

KQED's The California Report
KQED
KQED's statewide radio news program, providing daily coverage of issues, trends, and public policy decisions affecting California and its diverse population.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 19, 2025 • 11min
Sonoma County Wineries Have Mixed Feelings On Wine Improvement District Plan
In Sonoma County, leaders in the wine industry are floating the idea of a Wine Improvement District. Under the proposed plan, consumers would pay 1 to 2 percent more for tasting room visits, wine club memberships within California, and every bottle purchased at a local winery. Supporters say the plan would provide much-needed collective marketing dollars to boost the industry, but many Sonoma County winery owners are not thrilled with the idea.
Reporter: Tina Caputo
In Sacramento, Democrats are moving quickly on a sweeping redistricting plan. And Republicans are pushing back. California Democrats formally introduced legislation on Monday to establish a new congressional map and bypass the state’s independent redistricting rules.
Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio
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Aug 18, 2025 • 11min
Imperial County Tries To Save Sugar Beet Industry
The Imperial Valley has been growing sugar beets for more than a century. But this summer's harvest could be the region's last. The valley's only sugar beet factory is shutting down, threatening hundreds of jobs and one of its staple crops.
Reporter: Kori Suzuki, KPBS
San Diego Unified School District officials are condemning the recent arrest of a parent near an elementary school by immigration agents.
Valley Fever is on the rise in California. State health officials say there were more than 5,500 provisional cases from January through June, continuing an upward trend after last year's record high. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 15, 2025 • 10min
Radio Stations Serving Indigenous Communities Face Challenges From Federal Cuts
When Congress passed a budget bill that clawed back more than a billion dollars in federal funding for public media, radio stations across the country were put on notice. With the lack of funding, many have already laid off staff, and many smaller stations in rural areas are at risk of closing for good. That includes stations in the western United States that serve indigenous communities.
Guest: Peggy Berryhill, General Manager, KGUA
School is back in session for thousands of students across the state. In Los Angeles County, the start of the school year looks a bit different after a summer colored by aggressive, federal immigration enforcement.
Teachers and staff are on high alert, patrolling neighborhoods around their campuses looking for ICE agents and preparing for what to do if there’s a raid.
Reporter: Benjamin Gottlieb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 14, 2025 • 11min
Heat-Related Deaths For Farmworkers Persist And Employers Often Avoid Consequences
This month marks 20 years since California implemented rules meant to protect workers from the heat amid a series of farm worker deaths. But two decades later, many employers still don't provide workers with the protections they're owed, enforcement is generally lax, climate change has brought more severe heat waves, and workers continue to die.
Guest: Jessica Garrison, LA Times
A federal judge in San Francisco heard final arguments Wednesday on whether President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles this summer violated the law.
Reporter: Julie Small, KQED
Ventura County supervisors are considering a package of proposals aimed at helping undocumented residents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 13, 2025 • 11min
Residents In California's Most Polluted Communities Call For Local Climate Change Focus
When California lawmakers return from summer recess on Monday, the legislature is expected to debate the future of the state's program to fight climate change. And some residents in heavily polluted communities want state leaders to focus on local air quality too.
Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED
One of the candidates running to be California’s next governor faces potential conflicts of interest related to her spouse’s business dealings.
Reporter: Alexei Koseff, CalMatters
If you call the Redding Fire Department for help with anything but a life-threatening medical emergency, you may now get a bill.
Reporter: Justin Higginbottom, Jefferson Public Radio
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Aug 12, 2025 • 11min
North State Congressman Faces Jeers At Packed Town Hall
For the first time in eight years, Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa held an in-person town hall for his constituents in Chico on Monday.
Reporter: Erik Adams, North State Public Radio
The second day of testimony begins Tuesday morning in California's challenge to President Donald Trump’s deployment of thousands of National Guard troops and US Marines to Los Angeles earlier this summer.
Reporter: Brian Krans, KQED
A former Orange County supervisor has been ordered to pay the county back, for his role in illegally redirecting millions of dollars in contracts for bribes.
Reporter: Nick Gerda, LAist
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Aug 11, 2025 • 11min
Local Health Providers Prepare For Medi-Cal Cuts
Local healthcare providers are bracing for Medicaid cuts under a new federal spending law. They say the cuts will impact their ability to care for low-income patients.
Reporter: Ngozi Cole, KAZU
The Trump administration is holding children in facilities along the U.S. -Mexico border– for longer than ever before. That’s according to a federal judge in LA, who suggested that could threaten the government’s push to end a decades-long agreement protecting children in immigration custody.
Reporter: Julie Small, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 8, 2025 • 11min
Trump Administration Turns To US Supreme Court To Lift Ban On SoCal Immigration Enforcement
The Trump administration is asking the US Supreme Court to lift a temporary restraining order that restricts indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests across much of Southern California.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego has launched a new interfaith ministry, to accompany refugees and asylum seekers at immigration court.
Reporter: Alexander Nguyen, KPBS
San Luis Obispo County Supervisors voted this week to accept more than $300,000 in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. That's despite criticism of the agency’s immigration enforcement policies.
Reporter: Gabriela Fernandez, KCBX
At Google’s San Francisco offices Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new joint effort with four top tech giants to better prepare California’s students for the future of work.
Reporter: Rachael Myrow, KQED
The 29th annual Tahoe Summit brought together lawmakers, tribal leaders, and environmentalist to discuss the future of the basin.
Reporter: Maria Palma, KUNR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 7, 2025 • 11min
Federal Cuts Left Seasonal Employees at Yosemite Unpaid for Weeks
Yosemite National Park welcomes millions of visitors per year, according to the National Parks Service. The massive figure means that seasonal workers are integral for all of the park's services to function smoothly. But an NPR investigation revealed that dozens of seasonal workers at Yosemite were on the job for weeks, without getting paid for it.
More than 2,000 DACA recipients in California are on track to lose their health insurance at the end of August, after the Trump Administration axed a rule that allowed them to obtain health coverage through Covered California.
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Aug 6, 2025 • 11min
Proposed Federal Cuts Could Devastate Thousands Who Rely On Housing Assistance Programs
Federal housing cuts could leave thousands of California families without a place to live. And in Fresno County, where more than half of residents rent, the impact could be devastating.
Reporter: Madi Bolanos, The California Report
The Marine Corps has changed its longstanding agreement with an Oceanside-based credit union, following a KPBS investigation last year.
Reporter: Scott Rodd, KPBS
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