those two distinct worlds. His diverse body of work includes songs about Oakland, racial injustice, activism and politics. KQED Arts and Culture editor Nastia Voynovskaya spent time with Choice to discuss his musical evolution, and his impact on the future of music in Oakland and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Six-year-old Sumaya Kaur Sidibe beamed with pride when she watched Kamala Harris become Vice President in 2021. She identified with Harris in a big way: she is also mixed race – Indian and Black – and she’s from Oakland. We produced a story about the family preparing for Kamala Harris to take office back in 2021. But four years later, Sumaya has complicated feelings about the vice president’s politics and the way she talks about her own biracial identity. Host Sasha Khokha checks back in with the Sidibe-Singh family about how they are feeling about this upcoming presidential election, and the questions they have for Kamala Harris. And Incarcerated people can’t vote in this upcoming election, but their lives may be directly impacted by the results. Our friends at KALW’s Uncuffed podcast bring you a conversation between currently and formerly incarcerated journalists at San Quentin: Ryan Pagan, Will Harris, Anthony Gomez and Thanh Tran. They discuss statewide ballot measures propositions 6 and 36. If passed, Proposition 6 would end involuntary servitude in prison, and Proposition 36 would increase penalties for certain theft and drug crimes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California has grand plans to turn a stretch of abandoned railroad tracks into 300 miles of walking and biking trails, connecting the rolling hills of Marin County with the redwood forests near Eureka in Northern Humboldt. If completed, the Great Redwood Trail could become the longest rail-trail in the nation. But some Indigenous communities and other groups are not on board. Reporter Sam Anderson explores how this grand idea has resurfaced the painful and complicated history behind the original railroad tracks that were built more than a century ago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moonlight Pulido is a mother and a caretaker for her own mom in Los Angeles. But she couldn’t have more children after a prison doctor gave her an involuntary hysterectomy while she was incarcerated in 2005. She’s one of hundreds of living survivors of state-sponsored sterilization. Here in California, more than 20,000 people were involuntarily sterilized in state prisons, homes and hospitals under eugenics laws. People classified as “unfit to reproduce” were disproportionately poor women, people of color, and people with disabilities. Even though California’s eugenics laws were repealed in 1979, people who were incarcerated were still forcibly sterilized as recently as 2013. In 2021, the state passed a historic reparations law to make amends for this shameful chapter in our history. For more than a year, reporter Cayla Mihalovich has been investigating how the law has been implemented. It was intended to compensate survivors for their suffering. But roughly 75% of applicants have been denied reparations. Plus. our friends at KPBS in San Diego have a new series highlighting volunteers who devote their time in unique and unexpected ways. Today, we meet Jillian Shea at the Mesa Rim Climbing Center. She’s an athlete who lost a hand at birth. Now she’s introducing newcomers to the sport of adaptive climbing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might think of Palm Springs as a wealthy town filled with luxury hotels and swimming pools. But it's also a place shaped by brutal racism. People who lived in Section 13, a once a predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood, were pushed off their land. Their homes were bulldozed and burned down. Now, The California Report’s Madi Bolanos. talked to some of the former residents who are now fighting for reparations. And we continue our Hidden Gems series with a visit to Mineral King. It's located in the southern part of Sequoia National Park. Mineral King's remote location means it gets fewer visitors than other parts of the park. But the campers and backpackers that make the trek are rewarded with a spectacular mountain range with rushing waterfalls. There are only a handful of buildings here, including some historic wooden cabins that belong to a few families who’ve been here long before this was a national park. One of those cabins belongs to Laile Di Silvestro’s family. Her connection to Mineral King goes back to the 1870s. Today, she’s an archeologist, and she’s looking for the stories she didn’t hear growing up. The California Report Magazine host Sasha Khokha hiked Mineral King with Di Silvestro to learn about some surprising trail blazers in the California gold rush. And the discrimination some people faced during those boom times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In California, music and winemaking seem to go together. Visit any of the state’s countless wineries and you can hear all kinds of music, from jazz and folk, to classical and Americana. But one artist on the Central Coast takes that connection especially seriously: he spent years making an album full of sounds from a vineyard. Reporter Benjamin Purper takes us to San Luis Obispo to learn more about a sonic journey through a Central Coast wine harvest. And we'll meet one of California’s most celebrated cheese-makers, Soyoung Scanlan. But years ago, before she’d ever really eaten cheese, Soyoung had another love. Growing up in South Korea, she trained in classical piano. So every cheese she’s made over the last 25 years has a musical name and connection. For her series California Foodways, Lisa Morehouse visited the cheesemaker in the hills outside Petaluma. We end today with a story that comes to us from KPBS in San Diego. They recently launched a new series, sharing stories of volunteers. We’ll be bringing you some of those profiles, starting with Ron Peterson, a guide at the Tijuana River Estuary. After losing his sight, Ron now leads a very unique kind of tour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this election year, the issue of immigration has become especially contentious. As one of the four states that share a border with Mexico, California has often tried to lead compassionately, especially when it comes to supporting immigrant children who come here alone. So far this year, nearly 10,000 immigrant youth have made new homes in California. Hundreds of them have benefitted from a unique program that provides legal help and guides them as they adjust to life in a new country. Reporter Lauren DeLaunay Miller brings us the story of one high school student whose life was transformed by the program, and tells us why he believes this program needs to stick around for good. Plus, we visit San Francisco's Buena Vista Horace Mann school. By day, it's a Spanish immersion school for students from kindergarten to 8th grade. But by night, it transforms into something completely unique in the city: a homeless shelter for families with children enrolled in the school district. The shelter provides a hot meal, shower and a place to sleep in the gym or auditorium. To boost their morale, parents at the shelter are able to cook a meal together twice a month. KQED’s Daisy Nguyen takes us into the kitchen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, as wildfires continue to burn across our state, we’re re-airing a story from Erin Baldassari, KQED’s Senior Editor for Housing Affordability. Erin’s reporting took her back to Nevada County, where she grew up. She wanted to learn how people there are adapting to the rising risk of wildfires due to climate change. And she started by asking folks there the same question she’s been asking herself: What do you do if climate change makes the place you love an increasingly dangerous place to live? Erin’s story comes to us from the KQED podcast, Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How the Black Panthers Helped Shape U.S. Schools Back in the 1960s, people were challenging the status quo in a lot of ways, including how schools should be run. At the same time, the Black Power movement was gaining traction, when the Black Panther Party formed in Oakland in 1966. The FBI considered them dangerous becuase of their belief in Black nationalism, socialism, and armed self-defense against police brutality. But the Black Panthers also changed schools in ways we can still see today. This week, we’re bringing you an episode from our friends at KQED’s Mindshift podcast about how one high school in Oakland is still continuing the legacy of community schools. Taiko is Helping Keep Japanese American Culture Alive in the Central Valley The Central Valley town of Ballico sits in the middle of acres of almond orchards. It’s the kind of place you might miss as you’re driving past. But it’s got a rich history: some of the first farmers who settled here came from Japan. And these days, while the folks who live here come from many backgrounds, if you visit the local school, you can still hear the influence of Japanese American culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oakland Composer and Harpist Destiny Muhammad Has Always Charted Her Own Path Sitting on stage with her harp resting in her lap, Destiny Muhammad repeats this mantra: “Excellence, Beauty, and Success.” It’s part mic-check and part pump-up. When she first started learning to play the harp, the Oakland-based composer and musician used to suffer from stage fright. Now, more than 30 years later, she commands the stage with a presence fit for a woman who calls herself the “sound sculptress.” As part of our series on California composers, KQED’s Bianca Taylor brings us her story. The Pesky (But Lovable) Pine Native to the Northern CA Coast California is home to a lot of iconic trees, including giant sequoias, windswept Monterey cypresses, and Joshua trees. The bishop pine doesn’t have that kind of celebrity status. But if you live on the Point Reyes Peninsula in west Marin County you’re all too familiar with it. These indigenous trees are so well-suited to growing here, that to locals they’re notorious pests, not because of how easily they grow, but because of how they die. The California Report’s intern Lusen Mendel takes us to Tomales Bay State Park to meet someone who’s made it his mission to deal with the pesky and strangely loveable, pines. Meeting Monarch the Grizzly Bear If you spend much time in the Sierra, you’ve probably been warned to look out for black bears. But there’s another kind of bear that once roamed our state, one that’s got a much bigger – and fiercer – reputation: the California grizzly. It's been 100 years since the extinction of the grizzly, but you can see one of the last of its kind, a bear named Monarch, up close at a new exhibit at San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences. Host Sasha Khokha paid a visit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a recent afternoon, a group of mechanics gathered at a lowrider show. This isn't Los Angeles – a city where lowrider culture has deep roots – it's more than a 1,000 miles away in Mexico City. For decades, Mexican immigrants have headed north and shaped the culture of California’s cities. But now, a growing number of their children and grandchildren are leaving California and moving to Mexico. Reporter Levi Bridges met up with some of them in Mexico City to learn why they made the move. Plus, in the Central Valley, you often see signs from the California Farm Water Coalition that say “Food grows where water flows." The system of canals and reservoirs that feeds farmland there is one of the biggest in the world. But irrigation canals are also places where people dump unwanted objects, like toilets, furniture or shopping carts. It's Big Valley Divers job to clean and maintain the canals and the dams that feeds farmland, For her series California Foodways, Lisa Morehouse spent a day in Colusa County with Big Valley Divers to learn all about the unusual job that keeps the water flowing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some composers picture colors or abstract shapes when they’re working on a new piece. Derrick Skye thinks about space. His fascination with the cosmos is threaded throughout his compositions, including the latest in his series "Prisms, Cycles, Leaps." For our series on California composers. reporter Clare Wiley sat down with the Los Angeles-based Skye to hear how he brings his otherworldly ideas to life and how living in multicultural LA has influenced him. Plus, we go to the oldest 100-mile ultramarathon in the world: The Western States Endurance Run. This grueling race starts near Lake Tahoe and winds along old mining trails in the Sierra, drops into the canyons of the American River, and finishes outside Sacramento. Thousands of people are on the waitlist to attempt it, but just a fraction make it to the starting line. The runners who do compete are overwhelmingly white, even though the race is trying to include more BIPOC athletes. KQED’s Mark Nieto got to watch this year’s race at the end of June and he followed one competitor who’s inspiring other runners of color. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the presidential race now in uncharted territory, Kamala Harris’ candidacy is putting her under a microscope. Not just her political career but everything about her background, including her mixed race heritage. Last year, we brought you a series inspired in part by Kamala Harris’s visibility as a mixed race person when she became Vice President. Mixed! Stories of Mixed Race Californians explored both the complexity, and the joy of growing up multiracial. And California is the place to tell these stories from because the state is home to one of the largest multi-racial populations in the U.S, This week, we’re bringing back the first episode from that series, which features the voices and stories of listeners from across the state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caregivers don’t get a lot of recognition despite doing hard and essential work. This week, stories about caregiving at all phases of life and how hard it can be for some families to provide that care themselves or even find professional help. Systemic Neglect: How Staffing Shortages In Nursing Homes Leave Patients Trapped in Hospitals When taking care of a loved one becomes too hard, families often look to nursing homes for help. But finding long term care in California s not easy right now. The industry took a big hit during the pandemic and many facilities are still recovering from staffing shortages. Some patients with complex diagnoses are waiting weeks, months and even years for a bed. KQED health correspondent Lesley McClurg has the story of one man in the Bay Area who has tried everything to find care for his wife. A Caregiving Son and a Mom with Alzheimer's Find a Musical Connection What happens when the parent-child role is reversed? In caregiving, this kind of role reversal is common. And it’s what happened to Rob Fordyce. After his 85-year-old mom, Susan, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease two years ago, Rob moved back into his childhood home to take care of her. And despite Susan’s advancing disease, Rob found a surprising way for the two of them to connect, through music. Cayla Mihalovich has their story. How An LA Child Care Influencer Became A Resource For Providers Across The Country Child care happens in a lot of different settings: a school, or a center, or a church. What you may not know is that more than a quarter of California’s child care facilities are actually in private homes. And for those providers, it can be a real challenge to juggle caregiving with running a small business. Tonya Mohammad knows this firsthand and understands the myriad of issues that child care providers face. So she's built a following via social media by sharing her three decades of experience taking care of infants and toddlers in Los Angeles. LAist's Mariana Dale brings us her story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show: For the past 13 years, DJ Ramzi has been sharing his deep knowledge and passion for Arabic music with listeners all over the world through his radio show and podcast, “Arabology.” But Ramzi Salti is not just a deejay, he's also an advanced lecturer in the Arabic program at Stanford University. His goal is to expose people to the wide variety of Arabic music, and along the way, push back against the stereotypes and demonization of Arabs and Arab-Americans. KQED’s culture reporter Ariana Proehl visited him at Stanford and brings us this story. And we meet musician Hana Vu. She just released her second album and started a North American tour that will end in her hometown of Los Angeles in August. Critics have called her an “an indie-pop prodigy” who’s “old beyond her years.” That’s because the prolific musician, who started recording and playing shows in her teens, is just 24. Guest host Bianca Taylor talked with Hana Vu about her new album “Romanticism,” and why she chose touring over music school. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This holiday weekend, we're replaying stories from our Hidden Gems series about out-of-the-way secret spots in California - places you might want to visit on a road trip! How This Oakland Business Gives Mannequins New Life (Almost) You might not notice them, but mannequins can be found everywhere from the tiniest boutiques to Target. But what happens to these non-biodegradable figures when stores go out of business or styles change? In California, many of them end up at Mannequin Madness, an Oakland warehouse run by a woman whose mission is to keep mannequins out of the landfill. This Stretch of the Mojave Desert Plays the ‘Lone Ranger’ Theme There’s a road in the western Mojave Desert that’s supposed to sound like the "William Tell Overture" by Rossini. Honda built the road back in 2008 as part of a TV commercial for the Civic. But it's seen better days. Reporter Clare Wiley headed out to Lancaster to make some music with her tires. Fort Bragg’s Larry Spring Museum Preserves Creativity in California The tiny Larry Spring Museum is dedicated to a Mendocino County TV repairman who lived in Fort Bragg most of his life. He was an amateur physicist, a keen observer of nature and the items he left behind reveal his deep curiosity about the world. KQED’s Katrina Schwartz takes us to this whimsical museum to learn more about the man behind it. This episode originally aired in February 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices